Dragonrun 2005

1. The Dragon! • If you see another vehicle coming at you in your lane, hug the white line in your lane. In all likelihood you can avoid trucks and trailers if you stay alert and watch ahead. • DO NOT be spooked by other vehicles. DO NOT make sudden avoidance moves. You might have to adjust your line to avoid a car, truck, or bike, but DO NOT lay on the brakes or turn off the roadway suddenly unless that is the only out you have. Motorcycles might dent your car, but that is better than going off the bank and hitting a tree sideways. If a cycle is in your lane that is their mistake and problem … don’t let them force you into a worse situation for yourself. • Trucks are usually traveling at a very slow speed and you should have time to stop and back-up if you see one coming at you and taking the whole corner. Watch for signals from drivers/riders coming at you. Many times they will escort a big truck over the Dragon and wave a warning to you to pull over. DO NOT ignore these warnings. • Avoid driving hard on the Dragon in heavy traffic times. Weekends from 11 am to 5 pm are the busiest. These are the times to lay back and enjoy watching the "show" go by. • The early mornings (before 11 am) and the late afternoons (after 5 pm) have the least traffic. • ALWAYS stay 100% alert. You do not have the advantage of relaxing on the Dragon. • Make sure your vehicle is mechanically sound and that your tires are good. • Plan to make several runs, the first is always a nervous one .... then you can have fun on the second and third. • DO NOT over-use your brakes. Use your gears and DOWNSHIFT. A good Dragon driver WILL NOT use a lot of brakes. • Focus - do not daydream. Watch the road, your mirrors, and pay attention to other bikes/cars/trucks. • 99% of the accidents on the Dragon come from the following: Too much speed Too much brakes Inattentiveness Driving above your abilities This article reprinted by permission – tailofthedragon.com Dragonrun 2005 Smile for Killboy! He might be taking your picture! Killboy doesn’t know we are advertising for him, he just takes some really great pics! To find out if he captured your MINI while motoring on the Dragon, go to Killboy.com

2. FACTS ABOUT THE DRAGON • TOTAL DISTANCE:By Road:Tabcat Bridge to Deals Gap - 11.1 milesTabcat Bridge to Hwy 28 - 11.8 milesTabcat Bridge to Fugitive Bridge - 14.0 milesAs the Crow Flies:Tabcat Bridge to Fugitive Bridge - 6.0 milesAVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC (ADT):400 vehicles in 2002. • HIGHEST ELEVATION:Deals Gap - 1962 feetLOWEST ELEVATION:Tabcat Bridge - 877 feetELEVATION CHANGE:Tabcat Bridge to Deals Gap - plus 1085 feetTabcat Bridge to Fugitive Bridge - plus 321 feet Welcome to the Dragonrun 2005! AtlantaMINIS has put together this little booklet for your pleasure! Most of this info has been taken directly from Tailofdragon.com*. Please remember – BE SAFE, be courteous to other motorers and most of all HAVE FUN! Schedule of Events: NEED TO FINISH THIS WHEN WE GET THE SCHEDULE The best and fastest route is I-75, I-575, Rt 5, Rt 76, 60 North to Mineral Bluff, Spur 60 North into North Carolina, 64 into Murphy, 19 and 129 north past Andres, 129 North to Robbinsville. MILAGE: 154 miles DRIVING TIME: 3:15

3. Start out going SOUTHEAST on US-129/TAPOCO RD toward CASTLEWOOD RD. Continue to follow US-129.13.8 miles Turn LEFT to stay on US-129.<0.1 miles Turn LEFT onto US-74/US-19. Continue to follow US-74 E.22.3 miles Take EXIT 67 toward BRYSON CITY/GREAT SMOKY MTS NATIONAL PARK.0.2 miles Turn LEFT onto FRANKLIN ST/BENNETT RD/SPRING ST.0.7 miles Turn RIGHT onto US-19/MAIN ST.0.1 miles Turn LEFT onto EVERETT ST.0.1 miles Turn RIGHT onto ISLAND ST.0.1 miles Turn LEFT onto COLLINS ST.0.1 miles COLLINS ST becomes RICHMOND ST.0.2 miles Turn LEFT to stay on RICHMOND ST.<0.1 miles Turn LEFT onto PLATEAU ST.0.1 miles End at Swain County Hospital Swain County Hospital*828-488-215545 Plateau St, Bryson City, NC Total Est. Time: 53 minutes Total Est. Distance: 38.17 miles *This is the closest hospital from Deal’s Gap, NC – open 24 hrs

4. AtlantaMINIS Farewell Dinner! Saturday, May 8 - 6:00 p.m. Tapoco Lodge We hope you have signed up to join us at the farewell dinner! We have lots of prizes to be given away and guest speakers. Also, there will be ping-pong tournaments, MINI racing contests, and lots of other fun things! Vendors will be present as well! Even if you didn’t sign up for the dinner, please join us anyway – we need you there! (need to finish) Watch out for the Law!

