Back Country Roads Tour

[Tom Helvey]

I just checked the reg count, 101. That's a lot of nice cars
The dealership is going to be slammed.
Can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning.
Just sayin'

[Tom Helvey]

That was really fun. There were a lot of twisty turny roads.

I was surprised, you really have to be on your game and concentrate when driving them.
Kind of like autocross with traffic on roads you don't want to go off on.

There were 4 groups of drivers, over 120 entries.
I was kind of expecting my group to stay together so I could follow the car in front but I soon found myself alone with no other cars behind or in front of me (traffic).
I kept waiting for the next straight so I could look at the sheet to find the next turn, I only missed one, fortunately I was able to turn around about a half mile later and get back on course. They detailed the interior of my car last time at the car wash so blue tape didn't work to hold the sheet to my steering wheel.

The run started in Carlsbad and finished in Borrego Springs.
For my part, I concentrated on executing each turn as precisely as possible without overcooking them. I got some practice doing heel toe, most of the roads ranged between 2nd an 4th gear. I was able to drive fast enough when I had some open space to yell "WooHoo!" when taking some of the turns, a few were sharp enough to dog the engine in second gear.
I think I had at least 10 "WooHoo!" moments, maybe more. It was a blast! A lot of reactive driving.

I think the drivers meeting is critical for these events and the safety recommendations should be taken very seriously by all attendees. I've had a lot of great training in the last 6 months and I think I used every bit of it today.

[Tom Helvey]

Next time I'm going to bring a Navigator.