April Spring Fling: A Drive to kick off the Season?

[356D]

Wellardmac wrote:

Sorry we lost you on 611. We managed to keep most of the group - how many were with you? We thought we lost maybe 5 cars before Lake Nockamixon.

Yes. 5 of us got separated at a light and we missed the hidden turn before the barn.... A little disappointing. I was thoroughly enjoying that drive, and I don't even think I was holding anyone up. It was an absolute blast, but alas, we only made it through checkpoint 17.

And we either went to the wrong place at Lake Nockamixon or you had already left by the time we got back there. Then a quick pitstop, and I became odd man out. So, it was off to explore on my own. That was fun, but not nearly as much fun as convoying with the pack.

I look forward to the next one and hope to do better next time.

Thanks for setting up such a great drive! It was well worth the 1.5 hour drive to Lambertville!

Nice pics, too. Thanks for not taking one of me in my "fresh octane boost stained T-shirt".

[Wellardmac]

I heard reports from the yellow and the orange Boxsters that they had seen you off by yourself heading the wrong way.

One of the reasons that we write the directions the way that we do is that the distance between waypoints and cumulative miles should be a guide as to when turns are coming up and if you miss a turn.

Well, we look forward to having you along on the next drive!

[356D]

Wellardmac wrote:

I heard reports from the yellow and the orange Boxsters that they had seen you off by yourself heading the wrong way.

One of the reasons that we write the directions the way that we do is that the distance between waypoints and cumulative miles should be a guide as to when turns are coming up and if you miss a turn.

Well, we look forward to having you along on the next drive!

Heh heh... Yes, but without a navigator, it's tough to drive and shift with one hand, watch the road, AND read the directions in an area you are not familiar with, while trying to keep up with the others. LOL!

I just happened to glance at the directions on my passenger seat when we slowed behind traffic on 611 and noticed we were only supposed to be on 611 for half a mile! OOPS...

Next time, I'll pay closer attention and try to keep the directions more within eyesight.

[Wellardmac]

Well, we all live and learn. I've gotten some good feedback on how things ran with this large group and we'll see if we can teak things for the next run.

[356D]

I think the guy in the white 997 up front was to blame. I heard this from several drivers.   He was just trying to win the race at all costs! :dude: I wish I had seen his postrace interview.

[Wellardmac]

Actually, being at the front of the pack can be quite frustrating for those up there with me because the pace is highly variable between fast and slow and then periods of complete stops while we wait for everyone to catch up because a light or an intersection has broken the pack.

I always mention before the start of the drive that the pace is variable, depending up on where in the pack you are driving. The middle is the most consistent pace, the back tends to have the fastest pace and the front has a mixed pace due to me trying to keep the group spaced out. In a group this large, the pace variation was more noticeable than with the group of 35-40 that we normally have.

Unfortunately, much as some might have been unhappy with the pace they experienced in their "pack position" there's not much that I can do about it until someone steps up to the plate to help me out by leading a second run group. I would much prefer to have us running in two groups, but despite my pleas for help and several verbal offers of help, nothing has materialized to the point where someone has stepped up to the plate and said that they're willing to actually do something concrete to help out. Ultimately, the drive is best enjoyed by those that bring a navigator, but we try our best to ensure that those that do not have navigators are up at the front of the pack with me so that they don't get lost. Much as I try to keep everyone happy, I know that realistically that's not going to happen.

Until the time that I get help running the drives I have 2 options - i) make the best of things as they are now (bearing in mind that most people enjoy the drives immensely), or ii) I put as limit on the number of attendees and insist upon pre-registration. I really don't want to do the latter and would prefer that people self-select the optimal place in the group for their driving style.

I love arranging these drives, as the feedback is always overwhelmingly positive, but at some point I'm going to have to find a drive where I can just attend a enjoy the ride for a change. Pity that I'm out of town next weekend when the Northern NJ drive is being held. One of the reasons I always ask for people to send me photos of the drive is so that I can see the drive through the camera lenses of others - I love the photos taken of the pack in motion - that's an aspect I really miss out on seeing by being up at the front - all I see is open road ahead of me and I spend most of my time looking in the rear view mirror trying to keep the spacing between cars "just right"

[Brian Minkin]

When we ran large groups of cars in Escape last fall each group had a leader, midpack leader and chase car.  All 3 had 2 way radios to communicate and keep the pack together when it got too streched out. 

[Wellardmac]

Ideally that's what I'd like. This time around I had Steve in the middle calling me when things got stretched out to far, but even then it was tough.

[968SilverCab]

First of all, you have nothing to be apologetic about, you run the best organized "Tours" I've ever seen, and you deserve honors for your hard work.

One thing that we have tried in the past is to send out groups of 3 about 2-3 minutes apart (That's for 25 cars, you might do 5 cars, 2 minutes apart, etc.), "Shakers and Bakers" in the front and tourists in the rear. Usually, the group bunches at some point (If I'm really lucky, they bunch up going right down Main Street in New Hope ). If someone gets a bit lost (not horribly lost) they can wait for the next run group to catch up.

If I can ever get my "co-pilot" to surrender a day at work, we would be happy to lead a group.

Either way, I enjoy every opportunity to participate in one of your drives, great roads, great cars, great people! These are the best of times.

Regards,

Jay

[Wellardmac]

968SilverCab wrote:

First of all, you have nothing to be apologetic about, you run the best organized "Tours" I've ever seen, and you deserve honors for your hard work.

One thing that we have tried in the past is to send out groups of 3 about 2-3 minutes apart (That's for 25 cars, you might do 5 cars, 2 minutes apart, etc.), "Shakers and Bakers" in the front and tourists in the rear. Usually, the group bunches at some point (If I'm really lucky, they bunch up going right down Main Street in New Hope ). If someone gets a bit lost (not horribly lost) they can wait for the next run group to catch up.

If I can ever get my "co-pilot" to surrender a day at work, we would be happy to lead a group.

Either way, I enjoy every opportunity to participate in one of your drives, great roads, great cars, great people! These are the best of times.

Regards,

Jay

Thanks Jay - I appreciate the comments.

I like the idea of the 3 minute run groups - that's a good suggestion.

I'd like to hold another drive on either June 21st or 28th. I'll let you know which day once I've lined up a navigator and will try and take you up on your offer.