This is a video Kara shot of the last good run we had on the Tail of the Dragon, Rt. 129 in NC/Tennessee. This was shot on Friday, October 19, two days before our early-morning crash.




It's hard to be sure, but I think the curve that would be our downfall two days later is at the 3:35 mark (-:30 or so if you're watching in countdown mode).

We're following a fellow NAM-er on this run. I'm behind the wheel. The day was clear and warm, with minimal traffic (comparatively speaking). I can't wait to re-install my Alta CAI on the new car, so I can get this wonderful supercharger whine back.

 

Aww...love the Nano.

 

Poor Nano :(

 

Good video. I have to get to this road someday.
s/c whine...you can't beat that sound.

 

That's got to be kind of tough for you and Kara to watch. You sure can see how it all happened at that corner-and how easy it is for somehting to go wrong there.

 

Now that we have the new car, it's definitely easier.

I suspect the really hard part will be driving it again at MOTD in May... Kara's already told me that she won't try it again.

 

Yeah - I know that corner well... It's a bear... I think the DSC has saved my butt once in that very corner... RIP Nano, coulda just as easily been Blimey.

But I can't wait to see what Dawn is going to become... she rocks already, but she's REALLY gonna rock when she's been thoroughly Mattified.

 

The tightening radius combined with the fact that it's off-camber right at the apex makes it bad. Approaching almost all of the Dragon's corners slow, slower than you think you can safely take them, then accelerating out, is always a good bet.

 

That's so sad, sorry about Nano. He did his job and kept you guys safe, that's the important part.

 

...then throw in the 2-3 inch drop off the road surface to the soft shoulder-just enough to reall get things unsettled- and it's a real nightmare as you unfortunatly found out. Good video- I will admit I made myself nausiated doing the midnoght run when I was there two weeks after you, I can't imagine trying to watch through a cam corder (where's that hurling emoticon?). With the changing leaves and less crowds I'm glad my first run was in the fall.

 

Kara uses something called a Flip to shoot videos... It's palm-sized and has a little screen - no need to look through it. Even as small and light as it it though, I want to get her a little tripod to set on the dash - I figure of she can just keep it from sliding across the dash board it will really help.

 

I have a Flip too...it's the best like $120 you can spend, especially if you just want to upload stuff to the web.

 

CruiseCam is the way to go... nothing to hold... I'm getting the short one (fastens to one headrest) - Mini_Bee uses the long one across both headrests, but for me that would be a problem (rear seat access).

 

Yep - that's why we got the Flip... SIMPLICITY. It's good for all KINDS of things and uploading is easy. It will even let you edit the videos (we cut out several minutes of annoying following sloooooow Harleys for instance). It also added the music to the video from one of my MP3 files. Slick!

I had a "real" video cam for years but never uploaded anything - the editing, converting and uploading process was so darned hard that I always got discouraged... and I went to art school and did video editing!

 

nice video. makes me want to go back today.....and love the music.... who is it?

 

Sugar Ray.

 

Yeah, I wanted the large one because you can mount two cameras on it at once. During the Dragon last year there were times when I had a still camera and a video camera mounted at the same time. But yes, once you have them mounted back seat access is "reach-in" only.

 

Imagox, What ever really happened to Nano, did you buy it back for insurance or is it at a junk yard:(....If so what yard, I might have to make a trip.

 

I did not buy it. I think I heard that they're looking to get $8k in salvage for it. I can get you the yard name if you want - just PM me. Don't know if they sold it yet or not.

 

I would have bought it off the insurance, have you seen the price on here of a wreak MINI on Ebay. Last one went for about 13,000. PM me the place. I might get the seats or something. Did you have Nav in yours?

 

It was a lease, so I broke even. Just. if I'd had the money (and a place to store the parts) I would have bought it in a heartbeat. No Nav - IMHO a MINI without the central speedo just isn't a MINI, sorry.

 

Them's fightin' words, pardner.

 

All I gots to say is long live the NANO! Inside the heart of Dawn is a little NANO......

 

LOL... The iconic central speedo is, for me, a "must have" item in a MINI. Without it, it's still a wonderful car, but I can't imagine not having it off to the side like it is. Plus, it gets so many admiring stares when the top is down (especially when my Outmotoring dark gray gauges are installed) why would I want anything less?

 

SOME days I wish I had NOT bought the cockpit chrono pack, truth be told... but 16 months ago I wasn't enough of a MINI fanatic to understand the purity of the speedo - I just saw something odd and impractical... I know, I know...