Airgate on the 2010 DragonBall Run X (DBRX)
We’ve all heard of the Tail of the Dragon and have probably heard tales from people that have visited or seen videos of the notorious Dragon events. We have an entire forum dedicated to the fun events that take place on this twisty stretch of tarmac. The 10th DragonBall Run (a.k.a. DBRX) was held this past weekend. On the ocassion of the 10th anniversary and what could very well be the last running of the event, I asked Airgate, the master of ceremonies of all fire-breathing events, to share his thoughts. Click through to read airgate’s thoughts on the Dragon, and once done leave a comment pleading with him to continue hosting this event. 🙂
“DBR (DragonBall Run) started after a group of S2000 owners who attended S2K Days in April 2001 were introduced to the road. The Dragon is an 11 mile section of US 129 on the border of North Carolina/Tennessee and features 318 super tight curves within those 11 miles.
My first experience on “The Dragon” was in April 2001 and behind a group of 3 Honda Goldwing motorcycles and I’m confident we never broke over 30 mph yet I couldn’t erase the SMILE on my face and even let out a few joyful WOOHOOs along the way. The Dragon feels so right in the S2000. It’s as if the car was manufactured for that very purpose. After that first experience in April, I couldn’t wait to get back and helped organize our very first event, “DragonBall Run 2001.”
WestSideBilly came up with the name inspired by the “Cannonball Run” movie. We started planning DragonBall Run 2001 shortly after April 2001. We selected the 4th weekend of September. No one could’ve ever imagined the terror that would strike our country on September 11, 2001. Even with that horrific event, we still came together as an S2000 community to enjoy one another and drive the famed roadway. I remember having custom American flag decals made for every S2000. All 40+ cars placed the decal on the windshield in the top center. The event, even with the somber mood, was deemed a success and plans were made to continue the event. DragonBall Run continued.
DragonBall Run celebrated its 10th annual event this past weekend at Fontana Village, conveniently located within 15 minutes of The Dragon and other great roads. We came together to celebrate the longest running S2000 event. 44 S2000s and 63 people celebrated with a beautiful cake and champagne toast! A special presentation video was played during Saturday night’s banquet. (EDIT: Video will be on tomorrow for Video of the week)
This wonderful community has made every event possible. S2000 owners come together to enjoy not only the car and the roads, but each other. It’s all about the people… and I have the honor (along with some talented help) to bring this event to them year after year. WTD (Wake the Dragon) is our Spring event and will be held this coming April as WTD9 2011 as our 9th Annual Spring gathering. Hope you can make it.
Best always,
-Airgate”
Click Here for the DBRX picture thread.
NOTE: S2KI welcomes the opinions of its members on the S2000 and on all topics related to the S. Should you feel the creative urge to pen a few words then by all means do so and PM Energetic, Aashish2 or Onehots2k OR send us links to what you would like us to write about and we will feature you (or your community) on the S2KI Home Page.