Welcome to MPG Mini Performance Group is a car club for Coopers based in Upstate New York's Capital Region. Learn more, join, or be added to the e-mail newsletter. Contact Zeke for all website suggestions and complaints, if you want to contribute, or if you have a photo for the header.
Events Click on the event listing to read more about it. Meetings are at 7:15 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month at the Albany Pump Station.
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January 14th, 2012 :: Posted by Zeke Join Mohawk-Hudson SCCA for the first Winter Kart Series. If you are going stir crazy like the rest of us – THIS IS IT! Some MoHuders have planned a winter karting series at Checkers Out in Johnstown, N.Y. The first several dates have been worked out, and depending on turnout, the remaining season will be scheduled. All are welcome — read through the following details.
Details
Event 1 — Saturday, January 14 at 3 p.m.
Event 2 — Saturday, February 4 at 3 p.m.
Event 3 — Saturday, February 25 at 3 p.m.
Checkers Out Speedway
www.checkersout.com (and on Facebook)
2299 State Highway 30A, Johnstown, NY
indoor slick track oval
- Must bring a helmet (only requirement is DOT-approved, open-faced or closed-faced fine)
- Each event capped at 20 entrants
- $10 registration fee at your first event, good for all season
- $400 rental fee/event split among entrants (=$20-$40/entrant depending on turnout)
- Entrants will be divided into two groups, with each group racing in a 50-lap feature race.
- Transponders on karts, scoring handled by facility
- Sign-up details to be posted soon!
Post questions here, over there, or contact Eric Smith (EJEvo8@gmail.com).
January 3rd, 2012 :: Posted by Zeke Hey Everyone! Let’s make our first meeting of 2012 extra fun. It will be Tuesday, January 3rd at the Albany Pump Station. If you can come early, arrive for dinner at 6:30pm. We’ll have a “Mini” trivia contest with some sort of prize… So study up this week! As always bring ideas for amazing Mini adventures for us to take in the upcoming year! Dan and I will be putting the 2012 calendar together for February’s meeting and need your input. (And photos?)
If you think you can make it for dinner Tuesday – please RSVP to mpgminis@hotmail.com by Jan. 1 so we can make proper reservations.
Hope you had a very Happy Christmas and Be Safe for New Year’s! Looking forward to hearing from you!
Cheerio,
Jamie & Dan
December 14th, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke Hi Everyone – We’ve decided to combine forces with our big brothers (like last year) for a holiday party, in place of the December regular meeting. See you back at the Pump Station in January. Here are the details:
To sign up
Go to the Patroon website, click on the ABOUT tab (you get a drop down menu). Click on RSVP to AN EVENT. Fill in the blanks and click SEND.
BMW Patroon Chapter Holiday Dinner
By Scott Stowell
When: Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Time: 7:00pm until 9:00pm
Where: German American Club of Albany, 32 Cherry St, Albany NY 12205
Description: It’s that time of the year again! We are looking forward to a great menu, member gifts, and a chance to win one of many great prizes. Please RSVP for the event by sending an e-mail with your name and # in your group to: rsvp _at_ patroonbmw.org
Members pre-registering before 12/7 will be charged $15. Non-member guests and members registering after 12/7 will be charged $20.
If you have photos you would like to share for our slide show, please email them to photos _at_ patroonbmw.org so I can include them
This is a great party — short and sweet with nice prizes! A bunch of us went last year — let’s see how many tables we can take up this year!! And I know some of you have pics — please send them to the above address. Let us know if you have any questions.
Happy Thanksgiving and cya December 14th with bells on!
Jamie & Dan
November 1st, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke November’s regular meeting will be on the first, at 7:15 p.m. at the Albany Pump Station.
This month is our annual “state your case” meeting. Bring a case of can food or non-perishable goods to the meeting, and we’ll see just how many MINIs we can fill. The donations will go toward a local food bank, I’ve heard.
October 30th, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke Hey MINI friends – Here’s the word on Beardslee Castle:
5:51pm Oct 18 Scott Stowell posted in Patroon Chapter of the BMW CCA:
The Beardslee Castle Drive and Dine is on for Sunday 10/30. We are leaving Jumping Jacks parking lot at 3:30PM and heading down the open sections of Rt 5 and 5S! As mentioned below, if you are a driving participant you need to be a member of the BMW CCA so you will be covered by our insurance. Please contact me by Wednesday 10/26 if you will be attending so I can confirm our reservations.
This was a great time last year – awesome food, amazing ambiance, a ghostie or two – oooOOOOoooOooo!
Check out the website beardsleecastle.com. Yes, you need to be a BMWCCA member – go to BMWCCA.org – it’s easy to sign up. Let us know if you’re joining us and we’ll send Scott a final list.
