(This post was also posted in "S2000 Talk", I apologize for those who have seen it already. I'm re-posting it here at the advice of others.)

Hello there Upper Mid-West S2000 owners! I'm not an owner like you, although I do appreciate the S2000 for the very nice vehicle that it is... I just needed a very fun and great handling FWD car for all seasons, which is why I bought a MINI Cooper S. Different design, different pros and cons, I'm not trying to put down the S2000 at all!

But anyway - the reason I am writing here: This past weekend (May 5-8) I was at the annual "MINIs on the Dragon" event at the Tail of the Dragon (U.S. 129) in Deal's Gap, NC. While I was there, I met a really friendly gentleman in a light blue S2000 (sorry, I'm not familiar with the exact S2000 color names), who had a camera mounted on the front of his car with a suction-cup type device. He was following a few sport bikers on the Dragon, and I met up with him at one end (Tabcat Bridge). After some chit-chat (he said he has friends who are sport bikers and also friends with MINIs), he decided to follow me on the Dragon...

What followed was at least 4 or 5 miles of the Dragon without any obstruction... I was driving at 10/10, with my (engine, brakes & suspension upgraded) MCS. He followed me, although he fell a little behind a few times, he did manage to catch up. Needless to say, I want the footage from that video!

At the end of the run (we ran into slow traffic half way through), he stopped to meet with us for lunch at Deal's Gap. Really nice guy, very complimentary too (apparently he said our run was the most difficult time he'd ever had keeping up with a MINI). I just regret not actually getting his email & other details then and there - I stupidly thought that I would catch up with him later over the weekend, but it never happened.

Apparently, he's from Bloomington, IL. I'm hoping that one of you fellow S2000 enthusiasts knows the guy and can help me get in touch with him. I really appreciate it!

Side note: Before any of you decry my "full tilt" run on the Dragon, I must state that I didn't cross the double yellow lines even once, a fact confirmed by the S2000 gentleman himself during the lunch. I'm very strict about that rule when driving a curvy (and dangerous) road like the Dragon.

UPDATE: Killboy.com has pictures of him in his car! PLEASE advise if you have any more clues after looking at them:

Blue S2K with camera at the Dragon - shot 1
Blue S2K with camera at the Dragon - shot 2
Blue S2K at the Dragon - shot 3 (sans camera)
Blue S2K at the Dragon - shot 4 (sans camera)
Blue S2K at the Dragon - shot 5
Blue S2K with camera at the Dragon - shot 6
Blue S2K with camera at the Dragon - shot 7
Shot of my MINI with S2K right behind it!

UPDATE #2: Mystery S2000 owner found! See post at end for details.

 

Hi there. If you do get the video post it, I want to see. I cant think of anyone off the top of my head who fits the description. I've noticed a lot of owners around here who just lurk and never post.

BTW, nice car. I like the Mini. Hopefully I'll have one someday.

 

Thanks Road Rash... I will be more than happy to post it, if I ever track him down.

Please note the addition of pics of him driving on the Dragon, which were just made available thanks to Killboy.com.

 

i don't know who he is, but based on his license plate starting with a 7, he bought that car sometime last summer.

oddly enough, assuming he bought it in bloomington, i'd wager that exact car is the one i test drove before finally pulling the trigger on buying my S....

 

That's funny, IBMcpa! Small world, huh...

Since you live in or near Bloomington (I'm guessing), if for any reason you happen to see this guy, would you mind getting his attention and asking him to check these forums, so he can contact me? I know it's a tall order, but you're much more likely to happen to spot him in the coming months than I am!

Also, bump: Updated with one more picture, with my MINI and the S2K behind it.

 

If I was still spending my weeks in Bloom-tucky as I did for the last 3.5 years (thanks, IBM for "work-life balance"...NOT) I'd be happy to...

Put 7kmi on my MY04 in 3 months driving there every week. No more Bloomy for me for a while, unfortunately. Maybe if those if you with a certain "good neighbor" as your insurer tell your agent to tell their corporate IT folks to get cracking on their transition from MS IIS to Websphere, then maybe, just maybe (if we don't f' it up like usual) they'll have enough of us back (read: 200+) that I'll get called in to run the show.

In the meantime, I've gotta go where the action is, and it's not Bloomy.

 

I FOUND HIM! It turns out that while at the Dragon he was sharing a cabin with a fellow MINI owner, who read my story on the MINI forums (North American Motoring, a.k.a. NAM), and passed the word along.

He has offered to send me a DVD, so I should have it soon! Provided he has no objections, I will be very happy to post a digitized copy of the video here, for you too enjoy. Even though it will only feature a MINI, you can all take solace in the fact it was filmed from an S2000.

Thanks to all who read and either replied or PMed me, I appreciate the help & moral support.

 

Cool - love to see the vid when you get it. I've got a end to end run of the dragon shot from a bike that's fairly decent; fun to watch and a good tool to show people what not to do (cross the double yellow), what hazards to look for (oblivious oncoming traffic).