7/7/07 Cruise to Tail of the Dragon

[slngsht]

I had a very good conversation with a premier mobile dyno outfit today. They have not finalized their 2007 calendar yet, but seemed very interested in our event as it is something out of the ordinary.

 

 

 

Additionally, I've been corresponding with various media sources regarding our event and got a nice email today from a publication you all have heard of...still too far off to commit, but they want us to keep in touch.

 

 

 

Why do I have this sudden urge to get a head / cam package? http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/confused5.gif

[Al N.]

Well, if one recent registrant's description of his ride is accurate (a 500 hp CMC), I'd say you're going to need it Mazda, to take the "King of the Dyno" title at TotD.

[slngsht]

or to take the leftovers from my rear axle home

[Al N.]

07/07/07 covered by radiose7en.com

 

 

 

I hadn't been to Andrew P's site in a few days (that day job is killing me!) and was pleasantly surprised to see that our not-so-little event warranted a post.

[Al N.]

What better way to end a CRAZY work week before a long holiday weekend than to post at my home away from home.

 

 

 

49 people have signed up for the July 07, 2007 meet...how crazy is that. Scott N. had asked early on what kind of meet we wanted it to be. Somewhere between the bicoastal Skyline weekend day trips and LOG I think is going to be eventual answer.

 

 

 

Thanks again everyone!

[Al N.]

Folks-

 

 

 

All 49 Se7eners registered for 7-7-7 should be getting an email from Mazda in the next few days that asks you to complete an online questionnaire which will greatly assist in the planning of 7-7-7.   Please look for that and try and complete the questionnaire as soon as you can. Note that the online format helps Mazda and I avoid manually entering data.

 

 

 

FYI Mazda and I are planning to go to TotD the first weekend of November to recon and meet with various hospitality and service providers. If you're interested in rendezvousing with us, let us know. We will NOT be bringing our LSiSes.

 

 

 

-Al

 

 

 

P.S. I think there may be one or two folks who have made 7-7-7 hotel reservations but who are not "officially" signed up at USA7S.com. If you are one of these people, please write to Mazda and I off board or register at USA7s.com (enter "777" for the vehicle type if your aren't bringing a LSiS to the party).

 

 

 

X-post from usa@se7ens.net

[Al N.]

REVISED (NOW WITH ACCURATE SUBTRACTION!...SORRY FOR THE EARLIER ERROR)

 

 

 

REGISTER NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT (X-post from usa@se7ens.net)

 

 

 

In the very beginning, I thought we'd get like 30 or so cars for the TotD next July. That is, until Michael D. put into my head that 50 might be possible.

 

 

 

I know now that 53 is very possible. However, Michael's recent post made me think..."How many cars is too many?" And so I called our primary host hotel, Tapoco Lodge, to see if there is a ceiling past which things will get ugly.

 

 

 

Based on my talk with them today (and their previous history hosting car clubs), I'd like to officially set a hard limit of 77 LSiS vehicles.

 

 

 

That's seventy-seven.

 

 

 

Past that number, I don't think we'll fit into parking lot with any degree of comfort and civility (not to mention the space we need for trailers!).

 

 

 

Which means that there are basically 24 open spots left. I'd sure love to lock in a Series 1 (even for static display!), as Dean G. will try to get his together in time but understandably can't commit this far out. Maybe the LOG attendees can circle the wagons and rustle up an S1? We have S2, S3 (in the form of early Cats), and Scott N's S4.

 

 

 

If we reach 77 and still have interest...well, we'll cross that bridge when it comes.

 

 

 

Thanks again all. BTW, for those of you who have not been following the national-level club thread at USA7s.com...it's starting to get very interesting as the West and East try to come to a meeting of the minds (and merging of the forums?).

 

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=154

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

As you can see, I am at work instead of Watkins Glen. It's been that kind of work week/month.

 

Al Navarro2006-09-08 20:36:29

[kreb]

I think that you may wish to consider how a larger group may be accomodated. I'm seriously considering a cross-country trip to participate (From Oakland, CA), and have a couple pals who may want to jump in too. I know that you don't want a mob scene, but a 50-year celebration only happens once, and it just seems wrong to limit it.

