Everyone,
This is just a thread to consolidate any questions you may have about the MOTD area of NAM, the event planner, purchasing items from the store, etc. Post here and I'll do my best to answer and address issues you may find. Thanks!

Mark

 

Hi Mark,
Wanted to ask you if their is anything in the works for panoramic photos, or a drive of some type? Looking foward to seeing everyone...
Mike

 

Currently there is no plan for an official panoramic photo. As the parade lineup will be near the dam we're hoping that everyone will have a chance to get some shots.

As for organized drives this year's event will be a little different than in past years due to the number of cars present. DC Metro and Fontana will be providing a "Drives" white board in the rec center where people can put together small group drives on an ad-hoc basis. The purpose for this is to keep the drive size small so we don't have congestion problems like last year. Also, it will keep the event from being overly scheduled. Its my understanding that some of the classic drive routes in the area will be supplied in the printed event guide you will receive with your registration. You can also check out the Do-It-Yourself drives in the MOTD area of NAM.

Hope this helps!

Mark

 

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the reply. Very helpful!!!!!

Mike

 

Quick question... how many miles would one expect to put on their MINIs once at the Dragon? Corny question... but I am fearing my OBC will count-down to the first -- 10,000 miles -- scheduled maintenance while I am down in NC. BTW, I'll be coming in from Jersey. thank you

 

more driving=more miles. My first 2 Dragons, I think it was a couple of hundred miles...last one was far less...everyone's different.

 

i can service your oil down there! or there is a dealer in charlotte .

 

-------------

When I went to my first Dragon in Oct., '04, I put around 450 miles on my Cooper while I was there [3 days]. Soooo much to see and really NO time to see it all.... Last May, '05, for my second time, I put around 300...less only because many of our "drives" were part of the whole event and not merely for exploration...like my first time.

This May, I'll do more exploring, for sure, as there do not seem to be as many defined drives as last year. NO PROBLEMA...I don't need an excuse to enjoy my ride....

 

I ended up being a few hundred miles (600? 1000?) over for my first oil change, due, mainly, to my trip to the Dragon in December. You've got lots of time, Yomamali; get crackin' and break 10k before May! :-)

 

It's also not the end of the world if you go over. Due to a backup at the dealer, my 10,000 mi. service was about 1,000+ miles late. I'm now at 62,000+ miles, and she still runs like the day I bought her!

-Paul!

 

OK... my OBC says I have ~3,500 miles until my first scheduled maintenance, however I already have 8,200 miles under... which means I'll be bringing in my MINI at roughly ~11,700 miles?!?!

It is approximately 800 miles from my home to the Dragon. If I assume another 600 miles of motoring in NC, I'll put in roughly 2,200 miles for this trip. That leaves me roughly 1,300 miles of wiggle room (I put in roughly 550 miles/month) ... it looks like I will be OK for the Dragon and my first scheduled service will occur after I return. whew!

 

What's the word on the three NAM sponsored meals: Welcome Dinner; Chili Cook-off; and Farewell Dinner? They've said "finalizing details" in the event planner for well over a month now.

 

Looks like they're still finalizing details, yes?

 

NAM is not planning the meals...they are being planned by DC Metro and Atlanta MINIs. As soon as we have the full suite of dinner information from the clubs we'll add it to the event planner.

Mark

 

Are the meals going to be NAM sponsored, so we can purchase tickets online like last year?

 

NAM is not sponsoring the meals but I will have the meal tickets available for purchase through the NAM store as soon as the clubs have the information (menu, cost, time, location, etc.) ready to go.

Mark

 

Thanks Mark.

Can the meal planners speak up and provide as much info as they have at this time? Is there anything I can do to speed up the process? [call people, kick some butt, etc.]

 

We are working with Fontana on the details for the Welcome and the Farewell Dinners. I think that the Welcome is pretty well put to bed and they were working over the weekend on the Farewell Dinner. I read a post that Altanta was working over the weekend too finalizing the details on the Friday Night chili cook off.

We hope to have everythigng up this week.

Lastrega and Cmdrvimes from DCMM are the ones heading this up for us.

If I find someone's butt who needs to be kicked, I will be sure to give you a call!

 

The welcome dinner is 99% nailed down. Some basic details I will provide...

Time: 6pm - 9pm (so the late folks can still eat)
Food: Cookout style stuff (burgers/dogs/chicken/veggie option) catered on-site by the Fontana so there will be minimal lag (if any) in food availability

The farewell dinner is (probably) 90% nailed down.

Note: details are subject to change (my mind isn't exactly firing properly today, so my info might be off)

 

AtlantaMINIS went to the Dragon this past weekend and have everything finalized. Expect a post within a day or so!

 

Curious, how many MINIs do we expect to see at the Dragon this year? I know we have 288 folks registered so far, but that really does not mean 288 cars, does it?

Thanks

Herbert

 

I think we had about 350 cars last year...never got a head count. Assume there will be a whole huge bunch!

 

It is hard to know from the list of those signed up how many individuals MINIs are coming. I'm sure it will be well over 300, though.

 

As Clover says its hard to get a definitive head count due to a number of factors:

- people come and go frequently at the event
- not all attendees as at the same location/event at the same time
- some people show up at the last minute

Given that we're still a couple month out and approaching 300 registrations I would expect that you will see around 500 people at the event and 300-400 MINIs. In any case a LOT of MINIs in a given place

Mark

 

Hello, I am looking to go to the MOTD and well, can't seem to find directions and stuff on Google, and mapquest... What is the closest major city to the dragon?