[mobike008]

Good Morning from a nice breezy and chilly Hyderabad. Yesterday we got a lot of rain. It rained continously from 4:00pm until midnight or more and effect of that is we have some awesome weather to drive this morning

Fantastic is a very subtle word to see the turn-out and for those who are missing it, drive meets cannot get bigger than this one. You all are missing an epic event

Rudra Da, Super duper to see you in as well. I wish included Machar Jhol as one of the dish in the menu

See you all in a few hours !!!

Confirmed (from Hyderabad) :

1. Mobike008 (Ford Aspire) + 1
2. Manas_270 (Punto)
3. IDPSharma (i20)
4.Ecosportrules (Ford Ecosport)
5. SKavuri (Punto) +1 = 2 Vegetarians
6. shifu (Vento) + 1 = Vegetarian
7. Amit_breakfree (Swift) + 1
8. HighwayHopper (Hyundai Xcent) + 1
9. DeepV (Fabia)
10. ngauravmalhotra (Polo) +1 = 1 Vegetarian
11. Hyd_Traveller (Manza) + 1
12. Lucifer1881 + 1 (with Hyd_Traveller)
13. Gajadonga (Elantra)
14. jetti (Alto K10)

Confirmed (from Bangalore) :

1. RSudarsanan (BMW 320D) + pganapathy (front seat navigator of flying car)
2. Mpksuhas (XUV5OO) + 1 = 1 Vegetarian
3. Procrj (TUV300) + 1 = 2 Vegetarians
4. Dr.AD (SX4) = 1 Vegetarian
5. nerd1200 (Accent)
6. Santoshbhat (X3 30d M Sport)
7. tilt (Jetta) + 1
8. cmiuc (XUV5OO) + 1 = 2 Vegetarians
9. KarthikK (Punto) = 1 Vegetarian
10. MadMax (Figo)
11. Chaith.turbo (Fortuner) + 1
12. Redcruiser (VW Polo) + 1
13. shetty_rohan(Polo TSi)
14. BeantownThinker (Verna)
15. sandeepmohan (Fiat Linea) Non vegetarian
16. Fortified [Fortuner] = 1 Vegetarian
17. Voyager-1 (Verna CRDI DieselTronic) = 1 Vegetarian
18. KD007 (wagon r) + 1 = total 2 vegetarians
19. Motoringlover (I20) - + 2 + Vnabhi = 3 (2 Veg + 1 NV)
20. Ajmat + Viddy + Rudra(Jetta+old baby) : 2 NV + 1 V
21 Arighna.Dutta (Lancer AT LEi) + 1 = 2 NV

Confirmed Headcount = 56 (36 Non-veg, 20 Veg)

[keroo1099]

First set of Pics from the breakfast stop. Lovely to meet up with all of you, wish I could have made it all the way.

[shifu]

It was very nice meeting you all. Finally we all can relate a post to a face .

Very well organized meet, thanks to the organizers - mobike and Ravi Sir.

It was my first meet, and I had a blast. Looking forward to the next one already. I heard so much about the "overnighters". Will keep an eye out on that thread and will hopefully make it one day!

A teaser pic is attached. That is the only one I have .

[mobike008]

This meet was being planned from over a month and excitement to have this enjoyable drive coupled with meeting BHP'ians from Bangalore over lunch was inexplicable feeling over the last few days. And, it finally happened yesterday after waiting for it so eagerly and it was much more fun than I had anticipated

Saturday it rained all day & night in Hyderabad and when we got up early on Sunday, it was a weather carved out for this drive ; Breezy, Chilly and Cloudy which was simply outstanding. I set out from home at 8:10am to meet the team at Shamshabad Airport meeting point. Reached around 8:45am and after a round of introductions & pleasantries and a few quick pictures we set out on the highway at sharp 9:00am

We were supposed to cover roughly 215kms to reach the Hotel Suraj Grand. And, as it always happen everyone started gunning the engine as soon as they saw open roads and we reach our next pit-stop (Food Pyramid) at 10:00am instead of 10:30am as planned. Due to additional 30 minutes available, we decided to enjoy a relaxed breakfast at Food Pyramid

Food Pyramid was a revelation, its' 117 kms from Hyderabad and has a massive Food court/restaurant with lot of amenities like play area for kids, gardens, huge parking space and extremely neat toilet facilities with paper napkins (impressive..huh!) and wonderful restaurant as well.

