[mobike008]

Alright, here are some videos of the drag event to give you a feel of those powerful cars on the strip

As always, I would recommend using headphones to get the best experience of these videos

Camero Burnout

https://studio.youtube.com/video/kvdOwgATdcg/edit

Dragster Motorcycle

https://youtu.be/jmMR4_q_dfE

Dragster Motorcycle Run

https://youtu.be/AW8ZnW2UjC0

Possibly the 2nd best launch of the event

https://youtu.be/bY25qR-_bP4

Best launch of the event. It was thrilling to see the car leap in the air when it took off

https://youtu.be/bVdkbsSIHTk

This Harley rider was a sight to enjoy. He kept coming back and kept doing better wheelies than before. Salute !!

https://youtu.be/FIAPA8DRLrc

A few event participants

https://youtu.be/8DBjQP6GfyY

GTR Vs. Challenger

https://youtu.be/Ky5Ao6RbIoU

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by mobike008

It was a pleasure to catch up with you both and wish more of our local guys had joined the meet. Hopefully, next time

Ditto. It was fantastic to see all the other cars the previous meet. I was so eager to show my wife the passion you all have for the cars you'll own and the stories behind them. For her, a car is just a means from A to B. Was a tad disappointed to not see the others around.

But tomorrow is another day! Looking forward to the next ones.

Originally Posted by mobike008

It was a great experience as Nikhil and my spouse also joined and they were more thrilled than us to witness this speculator event

Nikhil's spouse was sure excited to see all those cars zipping down the drag strip. The spouses gave each other good company

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nikhil drove all the way from Pittsburgh and stayed over at my place on Saturday where we did some fun things on Saturday including spending an lovely evening by the Detroit River on the other side known as Belle Isle Park before heading home for some nice dinner and talks that went on till wee hours of the night

Anything for a good meet. Guess the more important thing is to have a social circle outside work colleagues and be able to discuss your passions and stuff.

Simply putting it, As excited I was about my M340i, I just couldn't share that thrill and excitement with my work colleagues for fear of either being judged / misjudged. They would just not relate to the passion or ambitions behind those wheels. I am sure a lot of readers would relate to this.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nikhil and his wife decided to head out by 4:30pm as they had a long drive back to Pittsburgh and rest of us stayed back until 6pm till almost the event was over

What a fantastic petrol-head weekend- I had a tough time sleeping at night as those growl of the engines kept me awake for a long time. Haha!

As much as I would have loved to stay till the end, we had a 300+ mile drive back home, besides the following day being a working day. I wish the event was on a Saturday.

Even my mind was playing games with me. The sound of those engines revving at the start line was a thrill in itself.

[scatpack392]

Possibly the 2nd best launch of the event

This was amazing, those cars were indeed 2000+ hp , had parachutes to stop them

[mobike008]

Alright, it's almost 6-months from our last exciting meet of Rust Belt Group (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt) and it's time to plan another even more exciting meet where folks from this part of US can meet and enjoy a nice drive together.

After a few deliberations of which is the most exciting route to drive on and also ensuring it's mid-way ground for all of us, we finally honed it down to two options.

Option 1- Tail of the dragon ( https://tailofthedragon.com)

Option 2- Ohio's Triple Nickle (http://www.openroadjourney.com/rides...n%20Zanesville.)

We decided to choose Ohio's Triple Nickel for two reasons.

1. Proximity to all of us considering a few of us live in other states.

2. Secondly, this route is where most GM cars are tested (Including the 'Vette). It's supposed to be a 90 miles route of superb elevation, blind curves and drops. Should be a fun drive for sure!

Meet details below.

What : Ohio Triple Nickle (Ohio 555 SR Drive)
When : June 19th, 2021
Meeting Point : TBD

Confirmed Folks

1. Rohit- Chicago (BMW M5)
2. Ruchir- Chicago (Subaru WRX)
3. Avinash-Detroit (BMW X3 M40i)
4. Nikhil-Pittsburgh (BMW M340i )
5. Dilip-Detroit (Jaguar XE 3.0)
6. Abhijit-Detroit (Dodge Challenger Scatpack)
7. Sunay-Philadelphia ( Toyota Highlander V6)
8. Geomy-Detroit (Subaru WRX)
9. Jeeva- New Jersey (Mazda Miata MX)

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Alright, it's almost 6-months from our last exciting meet of Rust Belt Group (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt) and it's time to plan another even more exciting meet where folks from this part of US can meet and enjoy a nice drive together.

