danmas Dan Masters Alcoa, Tennessee (578 posts) Registered: 10/28/2007 12:11AM Main British Car: 1974 MGBGT Ford 302 |
"Tail of the Dragon"
The Discovery channel will air a special on the "Tail of the Dragon" tonight at 9:00 EST. Check your local listing for your area. Should be interesting. I've been there a few times! The first time was in 1969 in a school bus. The last time was last year in this. This was better!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2012 12:35PM by danmas. |
BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
Wow! I actually get that channel! Man, I'm psyched!
Jim |
rficalora Rob Ficalora Willis, TX (2764 posts) Registered: 10/24/2007 02:46PM Main British Car: '76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302 |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
It's good so far! Didn't know Kill-boy used to run it on his bike & now photographs instead.
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NCtim Tim Shumbera Western North Carolina (239 posts) Registered: 01/19/2012 04:35PM Main British Car: |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
In the paper today:
MARYVILLE, TENN. — A rock slide has closed a Smoky Mountains highway popular with motorcyclists. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says a slide onto U.S. 129 at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line has closed the highway in both directions. The incident was reported Friday at 7 a.m. EDT. The highway is nicknamed the Dragon because of its numerous tight curves. |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
The highways around the ail of the draggon are far more fun. The "Dragon" which typically has 3 or 4 cops on a 4mile stretch is hard left, hard right, etc. The dragon is like a parking lot race where the nearby roads are more like road courses.
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MGBV8 Carl Floyd Kingsport, TN (4512 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 11:32PM Main British Car: 1979 MGB Buick 215 |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
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MGBV8 Carl Floyd Kingsport, TN (4512 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 11:32PM Main British Car: 1979 MGB Buick 215 |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
Speaking of "other roads", this one is closer to me. I took Mike Moor on a section of it from Shady Valley, TN to Bristol, TN when we were traveling back from the Durham, NC V8 Meet.
[www.421thesnake.com] |
ex-tyke Graham Creswick Chatham, Ontario, Canada (1165 posts) Registered: 10/25/2007 11:17AM Main British Car: 1976 MGB Ford 302 |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
By my reckonin', 'The Snake' has 15 curves/mile and 'The Dragon' has 29 curves/mile......sure beats the roads in Illinois!
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danmas Dan Masters Alcoa, Tennessee (578 posts) Registered: 10/28/2007 12:11AM Main British Car: 1974 MGBGT Ford 302 |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
You can buy a t-shirt at the gift shop on the "Dragon" that says:
"The Dragon - 318 curves in 11 miles. Illinois - 11 curves in 318 miles" |
kstevusa kelly stevenson Southern Middle Tennessee (985 posts) Registered: 10/25/2007 09:37AM Main British Car: 2003 Jaguar XK8 Coupe 4.2L DOHC/ VVT / 6sp. AT |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
Now Graham, you know you can't coast very far in Illinois either! You run out of gas, and coast about 60-70 yards if you are going above the speed limit and stop. No rolling forward or back.:) Not like Tn.
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Dan B Dan Blackwood South Charleston, WV (1007 posts) Registered: 11/06/2007 01:55PM Main British Car: 1966 TR4A, 1980 TR7 Multiport EFI MegaSquirt on the TR4A. Lexus V8 pl |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
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BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
Not 318 curves though. Do you think we just might oughta be counting the straight stretches instead? I saw about four.
Pretty typical for a W.Va mountain road. I'd of gotten seasick if I wasn't acclimated. Rt. 60 over Gauley Mountain is pretty good too, along with Rt. 16, 61 and some others, basically any road going to a different town in those parts that isn't freeway. Rt. 60 over Sewell Mtn. is really good too, though Rt 60 is a high speed road. If you can call the occasional kiss your ass hairpin high speed that is. All depends on your driving technique I guess. Jim |
Merv Merv Hagen IL (104 posts) Registered: 05/21/2008 05:48PM Main British Car: 1980 MGB Buick 215 T-5 Trans |
Re: "Tail of the Dragon"
Am I mistaken or is MG 2012 going to be doing the Tail of the Dragon?
I know that many of these cars may be missing four cylinders (does that make them Spurious?) but it still looks to be a lot of fun. Merv |