London to Brighton Run 2005

This year's London to Brighton mini run was quite a special one. It was the 20th year that the run had been held and it tied in nicely with the 10th Birthday of the Essex mini club, who I travelled down to Crystal Palace in convoy with. The weather was kind to us for another year and the traffic on the way down though busy, wasn't as bad as some previous years. Most of us had made it to Brighton by about 10:30am, where we met the rest of the Essex mini club, who'd been busy setting up the club stand - which for the third consecutive year won the best club stand trophy with it's Rocky Horror Picture Show theme! There's photos of the stand below, along with plenty of others...

Please click one of the links below to see a larger image...

		The Queue at Crystal Palace - Click for a larger image The lineup of minis at Crystal Palace.		Red Bull - Click for a larger image The Red Bull Minis - including a new MINI at the entrance to Madeira Drive at Brighton
		Our Club Stand - Click for a larger image The Essex Mini Club stand at Brighton.		The Stand From Above! - Click for a larger image A shot of the Essex Mini Club stand from the balcony!
		One of the Dressed-up Cars - Click for a larger image One of the cars that helped the Essex Mini Club win the best club stand trophy for the third time in a row!		And Another! - Click for a larger image Another of the Essex Mini Club cars!
		Soap-box Action - Click for a larger image One of the soap-box racers - this one's the Kentish Mini Club's entry.		The Essex MOC Soap-box - Click for a larger image Here's team Essex MOC in action on the soap-box gymkhana circuit! We may not have won, but we had air-horns!
		New MINI Gymkhana - Click for a larger image A BMW mini having a go at the gymkhana.		More Gymkhana Action! - Click for a larger image Another shot of someone having a go at the gymkhana. It's worth noting that this mini was a full 8 seconds faster than the BMW MINI in the other shot :-)
		MINI Advert - Click for a larger image It wasn't only Red Bull that were using MINI's to advertise.		...And Another - Click for a larger image ...Classic mini's were getting in on the act too!
		Brighton Beach - Click for a larger image A shot of Brighton beach from Madeira Drive, with the pier in the background.		Some of the Show - Click for a larger image A shot of just a fraction of the mini's that were on show.
		Stunning MK1 - Click for a larger image A beautiful mk1 on the Mini Cooper Register stand.		And Another! - Click for a larger image ...and another one, parked up on Madeira Drive.
		Retro Modern - Click for a larger image This one was a really well done mix of retro looks with modern touches, like the carbon fibre roof!.		VTEC Clubman - Click for a larger image A recent Mini World feature car, this clubman had Honda type-R power and huge alloys!
		Nice 'zaust! - Click for a larger image This race-inspired mini had several really cool touches, like the side exit exhaust, a fuel cell and MB Racing 10" split-rims, along with a pretty special engine...		8-Port - Click for a larger image ...An Arden 8-port head with twin Webbers. Droooool!
		Hey Shorty! - Click for a larger image There were quite a few shorty's there this year, this was one of the better ones.		Shorty's Engine - Click for a larger image The engine bay of the shorty in the picture opposite. Shiny!
		Big ICE - Click for a larger image Interior's don't get much more custom than this!		Italian Job - Click for a larger image This is one of the more convincing Italian Job replica's I've seen!
		PJ & Friends - Click for a larger image PJ parked up in front of the Essex Mini Club stand.

All Photos copyright Neil Brown 2005.