[rohittunga]

A brief review of this little egg shaped hatchback

I don’t think I’ve come across a car that’s so revered by enthusiasts as the Fiesta ST. Both in the US and Rest of the World. And is probably the car most motoring journalists have personally owned. Jonny Liberman from Motortrend still has his. Matt Farah still misses his Fiesta ST. The Top gear guys, Fifth gear, Autocar UK, Chris Harris and many more still swear by this car. I was debating between the Abarth 500 and the Fiesta ST. Ultimately went with the Fiesta because I wanted to experience what those journalists were raving about.

Numbers aren't extraordinary. Just a 1.6L Turbocharged 4 cylinder, front wheel drive with about 200BHP and 6-speed manual in a tiny Fiesta body. The way the car feels is what makes it special. The steering, though electric has 0 slack and is immediate. We all know how good Ford manual transmissions are because back in India we used to own a Figo diesel and even that had a really good slick transmission. This one is even better. Short throws, easily slots into gear and the shift action is delightful. And that engine is so torquey that you’ll never ever feel underpowered. On the tail of the dragon, at no point did my car feel lacking or wanting for more power. On the straights it had no problems keeping up with the BMWs and on the twistys, my goodness this thing feels special. Simply doesn’t understeer no matter how hard you turn in. I had a G-R-E-A-T time driving on those roads.

How does this compare to the old M5? Well, on the highways I missed that infinite power reserves the M5 had and I began to appreciate the NVH levels after driving the Ford. But I was having more fun more of the time in the Fiesta ST than in the M5. The latter was a special occasion car whereas the former is fun doing mundane things like grocery shopping etc. That’s a win-win situation if you ask me.

Oh and by the way, just look at those Orange Recaros! Superb














Two hot hatches of the group. Both unique and both special

[fusionbang]

Fantastic travelogue @rohittunga and @vj123. Special thanks to Rohit for planning this meticulously and executing it to perfection. I am glad I was part of this meetup, got to meet nice bunch of people with their mean machines and put our cars to their absolute limit, which we dare to do it with family or even when you are alone. A good company with same enthusiasm and similar thoughts will definitely do wonders, this trip could be one of those examples.

Coming back to this trip, which I was eagerly waiting on for couple of months, I can say it was worth the wait and now I am even more excited for the next one. I was always disappointed with the boring interstates and country roads with lot of traffic, but the routes planned on this trip especially for those 2 days, really are wow and a notch above the Triple Nickel highway we did exactly an year back.

Day 1:

My trip started early morning on the 7th of July at 4:00 AM EST under heavy rains and it was one long drive to reach the cabin. Even though the map suggested the interstates with a drive time of 10 hours 50 mins, I wanted to do the Skyline drive on the way, which added couple hours more to the drive. By the time I reached Front Royal (1 end of the skyline drive) it was around 7AM and it was an experience by itself, with almost zero traffic and cloudy twistie's.





I had a close call where a deer which was grazing jumped on to the road and I had to break hard, even though I was going slow in the foggy conditions. Here is a video of the miss:

https://youtu.be/XGAjZIIcO7k

Then I had to abandon the skyline drive, as it was taking more time than expected with the foggy conditions and it would have taken me more time to reach my destination. So I exited the drive and joined the interstates to then catch up with Vibin and Jeeva, who were already at that place after a relaxed lunch.



Post that, we continued on to our Airbnb cabin, which was around 1:30 hours drive and we were the first ones to reach. Thanks to Vibin for choosing this airbnb cabin, which was amidst the woods and perfect location for a long weekend.



Vibin and Rohit have posted some pictures of the cabin in earlier posts and I will not repeat the same.

So, while we waited for others we did some chit chatting and talking about the new cars on the lot. Both the M3 and G70, were not even a month old and they were ready to tackle the dragon's tail

Day 1 ended with Rohit and Deep making it a little late to the cabin with their pocket rockets and with Nikhil and Pradeep reaching post midnight, since they started late from Pittsburgh.

[fusionbang]

Day 2:

We had planned to do a 160 mile loop around the Great Smoky mountains on this day, and we were all ready to leave in the morning around 8:30AM. Being a Friday, we were not anticipating much traffic and we were right, we could enjoy the drive to the fullest on the beautiful tarmacs without have to worry about any speed breakers nor potholes. Honestly, it was like floating on those roads in my white wolf.