Hey mobike008,
New transplant at Peoria, IL here. If okay, will add myself as tentative this time. Is there any other email/WhatsApp group for meeting around the Rust Belt? Feel free to PM me


What : Ohio Triple Nickle (Ohio 555 SR Drive)
When : June 19th, 2021
Meeting Point : TBD

Confirmed Folks

1. Rohit- Chicago (BMW M5)
2. Ruchir- Chicago (Subaru WRX)
3. Avinash-Detroit (BMW X3 M40i)
4. Nikhil-Pittsburgh (BMW M340i )
5. Dilip-Detroit (Jaguar XE 3.0)
6. Abhijit-Detroit (Dodge Challenger Scatpack)
7. Sunay-Philadelphia ( Toyota Highlander V6)
8. Geomy-Detroit (Subaru WRX)
9. Jeeva- New Jersey (Mazda Miata MX)

Tentative Folk(s)

1. Lalith(a.k.a LS) - Peoria, IL (Ford Fusion)

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Hey mobike008,
New transplant at Peoria, IL here. If okay, will add myself as tentative this time. Is there any other email/WhatsApp group for meeting around the Rust Belt? Feel free to PM me

Nice to hear from you Lalith. New Transplant?

Btw, We hate the word "Tentative" so better change that to confirmed ASAP

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Alright, it's almost 6-months from our last exciting meet of Rust Belt Group (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt) and it's time to plan another even more exciting meet where folks from this part of US can meet and enjoy a nice drive together.

Confirmed Folks

1. Rohit- Chicago (BMW M5)
2. Ruchir- Chicago (Subaru WRX)
3. Avinash-Detroit (BMW X3 M40i)
4. Nikhil-Pittsburgh (BMW M340i )
5. Dilip-Detroit (Jaguar XE 3.0)
6. Abhijit-Detroit (Dodge Challenger Scatpack)
7. Sunay-Philadelphia ( Toyota Highlander V6)
8. Geomy-Detroit (Subaru WRX)
9. Jeeva- New Jersey (Mazda Miata MX)

Has to be Avi aka Mobike008 to update the thread pronto !

Glad this meet is happening.

After the initial meet in Dec'20 , we had created a quick offline WhatsApp group for easier and quicker communication which has grown to a decent number of us around the Rust belt area ( Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philly and NJ as well)

What started out as a free rolling conversation on selling a car, timing on selling and the pricing about the markets at present, quickly turned towards, "Lets meet up, the weather is getting better"

Rohit aka rohittunga ( who drives an exquisite M5 ) took the lead in organizing this meet, quickly put together a list of tentative places and plotted the distances on Google maps with our relative travel time. I seriously want to drive your car this time.

Like Avi mentioned in the above post, we quickly posted the options and tentative dates. Venue finalized, followed by a quick vote on the prospective dates. Democracy Rules. Date and Venue finalized.

Roll on !

After the Dec'20 meet, the group has 4 T'BHPians who've got new shoes, leading the pack is, Avinash's X3 M40i, Prakyth's X3 M40i, Vibin's Odessey and my M340i. Joining the meet are three first timers in Abhijeet ( Detroit) in his Dodge Challenger Scatpack, Sunay ( Philly) in his Highlander v6 and Ruchir ( Chicago) in a Subaru WRX.

Again, it's hats off to Jeeva in his Mazda MX5 RF, driving the furthest from NJ followed closely by Sunay aka fusionbang driving from Philly. Definitely says a lot about the spirit of the group and members. Big

Looking forward to meeting you all and driving down the Triple Nickel

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Hey mobike008,
New transplant at Peoria, IL here. If okay, will add myself as tentative this time.

Hi Lalith aka Landcruiser,

Would be great if you make it. Do confirm quickly

[scatpack392]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Alright, it's almost 6-months from our last exciting meet of Rust Belt Group (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt) and it's time to plan another even more exciting meet where folks from this part of US can meet and enjoy a nice drive together.

