The End...BABE 8 reports

EvanB wrote:

SlickDizzy wrote: Get some concrete dates for the first Premier event and I'll have cash in hand...now time to find some suitable French machinery!

I know where you can find some.

I believe the rules require a $500 purchase price?

SlickDizzy wrote:

EvanB wrote:

SlickDizzy wrote: Get some concrete dates for the first Premier event and I'll have cash in hand...now time to find some suitable French machinery!

I know where you can find some.

I believe the rules require a $500 purchase price?

Lets start with the changes right there...its a sliding scale on this event

Cars 2000 and newer - Open class Cars from the 80s and 90s - purchased for $500 or less Cars from the 60s and 70s - purchased for $750 or less Cars from the 50s and earlier - purchased for $1000 or less

There will be an open class for any car. There will also probably be a motorcycle class on most events, take the above numbers and cut in half for MC class.

And a vintage class which is still being sorted out.

So you can always run anything at any cost, you'll just end up in open class if you dont fit elsewhere. But if you are driving a french car there may be some judicial leeway on the costs.

"Loved"!

If you're ever thinking about routes, Texas is over 800 miles across. Or a coast to coast rally that goes from the Great Lakes to the Gulf coast.

mazdeuce wrote: If you're ever thinking about routes, Texas is over 800 miles across. Or a coast to coast rally that goes from the Great Lakes to the Gulf coast.

I'm never not thinking about routes :) I already have 2 - 3 "major" event routes in various stages of planning as well as quite a few minor (3 days or less) but always happy to hear about great roads. The idea is to get off the highway as much as possible and enjoy the country so finding the road less traveled is the goal

In reply to JThw8:

Sweet!! I will try am get it in the budget now so I can make this happen!

Vegas Baby!

SlickDizzy wrote:

EvanB wrote:

SlickDizzy wrote: Get some concrete dates for the first Premier event and I'll have cash in hand...now time to find some suitable French machinery!

I know where you can find some.

I believe the rules require a $500 purchase price?

Well since it isn't currently running and I don't really feel like messing with it we might be able to work something out.

How about The White House (Washington, D.C.) to Mount Rushmore (Keystone, South Dakota) for a route?

Or, perhaps the reverse route might be better...

L. Edit: I'm not sure why I posted the single letter L. I could just delete it, but there is always the chance that this is some sort of sign. Maybe I'm meant to find a Lincoln? A Lada?

volvoclearinghouse wrote: How about The White House (Washington, D.C.) to Mount Rushmore (Keystone, South Dakota) for a route? Or, perhaps the reverse route might be better...

Interesting route idea, have to think on that one if for no other reason than I'd like an excuse to see Mt Rushmore.

The amount of great driving roads out there makes planning fun but daunting.

I'd love to see an event from Chicago to Detroit, around the top of Lake Superior. I'm not entirely sure that Canada would welcome you with open arms though.
An Appalachian trail route or a continental divide route could be incredibly awesome as well. I'm imagining the joy or adjusting the mixture on old French cars as they attempt to climb Pikes peak.
Along those same lines, Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through road in the US (says the internet) and from there it's all downhill to Death Valley. Sort of.

Well the route for the first one is fairly set. If that is a success we'll have plenty to explore :)

In reply to JThw8:

I've always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore as well. My brother drove from Seattle to Boston a few years back and made me jealous with his postcards. I have a refrigerator magnet from Rushmore he gave me as well.

And I live near D.C., so, you know, that was another motive for the idea, although there is something cool about bookending the route thusly.

I told the Mrs. about the plan for 2014 and she's real in. I just bought a '64 Volvo 122 for <$500 that might do the trick.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: In reply to JThw8: I've always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore as well. My brother drove from Seattle to Boston a few years back and made me jealous with his postcards. I have a refrigerator magnet from Rushmore he gave me as well. And I live near D.C., so, you know, that was another motive for the idea, although there is something cool about bookending the route thusly. I told the Mrs. about the plan for 2014 and she's real in. I just bought a '64 Volvo 122 for <$500 that might do the trick.

One of the Canadian teams from this year's rally is looking at a 122 as well, could be interesting to have 2 on the rally.

As routes go I will say Im getting a bit of headache. To do the route I want next year requires 300-350 mile days (most trending toward 300). I think that's reasonable, if the challenges are designed properly to keep people moving rather than stopping and hunting, but many days on BABE are under 300 so some folks are concerned.

Thoughts from the group here. To me, its a driving event, let's drive :)

When I've driven on long trips and tried to stay off the highways as much as possible, I found 300-350 miles per day was a good pace- leisurely enough to stop and see what I wanted along the way, but steady enough to make good progress. To me, a "hard" day of driving is 500 or 600 miles, after which I'm pretty much not willing to go out on the road again for a few days. ;-)

The DC-> Mt. Rushmore trip googles out around 1660 miles if you avoid highways, which would be a solid 5+ days on the road.

