A reminder to those to want to drive the Tail of the Dragon and other mountain roads:

"daender" (daender) 08/07/2019 at 19:08 • Filed to: None

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Keep control of your vehicle at all times! Last weekend was Miatas at the Gap and it appears that at least one person didn’t follow that unwritten rule!

Sad thing is...the owner crashed last year as well!

That second pic explains why it has a red hood. Anyway, the driver is alive but they needed to be air-lifted out of there after slamming into that Excursion. Drive safely, you never know what’s beyond that blind corner!

sony1492 > daender 08/07/2019 at 19:25

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How do they crash once a year!? Are there any details to exactly what caused the crash? I’d speculate they went to fast into a corner and/or used the other lane then saw a vehicle and locked up the brakes understeering into said vehicle.

Looks like the E xcursions faired well

Maxima Speed > daender 08/07/2019 at 19:28

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I was literally just thinking about the dragon today and reminding myself that the adventure and fun of it is the novelty of driving on the dragon but mainly of meeting fellow oppos in a cool place. If I go into with the mind set of driving at insane speeds on a great road, then I’m setting myself up for disaster.

benn454 > daender 08/07/2019 at 19:31

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 Looks like someone should stick to Forza.

BeaterGT > daender 08/07/2019 at 19:33

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Sounds like they are real good at this driving thing.

f86sabre > daender 08/07/2019 at 19:33

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Been up there a couple of times and have run the north Georgia mountains a few times (I think some are better than the Dragon) and here are my tips:

- under no circumstances do you cross the center line. Ever.

- if you come up on a car tailgating isn’t going to help. Enjoy the scenery.

- you really don’t need to go much over the speed limit to feel like you are going fast.

- always assume the folks on bikes are suicidal and believe in reincarnation.

- under no circumstances do you cross the center line.  Ever.

Thomas Donohue > benn454 08/07/2019 at 19:34

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That weird-looking roll bar looks like it’s right out of Forza.

Cash Rewards > benn454 08/07/2019 at 19:46

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Or a fucking autocross or track day. It's not that difficult

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > daender 08/07/2019 at 19:50

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So....it sounds like this is a driver that does not know what his limits are if he has crashed TWICE.

MM54 > daender 08/07/2019 at 19:52

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I was getting uncomfortable when I was there last year with how many people in the other lane were unaware of that double yellow line and that there are cars coming the other way.

Under_Score > daender 08/07/2019 at 20:00

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At least it was an Excursion and not a RAM 2500 driven by a young Russian.

daender > Maxima Speed 08/07/2019 at 20:13

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The Dragon is not worth going hard on.  There’s more fun to be had doing some of the faster-paced and sweeping corners of nearby roads!

daender > sony1492 08/07/2019 at 20:15

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I’m unsure of the exact details of the recent crash, but the first one was likely from going too fast and an unexpected off-road excursion into the woods.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > daender 08/07/2019 at 20:36

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Wow what a dumb shit if he did it twice. You know, have an accident like that once and dont hurt anybody? Thats fine if it becomes a revelation moment and changes your life for the better. Its a wonderful lesson to learn in not being a doofus on public roads. But to do it twice, especially to run into an innocent bystander like that, thats not excusable in any way.

I take my canyon carving seriously, it is very much as important to me as going out to an autocross or a track day. I take more precautions, check my maintenance items more thoroughly, and take it easy always at most 8/10ths on public roads instead of the 11/10ths saved for the track. That is why I find it important to spend the money and go to a closed course, is just to unlock those extra few tenths and have a bit more fun. But taking a miata at 8/10ths on canyon roads is almost a religious activity to me and worth the risk when mitigated properly. People who do not respect this and just “go HAM ” on public roads are despicable. Even if they have “never been in an accident” they are just pushing their luck by not being careful enough. I certainly cant say I obey the speed limits or stay entirely within grip limits 100% of the time, but the double yellow is sacred and always having a way out that isnt off a cliff or into traffic is important. I like to keep it that my only real risk is running afoul of the law. Harming others or making a fool of myself is the number one thing to avoid.

Seeing crap like this reminds me why its important to not push harder and to just enjoy the road. I am not trying to beat some sort of lap record on a canyon road. I am just there to be one with the car and have a little fun. Plenty of dumb people on the roads here in Socal too. Exactly the same crap as goes on at the Dragon. I cant really get behind the “take it to the track!” crowd because I would be a hypocrite. But there is always a balance. 

wafflesnfalafel > daender 08/07/2019 at 20:37

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good reminder - one of my favorite roads has at least one of those memorial signs from folks not making it...

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > f86sabre 08/07/2019 at 20:38

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Haha the tailgating bit is definitely one I have come victim to, but I do find that it does work sometimes. Not “3 inches off the bumper” but just keeping a constant 1 car length, no matter what the speed is a good indication I have found of “pull over when possible please”. Most sane people I have found will just pull off if you appeared out of nowhere and its not a commuter road.