This definitely sounds like fun! I will be meeting the whole pack for the first time.

Time to get the Sports mode ON !!

[fusionbang]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Alright, it's almost 6-months from our last exciting meet of Rust Belt Group (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt) and it's time to plan another even more exciting meet where folks from this part of US can meet and enjoy a nice drive together.

Can't wait for the first meetup in US. It's a long time meeting bhpians and I really missed the overnighters back in Bangalore. Looking forward to the meet guys.

Avinash - Hope you don't convince me to get the M asap. I am not getting there anytime soon.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by scatpack392

This definitely sounds like fun! I will be meeting the whole pack for the first time.Time to get the Sports mode ON !!

First timers will definitely enjoy this type of a meet for sure. I envy you.

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

Has to be Avi aka Mobike008 to update the thread pronto !

I like to play fastest finger first and usually win most of the times. Lol!

Originally Posted by fusionbang

Can't wait for the first meetup in US. It's a long time meeting bhpians and I really missed the overnighters back in Bangalore. Looking forward to the meet guys

Avinash - Hope you don't convince me to get the M asap. I am not getting there anytime soon l

First meet in USA? I can't believe it. I think you just didn't make the attempt.

Well, about converting you to a "Bimmer for Life", it will happen for sure. Wait and watch.

[rohittunga]

Finally this meet is happening. Last time we met was in the month of December, close to the Canada border and the weather was miserable. Even 2 jackets wasn’t enough in addition to the fear of coronavirus. Fast forward 6 months and how things have changed.
Vaccinations - Done
Weather - T-shirt and shorts time

Like mobike008 mentioned, this time we wanted to do better and drive a scenic route. Ohio State Route 555 (or triple nickel 555 as its known) seems to be perfect. They say it’s a cousin to the tail of the dragon with lots of elevation changes, tight corners and blind curves.

This route is quite popular with the local biking groups and Miata owners group. And since none of us who signed up for this meet have driven on this route, I thought it makes sense just to follow what other car groups have done in the past. After a little bit of research on reddit, car forums and facebook groups, this is what I came up with.

Where: Ohio Triple Nickel Drive
When: June 19th, 2021 (Saturday)
Starting Time: 11.00 AM (Eastern Time)
Ending Time: 4.00 PM - 5.00PM (Eastern Time)

Starting Location:
Kroger Gas Station (Map)
919 E State St, Athens, OH 45701

Lunch Location:
Triple Nickel Diner (Map)
1060 High St, Chesterhill, OH 43728

Ending Location:
Dillon State Park (Map)
5625 Dillon Hills Dr, Nashport, OH 43830

Remember that the 75 miles of OH 555 we’ll be driving will almost all be in rural Ohio. Therefore, it is important we fuel up before setting off.

Leg 1: Kroger Gas Station to Triple Nickel Diner (lunch stop)
Distance: 50 miles
Time: 1 hr
Leg 1 Route Map

Leg 2: Triple Nickel Diner to a Scenic Point
Distance: 24 miles
Time: 40 min
Leg 2 Route Map

Leg 3: Scenic Point to Dillon State Park
Distance: 28 miles
Time: 40 min
Leg 3 Route Map

And here is the entire route with all of the above sections included
Entire Route Map

Confirmed Folks:
1. Rohit - Chicago (BMW M5)
2. Ruchir - Champaign (Subaru WRX)
3. Avinash - Detroit (BMW X3 M40i)
4. Nikhil - Pittsburgh (BMW M340i )
5. Dilip - Detroit (Jaguar XE 3.0)
6. Abhijit - Detroit (Dodge Challenger Scatpack)
7. Sunay - Philadelphia ( Toyota Highlander V6)
8. Geomy - Detroit (Subaru WRX)
9. Jeeva - New Jersey (Mazda Miata MX-5)

Tentative Folk(s)
1. Lalith(a.k.a LS) - Peoria, IL (Ford Fusion)

Ok, now with all the boring stuff out of the way, here are some nice videos of the route for those still undecided.

https://youtu.be/PAG1uVnJovk

https://youtu.be/Lt_jnz1aqj4

https://youtu.be/W5-dS2ZNDs0

https://youtu.be/NHBCZXGuIOM

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by rohittunga

Finally this meet is happening. Last time we met was in the month of December, close to the Canada border and the weather was miserable. Even 2 jackets wasn’t enough in addition to the fear of coronavirus. Fast forward 6 months and how things have changed.
Vaccinations - Done
Weather - T-shirt and shorts time

Hi Rohit,

I agree, Finally the meet is shaping up nicely. Thanks for taking a lead on this one and planning it all.

