Al N.

Folks- In an effort to minimize the crap I have lying around the garage, I humbly offer the gas tank that came out of my Superlight when I had the Fuel Cell put in. It's the one that came wiht the car, used about 6 months before I made the swap. I think it has a built in fuel pump. The only catch is that, because it has had gas in it, it can't be shipped. You'd have to pick it up at my 08825 location or some mutually convenient location. -Al

Not that I've ever been the voice of reason when it comes to cars, but haven't you had a problem with axle hop as is?

Tons of new forum members but no recent updates to this thread? Also, a reminder that technically (assuming every registered enthusiast comes to the event) there are only 4 LSiS slots left for the 7-7-7 event next July at Tail of the Dragon (75-1 Elise=74...with a cap at 77.7 cars, rounded up) http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif

And for those who don't frequent Jalopnik.com...there was a piece today from "a special correspondent". http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/road-trip-report/jalopnik-road-trip-report-sevening-on-the-tail-of-the-dragon-213625.php

Folks...apparently the email I sent to the registrants earlier today never came through (I cc'd myself and still haven't received it!). I tried one more time just now but don't want to push my luck and start peeving people off in case they both come through at once. Rest assured that teh post above contains entirety of email.-Al

Box, so does mine.

Jerry- I think Bill & Marcy P. would be best qualified ot answer...the Cherohala from Tellico Plains, TN (off of 40/75/411) may not be terrible either...see tailofthedragon.com for a map of regionl. http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps_directions_knoxville.html -Al

And just in case you haven't made yourself sick enough watching the videos above...whoop, here it is (a condensed version that flies through half an hour of driving in about 6 minutes): Al Navarro2006-11-09 07:51:17

!!!MONTHLY ORGANIZER UPDATE!!! Note that this email was sent to all 75(!!!) people who have registered for the event at the official registration page: http://www.usa7s.com/forum/eventregistration/index.aspx I am posting it here as a courtesy for people who have not yet registered. It’s not my intention to rehash everything from the trip in this post. But I did want to share some observations about the area. Pardon me if I ramble: For starters, it’s quite a beautiful part of America. And still, seemingly unspoiled (read: there is no Starbucks or Walmart in Robbinsville….yet). It’s also quite affordable, all things considered. For example, a 12 oz. bottle of soda at a vending machine cost me 75¢ — I was already pulling a dollar and change out to pay. A great meal for 4 adults (no alcohol) at the one Mexican restaurant in town was $40, with tip. You’d pay 50% over or more in my neck of New Jersey (and I live in a very rural part of NJ). I also saw gas under $2. Speaking of no alcohol, Graham County NC is dry. Meaning they do not sell beer, wine, or hard liquor in stores. However, thanks to a grandfathered loophole that has to do with having a tennis court on site, the Tapoco Lodge can sell beer and wine. You can bring your own hard alcohol if desired, but please support the locals in your consumption of beer and wine. All the people we met with were extremely nice. Alas, we were not able to get to Fontana Lodge on this outing — we just ran out of time and put researching possible auto-X sites first. Apologies to anyone who was looking for a POV on Fontana. The good news is that we will try to make one more visit in the Spring and will make Fontana a priority. If anyone who lives closer feels like taking pix of rooms and such for the group, that would be appreciated too. Do not be fooled by mileage signs. Because of the general meandering of virtually every road in the area, it takes about twice as long to get where you’re going. So if something is 15 miles away, count on it taking about 30 minutes. Robbinsville is about 20 minutes to Tapoco, which is 30 minutes away from Fontana. There are serious elevation changes between Tapoco and Deal’s Gap and Fontana too. While I’m on the subject of driving…even if the Dragon didn’t exist, this would be a driver’s/motorcyclist’s paradise. 129 from Tapoco to Robbinsville (technically not part of the Dragon) would be a prime blatting road just about anywhere else. Ditto Rte. 143, which takes you past Ron and Nancy Johnson’s house on the way to the Cherohala. An aside about the Johnsons…they have a gravel drive at their property, but they assure me that one of their rental homes (“The Ridge”) has easy access for sports cars, in addition to including a large barn that could house quite a few Sevens…so if you don’t have a place to stay yet (it’s about 30 minutes from Tapoco, in the opposite direction from Fontana) you may want to check it out. Mazda and I stayed at the MicroTel, which is new and offered small and spare but clean and comfortable rooms. The only potential drawback to staying there (or the nearby San Ran) is that your car is visible from the main road. Not that that is necessarily a problem — there were a few high-end cars parked in the lot during our stay, including a GT3ish looking Porsche. If you are concerned and want a more private place to park you car, then choose Fontana or perhaps the Blue Boar Inn or Blue Waters Lodge (see tailofthedragon.com for links to the sites of these properties). People looking for more upscale lodgings should look into the Snowbird Resort, where we’re told Porsche has hosted several journalist junkets. We thought about rain contingencies quite a bit over the weekend. And I think capping our numbers at 77.7 gives us an advantage because we can fit everyone into Tapoco’s quonset hut (seats 150) for meals. And should it rain for the bulk of Saturday, we will have some activities (slot and/or RC car racing, as well as movies) to keep the less hardy

A last post here before I switch over to the TotD thread in the EVENTS section. My business partner, upon viewing the videos above, said something like "It doesn't look very curvy, you should speed it up." Sometimes, he's right. Warning. If you are prone to seasickness, you may not want to watch it. No, I'm not kidding.

