Miata Mailing List: August 1999, Message #265

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Hey all,

The Deal's Gap is such a wonderful event.  I consider this a more
successful event than the Miata'99 at Texas Motor Speedway (notice i ddin't
say Dallas since we weren't even anywhere CLOSE to Dallas)

As a first-time Gapper I wasn't sure what to expect other than twisty roads
and interesting people.  And that's all i got. And that's all i really
wanted.   I attended the event as Dan again, instead of a vendor.  That's
just the way i like to attend first-time events.  Just like everyone else.
 Nothing beats sitting around in a circle listening to Joe and Mary tell us
about one of their many stories.

The local counties at the Gap deserve a big ol Thank You card.  the
hospitality was not only very friendly but it seemed like some strings HAD
to be pulled to keep the sheriff off the Gap.  We have a local road similar
to the Gap that is patrolled daily by the local sheriff (because it needs
to be.....) On each of my trips down to Robbinsville, though, i came across
a sheriff who was pulling the chains of some local yokels.  (was it just me
or did they all talk funny?)  they don't just say "y'all", they say "yowl
come beck nah yahar?" Perhaps they recognized how important this event is
to their economy.  $12 for a BBQ sandwich?  i'll take 2...and keep the change.

On the way to the Gap I was about midway through Tennessee when i thought
to myself "Why are you driving  so far in this swealtering heat just for a
road?"  And then i got ON the road.  I turned into 129 like a little kid
entering a toystore looking for his favorite aisle.  Its hard not to notice
that you're now on the Gap.  5 turns in 5 feet kinda give it away. I can't
believe that some people were saying "I came in through the Gap and i
didn't even know it!"

um, huh?  how could you not notice it???  either you were caught behind one
of those semis who was obviously lost from I-75 or you were a snoozing
passenger.  

On my way to the TN/NC event, i stopped in Dallas to pick up a set of
215/40/16 Toyo T1-Ss, the T1+ replacement.  The weekend before i threw in
some Koni adjustables.   Boy i couldn't wait to give them a test.  I drove
1000 miles on straight flat highway to break in the T1s but my shocks
needed a good testNtune.  What a perfect set up for test drive.

But we all need to really count our blessings continuously.  this is only
Gap #3 and i hope that there are many more Gaps in the future, but there's
a real chance of it becoming non-existent.

Blessing #1:  No sheriffs on the road to harass us.

But....have one accident and that could change the look of the Gap in the
future.  I had some very eerie flashbacks this past weekend.  A little over
a year ago we were doing a local drive on Lime Creek Road here in Austin, a
road very similar to the Gap.  180 degree hairpins, fast sweepers, tight
twisties.  While pushing the car to the limits, this past weekend, i
flashbacked to seeing my friend, Chris, drive off the side of our local Gap
in his '93 LE after getting a bit out of control.  All i remember was
seeing him spin, get sideways, backwards, then disappear off the side into
the trees.  He was fortunate to survive.  Had it not been for two trees to
"catch" his LE, there's no telling what could have happened.  There's no
telling what would have happened if there were some on-coming traffic.
Ever since that day on Lime Creek Road, there is a full-time sheriff
patrolling the road.  I spoke with the sheriff that day and he said that
he's seen way too many accidents on that road and frankly he's sick of it.
They're making him a full-time patroller.

The same thing WILL happen at the Gap.  Its just a matter of time.  I had
an experience on the Gap which will stick in my mind forever.  I was taking
a run through the Gap with Michelle on Saturday morning and after a quick
romp we would pull off to the side of the road every now and then to cool
off or to talk about driving techniques.  On one of our pullovers we were
very fortunate. Not more than 10 seconds later there comes screaming around
the corner a 10AE that lost control and was all over the road and in my
lane headed straight for myself, michelle, and Sim.  He was completely out
of control.  He managed to finally get the car straightened out but had we
not pulled over, there would have been a head-on collision with my car and
his.  I was livid.  I screamed at him to SLOW DOWN, and all he did was wave
his arm in the air at me as if to say "Oh well, it was fun!" and he got
back on the throttle for the next turn.

You Moron.  I had to fight myself from chasing you down to the Lodge,
grabbing you by the scruff of your neck and tossing you into the path of
our local bear for his dinner.  I wanted to take your car keys and throw
them into the river.  

Who do you think you are to put your life AND EVERY SINGLE OTHER GAP DRIVER
OUT THERE at risk??  The weekend just wasn't the same after that.