Day started with we all prepping our cars (cleaning windshields, filling up)





After a thrilling start to the drive, we stopped at a scenic overlook to take some pictures







Post this, we stopped at the 129Hub cafe for quick lunch and the drive to that place was memorable for me especially, because I drove the M3 Competition and man I fell in love with this beast. Thanks to Vibin for letting me drive his car. May be he was trying to make me a prospect of this beauty



Jeeva was driving my White Wolf and he had a heart in the mouth moment during this leg, and you can see the video below to see how ESP and traction control saved him and my car

https://youtu.be/qE8OQi4rAOs

Some pictures from the lunch stop,





Then it was time to do the actual 11 miles 318 curves (tail of the dragon), which was of course the best part in this entire trip. We realized in those 11 miles, why people love to drive or ride on this stretch. I could test the complete potential on my M40i in this 11 miles and understand how confidence inspiring these German beasts are.



We stopped over at Deals gap for a quick break, before we can complete the rest of the loop and back to our cabin through some secret roads, where the traffic was nil and we almost used those stretches like circuits.



We then stopped over for a quick refresher and the next stop was supposed to go back to the cabin. But being car enthusiasts after a quick discussion decided to do the tail of the dragon again and it was the right decision, because the trip was all about conquering those roads. This time I drove the G70 and I loved the throaty notes and the love for sedans went a notch above. I think I have decided that my next car would be a sports sedan and a family hauler for trips with family.



So, the day ended with a good beer and dinner, with some more automobile talks. We slept early to get some good rest and with another drive coming up the next day I could not get sleep with that excitement.

[fusionbang]

Day 3:

Day 3 was again about driving and this time it was through another set of beautiful tarmac and covering the Great Smokey Mountains and part of the Blue Ride Parkway. Before we hit the Great Smokey Mountains, we again did the tail of the dragon and a 10 mile deserted stretch with fresh tarmac (It was like a welcome carpet for us guys doing this trip). I loved that stretch with those long sweeping curves and I felt it was meant for the M40i. I don't mind doing that stretch everyday, if I had lived there

We also stopped at a overlook point, which was a perfect photo opportunity for our cars amidst the clouds. Some pictures below might do justice to what I am saying,







Post this, most of the drive was through country roads till he reached the foot of Smokey mountains, where we stopped for some coffee. Like Rohit mentioned in his post, the drive through Smokey mountains was slow and relaxed due to the weekend traffic and cars doing speeds less than the speed limit. We stopped at a scenic overlook and for lunch, before we hit the blue ridge parkway with minimal traffic.





Nikhil joined me in my car for the next leg through the blue ridge parkway and he took this picture, where my eyes are stuck on to the road and the car in front of me (M3)



We drove the last leg of this loop at good speeds in the backyard of Cherohala Skyway and that was not less than tail of the dragon with its narrow stretches. No pics on this stretch, as it was more about driving.

However, once we reached the cabin we did a photoshoot of our cars through the driveway to our cabin.





I think these 2 days driving was one of the memorable trips in my lifetime and definitely the best on this rust belt group meets. Me, Vibin, Rohit and Nikhil did another quick drive during the night to enjoy those roads in a different perspective. Nikhil might add details on his post with some videos he shot on his GoPro.

Next day, being the return journey back to home we all had a long drive coming up and we ended the day 3 with some good discussions and byes.

Day 4:

Me and Jeeva were the first to start that morning around 6AM EST and we drove back together all the way till lunch time. It was raining most part of the journey and the traffic was killing us.

We stopped at an Indian restaurant for some nice buffet lunch and our taste buds were satisfied after the limited food options we had the previous 2 days.



Overall it was a 1862 mile road trip and below are some stats after the trip on my White Wolf.

Total Miles : 1862.4 (2997.24 kms)
Total Fuel: 92.91 Gallons
Total Cost: 500.19$
Mileage: 23.9 mpg
Average speed: 55.6 mph (89.48 kmph)
Engine running time: 1 day 11 hours 18 mins 29 seconds





Thanks for reading

[nikhilarni]

Hands down, one of the best meets + road trip I have been on. Kudos to Rohit and Vibin on the planning and execution of this meetup and drive.

After the success of the Triple Nickel ( OH 555 ), a longer trip was in the pipeline but for some reason or the other , just didn’t materialize.

