I know first hand how much work goes in to putting one of these rides together and know that Ed put in a lot of hours on this one. Thank you Ed.

 

As the leader of the drive, and the creator of the map, I feel I need to respond.....

1. Century didn't copy the entire map... They only copied the overall map, not the detail enlargements and directions that told you where to go.. I'm not a map expert. However, I'll try better next time. :impatient

2. I was running the speed limit or 5 UNDER in the lead position. (I was doing 55 on I-85) I'm aware of the "Yo-Yo" effect that occurs at the end of a long line of cars, and stopped extra long at stop signs so that drivers behind would be able to catch up. In fact, at the incident location, we waited extra long while a group photo was taken.

3. There is a tendancy among drivers in a group to stick together. We don't have to stay "in line". Sure, it looks cool to see a long line of "identical" cars, but it shouldn't be at the expense of safety and intelligent driving. That includes being courteous to other drivers on the road, letting them into the line, and not sticking like glue to the MINI in front. It's not necessary. You won't be left behind.

4. Getting out of Greenville "en masse" is always difficult. We've done it before with 60 MINIs (all rookies and no map). Why can't we do it with 30 "seasoned" club members?
The thought for the future is to set a meeting point outside of Greenville, and proceed to motor from there.

Once we got clear of the congestion, the drive was very smooth, enjoyable and fun. The weather was excellent, and no-one got lost.

 

I'm very sorry to hear about the unfortunate accident that occurred on Saturday during the drive. The important thing is that no one was hurt. My wife and I were not able to participate but I did want to say that Ed and Century did a great job with the event there. The food and prizes were great and I want to thank them for their efforts. This incident should not overshadow what was otherwise a very nice event.

Accidents do happen and to be honest, we're probably fortunate that something like this has not happend til now. I know as someone who has planned drives, that every effort goes into making them as safe as possible and speeding and wreckless or careless driving is strongly discouraged. I have been at the back of the pack on such drives and know what can happen when a few cars get separated from the group. There is often a "mad dash" to catch up and I have come close to getting in a few bump-ups myself. I guess we should all take a deep breath and re-evaluate how we conduct such drives and look at ways we can make them safer in the future.

I hope to see a lot of you this coming Saturday in Hickory for the Quarterly Meeting (see related thread).

Thanks again to Ed and Century for a great event!!!

Eric

 

I'd like to thank everyone who had a hand in putting this event together. My only wish would be that I felt better so I could have enjoyed it more. Darn toothache!!

Sad to hear we had "an incident" during the drive. Not being there, and actually knowing what went on, I can't really comment on it. Glad to hear it wasn't anything more serious. I sincerely hope it doesn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm to take part in future events.

 

I have had some great feedback. Only those involved know what happened. I have had some negative and postive response. First let me say that no one is being blamed personally! The person that caused the incident has admitted to not paying attention. We do need to go further and set up some guide lines for drives. Lee Johnson sent me a great piece of info on how to set this up. Even then something can go wrong. Hopefully this incident will make us all aware of what can happen and just plain ole common sense usually prevails. My hats off to Ed who did a fantastic job on this and I had a great time along with alot of new members who made the entire ride. Anyone with comments or suggestions lets hear them. We are a club and that is how to build it stronger and better for everyone. You all have a voice!!! Luke President

 

This was actually one of the largest events I've been to with M2C2, other than maybe the Autofair. I didn't think the highway cruise to get out of the city limits was all that fun, and ended up being quite unfortunate for the 3 or so cars in the accident, but it was a means to get to the really fun stuff. Though speed limits were obeyed, it seems that by the time the 15th car got out of the parking lot at Century, the 1st car was already halfway down the interstate. Leaving in small groups, and having one "lead" car every few Minis would allow us to caravan in small groups to a less crowded meeting point.

I do think the maps could have been a bit more legible, (notice the blank space in the middle of the larger map? You'd need that part if you somehow got lost there), or even layed out in text directions ala Mapquest. **1.2 miles--left onto. . .**

Despite any planning issues, if the accident hadn't happened, we probably wouldn't have this thread. All-in-all, I had a wonderful time driving in the mountains. I didn't know how well my car handled until then.

-Brian

 

The club officers are looking into options for future motoring runs to prevent problems.
In the meantime, here's a link to some of the many photo's taken during the day:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...94_35768774410

 

Ed, I can not veiw them it asks me to sign in.

Art

 

Let's not forget to use our FRS radios. They can be a very valuable tool in such events.

 

Dang it!! I signed up for that website so I could share the photos!! :impatient