On Saturday, the bloke and I took part in the special event MINIs at Dunsfold, which raised money for children's charity, Variety in association with The Italian Job Mini rally. The last time that this event was held at Dunsfold was in 2009. After a short break, the organisers have put the event on again this year, and this will be the final year at this track as it will be developed on and the site of a new housing estate. Dunsfold (near Guildford) is where the car enthusiast television show "Top Gear" is filmed, which we got tickets to go to for the filming earlier in the year. The test track is located here, and it is used in the series to test drive cars and to have celebrities drive cars around the track.
The event enabled groups of MINIs (approximately twelve at a time) in different groups around the track in five laps. There was a slow group, a fast group, and a group in between; there was a queue for each speed. All cars drove behind a safety car so that you couldn't overtake and crash out. We drove in the fast group for a few sessions, and this properly tested the car's boundaries. We had beautiful hot weather for it.
The inside of the track was a haven of wildflowers, which were filled with butterflies and bees. It's sad that this land is going to be developed on.
We even got to see a plane doing tricks in the air above us in the afternoon.
At the end of the day, those who were still around were asked to participate in a photo shoot on the way out. Photographs of our cars were taken as we drove around the track, and the final photographs included all of the cars in front of the iconic plane on the track/runway. There were so many MINIs that I could not even attempt to photograph them all; there were also a few rows back to the plane.
Over the course of the day, over 2,000 pounds were raised for charity. This included the price of tickets, the donations made by the refreshment stands, raffle tickets, and merchandising.
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