The food was nothing short of magnificent, we all enjoyed Idli/Wada, Filter Coffee and each and every dish was wonderful. All this comes at a slightly premium price; I'm so impressed that I have already planned a short lunch meet with a few BHP'ians at Food Pyramid in next couple of weeks wherein I will be riding there on my motorcycle (My beloved Dark Knight a.k.a Kawasaki Versys)

Since we were just about 70+kms from Kurnool we decided to leave around 11:00am and drive leisurely so we can reach at noon. However, even then we reached around 11:50am and by then most of the Bangalore team had already reached the hotel and we all exchanged introductions and assembled in the banquet hall where round tables were neatly arranged for us and to one end was the buffet arrangements. They even arranged a dais with 3 chairs as if it was some bank conference meeting

When entire group settled down Ravi Sir had a unique way of "Roll Call" wherein every member present including their spouses (50+ people) were asked to stand up and introduce about themselves. It was one of the most fun thing of this meet which lasted for over an hour due to lot of ribbing and pulling each other legs

Then we all started enjoying the snacks that was being served on the table over animated conversations about what we all love ; Cars & Road Trips

Time flew over so much conversations and catching up with so many BHP'ians and it was already 3:30pm and it was time to head out and we all bid goodbyes and headed back towards our respective directions. Hydeez team decided to stop for 'Chickoo Milkshake' at Food Pyramid based on Bangalore BHP'ian TILT's advice but, unfortunately that was not available due to being a non-season. We again spent nearly an hour at FP and before saying bye to each other and drove back the last 120kms at our own pace. It was one of the best drives as it was pouring like anything and visibility for many kms was nil

Reached home around 7:15pm after a fantastic day spent. I'm sure these pictures will tell a better story than what I outlined above

A big thanks to Ravi Sir (Bangalore) for organizing this meet from Bangalore side and IDPSharma and Hyd Traveler (Hyderabad) for helping me with the money collection which was a laborious process with some minor oversights (we were 5 plates extra) but, we were able to manage it splendidly thanks to Hyd Traveler's brilliant suggestions

Overall it was a fantastic sunday well spent with like minded people. Till we meet next time....

[RSUDARSANAN]

What a sundae it was.

Two round trips of 720 and 430 kms, each laced with a silky smooth tarmac snaking its way under a fleeting grey sky showering sprinkles of rain at random.

Add an orchestra of 35 odd cars, from both sides of the Rayalseema border, creating one symphony with their respective prowess and reaching a crescendo at Kurnool.

Garnish this with a liberal dose of 50+ enthusiastic Bhpians, and what have you….

A memorable drive and meet, nothing less .

Some pics from south of the border:

Post breakfast @ Kamat Upachar.


Blue Moon stop over BM1


BM2


BM3


BM4


BM5


BM groupie


Kurnool, here we come


to be contd...

[venkikewl]

Good to see people from Hyd & Bang catch up over the week end. Couldn't participate in this meet due to prior family commitment, eagerly waiting for the next meet.

[Santoshbhat]

It was a wonderful meet superbly organised by the respective captains : mobike008 and RSUDARSANAN. Enjoyed the drive and the company of so many like minded BHPians who I was meeting for first time despite having interacted on the forum multiple times. It was nice to have a banquet hall all to ourselves which gave us the opportunity to mingle with almost everybody attending the meet. The roll call style intro session was a great idea and as mobike008 said we had a lot of fun pulling each other's legs.

The drive itself was quite a lot of fun as the road surface of the Hyderabad highway is fantastic with plenty of bends and sweeping curves. At the same time its quite treacherous as well due to plenty of stray animals and intersections teeming with people with no road sense let alone highway sense. Unfortunately few of us had 'animal encounters' with mine being the worst. A dog decided to dart at right angles to the road just in front of my car. I had the choice of swerving or braking hard and at the last moment decided not to brake as I had cars following me. But I was unable to avoid the hit and the X3 took a hit on its front bumper on the left side. We assessed for damages during the breakfast break. Luckily there were no leaks or warning symbols in the cluster. But a few plastic parts had broken and were hanging loose. We decided we need to cut those out, but a couple of sensors were attached to them and those needed to be unplugged. One looked like a parking sensor and the other was unknown. We unplugged both and started the car. Immediately I got a warning saying "Outside Temp : -40 deg C". So it was the outside temp sensor. I also lost parking aid as one of the sensors was unplugged. That apart there were no other signs of damage, so I decided to go ahead with the drive and the X3 marched on as if nothing had happened albeit with a little of of wind turbulence as the air flow around the bumper was messed up. The German machines X3 30d, 320d, C250d and the Jetta DSG galloped ahead and we had fun pushing the machines on the highway notwithstanding the minor hiccup I had. I have initiated the claim process and have fixed up an appointment with the workshop. This will be the real test of BMW's part management and after sales service as the X3 30d M sport has a different bumper design and the fact that there are probably only a handful of M sport X3s in the counrty right now. As Ravi sir said I am treating it as return on investment (money paid for insurance)!

