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Thousands of people ventured to Pentewan Sands over the bank holiday weekend to take in the sights and sounds of the prestigious Riviera Run (May 4-6), organised by the Cornish Mini Club.
The three-day event marked the 27th anniversary of the Riviera Run and featured everything from a show and shine to rocker racing and even a Sunday cruise, as hundreds of Minis took to the roads around St Austell Bay.
People came from far and wide to join the celebrations but none as far as Mike Guido, the man behind Mini Sport USA, who travelled all the way over from the Cocoa Beach area of Florida.
A regular visitor to Mini events across the globe, Guido flew into England, took his 2000 MPI Mini out of storage and drove to Cornwall, where he spent a few days before visiting the International Mini Meet in Germany.
“I come over every year and I try to make this show, it’s one of my favourites,” he told CHAOS Radio. “In 1979, I went to Sebring, to driving school to get my racing licence with an Austin Sprite. I was going down the back straightaway and this little tiny box goes blowing past me, just screaming and bouncing off all the little cracks on the road. When I went into the pits, I asked ‘what the heck was that?’
“I got my first Mini and I’ve been into them ever since. Everybody’s great. It’s a culture of people. When I started going to the International Mini Meet, I thought it was all about the car. Within a few hours, it’s like, yeah, the Minis are awesome but the people are even cooler. My theory is, if everybody in the world owned a classic Mini, there would be no war because everybody is just happy.
“When I walk outside and see my Mini that I’ve seen a thousand times, I still smile and giggle. Like, am I really getting into that thing? I’ve got nine different Minis, two over here and seven back home to choose from, depending on the weather. We bought this Mini (pictured) about six or seven years ago. I’ve put about 45,000 miles on it, driving all through Europe. I put about four to 5,000 miles on it every year when I come over.
“Cornwall is beautiful. It’s my favourite spot. I’m staying a week just to hang out and relax. There’s nowhere in America that’s like this place. I really enjoy it. Everything here now is really mint. It’s neat to see that many really nice cars in one location.”
For more information, visit Mini Sport and Cornish Mini Club Riviera Run.
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