Tail of the Dragon

HouseStark · 12-16-2019, 11:39 AM

Hey Guys,

Question has anyone driven Tail of the Dragon or gone to an even there? I've always wanted to go but am very disappointed discovering the speed limit is 30.......for 11 miles. Also, Doug DeMuro's article on it is not very encouraging either.

My question is has anyone actually made the trip to go and how did you like it? Are there events available where the speed limit is suspended or at least some sort of even to make the trip worth it? I'd be coming from Ohio so not out the question far away but still considerable.

SSDan · 12-16-2019, 11:56 AM

I wouldn't let the 30 mph deter you. There are 318 turns in that 11 miles so getting up a lot of speed is not going to happen anyway. There are no real straightaways in that 11 miles.

I ran is up and back twice in one day (44 miles worth) and never got out of gears 2&3. The cops tend to patrol either end where there are some straight stretches and they can get a good radar lock.

I had a good time - went with a ZL1 and a procharged vette. My little SS kept up just fine. I drove 4.5 hours to get there and made a day of it. Glad I went.

The bonus is that there are several pro photographers there daily. You get get some really cool shots of your car like this:

Name: Dragon with logo jpeg.jpg
Views: 950
Size: 239.6 KB

Nrfd79 · 12-16-2019, 12:01 PM

Did it on a motorcycle multiple times. Its an amazing road. You won't have many places that you can go over 30mph. Lots of traffic and sharp turns. Its a blast !!

zx9rmal · 12-16-2019, 12:04 PM

Stay away on the weekends.

artey34 · 12-16-2019, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSDan

I wouldn't let the 30 mph deter you. There are 318 turns in that 11 miles so getting up a lot of speed is not going to happen anyway. There are no real straightaways in that 11 miles.

I ran is up and back twice in one day (44 miles worth) and never got out of gears 2&3. The cops tend to patrol either end where there are some straight stretches and they can get a good radar lock.

I had a good time - went with a ZL1 and a procharged vette. My little SS kept up just fine. I drove 4.5 hours to get there and made a day of it. Glad I went.

The bonus is that there are several pro photographers there daily. You get get some really cool shots of your car like this:

Attachment 1013569

How do you get th3 pictures from the photographers that are staged there?

HouseStark · 12-16-2019, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSDan

I wouldn't let the 30 mph deter you. There are 318 turns in that 11 miles so getting up a lot of speed is not going to happen anyway. There are no real straightaways in that 11 miles.

I ran is up and back twice in one day (44 miles worth) and never got out of gears 2&3. The cops tend to patrol either end where there are some straight stretches and they can get a good radar lock.

I had a good time - went with a ZL1 and a procharged vette. My little SS kept up just fine. I drove 4.5 hours to get there and made a day of it. Glad I went.

The bonus is that there are several pro photographers there daily. You get get some really cool shots of your car like this:

Attachment 1013569

Now that is a picture! Wish I had one like that. I appreciate the advice it would definitely be a nice drive and I'm about that far away.

HouseStark · 12-16-2019, 12:53 PM

Thanks for the replies guys sounds like it would be worth it then. Do you know if there are events I could do? Like any rally's or anything?

HouseStark · 12-16-2019, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx9rmal

Stay away on the weekends.

Doug's article and a bunch of other's basically accuse their tourist network of conspiring with the cops. The possibility of tickets is really deterring me seems like a big speed trap

Uncle Sam · 12-16-2019, 01:05 PM

SSDan - Awesome picture!

OP, check this site or on the internet in general; apparently there are other long stretches of equally curvy roads in the area that do not get the same level of policing that the Tail does.

SSDan · 12-16-2019, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artey34

How do you get th3 pictures from the photographers that are staged there?

A day or two after you run that road you can go to sites like: killboy.com or 129slayer.com and look for your car. From their website you can buy digital photos. Google "tail of the dragon photos" and you can fine these sites and others.

