Tail of the Dragon Thread
 

One of our employees recently took his WRX to Deals gap and had a blast on the Tail of the Dragon.
Anyone have interesting stories, images or video from the Dragon? Post them up.


http://site.mishimoto.com/dragontail1.jpg

http://site.mishimoto.com/dragontail2.jpg

318 curves in 11 miles sounds like a blast to me! :burnrubber:

I flew to Manchester, NH to get my BRZ back in mid June. After a couple of days of driving / visiting friends / sight-seeing I made it to the Dragon just a few hundred miles after finishing the break-in cycle. I'd never driven the Dragon and I was still new to the car, so I just took a gentle pace, but still had a blast! When I got the the small parking area at the top, people were flocking to the car. I went through all a few weeks worth of photos from the various photographers who dot the road, and I didn't see any other BRZs or FRSs, so I think I was the first to drive the road in an 86. I think I was there June 17th. If anyone drove it before me, I'd love to know.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SihNJT8Jtrg"]Tail of the Dragon - BRZ - YouTube[/ame]



A few pictures from the trip, including the dragon.

^ Very Cool!

http://www.the370z.com/attachments/m...-thread-z8.jpg

I have an interesting Dragon Tale. I was there this year. One of the days we were there, my mother (a nurse) and I stopped at that gift shop across from Deal's Gap. We weren't even going to drive it, but I decided at the last minute "why not, I mean we're here".

Some VW drivers had warned me of police shooting radar right across the TN line, so I should go slow for the first few miles.

We hopped in the Z and took her easy for a bit. Up ahead of us, there was an object in the road. My mom yelled, "STOP STOP STOP!" A biker with passenger had laid it down on the road in front of us. I stopped the car, my mom ran up ahead to tend to them. I ran back to the blind corner to wave down oncoming traffic.

The motorcycle driver and passenger were mostly ok with minor injuries, but that guy had to be the luckiest person to ever crash on the dragon. Within a few minutes, the police were on the scene. Two of the drivers that I flagged down were also medical personnel (an EMT and a Doctor). It would still be a while for an Ambulance to appear on the scene, but they were going to be ok and had immediate attention.

I am really proud of this story. I go down there at least once per year to rip up the roads, do touristy stuff, and enjoy the scenery. I take, take, and then take some more. This year, I got a chance to give back in some way. The policeman even thanked me for helping with traffic. Feels good, man.

^ Very nice story! A good deed by you and your mother.

i got pulled over by an officer on my way down the dragon, got a warning, went across the border into TN and turned around at the harley davidson shop. On the way back, I blew the doors off the same officer and outran him in one hell of an all out hillclimb.

The weekend prior to that, a driver was flying down the road leading to the tail of the dragon, lost it right before the gift shop, flew into the air and landed on the dumpsters. Neither occupant lived.

Its a popular destination for motorcyclists, however its rare to come across one that can actually ride.

Its a magical destination, and everyone at some point should get out there. Its the USA version of Mnt Akina.

Wow that is an extreme story. What were you driving?

For those people who drive in this road. When and what time it's the best to drive in this road? Let say less traffic and no police in the area...

The earlier the better. Traffic picks up as the day goes on until it starts getting dark.

Just as a reminder, all. Don't mess around if you drive this road. Pay attention.

Both of the drivers involved here escaped relatively unscathed.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-...meet-bike.html

I'm a manufacturing engineer at a plant about 45 minutes from Deals Gap. About a week after my BRZ was finished breaking in, I volunteered to run to Knoxville airport, to pick up some replacement robot hardware. Needless to say, The Dragon is the quickest route there from where I work. Unfortunately, I was stuck behind some less than spirited drivers on the way to. However, on the way back, I chased down two sport bikes. They were courteous, and pulled over to let me by. This was around 7:30pm, and they were the only traffic I encountered. Since I was using a personal vehicle, I got payed $90 to run the Dragon with $10,000+ worth of robot parts and a mountain bike in the back. :D

And the parts survived?? Those guys on the sport bikes must have been beginners or something. Normally a sport bike can take any sports car hands down, no matter how nimble. Good to hear you got the road to yourself on at least one leg. Great story! :thumbup:

Amen to that! I've never been (yet!!) but I understand that the shop at Deal's Gap has a shrine made car and bike parts from crashes :shudder:

You need to pay before you can drive the Tail of the Dragon road?

The $90 was paid by his employer to reimburse him for using his own car.

I was driving a 92 mr2, was out there for a hillclimb test session. Havent come across a bike on the dragon that can keep pace with us. Bikes are great for acceleration, but two wheels don't turn anywhere near as well as a proper 4 wheel suspension.

For any novice going to the dragon: If you are out there, do not surpass your limit. Doing so puts not only your life, but others in danger too. Push yourself little by little to learn the intricacies, but 1 screw up can put you in the opposite lane and turn you into another statistic and forum story.

Sidenote: Well be back at the dragon later this year, and again in April. I may go out there a few other times depending on which club is going and invites us.

I dont have any crazy stories of the Dragon, but it was the most fun I had at (mostly) 45mph.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...0-05-08/08.png

Im hoping to go again in the spring, but this time, with the FR-S.

Parts survived intact, the handling they received at the airport was likely worse than what I gave. The last rider was definitely not a beginner, but Grishbok is right, bikes have a hard time maintaining speed on sharp turns like those found on this road. Let me know if any of you guys are going to be up in the area and I'll show you some equally impressive, yet less trafficked roads. Keep the VSC on though, you never know whats around the next turn on these roads...

Haha yeah airports :bonk: And thanks for the offer, will do! I do keep hearing that while the Tail gets all the fame, that the area has plenty of roads of the same caliber. VSC check; personally I wouldn't dream of turning it off on public roads, that's just foolhardy and selfish :thumbdown:

The Dragon is an amazing road. You won't find another exactly like it. It is non-stop turning for eleven miles. It tests your endurance like none other.

But there are other roads that are just as fun to drive, even if not as unique.

The Hellbender (rte28) is a gas, and it's a main artery in and around Fontana Dam. It is full of fun sweeping corners and elevation changes.

The Cherohala Skyway is a much faster road with a few sharp corners. It goes from low to 5000 ft higher and back down to low ground again. It also has several gorgeous overlooks.

I take a week every year and stay at Fontana Village Resort, getting my fill of all of the surrounding roads, most of which are epic fun to drive.

This was quite an accident. If I remember right injuries were pretty minimal?

I will have to check this run out. :)

Thanks for the info! :) For several years now I've been wanting to some day take a road trip across the country to drive those amazing roads you've got out there, but one of the limiting factors was that I didn't really have a car that would be good for both a long trip as well as shine in the twisties. Based on what everyone says here on ft86club it seems like the FR-S/BRZ might be just about perfect. Can't wait :)

There has been talk of gathering for a weekend of scenic driving and connecting with other FT86Club members. Maybe you can help us find some roads.

I did some exploring this past weekend, found some roads up toward Big South Fork here in Tennessee. Hardly saw another soul. It was fantastic.

Count me in!