MINI TAKES THE STATES SWEEPSTAKES WINNER AWARDED A TRIP TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  August 6, 2012. John Goral and his wife, Kathy Curran, of Suwanee, Georgia, have been named as the official winners of MINI TAKES THE STATES (MTTS) Sweepstakes, earning the two of them an unforgettable trip to the London 2012 Olympic Games. They will receive a three-night trip for two to London, England and admission tickets for two to select events.

"I was in shock when I received the call telling me that we won," said John Goral, winner of the MINI TAKES THE STATES Sweepstakes. "We've enjoyed some wonderful events with MINI, but this one definitely falls into the category of a 'once-in-a-lifetime' MINI experience that we'll be talking about for years to come."

While in London this week, Goral and Curran plan to cheer on the athletes competing in Athletics/Track & Field, Table Tennis, Football and Ladies Beach Volleyball.

Goral and Curran joined MTTS in Charlotte, North Carolina and stayed with the rally through the stop in Chicago. All MTTS participants were entered into a sweepstakes to win the trip to the London Games. To gain entries, registered attendees checked in (in person) at events, including the daily Rise and Shine in each city, evening activities and MINIcross. Every time a participant checked in, the barcode on their ticket was scanned and a contest entry was submitted with a maximum of three entries per day. Full sweepstakes details and alternative method of entry can be found at www.minitakesthestates.com.

The U.S. Paralympic Team was the charitable partner for MTTS in the month of July, and the partnership opened the door for rally participants to engage in another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the “Michael Johnston Challenge.” This fundraising initiative offered MTTS participants a chance to train with an athlete as he ran and rode his bicycle during segments of the cross-country rally.

MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand.  The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 114 MINI passenger car dealers in 38 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops.  Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of six unique vehicles.

Journalist note: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com. 

Consumer information about MINI products is available via the internet at: www.MINIUSA.com