HammerheadFistpunch > daender 08/07/2019 at 20:38

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sounds like an ID10T error here.

sony1492 > daender 08/07/2019 at 20:41

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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MM54 08/07/2019 at 20:43

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I found it more frustrating how many slow people completely ignored the double yellows. While its NEVER excusable, the people going slow have even less of an excuse beyond pure laziness and ignorance. They are just haphazardly cutting the corners rather than steering the damn wheel. I saw this constantly at the Dragon (locals in trucks were especially bad about it). I just worried about bikes coming the other way getting killed by that crap. I honked at most of the egregious cases of line cutting and I do that at home when it happens too. I am sure they are wondering why the hell this crazy person is honking at them...

I have personally witnessed while following an idiot do that, a car coming the other way have to lock up brakes and swerve off the road to avoid the idiot. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > daender 08/07/2019 at 20:46

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I think that road is definitely worth going hard on (within limits of course). Something special about the flow of those turns really feels like the closest thing to a race course on public roads. Some of the other roads in the area are better due to less crowds, cops, and more interesting challenging conditions. But the Dragon is just a perfect race track, at least for a Miata or other autocross worthy vehicle. High powered stuff probably isnt much fun there though.

Either way, its still something to treat as a public road and just enjoy at the speed limit and within grip limits. Its plenty fun as is without going wild on it. 

Cash Rewards > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/07/2019 at 20:48

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The self awareness here is remarkable  a nd applaudable

Jayvincent > daender 08/07/2019 at 21:07

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Boop!

DipodomysDeserti > daender 08/07/2019 at 21:08

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Ah yes, “keep control of you vehicle at all times”. One of the many unwritten rules of driving along with “don’t drink and drive” and “stop at red lights”.

daender > DipodomysDeserti 08/07/2019 at 21:35

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You think it’d be easy and yet so many people fail to obey...

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > f86sabre 08/07/2019 at 21:55

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Wait... Are you saying reincarnation isn't real?

Tristan > daender 08/07/2019 at 22:08

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Never EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER trust a blind curve. Ever. I’d say it’s a good thing this guy’s car is no more... F*ck up once- hope you learnt something. F*ck up twice? On the same road? I almost dr owned while snorkeling in the Gulf of Mexico. I stay on the sand  now.

f86sabre > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/07/2019 at 22:20

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Trouble is roads like the Dragon have limited places to pull off. If you catch them at the wrong time there isn’t much they  can do anyway.

tpw_rules > daender 08/07/2019 at 22:30

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deleted

tpw_rules > daender 08/07/2019 at 22:31

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Were there two accidents there? I was there the whole thing and heard about one (and saw the ambulances and helicopter) where the idiot hit a Fontana Village service truck doing 70 at the campgrounds and his girlfriend went through the windshield. The organizers I spoke with weren’t really sure if either would survive. Amazing that he did it last year too. He probably won’t learn this time then, if he’s even around to.

daender > tpw_rules 08/07/2019 at 22:41

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I heard a tiny mention of a second accident through the Miata.net forums but I didn’t know it was that bad! Yeesh, what a tool!

Edit: make it three.  I’m searching some more and I guess a ND hit a tree as well.

daender > tpw_rules 08/07/2019 at 22:49

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Actually, this one apparently had a female passenger that was air-lifted as well. I wonder if this is the one you’re describing but without going through the windshield. IIRC, this NA has a rollbar with no padding so they might’ve slammed their heads against it.

Edit: I see the crack in the windshield on the passenger side, ouch!

daender > tpw_rules 08/07/2019 at 23:00

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Yeesh, make it four (five?) .
1.) Black NA into a truck/suv
2.) ND into a tree
3.) White NA into an Element
4.) 00SE going into a ditch.
5.) Red NC with front-end damage(?)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Cash Rewards 08/07/2019 at 23:03

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Thank you. I'm not a saint, it would be stupid to suggest so. I'm also not dumb enough to just push limits until I die. But I'm super risk adverse in everything I do. It's why I'm just a tad slower than others while skiing and just can't quite go full commit into turns with walls nearby on tracks. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > f86sabre 08/07/2019 at 23:06

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There are always places to pull off to let someone by. I do it all the time. And other people seem to find places even on the narrowest of roads. I’ve never been on a road where there wasn’t at least one spot to move over for a second and let somebody by every mile or so. I know at the Dragon I pulled over for many faster people, it just sometimes took a couple turns to find a nice safe spot to do so. If someone catches up they are clearly faster. And me holding them up is just going to stress me out. 

Well actually nowhere in the US at least. Amalfi coast had plenty of two way roads that didn’t even have room to pass oncoming traffic much less pull off for same direction traffic. That is a different story though, I had no interest in speeding there lol.

