OK, since no one else has started this thread, I'm taking it upon myself to do so. If I get a little lecture-y it's because Dragon safety is a serious issue and I care about all my fellow MINI drivers/passengers. Firstly, I strongly recommend that all newbies attend the How To Drive the Dragon seminars. In fact, I can't recommend this strongly enough by simply posting this. I'm going to be blunt and if it scares you, all the better. The Dragon can kill you if you're not extremely careful. It claims lives every year. Nearly every one of the 318 curves is totally blind, with a precipitous, heavily forested cliff on one side and a solid rock wall on the other. There are very few guard rails. There are sport bikers and car drivers who are so hopped up on adrenaline and testosterone that they throw caution, and their and your mortality, out the window. Driven within safe and speed limits, the Dragon is a total blast..a ride you'll never forget. You will enhance your experience immensely by attending one of the seminars. SAFE DRIVING APPLIES TO ALL THE ROADS IN THE AREA! Hellbender has claimed it's share of cars too. Ok, I'll stop lecturing now. :X
Indeed. Not only do you need to keep it on your side of the double yellow.... you need to be prepared to see folks who DO NOT DO SO suddenly occupying your lane at any moment. The number of times I've seen motorcyclists cornering with their helmets hanging right where my A-pillar should be.... The Dragon (and Hellbender) have claimed more than their fair share of MINIs. They eat one or several every year. It is NOT fun to have your car shipped home from there on a flatbed, and figure out how you and all your stuff are going to get home as well. Assuming you're healthy enough to be caring about stuff like that after totalling your MINI. Also... left hand turns into Fontana Village can be treacherous. minimark and I were right behind a guy who got T-boned last year when he turned right in front of an oncoming car - never saw them coming. There are cars and motorcycles and bicycles and pedestrians swarming EVERYWHERE up there. Stay alert at all times.
In 2007 Xiek and I were the first ones on the scene following a cycle accident. It was 30 minutes before a LEO arrived and nearly 45 before a rescue vehicle came. This is no place to be involved in an accident. There is limited communication and responders are a LONG way away.
At a MSSD several years back, I had the displeasure of seeing a dead motorcyclist on the side of the Dragon after being run off by two cars side by side..... If you see someone crossing the line, give them hell for it.:banghead:
Amen, brother, amen. Main rule: Don't drive oblivious, this is truly a challenging road. SPEED: You will NOT set the speed record on the Dragon, especially with 1100 Mini people driving 700+ Minis that weekend. Please do not try. It's actually more fun to drive it at, say 7-8/10ths and watch your line. LINE: The proper line, by the way, is to not, ever-ever-ever, touch the yellow line. Stay wide, apex late-to-very-late and only when you can see the end of the curve, and apex by not *quite* touching the yellow - if even that close. Early apex can mean death, and I'm really not kidding. COURTESY TO LOCALS: These people are simply bringing kids to daycare, getting groceries, and really don't need your Mini up their trunklid. They "get it", though, and will generally move over if you treat 'em nice. Be courteous! By the way, locals DO know we're coming, they look forward to it, and the moneys donated to the Graham County Food Bank are well publicized - so we have a pretty good reputation so far. PLEASE don't be "that guy" who blows it. FRIGGIN' PAY ATTENTION! Look way up beyond your bonnet lid to the next few corners, and be prepared for some strange things coming the other way. Trucks, trikes, trailers, BICYCLES, runners, BEAR, deer, turkeys squirrels, ducks, geese, wrecks, crotchrockets, cruisers scraping their side rails at 23MPH - ALL have been spotted on the Dragon and surrounding roads. Note that bikers can sometimes have their bike on the proper side of the road, but their helmet right about at your driver's-side mirror. Want a good scare? Imagine some biker's face hitting your mirror at a closing speed of 70+ MPH. Yeah, that'll do it. This is FUN, but this is SERIOUS fun - lackadaisical driving gets rewarded by folks pointing and laughing (at best), or an ambulance (or hearse) ride at worst. Be careful out there!
I just got back from a weekend at the Dragon and I can only second all of this. This Dragon is huge fun, but you have to be aware of all of the dangers it presents.
Besides coming back home alive, another reason to keep your wits about you... Not being pointed out in the inevitable post MOTD Dragon Shame thread!
Couldn't agree more with what everyone has said so far. Clean runs will be few and far between this year. If you want to push your driving skills, go do an autocross event. Watch our speed and stay on your side of the road. Please do not push the person in front of you to drive faster then they are. Everyone has their own comfort zone. Trying to make someone drive beyond theirs is going to end poorly for everyone. If you a person being pushed from behind, stick to your comfort zone and just pull over at your earliest convenience. We'll have a safety flyer in every registration bags and several safety banners around the village as a reminder. So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, let's be safe this year!!!!
In my and minimarks experience, MOTD clean runs are more likely following a major landslide. Or after midnight. Or maybe before 8AM.
I fear my good friend, that, that run was a once in a lifetime event.... Will be a cherished memory till my end day!!
i go by this time old adage...those of you fellow track junkies know this...slow is smooth, smooth is fast...you dont have to drive like an absolute bat out of hell to get the feeling of speed...take a few runs starting off at a nice measured pace...also it will give you an idea how your suspension is acting and if you need to make any adjustments
....and staying in your lane takes more skill to drive well, even at a slower pace. It essentially makes the turns even sharper.
Very good thoughts being laid out here. I've been a motorcyclist for...a long ol' while, and it's been interesting since becoming involved with MINIs how often the same sort of discussions are coming up with a crowd of MINI enthusiasts as occur with sport and sport-touring riders. Both groups pilot vehicles that love twisting, curving roads...it makes sense. In the motorcycling realm, the core of much of this similar 7/10ths, enjoy the curves safely thought might be traced back to Nick Ienatsch's article "The Pace", originally published in the early nineties. Here's an updated, abridged version: The Pace - Nick Ienatsch - Motorcyclist magazine Nick is a long-time motorcycle test rider, and an enthusiast. Sport bike group rides can often get too much adrenaline going combined with too much performance, with tragic results. The main point: enjoy the curves, but *don't* hammer the throttle and brakes on the straights. The curves are the joy of a ride/drive through the woods, so it isn't necessary to accelerate to warp speed, followed by pad-smoking braking in-between each curve. That's not *exactly* the problem at The Dragon...it has so few straights, but the principle applies even for dialing up too much throttle on a corner exit that will put you so out of shape on the next. One of my favorite Missouri roads is MO-19, with a 37-mile stretch north of Eminence that's pure heaven. It's a blast, posted 55, with corner after corner marked 30-35, and I love running that stretch just staying on 55'ish and maintaining lane control. Its smooth asphalt corners are grin-inducing at that 20-over rate, no one's alarmed, very safe, no one has to "hang off" on their bike to make them happen. Can't wait to try it in my MINI. The point is, doing it this way is what "The Pace" is trying to get at: keep the cornering fun, but avoid the crazy straightline speed / can't see far enough / too much speed for a miscalculation problems that come from race track tactics on public roads.
There is a lot of good information in this thread. Everyone needs to remember that we're all there to have fun, and nothing ruins fun like bent metal...or worse. A little thread hijack here: MO19 is a great road in a MINI. If you decide to head down there, send us a message and maybe we can meet you in the area.
This one I am thinking about going to the Dragon by way of MO-19 instead of the Interstate, save the I-roads until Tuesday.