[SportDriving] Drive on 7/31

Thu Jul 21 11:12:38 PDT 2005

Ilan, 
"Mentally Retarded 2" is the street name of what Toyota calls their MR2.  Mr. Nick just has one that is turblown. 

I talked to Cynthia and she is in need of tires for her S60R - because of bubbling on them or something. Does anyone have any recommendations for Ms. Schafer? I highly recommended the Bridgestone S03 Pole Positions but I also accepted the fact that the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s may have better overall performance. 

I say try the Hankooks and let me know how they grip. 

With regards to the San Jose Grand Prix, I'm not sure if I'll be going yet as I haven't even looked at ticket prices. What I'm pretty sure of is that the attendance should be fairly high and that means the mountain roads will have less people on them THAT WEEKEND!!!!

AlekZ

Ilan Kutok <ikutok at jensencorp.com> wrote:
Aleks,

Sounds like we have a plan.  I too vote for option #1...I always like to try out some new roads.  And on the weekend during the day, the S.C. mountains have way too much traffic.  Best on the bikes.

Mentally Retarded Two...whats that.  And I'm really interested to see how those s60r's run...a lot of mass there.  But I'm free that weekend, and are ready to go.

Are you going to the San Jose Grand Prix?  I don't have tix yet but live like two blocks away.  

Ilan

---------------------------------
From: sportdriving-bounces at mountainroads.com [mailto:sportdriving-bounces at mountainroads.com] On Behalf Of Aleks Tan
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:42 AM
To: sportdriving at mountainroads.com
Subject: [SportDriving] Drive on 7/31

Good Morning Programs, (you geeks)

Ok, so I'm thinking about making the first drive on 7/31. Unfortunately, Kris may not be able to make it since he's coming back from Europe on 7/30, but *I* say, "Dude, sleep on the friggin plane." I know I won't be able to make it on 8/6 since my company is having a picnic that day. I'm not sure but I would imagine that Ilan and Aaron (on this list) will probably be attending that as well. 

So on with the show! How about a nice sprint, uh, I mean how about a nice mature, well mannered, docile and friendly cruise in the mountains on 7/31? No? My thoughts exactly. I'm thinking "touge" myself. If you don't know what "touge" means look here: http://www.superstreetonline.com/eventcoverage/130_0409_midnightdrift/index1.html

Okay, so maybe "touge" is a little much for the first run but I think a fun, safe, and spirited drive is in order for this time of year.  I recently ran my Datsun at an Auto-X event with Kris and his BMW 330i (w/Peformance package) and it was a B-LAST! Now I know just how well this Datsun can drift and slide.  Don't worry as I don't plan on this drive being that aggressive. That being said, those of you who know me and have ridden motorcycles with me may understand that my intentions may change at a moments notice and the "red mist" may fall as I down-shift and "punch out" of a safe and sane cruise. 

I'm currently thinking that we start out fairly early Sunday morning because it can quickly become hot no matter where we end up.  Here are the 3 options I'm proposing (pick one):
1) Livermore to Patterson - Mines Rd >>> Del Puerto >>> El Diablo Del Grande (and back) I'm not sure of the last road's name but to describe it, we used to blast 150mph+++ straights on bikes including knee down sweepers are 100mph+.  The road leads up to a golf course and there is only 1 or 2 access roads so it's seldom traveled. It is also about 4 lanes wide so there is room to run. 
I haven't been there in a year so I would think of this as a "recon" run to check it out. We'd be able to stop for lunch in Patterson.
My opinion of skill level required = Moderate as the roads are technical and sometimes you have blind decreasing radius turns. Trust in "the force" and you'll be good to go.

2) Santa Cruz/Los Altos Hills run - the route always changes but the basic roads we'll probably hit are HWYs 9, 35, 84 and then some of the back roads are Bonny Doon, Empire Grade, Jamison Creek,  etc. We can stop for lunch in Davenport at a couple of different restaurants (seriously when I say a couple I mean 2).  Most of this drive is going to be "cooler" in temp as it's near the coast but the roads are fairly well groomed and they flow well. 
My opinion of skill level required = Fair. I think these roads are logical so you if you want it more difficult you simply go faster. 

3) Sit your ass at home and practice your driving skills on your Playstation or X-Box. If you choose this option I recommend "Need for Speed 2: Undgerground" or "Grand Turismo 4".  However, if you choose option 3 you suck and maybe it would be best if you stuck to video games anyway. 

I'd like to start the drive at either 9AM or 10AM as I've always found that the earlier we leave the better. We are more than likely bound to run into (not literally) lots of motorcyclists since they like to travel these roads too.  Personally, the jury is still out on if I'd be faster on a bike or in a car but I guess I'll find out. 

IF you want to go but don't want to drive or take your car give a holla as I might be able to take ONE passenger. If you're a driver and willing to take a passenger let us know as well.  Here is a list of possible cars that might make this trip:

Aleks - Nissan Sentra (Sentra? Z? same thing)
Kris - BeeEminemDouble-U 330i w/perf package (perforated?)
Ilan - Mazdaspeed Protozoa
Royboy - Vulva S60R (but it's a wussy automatic)
Cynthia - Volare S60R (beauty of all wheel drive...MY ASS)
Nick - Mentally Retarded 2 ...but it's a Turbo!

...not quite sure about the rest (if any) yet but those are some of the potential players. Respond if you're interested along with your vote so we can get this thing rolling. 

My Vote = Option 1 (less PoPo and the roads are technical so the payoff is much higher)

Thanks gang and hope to see you out there soon. 

AlekZ

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