Saints to Sinners is about 1800 miles non-highway, so you're looking at about 6 days of driving at that pace.

I've also found that pushing much faster than that is not only rough on the driver and passenger/s, but hard on the car. An old 500 dollar heap might only be good for a 300 mile trek at a time. ;-)

I'd put 350 as an upper limit and expect that 250 would make for a nicer day.
For reference, what have the BABE mileages been in the past? What are the mileages for events like Drag Week or Power Tour or One Lap? You're not like those events, but it might provide another data point.

mazdeuce wrote: I'd put 350 as an upper limit and expect that 250 would make for a nicer day. For reference, what have the BABE mileages been in the past? What are the mileages for events like Drag Week or Power Tour or One Lap? You're not like those events, but it might provide another data point.

BABE days varied greatly. The longest days are 330 and 410 (based on this year) and the shortest was under 200, but that was going to Robbinsville, NC which means running Right Hand Gap and Deals Gap so different types of driving and purposely short days to allow for play.

On the planned route right now I have 288 as the short day and 380 as the longest, and to keep the event as it is planned that's the best I can do without adding another day and 5 is really the limit for most folks. I had hoped to do a 4 day to be honest but just too much driving in that.

The other difference will be challenges that are designed to keep you on the road instead of excursions to chase things (at least on the long days)

For future events I will probably cut down mileage but I want to see how this one plays out. Honestly if you don't chase challenges (and some teams don't) then you end up at the hotel at 2:00pm on a short day with nothing to do.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: To me, a "hard" day of driving is 500 or 600 miles, after which I'm pretty much not willing to go out on the road again for a few days. ;-)

We'll toughen you up

For my return trip from BABE this year I did 860 solo the first day and followed it with a leisurely 350 the next day. I'll admit, I' weird though, I get into a zone after awhile where I can just keep going. That's why I rely on the opinions of others as I sometimes forget I'm not normal.

I've got to do 1200 in two days with three of my kids but without my wife in another month or so. That particular drive makes me tired. After a few days with the in-laws it's another 320 or so. The 320 mile day is worlds easier than the 600+ days. The mileages you've proposed sound good and I look forward to the official announcement so I can put it on my calendar.

mazdeuce wrote: I've got to do 1200 in two days with three of my kids but without my wife in another month or so. That particular drive makes me tired. After a few days with the in-laws it's another 320 or so. The 320 mile day is worlds easier than the 600+ days. The mileages you've proposed sound good and I look forward to the official announcement so I can put it on my calendar.

Thanks, I'm trying to get the info to everyone as fast as I have it. We are trying to plan 3 events right now, a 1 day this fall which is a charity run and an intro event to demo the concept to event industry professionals (but we would love to see our car friends along to show how fun it can be) a 3 day next spring in PA to test out some of the theories and equipment, and the big 5 day which should be in July. Just rough dates I know but hopefully that helps a little with pre-planning.

I want to see a treasure hunt on the way!

Like find a rattlesnake.

Find a water pump for an older buick V8 - (in this case, a Range Rover waterpump could pass. It would take some car knowledge to complete!)

Stuff like that.

I have always wanted to do something like that!

Rob R.

wvumtnbkr wrote: I want to see a treasure hunt on the way! Like find a rattlesnake. Find a water pump for an older buick V8 - (in this case, a Range Rover waterpump could pass. It would take some car knowledge to complete!) Stuff like that. I have always wanted to do something like that! Rob R.

That's what its always been, you just take a picture of the item instead of actually bringing it along. Also you will find that things that require you to be a car geek won't be as common as the fields are very mixed so it gives unfair advantage to the car geeks. But rest assured there will be fun hunts and other activities along each route.

In reply to JThw8:

Oh, don't get me wrong- I've done some drives. Greenville, SC to Reno, NV in 2 days, splitting driving with one other guy, sleeping in the cab. My wife and I have driven from Greenville to Rochester, NY and back several times in one day each way. Bought a '67 Imperial and drove it back from Austin, TX to D.C. in 2 days. And I have done D.C. to Sebring, FL in one stint, stopping just for gas.

I hit that zone you mention, too. Usually after a small cup of coffee and after 2AM.

I guess my modern interpretation of a "long" day at 500/ 600 miles is due to the fact that my usual long distance hauler, a 3/4 ton 4x4, is a bit rough on the old spine.

In reply to JThw8:

It does help with the planning. When the final dates come out it will just depend on whether my wife wants to use one of her weeks of vacation time for this idiocy or if it's just the kids and I. Then I need to convince her that I should drive Fergus across the country repeatedly next summer.

For those who aren't on the mailing list or FB group (especially those in the northeast) The first event is going to open for registration later this week or early next week.

It will be a one day event in NJ which will be a good intro to the event style we will be having if anyone still doesn't quite get the concept.

Winner will be eligible for big discounts on one of the 2 events next year :)