[slngsht]

All, If you have registered, you should have received an automated email with further questions. Let me know if you have any trouble completing them.

[Al N.]

Regarding the number 77...

 

 

 

We picked the 77 limit after discussing lot size, parking, and other facility restrictions with the folks at our main host hotel, Tapoco Lodge.

 

 

 

Mazda just posted a questionnaire that will be going out to everyone who has officially registered to get a better feel for what the event will be like.

 

 

 

He and I are going down to ToD in early November armed with this data to talk to the locals, find local vendors for food, music, etc... After that trip we should have a much better assessment of what the true capacity is and what we can do to accomodate more.

 

 

 

So far we feel confident that 77 LSiS vehicles can be supported in an organized fashion. Thanks again for your interest Kreb (or is that berk?)

 

 

 

-Al http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif

[kreb]

Fair enough. I don't want to be a newbie barging in here and making demands. Unfortunately brokering vacations with my wife would be a good warmup for brokering peace in the middle east!

 

 

 

Yeah, this is Berk. I started using kreb when I first joined discussion groups in fear of making a fool of myself. Now that I've ceased to care, I suppose that I can use my real name http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif

[slngsht]

All, so far we've gotten 27 responses out of the 57 that were sent out.

 

 

 

I have communicated with 3 of you who experienced problems, and in all 3 cases, it turned out one of the fields was too small, which is taken care of.

 

 

 

If you get a chance, please complete the questionnaire. It will really help with the planning of the event.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Mazda

[Al N.]

!!!MONTHLY ORGANIZER UPDATE!!!

 

 

 

Note that this email was sent to all 62 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 as well as the few people who may have not received it due to technical difficulties or incorrect email address (if this applies to you, please shoot a note to Mazda). FYI, Hempy and Pete C. from TX, I got error messages from the email addresses you supplied when you registered. Please correct those when you get a chance.

 

 

 

Note that this is a very long post, but worth reading (IMHO!). FWIW, on my way to Niagara Falls this past weekend, I saw a convoy of motorcycles...probably about 25 strong. Impressive. Now imagine a convoy of Sevens 50 or more strong! Not a bad way to spin up interest in our little cars.

 

 

 

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Dear 7-7-7 Registrant-

 

 

 

Thanks to all the folks who took the time to complete our short online questionnaire from early September.

 

 

 

We wanted to share some of the results with you — which were definitely helpful to us, in terms of knowing what people want (and don’t want) out of the event next July.

 

 

 

In the responses to open-ended questions, many people have expressed a desire to keep things as laid back as possible, with a minimum of idiotic behavior, on and off the road. We couldn’t agree more and will work hard to make it a civilized, fun event where fans and owners of “four wheeled motorbikes” can meet other folks who share the same passions.

 

 

 

Now, on to the results of the questionnaire:

 

 

 

Mix of marques

 

Caterham – 19

 

Birkin – 11

 

Locost (including CMC & Coveland) – 8

 

Stalker –8

 

Lotus – 6

 

Ultralite – 4

 

Rotus – 4

 

 

 

Misc –1 (Lotus Elise)

 

 

 

Headcount

 

If we count correctly (some folks stated “0” for Total Number Attending, which we converted to “1”s), there will be between 100-125 people (owners/enthusiasts/family) attending this event. Note that as the date approaches, interest in the event will most likely grow, so that the numbers of non-owning spectators may grow too.

 

 

 

Very few people are bringing kids, and all but one of kids are under 10 years of age (still may be enough to warrant a dedicated babysitter).

 

 

 

Geographic distribution

 

TX & VA – 9 cars each

 

PA, OH, MD – 5 cars

 

GA & NC – 4 cars

 

NJ, FL, IN, MI, NY – 2 cars

 

CA, CT, IL, KY, MA, MO, TN, SC – 1 car

 

 

 

Interest in proposed events

 

Informal Car Show – 85%

 

Auto-X – 80%

 

Tech Sessions – 83%

 

 

 

The most popular suggested topics for Tech Sessions were:

 

 

 

Tuning, upgrades, drivetrain

 

and

 

Suspension, setup, etc.