Cheers,
Jamie & Dan
October 15th, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke Let’s meet at 9:45 a.m. at the Stewart’s gas station at the intersection of Routes 2 and 66 in Troy, where Congress Street splits between Pawling Avenue and Brunswick Road.
We leave promptly at 10 a.m. heading east on Route 2 into Vermont, for a run to Vt. Rt. 9 East, to Rt. 8, to Rt. 100, back on 9 West through Wilmington, up Rt. 7 or 7a, into New York via Rt. 313, south over various county routes, back into Vermont on Rt. 67 to end in Bennington at the Madison Brewing Co. for an early (hopefully) 3-4 p.m. meal.
There are a few possible stops along the way and afterwards, but plan for some good foliage and a lot of twisty driving, with at least some of it being open and free and spirited. We can plan attractions or lunch on the fly. Let me know if you will be coming if you have not already — we could use additional cars — and if you have them, bring walkie-talkies to aid in on-the-fly detours. Forecast predicts scattered morning showers.
October 4th, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke First Tuesday of the month at the Albany Pump Station at 7:15 p.m. The monthly meetings are a chance to catch up, talk mini, and discuss future or pending events.
I for one would like to see a fall foliage tour one of these weekends. I’ll organize!
September 29th, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke from the Ipsens, for lack of any other write up(!):
Thank you sooooo much for participating in today’s adventure! We think you all got to see things you never knew existed and traveled to places you wouldn’t necessarily put on your top 10 list (or even on your list at all – but didn’t it all turn out to be so amazing?). What a beautiful day to spend out with friends and Minis! We know we saw you smile! 
Thank you Derek & April (and Dan!) for creating and fine tuning the route & stops. Thank you to Rick Davidson for his fine Brew Pub & giving us a break on the room fee. Thank you Keeler Mini for covering our T-shirts. Thank you Heather Ipsen for the T-shirt design. Thank you Kate for handling the accounting. Thank you to our stops – The Chocolate Mill, Gardenworks, Pember Museum, Leather Outlet, & Natural Stone Bridge & Caves.
Lauren, co-pilot in QCKSLVR won the $300 pot with two pairs – Aces & Jacks. $150 of that is being donated to the College of St Rose Geology Club which is currently putting together cleaning supplies and toiletries for the families in Rotterdam Junction who continue to struggle with the aftermath of Irene/Lee.
If you have any photos from today, you can post them on The Mini Performance Group page on Facebook or email them to mpgminis@hotmail.com and we’ll get them into a slide show for you.
If you have any comments, good (or not so good), please let us know! We’d like this event to get better each year and we need your suggestions to help us.
Please mark your calendars NOW for next year’s Poker Run (West Course). It will be the third Saturday in September, the 15th, 2012.
Thanks again for being with us! Couldn’t do it without you! (And those of you who weren’t able to make it, we’ll see you next year!)
September 17th, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke 
Third annual Poker Run — September 17th!
From the desk of the Ipsens:
“We are very pleased to announce that the 3rd annual MPG Poker Run is on! This event offers lots of cool stops along a northerly course loosely described by the first attachment (see below). While Jamie and I are still ironing out the exact GPS coordinates (ha), the attached should give you the gist of what is along the route. This weekend we visited the Davidson Brothers Restaurant & Brewery in Glens Falls for a taste test and were thoroughly impressed. By moving our evening festivities to Glens Falls, we stand an excellent chance of finishing up our drives by happy hour.
What do we need from you besides enthusiasm and a Mini? We need registration money for dinner ($30 ea), T-shirts ($15 ea), and a poker pot ($10 ea) of course. Raffle door prizes are also in our plan, but depend on our corporate sponsors. Please explore the websites listed in the attachment (below), and plan out what looks like fun for you. Actual driving time is about 3-1/2 hours, so plan on about 3 hours for your activities list.
What’s next? We need firm registration commitments by Sept. 1st, so the restaurant and T-shirt vendor can finalize plans, and we know exactly where to send adventure packets. Our maximum capacity is about 60 people, or roughly 30 Minis (unless you love the back seat). Please fill out the attached registration form, and return it soon to reserve your spot. Also attached is our preliminary T-shirt artwork that will be place on a red shirt.
Please forward this email to any fellow Mini drivers you know, and send questions to us via email: mpgminis@hotmail.com
Download and complete the registration form
Download the list of tentative card stops and alternative attractions
September 6th, 2011 :: Posted by Zeke Meeting reminder for September, first Tuesday of the month — the 6th — at 7:15 p.m. at the Albany Pump Station. Look for a group to the left behind the bar, or upstairs. Or in the parking lot.
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