Hello Folks,

It's just before 8 a.m. Thursday, August 29th and Pooh is loaded for the trip to the northern California and Oregon coasts. We'll take a new route, ideal for a Mini according to the Summers.

Yesterday Kent and I loaded the wheel chair in the new Mini Cooper, went out for breakfast and headed up I-80 towards Reno to locate Seven Enterprises new digs after the move from Virginia to the golden state. We had a tour of the premises, I used the $50 US draw prize towards the purchase of a new clutch master cylinder, and we persuaded Jack Holdaway and David to don the Seven shirts for a photo. Jack donated an early Fortech race Mini poster for the Vancouver Mini Club's 50/50 draw, proceeds to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

Also waiting for me was a package of parts from Amanda to replace those from Pooh's spares bin, which got her to the MMW Rally start and back to Sacramento safely. She knows they will go to a needy recipient (hope it's not me).

Continuing into the hills and the history of California's gold rush and later hard rock gold mining country we went in search of Mini Mania's new facilities in Nevada City...on Gold Flat Road. Don Racine has relocated from Milpitas in the Bay area and established the business in large premises, where considerable effort is being directed to the new Mini Cooper.

One photo will show some of the many 'cat back' systems for the new Cooper exhaust. Dyno results show an overall gain of 18 hp. There was also a suggestion that all the hp from the new supercharged "S" might not be getting through the 6-speed gearbox as effectively as the Cooper's does through its 5-speed box. Leading edge...

Mini Mania donated two posters for the VMC 50/50 draw. The second last poster from the 2001 Mini Challenge at Laguna Seca and a 1995 poster from the Mini Sprite Challenge.

I noticed that the new Mini Cooper's 6-speed automatic transmission (Kent hopes for hand controls one day) shifted down quickly when needed for acceleration on hills and shifted smoothly through all gears. All changes, except the grabbing of power on a steep hill, were almost imperceptible. Whether climbing into the foothills or returning to Carmichael, the new Mini Cooper kept pace without any stress or strain.

Checked Pooh over before a BBQ on the deck and evening visit with friends.

May not be able to email until home on the weekend after the big All British Field Meet at Portland's PIR.

All the best,

Rick Higgs (and Pooh of course)

Pooh, E-mail:  mhabc@telus.net