I admit that i did push my Miata to some of its limits, but the difference
between me and that 10AE is that i KNOW the limits of my car.  NOT ONE TIME
did my tail end come swinging around the corner. not ONE TIME did i get
into the lane of on-coming traffic to put their lives at risk.  Why?
because I KNOW my cars limits and i will not push that envelope to see what
it can do on such a dangerous stretch of road.  I know that my car is set
up differently than a stock Miata.  I know that my car is different because
i got the chance to drive Magic, MIchelle's '99 Silver, this wekeend as
well with a stock set up.  I have a big fat front sway bar, aggressive
alignment, Koni adjustables and BRAND NEW Toyo T1-Ss keeping me on the road
safely.  Michelle's '99 was stock.  and it drove differently than mine like
night and day. Fortunately she knew that and she drove accordingly.  Others
did not.  So your Miata has the sport suspension package, huh?  big
freaking whoop. Do you know how to DRIVE your car?  Or would you rather
"test" your car and yourself?  That's what an autocross course or road race
course is for.  you're alone, and you have a helmet, a rollbar, and no
oncoming traffic.

So let's play "What-if" for a bit.  What if he had come slamming into me
and michelle?  There's a real chance that one of us may not be alive today,
someone may have gone over the side of the road rolling into the trees or
slammed into the cliff to the inside.  Someone else may have been coming
around that corner at speed and found the wreckage, slammed on the brakes
themselves to avoid hitting us and wound up in as much danger as we. ANY of
your worst nightmares could have happened. And it would have ruined the
entire weekend for everyone.

(oh, and what if a deer had jumped in front of you on one of the night
drives?)

And that's just the start.  The next year you WILL have the sheriff's dept.
patrolling the Gap during Miata Week.  Oh, and the liabilities.   oh my.

There was talk about making this event a possible national sponsored event.
 i REALLY hope that never ever happens.  We are promoting an event on an
11-mile stretch of road that puts lives at risk. Do you remember the
liability fiasco at Texas Motor Speedway?  Do you remember signing the
release forms?  Do you remember the insurance requirements?  That's just
for a track.  Its impossible to do so for a strech of road owned by two
different counties and two different states.  If this is promoted as a
sponsored event and there is a major accident on those roads, you can bet
that there are some slimey attorneys out there who will want to talk with
someone at Tapoco, or Fontana, or Crossroads, or Mazda, or RAGS, or the
Miata.Net or ANYONE remotely involved in planning this "official" event
that put their client in the hospital.

This event needs to stay small.  

Many drivers this weekend were complaining about all the sport bikes out
there.  Some of the regular motorcycles were holding them up on the road.
whine whine whine bitch bitch bitch moan moan moan.  If anyone should have
been upset, it should have been the motorcyclists at the lack of
intelligence displayed on their roads this past weekend. i did not ONCE see
a motorcycle get out of control or enter oncoming traffic.  If anything, we
probably ruined their weekend.  I'm not saying that its not possible that
they didn't get out of control at one point or another, but i ran the Gap
about 8 times this past weekend and saw no dangerous acts by the cyclists.
I wish i could say the same about the Miatas.

I hope we haven't created a monster.  The Gap is growing at break-neck
speed and who knows where its headed.  All it takes is one accident to
change everything.  That's kind of like the legislature.  They wait until
someone dies before a law is passed.  I sincerely hope that no lives must
be taken before eyes are opened at this event.

This is the most dangerous piece of road that i've been on in a long time.
All it takes is one incident.  I like to think that we're an intelligent
group of enthusiasts.  Use common sense.

Hell, i propose that we have tech inspection.  If you don't have the tires,
then we're sticking you behind that trailer for the drive.  If you have a
leak and are leaving coolant or oil all over the road, we're sending you
back to the pool at the lodge.  If your brake pads are worn, you WILL stop
by one of the vendors to slap on a set of new pads.  If i had it my way,
i'd require everyone to wear helmets.  If i had it my way I'd keep this
event as secretive as possible.


I'm at home today trying to catch up on work and on email.   I'm single and
live alone with just my dogs.  On my 16-hour drive home i keep thinking
about how wonderful its going to be to walk into my backyard to be attacked
by my two beagles and have them jump all over me and lick my face and pee
all over teh place in excitement.  My puppies are my family and i missed
them dearly the past 5 days.  Coming home yesterday to find out that i lost
one of my little girls over the weekend will have me torn for a long time.
My last moment with my little girl was giving her a little hug and sending
her into the backyard with Emmie.  

I can't imagine what would have happened if I had lost a daughter, or what
could have happened to Michelle if that 10AE came slamming into us.  How
would her husband and family have felt?  i can't begin to think about what
that would feel like.


Sorry for the rant.  perhaps i'm a bit emotional and tired still.  But i
have a good feeling that a few days, weeks, or months down the
line.....i'll still feel the same way about the Gap.  Its a world of fun,
and i absolutely love and adore each and every one of you that i met this
past weekend....

but its just not worth the risk.


dan pedroza
anarchist reactionary running dog revisionist
the M road, paved by mroadster performance usa
tel : (512) 9 9 0 - 8 2 1 1
fax : (603) 6 9 7 - 6 3 3 6
http://www.mroadster.com <or> http://www.mroad.com
mailto:dan@mroadster.com <or> mailto:dan@mroad.com
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