Nick Has an Exocet > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/07/2019 at 23:21

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This is how I approach canyon carving as well. It’s a good take.

- Double yellow is sacred

- Know your own limits

- Know your car’s limits

- Stay under all limits by 15-20%

- Don’t be a dick

- N eighborhoods are off limits

- Fun not fast

- Watch for bikes & motorcycles (neither will obey the rules but it’s still your fault)

- If you have a passenger or are driving with friends in other cars, back it off a little. Passengers are distracting & make you do things you wouldn’t normally do. Your presence will make your friends do things they wouldn’t normally do. I suspect this last one very much explains this stupid person who has crashed twice in 2 years.

Sammyno55 > f86sabre 08/07/2019 at 23:37

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I live in North Georgia and have driven the Dragon. There are better, less crowded roads all over the mountains (f oothills) here. But, some people gotta check that Dragon  box.

Cash Rewards > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/07/2019 at 23:56

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I used to hammer back roads when I had a MINI, until I had an off that hurt nobody but the car. Turns out those things had lift off oversteer, which is super awesome on the track, less so on the street when you’re not ready for it. I had just gotten a set of used azenis mounted, disabled all safety systems , and had the end go right around when I overcooked a turn and abruptly got off throttle. I had just started autocrossing, and this was “one last go on the back roads, to see what the new tires are like.” Radiator done, core support done, etc. I’ve never gone as hard on public roads since.

The Miata is tough because I find myself saying "well, I'm nowhere near the limit" even though it's getting close to irresponsible. I really don't think I'd want anything faster on the roads.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > daender 08/08/2019 at 01:05

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Are we just going to ignore how stupid that “roll cage” looks?

I’ve had my fair share of near misses, and ditch adventures so I can’t be all high and mighty here, the fact that I haven’t hit a tree, or another car is mostly just luck.

But at the same time just use your damn head. Blind corners are called that for a reason. Sometimes it’s a real goof idea to stay in your lane.

Actually it looks like he understeered to the outside of a right handed. So chalk it up to not knowing your limits, pushing hard is for closed tracks, or at least a lead car to tell your when traffic is coming. 

kanadanmajava1 > DipodomysDeserti 08/08/2019 at 03:56

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“Stay i n your own lane” is pretty important too. The collision with the Excursion would have been avoided by following this.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > daender 08/08/2019 at 09:17

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Dumbass. If you have a bad “off” at an event like this on public roads, you shouldn’t be invited back. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > f86sabre 08/08/2019 at 09:25

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My experience is in NW Arkansas.

Amen to strict lane discipline.

Love the riders whose wheels are on the right side of the stripe, but whose body is well into my lane...

Scariest moment for me was coming up on A HORSE on a twisty back road. A guy was riding a horse on the highway (55 mph limit) with his kid sitting behind him! I was in the lead, going maybe 70, and it was a hilly, twisty section. I came around a bend over a rise, and there they were, in the middle of my lane. All I could do was react and swerve. Thank God I had enough room to react and that there was no oncoming car (and that I had a radio to warn the guys behind me).

I do pass slower cars occasionally when there’s a opening, but I always keep it in my head that there could be another car/bike coming from the other direction driving “spiritedly” like we are. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Maxima Speed 08/08/2019 at 09:29

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Humility is a great asset at the track as well. If you go out there trying to prove something, you’re more likely to prove that you’re a dumbass. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Cash Rewards 08/08/2019 at 12:11

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I have found this is the very reason my Miata is more fun that the Subaru in canyons. I just can't use the limits of the STi there. When it's straight enough I can, but the super tight roads just allow the Miata to be safer and more playful. 

f86sabre > Sammyno55 08/08/2019 at 12:47

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I agree. The north GA mountains on a Thursday afternoon with a friend or two are great. 

CaptDale - is secretly British > daender 08/08/2019 at 14:16

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Fuck man that is really shitty. You always have to take car around blind corners and I never pus h more than 7-8/10s on a public road. 

daender > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/08/2019 at 19:02

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There’s no invite, it’s open to the public, Miata people come and go to this event as they see fit.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > daender 08/08/2019 at 19:37

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Ah, I see. 

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/25/2019 at 21:31

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High beams. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 08/26/2019 at 15:12

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The amount of people with high beams on 24/7 that are oblivious to it makes high beams a poor form of communication lol. And I get flashed all the time in my STi because people assume my HIDs are high beams. But they are just OEM HIDs from 2006 so they dont have a whole lot of cutoff. When those people flash at me its usually with a slight incline pushing more light at them. I am inclined to flash back at them or manually adjust my lights up at them. Since they are indeed pointed at the ground, just residual light looks kinda bright. 

Rainbow > Sammyno55 08/31/2019 at 06:52

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H onestly, for me, I just like the photographers at the Dragon. I'm excited to get a good shot of myself whipping the 'Rado around a curve, probably with a line of angry bikers waiting impatiently behind me