Rebecca, Don't plan to shop at the Mini dealer in Greenville, SC. I stopped in there last Thursday on my way to Birmingham, AL just to see what kind of Mini farkles they have.

To my suprise they had one Mini accessory - the key ring with the bulldog on it - and that's it.

 

So far, I have not received a single request for parts to be delivered with me. I would need to get orders in this week, so please, if you want me to bring anything (yes, ANYTHING, almost) I need to know in the next few days. I have very low stock of items here and will only bring items to be delivered. Remember, I am a dealer for almost every maufacturer of MINI aftermarket parts.
To place your orders, email me here http://grassrootsgarage.com/contact.html

See you at the Dragon,
--Dan

 

Thanks for the heads up! I won't go to that MINI dealership! I hope there is one that has stock that I can get to! As it is sooooo much cheaper down there to get items then it is here!

~Rebecca~

 

I got chewed out by a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer yesterday on the dragon for coming in too fast at a crash scene. Although I wasn't doing anything wrong and came in well below the speed limit, he obviously had his limit of idiots for the day.

Be careful and smart out there folks!

 

Thanks for the heads-up Yucca! I can't emphasize enough how safe ya gotta drive that thing!

 

Yep - friends of mine, well known on NAM, lost their cabrio this weekend to a roll-over on the Dragon... They're fine, but RIP the MINI. I'm not gonna announce who - I'll leave that for them - I'm sure there will be a RIP post with pics later this week. They are both Dragon-driving veterans, but one driver mis-read a curve they had been around many times before, and proved yet again that the Dragon doesn't leave much margin for error sometimes... so, yes - be CAREFUL out there.

 

Gang - I'd like to coordinate a "recon" team for the Midnight Run - this involves driving the Dragon before midnight, ensuring there's no debris, abandoned vehicles, etc. to deal with, and ideally leaving some scouts / course marshals along the Dragon to watch out for oncoming traffic or LEOs and sound an alert via radio. Jason has OK'd this.

Ideally we'd have enough folks to station someone at each of the significant pull-offs. I volunteer for the Tabcat Bridge spot. At a minimum, we need 3-4 cars to do this well, but could use more. Ideally you need a GMRS radio (the high power variant of the FRS radios) with a 15ish mile or more claimed range (which might be good for a mile or two in the mountains). If you want to volunteer but don't have a radio, we'll find you one.

Please let me know if you're willing to help with this and we'll take the discussion offline.

 

I'll volunteer to be a scout. I have a pair of Motorola Talkabouts (TA 280)..not sure about their range..

I'll be out of state for the remainder of this week..back by this weekend.

ONLY 11 MORE DAYS!!!

gaminis

 

I'm afraid that was the crash scene I was previously describing. I stayed a couple turns ahead to help warn and slow down oncoming traffic, so there was no way I was going to run up on those patrol cars at anything but the reasonable speed a crash scene deserves.

Sad to see that cabrio on its side. . . .

but glad to know they are ok.

 

Wondered if it was when I saw your post... Yep, very sad.

But good to see our little cars do so well at protecting the occupants...

 

Ouch, sad for the Cab and owners , glad they're alright

I can help recon as well, and have a set of Motorola T6500's

 

I'll have 4 spare radios with me for loners. I'll also have a video camera setup for anyone that wants to borrow it. It might be for sale soon. I'll also be shooting photos on the dragon on Saturday morning.

 

Also, dont forget about the caravan up to Fontana Friday Morn leaving Clemmons around 10

 

I am going to be at Fontana early Friday, so I recommend anyone traveling from Charlotte to meet up with the caravan TWISTER is talking about, leaving from the Winston-Salem area around 10, putting them in Statesville around 10:30-10:45.

 

And remember the Triangle area caravan will leave from REI at Southpoint at 8:30AM sharp so we can be in Clemmons before 10:00!

 

We'll stop at TGIFridays in Asheville for lunch, like we did back in May if you want.

 

Paul, do you know if this was a case of a wheel running off the pavement on the outside of the turn? I ask this because that happened to a cabrio back in May, and when I was watching my video tapes after runs I noticed that me and my Dragon buddy were both cutting the outside corners on the exit. Several times we were very close to going off the edge. We made adjustments because of what we saw.

I point this out because it's easy to just focus on the center line but really you have to watch all the lines and especially the line you take in your exit. There are many places where the pavement drops off or is washed away on the outside, and a quick 6-inch drop at speed would be enough to turn you on your side.

On another note, everyone should have emergency contact information on your person while driving. And I wonder if it would be good to have some sort of emergency registry at these events, kept at a central location in case needed. Not trying to send a bad vibe or jinx us, but rather just trying to be prepared. No matter how well you drive out there your fate can quickly be decided by the person who decided the rules don't apply to them.

 

I'm driving to Atlanta on Thursday and then will head out early from there for the rest of the drive. Anyone driving up Friday morning from the Atlanta area? None of my Florida buddies are joining me so I will be flying Han Solo.

 

From the photos I've seen and from looking at the scene afterwards, that is exactly what I think happened. Too fast in a left hand turn and then the right side tires went off the road.

I'm sure some photos will show up eventually here.

 

Not sure how populare or advertised it was down there... Up here, the parameds know to check your phone for an entry called ICE (in case emergency) (ICE1, ICE2, ICE3)..

granted that is if they can find your phone and it is not damaged.

 

Hope everyone finds the new location well. I don't want there to be any confusion as to whether or not it's a club-sponsored event.

 

You know, sometimes you Canadians SHOCK me with your brilliance...

That's a really good idea - is that something the "authorities" promote up there, or is it just viral?

I have some other Canadian friends who are pretty smart, too... maybe it's all the maple syrup that does it...

 

Just sometimes???

There were a few big News stories on it. Cops, and parameds were on the news suggesting that you do it.. as they go there to look for it.

 

It was us. Me and Matt. And no, the wheel didn't run off the pavement. The entire CAR ran off the pavement, and SMACK! into the cliff wall...the entire passenger side. Then that sent us onto our roof, and then onto the driver's side, where the car came to a stop. I thought I could handle it, but the curve caught me by surprise, so RIP Nano. We'll miss him dearly. Yes we will.

 

Yes we will.

He was a fine, beautiful, blue glowing stud of a car.

I'm just glad y'all are OK, Kara. I can't even imagine how scary that had to be.