Most liked posts in thread: Dragon Safety

umm....

http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/minis-dragon-10-may-2-6-2012-tn-nc/13031-minibees-motd-dragon-safety-video.html#axzz1sWQ7fMWC has been posted.

 

A little more thread highjack here,

Dave won't add too much time, I am overnighting in Murray Ky, from where I live it will be six and one half hours from here to Murray either way, Interstate or 19, I cross the river at Cario, Ill. Then on Tuesday it is 6 1/2 hours to Robbinsiville.

Is it time to go yet ?

 

I keep reading about a late apex, and it sounds important. I'm sure I'm not the only person here that has no idea what that actually means. I googled it and see it's a racing term and they show examples on several sites, like this one

Modern Racer - Driving Tips - Cornering Lines

The thing is, the examples are all for a race track with one lane of traffic all going in the same direction. Anyone want to explain this for me with little words :biggrin5:

If I don't get this, I am betting there are others that don't either. I am just trying to really picture what this means, help

Ali

 

Ali - Turning in early or early apex is the recipe for running off the road on the exit of the corner. On a public road we should be driving at a pace that lets us maintain our lane on our side of the road. Very little room for error on the dragon.

The race track is where one should practice their high performance driving. Doing a track day or a HPDE will make one a much safer driver. I highly recommend doing one or two.

 

Ok, I was thinking this was some special technique to help me stay on my side of the road. Like start your turn early or late or something like that.

I always take the Dragon at a pace that I'm comfortable with, I pull over and let speedier vehicles pass and my speedier friends just wait for me at the top.

I don't like driving the dragon with lots of acceleration and shifting and ripping through the turns. I enjoy driving it smoothly and kind of slow, I actually like it that way. I like feeling the car as it gets into the rhythm, so I guess I'm doing it right even if I don't know what an apex means.

Last year I heard a MINI driver saying that he was taking the Dragon at 50mph, he had his wife and kids in the car with him. I wasn't impressed, I wanted to give him a piece of my mind and explain a little about safety and the other vehicles etc, but I didn't say anything. I think this year, I won't be so quiet.

Ali

 

Think of it this way, your lane is the entire race track, nothing more. You can still do a "late apex" and is does help. Just use YOUR SIDE OF THE ROAD to your fullest advantage. It means thinking a bit smaller then a full blown race driver would, but it is a good thing to learn.

Jim

 

If you feel you are doing a rhythm then yes you are doing it right.

A few years ago on one of our OFOTD October trips my wife & I rounded a corner only to find a MINI convertible upside down. Lucky for them the driver & 2 passengers 1 was a child were uninjured. The car died on the side of the road. Scary stuff for sure.

 

I have a cabrio, glad to hear that they survived that. I always kind of wondered how well the roll bar works, but I don't want to find out.

I like this thread, sometimes I feel like I'm the slowest one out there, but I'm having fun and trying my best to stay safe. I just don't care if I'm a little slower, I'm having fun and in control.

Staying between the mustard and the mayo!!! This is my third year and I can't wait

 

Yep. Nano was Blimey's blood brother. Very sad. But very happy he did his job and protected everyone inside.

 

Sad...

He's a Hot Orange like my Tigger.

 

This is what a GOOD OUTCOME looks like following a mistake on the Dragon.

Be careful out there.

 

It was a few years back. All walked away but the MINI, it died there.

 

Indeed. That's pretty much exactly what happened to Kara in Nano.

And on the outside corners, same thing, except instead of getting sucked into a wall you get sucked down a mountain with tree trunks. Not good.

 

As a total newbie to The Dragon, I greatly appreciate this thread! Thank you!!!!!!

 

And if I remember correctly, that wasn't even during MOTD. They took poor Nano across the Dragon on a different weekend during a personal trip. Nano did his job, though, and took the hit for the family. He also looked damn good while doing it... was a beautiful car.

No matter how well you prepare and how careful you are, the road can still come out and bite you. You can better your odds, though:

1. NEVER drive the Dragon when you aren't 100% into the road. What does this mean?
A: When you are tired
B: If you are an addict like me, when you haven't had your coffee in the morning
C: When you don't have your glasses
D: When you have had even the slightest bit to drink
E: When you are sick

2. Prepare yourself:
A: Get plenty of rest
B: Keep hydrated
C: Stop to enjoy the scenery and let yourself settle. Chat with the other folks out there who are also enjoying the road. Run one way, stop to cool the car and your nerves for 15 min, then run the other way. Repeat!
D: Think of motion sickness. I've never been car-sick in my life anywhere other than the Dragon, but I can make myself very queasy if I'm pushing hard and I'm the driver. I carry Sea-bands and chew ginger candy to help.

3. Prepare your car:
A: Clean out the loose stuff.
B: Oil, gas, air pressure, fluids and all of the stuff
C: Good tires

4. Respect the road. When you get out there, you are taking the lives of those around you into your hands. Even if it isn't your fault, you want to know that you were prepared to do everything you can to avoid an accident (especially one where people are injured).

Twice while at MOTD I had close calls. Neither were my fault and I'd like to think that my preparations and actions helped save the two idiot bikers...

Once a Harley was coming towards me on the Dragon and his back end fishtailed out on a turn he took too quickly. He kept the bike upright, but swirved across the yellow line several times and came to a full stop, sideways, across my lane. I came to a full, very-hard stop (good brakes and good tires + quick reactions due to being rested) about 3 feet from making a Harley Pancake. The ass didn't even wave thanks.

Once on my way from Fontana to the base of the dam, a sport bike decided to cut a blind turn and come into my line (oncoming traffic). I was quick on the horn and brakes, but he was set into the turn and wasn't gonna be able to alter course quickly enough without losing control of the bike (way, WAY too much speed on his part). I slewed over onto the side of the road (good tires, good suspension, good reaction times) to have him almost clip the side of the car with his shoulder (he was in the middle of my lane!).

Both times I could have walked away from the accident (if it had happened) knowing that I didn't cause it, but I'm a happier person today knowing that my prep and awareness prevented either accident from happening.

 

I've been down there once. Because I decided to take a "short cut" through Cades Cove of SMNP (don't), and traffic was backed up because everyone on the single-lane loop road had to stop and look at some deer, didn't arrive at the Dragon until after dark. A bit of a bummer at the time, but this thread makes me think that wasn't so bad. Hardly anyone was on the road.

I was susprised to see it posted only 35. Wanting to keep a clean driving record clean, I kept my speed under 42. Nav with someone to call the turns out for me helped a lot. Fun and entirely without any white knuckle events. This was in an RX-8, but a MINI is also a very forgiving car.

 

Not just the Dragon, hellbender NC28 is much more dangerous because speeds are higher, last year a silver Cooper S was sideswiped by a guy on a sportbike that couldn't or wouldn't stay in his lane on a blind righthander, the MINI put it in the guard rail ( one of the few around ) trying to avoid the bike, neither vehicle faired very well but all were ok.

 

Sounds like the guy on the bike was traveling far faster than he should have been, and well over the speed limit even on 28. He's lucky to be alive, credit to the MINI driver for good defensive driving.

The speed limit on 28 is higher, but there are also far fewer curves. I remember being almost bored by it, but this might have been the fault of having the nav system. I always knew what was coming, and adjusted my speed accordingly. Paradoxically, blind curves also aren't as blind at night--you see headlights.

I suspect it'd be much more fun to run as part of a group like this one, very much want to do it some time.