Well, I thought I would post a little review of DBRX.

For me, DBR (Dragon Ball Run) and its big brother WTD (Wake The Dragon) are about many things besides the infamous “Dragon”. For those of you who don’t know, the Dragon is an 11.3 mile stretch of Rt 129 in Tennessee and North Carolina that has 318 turns, twists, hair pins and assorted other challenges that tend to weaken the knees, (and turn stomachs) of the less than prepared driver. While these events started out being about the road, they have become more about the people, and the car that brings us together.

The Dragon Ball started out ten years ago as an S2000 event, honoring the spirit of the “Cannonball”, a cross-country race immortalized in film as the “Gumball Rally”. It has been held every year for the past ten years, and sadly, this was the last “Dragon ball” event. I have been honored to attend the last two of these events.

This farewell event started for me on Wed. Sept. 22nd at 7:00 AM. I decided to take two full days of driving to the event to experience some of the awesome roads between Brookville PA and Fontana Village, NC. Driving on non-interstate roads and some very rural roads through WVa was exciting. I am sure there are a few hillbillies that wonder what in blue blazes I was doing. At one part of my journey, I through caution to the wind, set my GPS for “shortest route” and followed its lead. Not always a good option in West Virginia. On its chosen path it gave a route down a road that started out with two lanes, shrank to one lane, and then the pavement started to disappear. Whoa – I pressed on for about a ½ mile at a very slow pace and wonder of wonders the pavement came back and the road improved, but I was definitely behind my schedule. In addition, I found out something about my modifications and fall foliage. They do not mix well. On one very spirited hill climb around some slower traffic, I noticed my engine temp going up – 4 BARS! - I had never seen that before, so I decided when I had a chance I would pull over and investigate. While I looked for a spot to stop, I pondered all the ifs. Had I sprung a radiator leak? Thermostat? Radiator fan failure? What? When I stopped, I did not even have to open the hood – there was the culprit. My grill was choked with leaves! I have built the perfect leaf vacuum. Anyway, I was behind schedule and decided to get on I-81 at Harrisonburg, Va. I stayed on it until Spartanburg SC, where I spent the night.

Thursday morning, after completing nearly 700 mile of road the day before, started somewhat later in the morning. After a ½-hour jaunt down I-85 to the town of Powderville, I had breakfast and set out for Wahalla, SC to pick up Rt 28 to Fontana. This stretch of road is known as the Moonshiner, and is 103 mile of mountainous roads, thru some of the most beautiful Smoky mountain country you could ever want to see. It was fabulous, well except for that 20 or 30-mile section of twisty I spent following a little old lady in a Silverado – at 27 mph all the way to Highlands. I arrived at Fontana at 3:00 PM, checked in and looked up the organizers at their cabin; where I was treated to a spirited drive though the Dragon, following Airgate.

He is one of the fastest drivers on that road, and I really wanted to keep up to him. I tagged myself to his bumper and used every bit of my limited talent to its maximum effect – and I was keeping up! All the way through, and then on the way back though as I was congratulating myself on the significant ability I had suddenly acquired, a sport bike passed me -------- ON A CURVE! And we were well over the speed limit! Raul (Airgate) decided to play with this new contestant. He hit the accelerator and off they went. I vainly tried to keep up though the next series of turns, and as I watched Raul and the bike speed away, I was treated to one of the most awesome sites. As Raul accelerated away from a turn, the biker leaned into the curve, dragged his steel plated knee on the pavement, trailing an arc of sparks in the evening dusk, as he matched Airgate’s pace. It was one of those Kodak moments, and how I wish I had had the camera mounted. It was also at that moment, I realized, I was no way near the driver I thought I had become. Humble pie time!

Friday, I slacked off the pace a little to go on a “moderate” drive with W1ngman, to Franklin and back on Route 28. W1ngman was the drive leader on my first ever event back in 2004 Fall Colors. He is in a small way responsible for “hooking” me into attending these events. He has “cleared my headlights – a little prize I won at my first Wake the Dragon event, and he also does an “Angel Eyes” mod (led light ring in the stock headlight). Friday concluded with a gathering at the Fontana Ball field, where we had the chance to pick up our t-shirts, lanyards, renew old friendships, and make new ones.

The “big event” day was Saturday. That morning, at 9:30 AM, 44 S2000’s rolled through the dragon – lights on and eyes up looking for the LEO (Law Enforcement Officer). All the way through the Dragon – NO POLICE! Till we reached the end, and there they were, right where we always end the monster roll and turn around to drive back through. They had the Porsche club pulled over and they were writing paper – (turned out they all got warnings), and we just turned around in a big loop and rolled all 44 cars back through the Dragon - - - - AT the fastest pace possible! I have been to 5 or 6 WTD’s and this was my second DBR, and I have never driven the Dragon that fast. It was an opportunity that does not happen often; with up 14 LEO’s on the Dragon. After a spirited group drive in the afternoon on the Tennessee side of the Smokies, the day finished up with the Saturday night dinner, where DRB, it’s organizers and those that make this great community work were honored, along with the member that traveled the farthest – ASH42 – who flew in from Afghanistan to be with us, his wife and the car (not necessarily in that order).

Sunday, we all said goodbye and made plans to attend WTD 2011, which will be held on April 20th, 2011.

I have linked the picture thread from the Dragon Forum below. People – you need to go to this event. They will not last forever, and you will regret not attending at least one event.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=819127

 

Thanks for posting a recap and your pics. Sounds like it as an amazing time.

 

Indeed it was - you have to come down with me next year. Oh, and I just found out that the date for WTD is wrong - they will be posting updated info later.

 

Plan on it!!!!!