HouseStark · 12-16-2019, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Sam

SSDan - Awesome picture!

OP, check this site or on the internet in general; apparently there are other long stretches of equally curvy roads in the area that do not get the same level of policing that the Tail does.

That's the move then I'll have to figure out some routes cause it looks like a cool area just can't believe the local municipality doesn't embrace it why wouldn't you?

Jaxcam02 · 12-16-2019, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HouseStark

That's the move then I'll have to figure out some routes cause it looks like a cool area just can't believe the local municipality doesn't embrace it why wouldn't you?

37 deaths since 2000-2017 is the statistic I read.
speed limit used to be 55 mph, dropped to 30 mph in 1992.

SSDan · 12-16-2019, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HouseStark

Doug's article and a bunch of other's basically accuse their tourist network of conspiring with the cops. The possibility of tickets is really deterring me seems like a big speed trap

You made me curious so I went and read his article. It is a bit slanted and he is aiming to be snarky/funny. No doubt - you can catch a busy period and there is always the possibility of getting a ticket - but I liked it. It was challenging and fun. And of course there are other good driving roads in the area too.

I went there in April 2018 on a Saturday and saw one cop. He was lying in wait at the end of the dragon on the Tennessee side where the road straightens out for about .5 miles. The car buddies I was with warned me not to speed on either end of the 11 miles and that worked for me.

I suggest a search on this forum. There is a thread for someone who is trying to put together a 2020 date for a dragon run. He did one last year and got 10-15 or so other Camaro's to join in.

Blue_6.2 · 12-16-2019, 04:47 PM

I was a regular visitor to Deal's Gap up until the Spring of 2002.

Before 2002, Deal's Gap was THE GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH. It was an Outlaw Disneyland for motor heads who placed a premium on agility coupled with horse power. On any given weekend from early spring to late fall you could tootle up there on your crotch rocket or a roadster and you would find a plethora of rolling iron that surpassed anything you could have imagined. Name an exotic car or bike (go crazy, name ANYTHING), odds were better than you might think that over the course of a single season you would see at least one up there. From 550 Spyders to 550 Maranellos to AC Cobras to Morgans to Koenigsegg to Bugatti to anything that had tires, all of them made the pilgrimage to ride The Dragon.

As with all good things, the road became a victim of its own success. In 2002, the State of Tennessee decided that too much fun was being had. In one of the most ham-fisted displays of over enforcement I have ever witnessed, the TSP and the Blount County Sheriff's Department wrote tickets to anything and everything that moved. They wrote for excessive speed, left of center, C&R, failure to do right... there used to be a semi famous video of a TSP trooper writing a guy a ticket because the passenger had a video camera filming the run and the driver was - in the opinion of the trooper - able to see the video screen and thereby in violation of some hitherto unknown statute regarding driving and watching HBO at the same time.

Basically, in 2002, the State of Tennessee sent a message that visiting motor heads were not welcome (in point of fact, they wrote EVERYBODY, including some upstanding local citizens who were decidedly not amused by the actions of their public servants). The Blount County court system was effing swamped with cases and made a lot of plea deals, but it was still a huge hassle for those folks who lived hours or days away to have to deal with.

I was up there in my roadster with a group out of Raleigh. Being the asocial d-bag that I am, I was not on their organized run out of Robbinsville on Saturday morning. As a result, I was one of two people in that group that did NOT get a ticket (the other being a particularly striking young lady driving her bright yellow Miata... and let's face it: a million watt smile, a toss of the head and a pouty lower lip has gotten more than one young lady out of a ticket before, and will again).

Tennessee made thousands of dollars off that one group alone. Multiply that by hundreds more and you do not have to be Sherlock Holmes to see that there is some revenue to be generated on that there curvy road.

So '02 was my last visit until this fall. My brother retired from his gub'mint job and moved to Maryville, TN. I had driven out to Nashville to see King Crimson and stopped at my brother's place on the way back to NC. When you leave my brother's house, turn right out of his driveway, go to the stop sign and turn left. You are on Highway 129 and we all know where that goes.