5. Places to Eat: TAPOCO  LODGE - Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fixed hours with dinner served 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Mon. - BBQ, Tues. - Roast Beef, Wed. - Beef Tips, Thurs. - Pork Roast, Fri. - Catfish, Trout, Steak, Sat. Steak, Sun. - House Special. Beer and wine sold and served here. Call to pre-order lunch for large groups ... they can have it ready on arrival to save you riding time. . FONTANA VILLAGE - Offers several options for dining. Peppercorn Restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Village Grill for a quick burger 11:30 to 8:00 pm. Ice Cream Shop for a quick cool down snack. General Store for a hot dog or pre-made meal 9 am-5 pm. ROBBINSVILLE – Papa's Pizza - located on US 129 just a half mile north of the US 129 Hwy 143 intersection. Pizza, subs, salads, Italian dinners. Open until 9 pm. Rosies Cafe - located on Old Main Street just down the street from the courthouse. Breakfast and lunch snacks. A great place for a cup of coffee. BBQ - located on Hwy143 just East of US 129 in downtown Robbinsville, Chicken, pork, beef, and ribs. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Open until 9 pm. 828-479-6862 Phillips Restaurant - located on Main Street adjacent to the Phillips Motel. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Buffet or order from the menu. Lynn's Place - located on the corner of Main Street and East Main Street across from the courthouse. Mexican - Located on US 129 Bypass in Robbinsville Chinese - Located on US 129 Bypass in Robbinsville Texaco Gas Station - Located in Robbinsville on US 129 just north of the Hwy 143 East intersection. Snacks, broasted chicken, breakfast biscuits, and SubWay. Wendy's - same as everywhere. Located on US 129 in Robbinsville. The Black Knight - Breakfast, lunch and dinners. Located on US 129 on the south side of town. • Thank you for being a part of AtlantaMINIS! • This booklet is brought to you by the AtlantaMINIS Steering Committee: • Amanda Harwood • Angel Durham • ET and Jill Foss • Paul and Becky Coveney • Paul Darrow • Pete Crosby • Jean Lambkin • Scott and Jenny Grandfield • Laura White *Many thanks to Ron and Nancy Johnson from tailofthedragon.com who supplied most of the articles and/or information obtained for this brochure! Many, MINI thanks for all those who donated items to be given away at our event! Cooperflags XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX Disclaimer: The information contained in this brochure is designed for informational and educational purposes only. AtlantaMINIS members shall not be liable for any errors in the content, nor for any action taken in reliance thereon. We aren’t responsible for the poor Dragon Pukers! If you choose to ride shotgun, please do so at your own risk!

6. How To Drive • Drive the Dragon at your skill level - don't try to push it or keep up with faster vehicles. • STAY IN YOUR LANE, There are videos available for sale that show vehicles cutting the corners and taking chances that might appear "fun" while sitting in your easy chair. BEWARE ! This style of driving on the Dragon can cost you dearly. The challenge of the Dragon is to take the many curves in the best line possible and both lanes IS NOT "the line". Drive Florida if you like to straighten out the curves. • Do NOT sightsee. The Dragon is to drive, not to watch the sights. On many runs I don't even see what is on the side of the road. I'm watching the roadway way ahead. • Look far ahead at the road, curves, bushes, other vehicles, etc. If you haven't seen the hazards right in front of you, you are going to hit them anyway, so you might as well pay attention to what you have time to avoid. • We have seen deer, bear, turkeys, and wild boar on the roadway. Be ready to brake and slow. When we say brake we DO NOT mean slamming on the brakes. That will get you turned around in a hurry and it’s no fun looking at where you’ve been at any speed. • Maintain a "safe zone". Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Watch your rear view mirrors for faster vehicles. If you see a faster rider/driver coming up behind you, pull over to the right of your lane, slow down just a little, and wave them around. It is much safer to let a faster vehicle around you than to try to outrun them. NEVER stay left trying to keep someone from passing you. NEVER pull off the road onto the shoulder unless it is at one of the pull-off parking areas. It may be illegal to pass on the Dragon, but I'll let a faster vehicle get around me to protect my safe zone. • There will always be faster drivers than you. Don't try to be the King of the Dragon. • Drive the Dragon many times before trying to challenge it. Then you still need to respect it at all times. • DO NOT STAND ON THE BRAKES if you see danger ahead. You are much better off to tap the brakes and maintain control. Some 90% of the accidents on the Dragon are due to speed and then over-braking. Did you know that AtlantaMINIS has over 250 members? Ask a Steering Committee Member for club cards and “card” the next MINI you see, let’s keep our club growing!