Mazda-I had to go to work too early to bring my car (rain was still clearing), so I'm jealous. With regards to fenders, I have the Cat factory carbon jobbies and I don't notice any vibrations.-Al

X-post from RECON Thread. FULL DRAGON RUN VIDEO In 5 parts. No sound, but all you're missing is Mazda and I talking about cars and corners. PART 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4-a9t5Jd8Q PART 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np6slCqP6hM PART 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXKP9RNK08 PART 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edBiQ-u-ecA PART 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn3sjBkAhc4

FULL DRAGON RUN VIDEO In 5 parts. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/willy_nilly.gif No sound, but all you're missing is Mazda and I talking about cars and corners. PART 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4-a9t5Jd8Q PART 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np6slCqP6hM PART 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXKP9RNK08 PART 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edBiQ-u-ecA PART 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn3sjBkAhc4

I'll send the word to the LEO (NJ/NY) set and report back.

Tom, how many folks from the PA, NJ, DEL area, do you reckon there might be for a Sevens-only AutoX?

Rob-Two points: A) the Bond film that needs to made/remade is a new "on her Majesty's"...although Lazenby was not terrible, I always wanted Pierce to play this one, IMHO the greatest of the books, and the story behind James' one true love; B) my knowledge of Bacarat is limited to the first chapter of the book...I know enough to say "pass the shoe", "suivi', and "banco".-Al

Folks-an FYI that I will be uploading a full run of the Dragon at my pokey pace (includes stopping for truck across road and pulling over to let some Vettes and bikes through...more on that later) today or tomorrow. Since it's from Tabcat Bridge to Tapoco It's a bit long (plus I drive slow!), so I'll need to chop it up into smaller parts. I watched a bit of it this AM and got seasick.-Al

Folks - a few of us from East, Central, and the West were on a call last night to discuss, among other things, the level of interest in AutoXing in various parts of the country. There seems to be a largish core group in the Mid-Atlantic states who might be interested in hosting Seven-only events. The costs would most likely be lower than the SCCA, and you'd probably get a lot more seat time, not to mention making connections with other Seveners. Classes of cars aside, please chime in from the various regions if you know of a core group of Seveners who might be interested in hosting such an event. -Al

TAPOCO LODGE PREVIEW As part of our trip, we visited our primary host hotel: Tapoco Lodge The Codys (Dirk and Marsha) were very nice and full of great advice/info. Since they've hosted several groups much larger than ours, they know what works and what doesn't. If we cap things at 77.7 LSiS vehicles, I'm not that worried about parking, since the access road is wide enough to park and still have a thoroughfare. I can see cars filling the main lot, then starting to head up the hill via the access road. This vid includes footage of the main lot and lodge, the access road, one cabin, and some of the grounds. Note that a few of the cabins have sizeable parking areas, and I could see various sub groups hosting smaller gatherings — not to "balkanize", but more to bond/represent...for example, the Texas folks may want to have a pre or post dinner or during the "car show" cocktail hour. Or the original Skyline folks might sponsor a lunch on Sat for our family and friends. Just some thoughts. Oh, and it might be very funny to have a shuffleboard or horseshoe bracket/round robin avaiable to foster mixing and meeting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoBHsyzj__0Al Navarro2006-11-07 10:03:43

CHEROHALA SKYWAY PREVIEW I'll be putting up a few more posts on this thread this week, before switching any comments/info posts to the main 7-7-7 thread in the EVENTS section. First, a link to a YouTube montage from the Cherohala Skyway. For those of you who've driven Skyline Drive in Shenandoah NP, the Skyway is similar...perhaps a tad more open.

74 hours later (32.5 of which were spent in the car!)...I'm home. I wish I weren't so tired, because there's so much I want to write about the area, the event, and our trip. I'll try to work on that by Tues. Thanks again to Forum members Steve, Bill, and Marcy — esp. Marcy for being a voice of reason among all the men. And especially to Mazda, for everything. Good night.Al Navarro2006-11-07 06:25:03

Last post before I get some rest... A few assorted pix. The TT doesn't have the biggest trunk. So I told Mazda to pack light. The Orange bag, the grey bag, and the box full of stuff are mine. http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20061104_201953_Pack_Light.jpg I may not be as fast or brave a driver as Mazda, but I must smooth enough... http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20061104_202217_Sleepy.jpg Believe it or not, Nancy Johnson (tailofthedragon.com) has a Seven. Like my Superlight, it's got lots of carbon bits. http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20061104_202327_Marque_Inclusiv.jpgAl Navarro2006-11-04 20:24:23

WT2K-Welcome! You joined at a great time (IMHO), there really seems to be momentum here and for our little cars in general. Or maybe I still feel the momentum from my ride by guest driver Mazda. I would highly encourage everyone to check out the TotD Recon thread as well as the TotD thread in the Events section. There are so many new folks here now...would be great to know a little more about everyone. We don't bite (just ask Marcy and Bill P.)!

Okay, here's a link to "what I could recover, with much effort" from Mazda's sprint up the D.

Tonight, we had dinner with Darryl and Lori Cannon, Mr. and Mrs. "Killboy". They run the premier Deal's Gap photography outfit: killboy.com. There must be something in the water down here, because like everyone else we've met from the area, the Cannons were great. Hopefully, we can get them to take our group shot and also just hang out at some of our events when they're not shooting on the Dragon. Lets try to rustle up a guest drive for them if we can. THANKS DARRYL and LORI! Here's a certain EVO that you really shouldn't mess with. http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20061104_183456_Killboy.jpg