I am glad we will have good weather now.

Originally Posted by rohittunga

Leg 1: Kroger Gas Station to Triple Nickel Diner (lunch stop)
Distance: 50 miles
Time: 1 hr
Leg 1 Route Map

Suggest we break this up into 2 legs, so we can stop over, do a photo shoot, exchange rides and proceed. I really want to drive your M5.

I did see a few locations where ( based on traffic ) we can stop for a good photo-op. I am sure you'l have those marked as well.

Rest of the plan looks great. Looking forward

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by rohittunga

Finally this meet is happening. Last time we met was in the month of December, close to the Canada border and the weather was miserable. Even 2 jackets wasn’t enough in addition to the fear of coronavirus. Fast forward 6 months and how things have changed.
Vaccinations - Done
Weather - T-shirt and shorts time

Like mobike008 mentioned, this time we wanted to do better and drive a scenic route. Ohio State Route 555 (or triple nickel 555 as its known) seems to be perfect. They say it’s a cousin to the tail of the dragon with lots of elevation changes, tight corners and blind curves.

Excellent planning and pretty exhaustive details covering each and every aspect of the drive meet. Only thing you missed out is sharing what will we eat at the Triple Nickel Diner.

Thanks for posting those lovely videos. Seeing them the excitement is creeping up. However, we should not get swept in this excitement as safety is utmost important and we should drive extra careful on this route.

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

Suggest we break this up into 2 legs, so we can stop over, do a photo shoot, exchange rides and proceed. I really want to drive your M5.

I agree with Nikhil. More the breaks the better it is. If entire route is 90 miles, we should plan for at least 4 stops for pictures at scenic locations.

Add me to the list of M5 wannabe drivers pls.

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by rohittunga

Leg 1: Kroger Gas Station to Triple Nickel Diner (lunch stop)
Distance: 50 miles
Time: 1 hr
Leg 1 Route Map

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

Hi Rohit,
Suggest we break this up into 2 legs, so we can stop over, do a photo shoot, exchange rides and proceed. I really want to drive your M5.

Originally Posted by mobike008

I agree with Nikhil. More the breaks the better it is. If entire route is 90 miles, we should plan for at least 4 stops for pictures at scenic locations.

Add me to the list of M5 wannabe drivers pls.

Hi Avi aka Mobike008,

Rohit had pinged me on the side about the road being narrow and lack of safe pullouts on this leg in order to accommodate all 9 cars. I guess we can either look up g-maps for spots and pre-decide or play it by ear based on the lead driver's judgement.

On a lighter note, just drive back on the same route in a car you choose. We have lots of choices But I am going first on Rohit's M5.

Jeeva and I will probably swap cars from Pittsburgh to the starting point. Looking forward to driving his MX5 RF

Originally Posted by mobike008

Excellent planning and pretty exhaustive details covering each and every aspect of the drive meet. Only thing you missed out is sharing what will we eat at the Triple Nickel Diner.

Totally agree on the detailed planning.

Here is a link to the menu ( https://www.triplenickeldiner.com/menu ), take your pick

First glance, it looks more of a beef & ham centric menu. I'll probably go with the Chicken Salad Sandwich

[rohittunga]

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

Hi Avi aka Mobike008,

On a lighter note, just drive back on the same route in a car you choose. We have lots of choices But I am going first on Rohit's M5.

Jeeva and I will probably swap cars from Pittsburgh to the starting point. Looking forward to driving his MX5 RF

I’m not sure if driving each other’s cars would be the best idea, especially on this route. For one, we've all been desperately wanting to drive this stretch for a long time. And more importantly, OH - 555 consistently ranks as one of the deadliest roads in the region. (Ohio 555 rated area's deadliest)

I think it’s best to take it easy, drive in cars you know well & are comfortable in and experience what the road offers.