The discussion picked up momentum during our meet in Cleveland (USA - The Rust Belt States Meetup) , and the catalyst was when Vibin got his stunning M3.

The previous posts had enough details on the planning, so I won’t get into that. Having parted with my Blauer Pfeil, I didn’t want to do this drive in my GLC. This road wasn’t made for it.

Skeptical initially, I toyed with the idea of renting some fun car for the drive, but the logistics just didn’t work out. There were too many moving parts in my plan. I finally just about decided to drive with Pradeep in his luxurious X5.



Pradeep was immediately kicked about this trip the minute I told him. We did create a smaller WhatsApp group for only the folks who expressed interest to join, that way, we weren’t bombarding the others with the trip specific messages.

Pradeep and I arrived at the Airbnb at around 2am after a good 580-mile 9 hour drive from (but probably the shortest in comparison to the others) Pittsburgh.

Men and their beautiful machines, refueling before the start of this epic epic trip.














A big thank you to each one for allowing me to ride with them. Every car was special in its own way. I count my blessings, given the unique opportunity to ride in such special machines. I was able to ride in all cars during different segments of the trip.

Letting some of the pics to do the talking. The sheer concentration of each driver

Riding with Rohit

Riding with Deep

Riding with Sunay

Riding with Jeeva

Riding with Vibin

I won’t get into comparing driving styles, but all I can say is that, I had tremendous fun. The drive on those ribbon like tarmac was a thrill. No wonder it has become some sort of a Mecca for car enthusiasts.

I really missed my M340i on this trip.

The highlights for me are:

• The guys are amazing gentlemen, just so humble and great company to be around. Just a sense of mutual respect for each other. No one up-man-ship type conversations or cheap talk.
  
• Riding in a convoy has always brought about a sense of being united in a group. This was clear on this trip too. Getting the walkie talkies was a brilliant idea. We just made sure everyone was together. The drivers gave each other a chance to lead and get a feel of the open roads.
  
• The details that went into the planning is commendable. Rohit is now our designated in-house trip planner.
  
• So much to learn by just the post drive conversations when we compared notes and details of the cars etc. So many nitty-gritties and nuances you get to know just by listening.
  
• Brilliant driving skills exhibited by each driver.

A quick summary of my time in each of those magnificent machines.

What a stark difference in the type of ride and handling between each car. In the Mini, I could literally feel the road surface and the engine / gear shifts through the feet. It was just so nimble and agile. Felt like I was one with the road.

This was home turf for the ST. I had seen a Top Gear review of the ST, but this blew my mind on the agility. I am impressed with the capabilities of this little pocket rocket.

Now I know what is the whole gaga about the M3. Worth every penny. My respect to the engineering behind this car just went up several notches. Salute. Deadly grip, never felt like an RWD.

The X3 M40i felt like home. I was super impressed with the grip the Wolf had on those twisty surfaces. The upgraded wheels and staggered setup definitely played a vital role. Amazing grip and cornering ability. Having been privy to the purchase experience, I am so happy you got your dream machine. Nice mods too.

The G70 was such a surprise package. A wolf in a Sheep's skin. Luxurious inside and oodles of performance. Stunning color too. A perfect sedan that can go from being a quiet urban cruiser, practical and quiet, to a beast by the switch of a button.

Though I didn't ride in the X5 on the TOD, I was impressed with the capabilities of it. Pradeep kept up with the group for the most part. The straight line acceleration and braking were its forte. But I did ride with in the X5 for the trip. She's quiet and super comfy. It's got the Lane change assist and traffic alert, which makes lane changing on the interstates so easy.

I ask myself, where else would I have got this experience. No points for guessing, its right here!

Thanks for reading. I'll follow-up this post with some GoPro videos.

[jeevadeepan]

Thanks @vj123, @rohittunga, @fusionbang and @nikhilarni for the excellent write up and the photos. It was an amazing trip to remember and cherish forever. 4 days of pure driving fun! As others mentioned, special kudos to @rohittunga for planning the route. Every road that we took was so much fun to drive. Driving these amazing machines on those 400 miles of twisty mountain roads was exciting and adrenaline pumping. Every turn put smiles on our faces. In addition to my G70, I got a chance to drive some of the other fun machines as well.

