MINI UNITED: FRIENDS. FESTIVAL. RACING.

"MINI UNITED: FRIENDS. FESTIVAL. RACING." - that is how the BMW Group PressClub USA press release on MINI United is titled. MINI United is scheduled for May 11-13, 2012 in Le Castellet, France. The press release announces that "[i]n addition to the many festival activities, MINI United will serve as the exclusive location for a new MINI model to make its world premiere." It is a three day event - an open-air festival, owner and fan driving experiences on the track, motorsport activities, live music, stunt shows and vehicle displays ranging from Mini classics to the current lineup. They have also scheduled two pro-series races on the circuit that weekend - the MINI Trophy from Germany and the MINI RUSH HOUR from Italy.

The most up to date information on MINI United is located here on the MINI United Facebook Page.

If you are coming from the U.S. here are your registration instructions:

US guests who plan to attend MINI United are encouraged to register at:

www.miniunited2012.com beginning Wednesday, February 22. By registering here, MINI owners in the US will enjoy a slight discount on the registration fee for a weekend pass ($50 USD at the link noted here, normally €40). Additionally, they will have access to transfers to a welcome dinner hosted by MINI USA executives, the MINI USA hospitality area during the festival, shuttles to the festival each day, test-drive vehicles for the track experience and an option to reserve a room at the discounted rate in the MINI USA room block at the Dolce Fregate hotel. This hotel is located in St Cyr sur Mer, France, which is a 15-minute drive (approximate) from the festival, 45 minutes from Marseilles Airport and 1 ½ hours from Nice airport. The hotel can assist with coordinating airport transfers.