All photos are available in This was also the year of some of the worst driving we've seen from the Mini group.
I think the emphasis of how to act when visiting here is getting lost in all the excitement and activities. You know we love you guys, you're our bread-n-butter, but as fellow Mini owners, you're also our people.
11 comments:
I wouldn't have expected that from the Mini's... usually one of the better groups out there.
Plonker
As a MINI owner who was there I was shocked by how blatantly bad some of the other drivers were. Especially the one MINI I have video of passing 6 other MINI's on the Hellbender on a blind corner.
I hope there were enough respectful drivers to make up for the bad ones.
I second Andrea's view. As a respectful and vigilant MINI driver, I was outright scared at times at what I saw this year. A big thank-you to Jack, AKA MINIBee for running not one but two newbie orientations/runs... but I suppose there's only so much that we can prevent :(
My commentary on NAM:
As a local, I will say this: Thanks a bunch. It's nice to know that the people I know up on the hill will now look down on me because a bunch of people (and we can't just blame it on flatlanders) can't figure out that the double yellow means stay the hell on your side of the road. Heck, even one of the ones called out is a local. Seriously? Very, very disappointing.
The asinine behavior is why I usually didn't drive the hill the past 10 or so years at Miatas at the Gap, except to get to Tapoco on Thursday and back on Sunday. I can run to the Crossroads any time I want to. I was always told the MINIs were a lot better about their driving, so after selling my Miatas and buying a MINI, I thought this weekend would be different, but it doesn't appear to be much, if at all, better.
The event was awesome and the organizers did an amazing job, but it appears the driving by some (not most from what I saw) was the same ol' same ol' I've gotten used to. :(
Punter
Shame, shame. shame on some of our fellow MINI owners!! The organizers do a great job of trying to educate the noobs every year, but there are bound to be jackasses in every crowd. ( I had several biker helmets in my lane over the weekend as well, btw). Let there be no doubt that the majority of us detest this kind of driving and the idiots will be centered out, ostracized and/or tarred and feathered when we catch them.
This just disgusts me to no end. A fellow SSM member told me he followed two people on the Hellbender who were intentionally straightening the curves. When he approached them at Deals Gap to tell them that doesn't fly, they told him to F-off and mind his own business. Thanks for posting these photos, Darryl. With 823 people at the event this year I think these people represent under 5 percent of the people who were intentionally crossing the line. But no excuses, that's still not good. We just need to keep calling them out as a community. Darryl, I'd like these photos for next year's orientation sessions please. Thanks for all you do and glad you're OK. MINIBee
with people like this, who needs toilet paper. aka call um butt wipes. this is the reason alot of peoplw i know don't ride here.
In all, nearly 600 MINIs worked their way through a thousand blind curves, varying radii, dips and hairpins with no mishaps or errors. There were bound to be a few who "pushed the envelope" TOO FAR! Go through the photos and look at the number of good careful Dragon Slayers who are exactly where they needed to be. Some of the Caught on film drivers are certain to be newbies. Some are the show off types. That leaves the majority of careful, diligent,thoughtful drivers. With larger numbers they must by percentages be more errors. We will endeavor to educate and show by example.
If you happen to meet the small percentage that are "pushing the envelope" you're still just as dead.
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