Remember this is what you DO NOT WANT TO DO on the Dragon
My next to last plea for everyone to be careful, as this will be the first time for many of you on the Dragon and the forecast is for light rain when we get in Thursday(another rain dance may be in order) which means of course decreaesd traction


Don't cross the yellow line(unless you are passing and really want to die)
Stay in your lane to avoid blind(OMG) oncoming traffic!

Drive the Dragon at your own pace, and don't push the car in front of you over the side of the mountain , and if you feel someone is pushing you, there are pull overs along the way to allow those other funny little cars to go by
Other than that have fun!
Seeya Thursday

 

Hear, hear, 'zilla. This is a fun event, not a track event. No competition except between the chili cooks.The conduct of each individual ends up being how we are judged as a group by the Dragon faithful, locals, and law enforcement.

Crossing the line in almost every case is severely frowned upon, and those people who work to make the Dragon what it is will make sure that people know about it. The best way to think about driving conditions at the Dragon is to imagine you are driving through a maze. In dozens upon dozens of cases, you are coming through a sharp turn that basically wraps around a wall - you wont see what is coming from the other direction, and you wont know what is in your lane as you make the turn. Stray into the other lane in this situation and you might take out another motorist. Motorcyclists in particular can be seriously injured or killed by having a car show up in their lane.

If you can't keep it in your lane, you are going too fast.

Make sure that you also stay off of the shoulders. The shoulders are gravel and drop off quite a bit from the road surface. If you hit the shoulder in an inside turn, your wheels will find no traction at all and you will end up in a ditch, over an embankment, against the tree or a rock wall. Driving onto the shoulder for any reason will scatter the gravel into the surface, making life for everyone, especially the bikers far more dangerous.

If you spot a hazard or someone in trouble, use your FRS radio to let oncoming drivers know. If you hear about a hazard ahead, relay it back to people behind you, since the range of the radios is limited. Working together makes things a LOT safer.

Also, if you have it, DSC is your friend. It will save your butt and that of others. Keep it on. Unlike a track where you can keep it off and use controlled sliding and drifting to make time, there is just no room or consistent conditions to do it on the Dragon. If your DSC is kicking in, heed it's warnings. It really wont slow you down as long as you are tracking true. It can be a big help if you come across a hazard such as loose gravel on the road.

Let's be careful out there!

 

Thanks for the advice guys . I'm a dragon virgin this year as well as having my first ever stick shift car that I just learned how to drive 2 months ago. It's good to know what to expect.

Here's to looking forward to a fun, relaxing drive and vacation.

 

I'll second the notion that this ain't a track event. Save your monkey business for an auto-x and just enjoy the ride.

I'll be among those hanging in the back of the pack. My wife will be along and she is 7 mos pregnant with our first. So, if you get pissed off following a slow going DS/B MCS with Rota Grids, well, too bad. :smile:

I hope everyone has a safe trip down/up/over/under!

-Erik

 

Point of etiquitte on the Dragon as well... If someone comes up behind you while you're on the Dragon, it is considered polite to pull off at the first pull off you come to in order to let them pass...

 

Amen to that , preggers or not .

 

Of course, I'd pull aside when it is safe to do so. Otherwise, stay off my a$$, I get it. :smile:

 

I'm not at the Dragon, maybe next year. Did it years ago on a motorcycle though so I appreciate the advise and concern for everyone and especially bikers who almost always are on the losing end of any accident.

Hope you all have a safe and fun trip!

 

Don't worry. I'll be creeping along even slower behind you.