(January 21, 2022) WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.  — MINI USA has announced the official route for MINI TAKES THE STATES (MTTS) 2022. The legendary Mini owners rally will kick off from Burlington, Vt., on July 9, and travel south to Spartanburg, S.C., culminating in a weekend of Mini fun ending July 17. The epic nine-day adventure will explore a total of nine states and eight cities.  Participants will motor through magnificent mountain ranges, zig through small towns, zag past iconic roadside attractions and even get to slay a dragon or two.

After departing Farr’s Field in Waterbury, Vt., just outside of Burlington, MTTS 2022 will stop just east of the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York in Vernon before heading south to Long Pond, Pa., home of the Pocono International Raceway. From there the caravan of Minis will again head south to historic Frederick, Md., and Roanoke, Va., in the Blue Ridge Mountains.



With just two days left on the journey, MTTS will travel to Bristol, Tenn., home of the last great coliseum, Bristol Motor Speedway, before traveling the legendary Tail of the Dragon scenic highway to the vibrant Blue Ridge hotspot Asheville, NC., the final leg of the trip before arriving at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg on July 17, for a weekend of Mini fun and community activities.

“We are thrilled to reunite and rally with our owner community, connect with old friends and make new ones,” said Caryn Grun, head of experiential marketing at MINI USA. “We know how important these events are to our owners and we have put together an epic adventure they will never forget.”

MINI USA also confirmed in July that Best Friends Animal Society will once again be the official charity partner of MTTS. A charity partner with MINI USA since 2013 and  the official charitable partner for MINI TAKES THE STATES in 2014, Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the euthanizing of dogs and cats in American animal shelters by 2025.

Last month MINI USA covered all adoption fees at Best Friends locations for a week prior to the holiday season, and earlier last year helped to raise over $18,000 in conjunction with the MINI Together virtual owner event July 24. Fundraising efforts will continue up to and through the conclusion of MTTS 2022.  

Mini owners have waited a long time for the return of one of the most anticipated events amongst the MINI community, which normally occurs every other summer since the first event in 2006. MTTS 2020 was postponed twice to ensure safe rallying and gathering during the COVID19 pandemic.

The last MTTS in 2018 attracted more than 3,600 Mini owners who took part in the Rally to the Rockies, with 1,000+ MINIs on the road each day. The two groups drove on two separate routes, one starting in Orlando, Florida, and the other in Portland, Oregon, converging in Keystone, Col,. for a three-day festival of all things Mini. The group of loyal Mini owners travelled more than 5,000 miles through 15 cities and 14 states. At times the group swelled to more than 1,200 owners and 800 vehicles of all shapes, colors and sizes on each route.