@vj123’s M3 Competition - Oh my! Words can’t explain how much power this beast has. This was the most powerful car I’ve ever driven and Thanks to @vj123 for letting me experience it. The power is so much that even a 10% throttle is enough to put you above speed limits on those roads. I was only feathering the throttle and even that is enough to carry so much speed into those corners. And the grip was excellent, it felt like I could’ve taken those corners at any speed I wanted. I double checked with @vj123 to confirm that it’s RWD. It grips so well in those tight corners, it felt like an AWD. The exhaust note was intoxicating too. I know the front end design has got mixed opinions. But looking at it in person, it looks great and the DRLs give the car an angry look. The metallic gray color suits the car very well and make the aggressive design lines pop.

@rohittunga’s Fiesta ST - One of the two hot hatches that adorned our trip. Such a fun little car that’s tailor made for those curvy roads. The steering felt tight, precise and the 6spd manual was a joy to shift. Weighing so less and with 200 bhp on tap, it's indeed a pocket rocket. It was so much fun tossing this thing around corners. I was mostly in 2nd and 3rd gear attacking those tight turns and the car pulls very hard (without any turbo lag) when you ask for power exiting a corner. I also loved the Recaro seats that hugged me and kept my body motion controlled during fast cornering. And I’m not surprised that rohittunga was able to keep up with the M3 and other fast cars in this amazing machine on those demanding roads.

@fusionbang’s X3M40i aka WhiteWolf - To summarize the whitewolf in a single sentence, this car masks speed extremely well and it drives much smaller than it actually is. It hides the speed so much that I had to constantly look at the speedo to stay under the limit. And in those corners, it drives like a hot hatch with almost nil body roll. I was having so much fun with it, in one of the corners I carried more speed than I should have and I almost lost grip in the rear for a moment and only that reminded me that I’m driving an SUV. I also sat in the rear seat for a while and it’s so spacious and practical. It can be a comfy cruiser for the family and with a moment’s notice it can transform into a fun machine. If you need a single car that needs to do it all, this is it.

@mPower’s Mini Cooper - Last but not the least, this mini was one of the most fun I had driving in those twisty roads. It had a hydraulic power steering setup (that's hard to come by these days) and oh.. my.. god.. it was the best steering feel I’ve experienced in any car. It was so precise, provided a ton of feedback and I could literally feel what those front wheels were doing throughout. Everything with the car felt so mechanical and I felt so connected to the car and the road. And the manual transmission was super fun to shift, slotting into gears with precision. While it did not have the power to match some of the other cars, it was extremely fun to drive this thing at it’s limits. I personally did not feel wanting more power and enjoyed every turn with it’s precise steering, zero body roll and go kart like handling.

Special thanks to @nikhilarni for making this trip and joining us in spite of not being able to drive his car for this trip. Being not behind the wheel, he acted as our radio command center. You’ll hear his voice directing the convoy over radio in some of the videos below. Also thanks to him for making those really yummy hot french toasts that he made for us during breakfast every morning. If not for him I would've probably eaten only cereals and cold breakfast.

Overall an excellent, exciting, joyful and fun trip! Some pics and video shorts from my collection below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIR8ax2lKh8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0YtOJ7kdAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io7qwSUuwEI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I6p_8Cq4m8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oEL_rGpWT0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmy31eG0JGQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kPBheg4PUo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6g7uWKm3Ps

[vj123]

Originally Posted by rohittunga

Let’s just say the conditions were so perfect that we ended driving on the Tail of the Dragon 4 times (7 times for Vibin and I !! Including in the dark)

You topped all of us with 8 runs including the initial drive to AirBnB.

Originally Posted by rohittunga

If anybody has an incident while driving on these roads, they hang the damage piece on this tree as a symbol of shame. We did not make a contribution to this tree

Touchwood.

Originally Posted by rohittunga

A brief review of this little egg shaped hatchback

Looking forward to your ownership thread on this pocket rocket.

Originally Posted by fusionbang

Thanks to Vibin for letting me drive his car. May be he was trying to make me a prospect of this beauty

I remember the statement in your ownership thread and looking forward to that perfect garage.

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

Having parted with my Blauer Pfeil, I didn’t want to do this drive in my GLC. This road wasn’t made for it.

I really missed my M340i on this trip.

Looking forward to your ride in the next meet.

Originally Posted by jeevadeepan

Some pics and video shorts from my collection below.

Great videos Jeeva. We should make better use of your drone during the next meet.

[Jomz]

Amazing meetup and great pics. As usual good job done, rust belt team.
Wish I could make it over there, but hopefully next time.

