Coppa Alpina - Tail of the Dragon

How many of you nuts are going to strangle the Dragon. I was just up there yesterday, in car telemetry said at 34 mph you are pulling 1.1 G. Serious load at low speeds. The V12 is very hard to hook up. I have been up in the Abarth , just don't brake and keep your foot in it. Seems it is all about sticking, and not HP.

Shot by the Tapoco lodge, really nice place very relaxing.

Just be very aware that on weekends police are every where in the forest. The big thing on the dragon that you just don't do and as most of you seasoned driver already know.
DO NOT CROSS THAT YELLOW LINE. You will hit someone, a bike, a car, truck, run off the cliff etc. They have photographers up there and they WILL take photos of your car. This is the one road you just don't do it. And pull over in one of the many pull off lanes if you are slowing traffic down. As a friend of mine said one time, "Don't run out of Talent on the turns". It will happen very very fast. You slide across the yellow line and hit a knee dragger, i.e. motorbike rider going very fast on his side of the road.
Last week I had to pull a biker out of the brush, he had slid off the road and about 40 feet down the cliff before he and the bike hit a dead tree. No cell phone. No helicopters, very little help up there. He hopped in the car, and I drove him back to Deals Gap to use the phone to call his wife to come get him from Knoxville, and a tow truck to pull up the bike. He was bruised but alive.
The sign you will see in Robbinsville. If I had a daughter I don't think I would let her got to the "Parking and Put In' Just seems sort of odd. I laugh every time I drive by it. It gets funnier each time I see it. I guess I will never grow up..

The trees were down all over the place when I got into Robbinsville NC.
Hope there is a big turn out.
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You will see this sign on the way to the dragon. I guess you had better settle this as you have about 34 minutes until you get to the Tail of the Dragon. Makes you think twice about those 318 curves in 11 miles.
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Also something fun to do on the Dragon is rent a go pro from KIllBoy, for about $30 you will have a camera on the car for the full 22 mile run. it tells you how many G's you are pulling, the speed you are going when you wipe out and the elevation. Really good to know the numbers if you plan to drive the dragon more than once or just one time only.
I rent one everytime I go through. Helps me learn the curves and where I am not hooking up on the turns.
Notice it on the to of my windshield . Sometimes I put it inside the car and listen to the engine is the best, as with it on the outside it is just a roar of hurricane wind.
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Another trick of the dragon is the cops will wait for you to cross the yellow, and they don't chase you they just step out and motion for you to pull over. As you see the road there are some turns they just sit at and watch, either with Radar, or watching for you to cross the line. The set up about a 1 mile after Crudd Curve, motorcycle cops will be up there as well. Also they will hide back in the over look turn off. They don't like for anyone to come through there at any sort of speed but maybe 25mph. But they will be in there on the weekends. I usually go on wed, and some times they are up there then.

I met up with some of the guys that were in the Road and Track article on the 458 Speciale when they took it up to the dragon and got schooled by the locals. These guys are wicked fast. Google the article.

I was recently invited to a midnight run at the dragon with these guys, but I have to tell you I am very leery of doing this as their cars are all special built for the Dragon, not other roads , not the road to Suches, not the Unicoi mountain. Only for the Dragon. It was great to be invited, but If I go I will hang in the back as these guys have some serious grip and cars less than 2000 pounds with racing slicks on. I mean if a 458 Speciale falls back.... I don't have a chance.
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Yeah, you can never get enough Dragon. I usually go every Wed.

 

Yes it shows speed, G load, and if you wreck just put the camera in your pocket,or most likely it will be torn off the windshield. It is only about the size of pack of smokes..

Just don't drive it on the weekends in the summer, crazy slow cars, bikes, a real cluster. Go late in the evening in the summer, or middle of the week in summer for best grip.
But it is not like you can go real fast. just read the road and track article when they took the 458 special up to the Dragon, It is on google. The turns are so wicked not many can be taken really fast, because you will find most turns are 34 mph, but pull over 1.1 G's. that is how wicked the 318 turns are, there is no "Straight", concentration if 110% if you ever want to even try to get your ferrari to 3rd gear. I think I hit 3rd gear twice, and for a total of about 3 seconds ......... maybe less... but all second gear, and you will push over 1 G on 90% of the turns.
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