I was up there late in the afternoon and it was LOADED with cops. No problem for me, as I was not part of a group of cars (the dynamic of driving that road in a group can be problematic, as we males are, as a rule, somewhat competitive, and that means gofast gofaster gofastest) and frankly, while this car is VERY capable, it is not a 2000 pound roadster that you can toss into the corners. So I was taking it very easy and made myself small whenever a band of Cafe Racers came tearing up behind me. Sadly, one of a group that blistered by me was sitting on the side of the road a few minutes later, having a conversation with an Agent of the State. He did not look very happy.

That's one of the shots that Killboy took as I rolled past.

So, if you have read this far, congratulations.

My advice: GO. BE CAREFUL. STAY ON YOUR SIDE OF THE ROAD - ALWAYS.

Itbeats the hell out of me (and others) that people drive from far and wide to one of the curviest roads in America, and then try to straighten it out. Don't be that guy. The drive is a technical challenge and is to be treated as such. Keep in mind that "you" may well be coming from the other direction, and if "you" take a bit too much heat into a turn and cross that line, so is your theoretical oncoming twin.

Have a good time, take your own pics, stop at the Crossroads of Time and get a t-shirt and a Dragon sticker. You earned it.

12-16-2019, 11:39 AM	#1
HouseStark Drives: 2018 Camaro SS 1LE Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: United States Posts: 225	Tail of the Dragon Hey Guys, Question has anyone driven Tail of the Dragon or gone to an even there? I've always wanted to go but am very disappointed discovering the speed limit is 30.......for 11 miles. Also, Doug DeMuro's article on it is not very encouraging either. My question is has anyone actually made the trip to go and how did you like it? Are there events available where the speed limit is suspended or at least some sort of even to make the trip worth it? I'd be coming from Ohio so not out the question far away but still considerable.

12-16-2019, 11:56 AM	#2
SSDan Drives: 2016 1SS 6MT NPP Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Lake Murray, SC Posts: 2,245 View My Garage	I wouldn't let the 30 mph deter you. There are 318 turns in that 11 miles so getting up a lot of speed is not going to happen anyway. There are no real straightaways in that 11 miles. I ran is up and back twice in one day (44 miles worth) and never got out of gears 2&3. The cops tend to patrol either end where there are some straight stretches and they can get a good radar lock. I had a good time - went with a ZL1 and a procharged vette. My little SS kept up just fine. I drove 4.5 hours to get there and made a day of it. Glad I went. The bonus is that there are several pro photographers there daily. You get get some really cool shots of your car like this: __________________ 2016 Camaro 1SS Hyper Blue 6MT NPP 2010 Camaro 2SS Cam/Headers/CAI/3.91 gears 476 rwhp/440 rwtq (sold)

12-16-2019, 12:04 PM	#4
zx9rmal Drives: '20 ZL1 M6 Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: FT. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 717	Stay away on the weekends. __________________ Mal Ft. Lauderdale, FL '20 Camaro ZL1 M6 '22 Kawasaki ZX-14R

12-16-2019, 12:01 PM	#3
Nrfd79 Drives: 2018 ZL1 1LE Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 77	Did it on a motorcycle multiple times. Its an amazing road. You won't have many places that you can go over 30mph. Lots of traffic and sharp turns. Its a blast !!

12-16-2019, 12:53 PM	#7
HouseStark Drives: 2018 Camaro SS 1LE Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: United States Posts: 225	Thanks for the replies guys sounds like it would be worth it then. Do you know if there are events I could do? Like any rally's or anything?

12-16-2019, 01:05 PM	#9
Uncle Sam Drives: 2017 Camaro 1LE Hyper Blue Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Rockville, Maryland Posts: 373	SSDan - Awesome picture! OP, check this site or on the internet in general; apparently there are other long stretches of equally curvy roads in the area that do not get the same level of policing that the Tail does.