 

 

 

Interest in memorabilia included as part of registration fee

 

T-Shirt – 68% Yes/32% No

 

Dash Plaque – 45% Yes/55% No

 

Poster – 24% Yes/76% No (I guess we definitely won’t be doing a poster then!)

 

 

 

When asked what sorts of other things might be interesting, the following came up: Ball cap, program booklet, and Vinyl sticker (the sticker is a great idea, since it’s relatively cheap and would look pretty mean on the tail of a Se7en).

 

 

 

Interest in memorabilia available “a la carte”

 

T-Shirt – 51% in favor

 

Dash Plaque – 32% in favor

 

Poster – 29% in favor

 

Hardcover Book – 24% in favor

 

Group Photo – 70% in favor

 

 

 

Some interest was expressed in an event video as well as polo shirts and other small memorabilia.

 

 

 

Interest in live music

 

51% Yes

 

49% No

 

 

 

In the open-ended comments portion, some folks expressed a desire not to have a loud DJ. Rest assured, we won’t. However, if we can get some sponsorship (more on that later) it might be nice to have a local band play for the car show/mixer.

 

 

 

How much free time would you like to have

 

Answers ranged anywhere from 10% to 80%, with the average figure coming in at 35%.

 

 

 

Large and Small Group Drives

 

The average number of Large Group drives suggested was 1.67.

 

The average number of Small Group drives suggested was 2.29.

 

 

 

One interesting approach would be t

[slngsht]

Turnout from Texas is outstanding!

[Boxologist]

http://cgi.ebay.com/CATERHAM-LOTUS-WESTFIELD-7-T-SHIRT-CYCLE-WINGS-STYLE_W0QQitemZ150044303957QQihZ005QQcategoryZ53010QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/CATERHAM-LOTUS-WESTFIELD-7-T-SHIRT-CLASSIC-FRONT-WINGS_W0QQitemZ150044638917QQihZ005QQcategoryZ53010QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

 

 

these look promising. maybe they'd be interested in a large order. Tail of the Dragon logo and a 7/7/07 screened on the shirt as well would make an excellent reminder of the event.

 

 

 

i like the idea of the poster being the group photo.

 

 

 

i can not give a definite answer till early next year if i will be an attendee.

[slngsht]

Pretty cool design

 

http://i15.ebayimg.com/02/i/08/9d/8a/4c_1.JPG

[Boxologist]

i like it that the vendor has both the image of teh cycle and clamshell wings!

[Al N.]

i wonder if this guy has the rights to use the silhouettes for those cars...if he's calling it a Caterham/Westfield, seems a bit odd. Trying to stay in the factories' good graces and all that.

 

 

 

I've got some ideas for a cool shirt design and we're going to try to work with the folks who run the Tail of the Dragon website to make the shirts...all about supporting the local and all that.

 

 

 

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On a related note, a reminder that Mazda and I are going down to the Dragon for a recon trip in two weekends. If you have any questions or issues that you want answer/guidance on — please post them here or write to us offline.

 

 

 

Our basic objective is to check out the roads and host hotels, and also meet with various and sundry locals (like the photographer Daryl "Killboy" Cannon) to help get all of this stuff in place and finalized months before 777.

 

 

 

Keep in mind that the official deadline to register will be May 7, 2007 - so that we have 2 full months to wrap up planning and coordination of the event.

[slngsht]

We need to coordinate the look of the silhouettes with Magnus F. His wife is planning to design a silhouette for the club logo next week.

 

 

 

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Oh, and on our trip, don't foret that we'll be sampling the food too http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif

[Al N.]

Thanks to the new folks who've signed up recently. Remember that Mazda and I are headed down to TotD next weekend for a recon trip.

 

 

 

If you have specific questions about the event or the area, please email us directly or post them here before next Wed, Nov 1.

 

 

 

Also, don't forget to complete the event questionnaire and/or read the current results in one of the posts above.

 

 

 

Thanks again for your interest in the 7-7-7 event.

 

 

 

-Al