[fusionbang]

Here is a video of all the cars on the Tail of the Dragon

https://youtu.be/IHmPOi9Uq3I

Originally Posted by Jomz

Amazing meetup and great pics. As usual good job done, rust belt team.
Wish I could make it over there, but hopefully next time.

Thanks Geomy You should have made it, it was amazing fun. Probably we can catch up in the next meet!

[Mpower]

Hola everyone, long time no see

I’m so glad I joined for this awesome trip. Thanks to Nikhil for inviting, inspiring & persuading me to come along. TOD had been on my bucket list for long time and it didn’t take long for me to set aside domestic priorities to make this.

So, I had recently acquired a Gen1 (R53) Mini Cooper S as a fun/autoX car and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to take it out to play. 2 issues….I didn’t know much about the car yet as far as its reliability or its perf/braking/handling limits. 2nd its a huge pain to do the 9 hour drive to get to NC. Anyways, I was determined to pull up my socks and make it happen. Did a bunch of basic services like oil, fluids, filters etc. The only mod I had done on the car was a larger rear sway bar to reduce understeer and make it rotate better. Also ordered a donut spare from ebay (hard to find because of the 4 hole pattern)…packed the car to the brim and off I went

Thanks for Rohit & Co for superb planning and organization. Everything single detail was so well thought out and it really felt like professional job. I have done the Mahindra off road jamboree that honestly was not as well thought out

The drive itself was mega. I am big fan of hill/mountain drives and try to indulge wherever the opportunity presents itself and this is THE best I have ever done. The roads surface is beautiful and has elevation changes due to the rolling hills.... a delight for someone who comes from the plains and pothole capital of USA. The scenery is breathtaking but the only time I could actually appreciate it when we were crawling in a traffic jam

The following couple of days was a blur. Endless, endless amounts of beautiful hilly roads that just don’t stop coming at you. Most of the turns were blind and unfamiliar which means we were all restrained in how much we pushed our machines. This in my opinion is more fun than doing a trackday which can be nerve-wracking.

My Mini which is super stiff ride is mostly a royal pain in the city and I had reduced it to short hops like going to the gym or the local shops. I was having second thoughts on how to live with this thing long term. But man, once we hit the tight sections, the car just came alive….like a fish back in water. Beautifully communicative steering, zero body roll and the best thing….the car just rotates & changes direction on tight turns like a go kart. Braking was average and power was seriously down. I did’nt have a good reference point until I drove Rohit’s Fiesta which felt like it had 100 more bhp….yikes. On the fast uphill sections, it struggled and I had squeeze every ounce just to stay with the big machines

Also had the opportunity to try the other fabulous machines briefly and my thoughts on them

2022 M3: I call it the James Bond car…so effortless in everything it does….acceleration, braking, grip…..I think I pushed it to probably 40% of its capability. A walk in the park for it. You have be on a proper F1 level track to reach the limits of this car

Fiesta ST: I as keen to try this as its very close to my car in specification and one I considered buying myself. B segment, 1.6 boosted engine & FWD. It has so much more grip and power than the Mini…handling is beautifully neutral and understeer at the limit. The EPS is one of the best out there but ultimately doesn’t have the weight or the richness in feedback of the Mini. Only in the tightest of tight sections does it give up anything to the Mini. It’s a all rounder that than hang with the big boys on the fast uphill sections and also act as a touring car. I would say this is the best car to enjoy the TOD !!

Genesis: Knew very little about this car but came back impressed. Understated design, Super luxurious when needed and transforms into a beast at the push of a button! Doesn’t give up anything to A4, C-class, 3 series

X340iM: One of the sportiest SUV I’ve ever driven, has the reflexes and grip of a sports car…you can feel the 3series genes in its driving manners…..just the right amount of body roll that tells you where the limits are…another superb all rounder

The actual TOD is amazing and can be enjoyed at low speeds as well and well under the speed limit. The turns are beautiful and flowing and if you can memorize them even better. On a typical trackday, there are some heavy braking involved which I don’t enjoy

By the end of the day 2, my right hand was sore from the driving and the shifting and skipped out of the last drive session. All in all it was a delight for sports car enthusiasts and I’m regretting not having done it sooner and pan to rectify by overdoing it in the future ��

[ruchiragrawal]

What a great travelogue, guys! I miss the group so much! I so wish I was there!