12-16-2019, 04:47 PM	#14
Blue_6.2 Banned Drives: 2019 1SS Convertible Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Oxford, NC Posts: 183	I was a regular visitor to Deal's Gap up until the Spring of 2002. Before 2002, Deal's Gap was THE GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH. It was an Outlaw Disneyland for motor heads who placed a premium on agility coupled with horse power. On any given weekend from early spring to late fall you could tootle up there on your crotch rocket or a roadster and you would find a plethora of rolling iron that surpassed anything you could have imagined. Name an exotic car or bike (go crazy, name ANYTHING), odds were better than you might think that over the course of a single season you would see at least one up there. From 550 Spyders to 550 Maranellos to AC Cobras to Morgans to Koenigsegg to Bugatti to anything that had tires, all of them made the pilgrimage to ride The Dragon. As with all good things, the road became a victim of its own success. In 2002, the State of Tennessee decided that too much fun was being had. In one of the most ham-fisted displays of over enforcement I have ever witnessed, the TSP and the Blount County Sheriff's Department wrote tickets to anything and everything that moved. They wrote for excessive speed, left of center, C&R, failure to do right... there used to be a semi famous video of a TSP trooper writing a guy a ticket because the passenger had a video camera filming the run and the driver was - in the opinion of the trooper - able to see the video screen and thereby in violation of some hitherto unknown statute regarding driving and watching HBO at the same time. Basically, in 2002, the State of Tennessee sent a message that visiting motor heads were not welcome (in point of fact, they wrote EVERYBODY, including some upstanding local citizens who were decidedly not amused by the actions of their public servants). The Blount County court system was effing swamped with cases and made a lot of plea deals, but it was still a huge hassle for those folks who lived hours or days away to have to deal with. I was up there in my roadster with a group out of Raleigh. Being the asocial d-bag that I am, I was not on their organized run out of Robbinsville on Saturday morning. As a result, I was one of two people in that group that did NOT get a ticket (the other being a particularly striking young lady driving her bright yellow Miata... and let's face it: a million watt smile, a toss of the head and a pouty lower lip has gotten more than one young lady out of a ticket before, and will again). Tennessee made thousands of dollars off that one group alone. Multiply that by hundreds more and you do not have to be Sherlock Holmes to see that there is some revenue to be generated on that there curvy road. So '02 was my last visit until this fall. My brother retired from his gub'mint job and moved to Maryville, TN. I had driven out to Nashville to see King Crimson and stopped at my brother's place on the way back to NC. When you leave my brother's house, turn right out of his driveway, go to the stop sign and turn left. You are on Highway 129 and we all know where that goes. I was up there late in the afternoon and it was LOADED with cops. No problem for me, as I was not part of a group of cars (the dynamic of driving that road in a group can be problematic, as we males are, as a rule, somewhat competitive, and that means gofast gofaster gofastest) and frankly, while this car is VERY capable, it is not a 2000 pound roadster that you can toss into the corners. So I was taking it very easy and made myself small whenever a band of Cafe Racers came tearing up behind me. Sadly, one of a group that blistered by me was sitting on the side of the road a few minutes later, having a conversation with an Agent of the State. He did not look very happy. That's one of the shots that Killboy took as I rolled past. So, if you have read this far, congratulations. My advice: GO. BE CAREFUL. STAY ON YOUR SIDE OF THE ROAD - ALWAYS. Itbeats the hell out of me (and others) that people drive from far and wide to one of the curviest roads in America, and then try to straighten it out. Don't be that guy. The drive is a technical challenge and is to be treated as such. Keep in mind that "you" may well be coming from the other direction, and if "you" take a bit too much heat into a turn and cross that line, so is your theoretical oncoming twin. Have a good time, take your own pics, stop at the Crossroads of Time and get a t-shirt and a Dragon sticker. You earned it.

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