[RSUDARSANAN]

In continuation:

Both teams reached the venue on time give or take 5 minutes.

Ajmat, Rudra and Viddy joined the group in some time, albeit moderate(ly) late;

Granted, better late than never.

Clicks @ the venue, Suraj Grand

SG1


SG2


SG3


SG4


SG5


SG6


SG7


SG8


SG9


The parting click


Thank you and a big shout out to all those who made this a treat to remember.

Cheers

[mpksuhas]

It was the best way to spend a Sunday, on a long drive along with fellow motorheads. Was able to meet the face behind many known TBHP handles.

Special thanks to organizer. It is not an easy task to manage booking and payment for a large crowd.

Bangalore - Hyderabad road as usual is a pleasure to drive, rain gave frequent company during both onward and retun drive.

However, on a side note few incidents like the one above mentioned by Santoshbhat of a dog jumping in front of his car and that of stray cattle related near miss of another member highlights the dangers present on our highway.

Also, while on our drive back few KM's after Anantapur, on top of a railway overbridge saw a guy trying to flag down ongoing vehicles. Noticed two guys lying down on the road too. Since it was night didnt make out what the issue was, also since was traveling with wife was not sure of stopping. Hence, called up emergency number from the toll slip and informed the location to them. Within 15 mins get a call back from that number saying they have reached near the bridge and had called to check if we noticed the person above or below the bridge. Should say I was pleasently suprised by the response time.

Drive Safe

[NPV]

Missed this one..again!

Excellent report and looks like you'll had a blast
Ravi sir and @mobike008 have done a superb job on planning/logistics

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

BM5

I have met some of the folks during an earlier meet and there are lots of people whom I haven't met.
I think I saw the gentleman in the white tee in the "BM5" picture recently at Madhus where he was also getting alignment, balancing done for his car - small world indeed.

Didn't see the MODS - Rudra da, ajmat and Viddy in any of the pictures.

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by NPV

Didn't see the MODS - Rudra da, ajmat and Viddy in any of the pictures.

How could you "Missed this one.."

Solo in SG1, duo in SG3 and the trio you get to spot them amongst the group in the parting click.

No prizes for SG1 and the latter

Cheers

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

How could you "Missed this one.."

Solo in SG1, duo in SG3 and the trio you get to spot them amongst the group in the parting click.

No prizes for SG1 and the latter

Cheers

Uno is holding up a pillar in SG1

A great meet. Was pleased to meet you all.

It was a long drive for lunch but a great one. The Jetta needed to stretch its legs and the old man needed fresh air in his lungs. The drive was faultless except the Optra brake lights failed so the Jetta became the buffer car.

After lunch, Viddy fixed the car and we left 20 min after you all. Due to rain and poor visibility, we took it easy. We did play leapfrog with the TUV on the way back. We overtook and got overtaken by others during the respective rest breaks.

Still trying explain to others why one drives a 750 km round trip for lunch

[NPV]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Uno is holding up a pillar in SG1

Had to look at the pictures again to identify Vid and Rudra da, having seen you'll only in pictures, could not identify earlier.

"The 6639" looks different now with the beard

Still trying explain to others why one drives a 750 km round trip for lunch

I know how this feels, have been asked this quite a few times recently

[Dr.AD]

As always, it was a great meeting! Thank you very much Mobike008 and RSUDARSANAN for your painstaking efforts in putting this together and making this happen. Really appreciate the passion and enthusiasm of you guys that makes such events possible!

The drive was extremely pleasant. Apart from the drive itself, another attraction of such meets is the chance to meet fellows bhpians and their cars. It is always a pleasure to meet the regulars (now turned friends) as well as the new members, and sometimes the regulars (now turned friends) with their non-regular brand new cars! For instance, this time, Fortified showed up with his brand new C250!

Is this "Fortified" or "Mercified"? And don't miss the Captain's legendary 320d in the picture too:


This is the only photo I got during this drive, knowing that the more capable photographers will cover the event well.


If meeting the fellow bhpians was the cake, then the icing on the cake was meeting the mods. Thanks mods for making it to the meet. It was a pleasure meeting you guys.

Originally Posted by ajmat

Still trying explain to others why one drives a 750 km round trip for lunch

Very true. But knowing me, by now my family members and friends have stopped asking such questions. They just ask me when and where is my next drive :-)

[Vid6639]

Excellent meet. Got to meet many BHPians and put a face to the handle.

We left a little late as I got stuck with battery trouble. Roads were brilliant and the weather was just perfect. Drove Rudra's Optra and Ajmat's Jetta and had a blast with both cars.

I don't have pictures of the meet but Ajit and I took a couple of pics along the way.