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

I'll follow-up this post with some GoPro videos.

Here are some of the videos on the GoPro. Pardon the poor editing skills.

Riding in Deep's Super charged Mini R53

https://youtu.be/Z1EVXv6yjtU

Dusk Drive on the Cherohala Skyway in Vibin's M3, following Sunay's X3 M40i aka the White Wolf

https://youtu.be/skV-JXOPwog

Riding in Rohit's pocket rocket aka the ST

https://youtu.be/bwbJ-nZmzhY

Riding in Vibin's exquisite M3

https://youtu.be/XXt4usLf5EI

Night drive, following a modified BRZ. The video doesn't do justice to the skills of the BRZ driver

https://youtu.be/owEwMGPTJJ0

[landcruiser123]

2022 Fall Meetup

If you'd like to join the WhatsApp group, please PM me.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Oh man, what a meet......Considering how fun this meet was, I can't wait for when we'll drive the Tail of the dragon.

I had to get the ball rolling for the previous meetup and jinx it. After being MIA for the mega ToD (Tail of the Dragon) meet, to say I'm excited about the next meet is an understatement.

What: Drive on the Triple Nickel. [Ohio State Route 555].

Why: Some newbies (like yours truly) have not driven on it. Some veterans have got new rides that they'd like to test.

When: October 8th, 2022, 0830hrs. Block your calendars - NOW! [Trust me, that's what I did after intense regrets in the second week of July]

The plan: (as shared by master-planner @rohittunga)

0830hrs: Meet and greet
0900hrs: Wheels roll

Section 1: 76 miles, 2 hrs
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Spee...39.4142227!3e0

Section 2: 30 miles, 1 hr
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/TLV,...39.4891755!3e0

Section 3: 42 miles, 1 hr
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Trip...39.9434447!3e0

Starting Point: Speedway Gas Station (https://goo.gl/maps/KxX4ZrmUMf2Q2tzc6)
Lunch Stop: TLV Restaurant, Marietta (https://www.tlvohio.com/)
Coffee Break: Triple Nickel Diner (https://www.triplenickeldiner.com/)
Ending Point: Marathon Gas Station (https://goo.gl/maps/jVJexFUnAYUPTJYf7)

Stay options: TBD. Many of us are driving from many far away places like Chicago, Detroit, and Philadephia. The plan is to stay somewhere close to the starting point and start driving early the route early on Saturday morning. Depending on everybody's prefereneces, we can either look for large Airbnbs or pick a hotel.

Participants:
1. landcruiser123 - Chicago, IL - it's a suspense
2. rohittunga - Chicago, IL - Fiesta ST
3. fusionbang - Philadelphia, PA - X3 M40i
4. vj123 - Detroit, MI - BMW M3 Competition

[Yash98]

Updating the List of Participants:


1. landcruiser123 - Chicago, IL - it's a suspense
2. rohittunga - Chicago, IL - Fiesta ST
3. fusionbang - Philadelphia, PA - X3 M40i
4. vj123 - Detroit, MI - BMW M3 Competition
5. Yash98 - Chicago, IL - Chevy Impala V6

[landcruiser123]

2022 Fall Meetup

If you'd like to join the WhatsApp group, please PM me.


I had to get the ball rolling for the previous meetup and jinx it. After being MIA for the mega ToD (Tail of the Dragon) meet, to say I'm excited about the next meet is an understatement.

What: Drive on the Triple Nickel. [Ohio State Route 555].

Why: Some newbies (like yours truly) have not driven on it. Some veterans have got new rides that they'd like to test.

When: October 8th, 2022, 0830hrs. Block your calendars - NOW! [Trust me, that's what I did after intense regrets in the second week of July]

The plan: (as shared by master-planner @rohittunga)


Stay options: TBD. Many of us are driving from many far away places like Chicago, Detroit, and Philadephia. The plan is to stay somewhere close to the starting point and start driving early the route early on Saturday morning. Depending on everybody's prefereneces, we can either look for large Airbnbs or pick a hotel.

Participants:
1. landcruiser123 - Chicago, IL - Mustang Ecoboost HPP
2. rohittunga - Chicago, IL - Fiesta ST
3. fusionbang - Philadelphia, PA - X3 M40i
4. vj123 - Detroit, MI - BMW M3 Competition
5. Yash98 - Chicago, IL - Chevy Impala V6