The Rocket City Ramble, October 16-19, N. Alabama, thank you to all who attended! :) Options

[RocketCityRamble]

Thanks to all who attended!

-Rusty

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RCR 2008 Details
The Rocket City Ramble and 10th Annual Mid U.S. Ramble will be held in Huntsville, Alabama from October 16-19, 2008. Considered to be the Silicon Valley of the South, Huntsville is largest city in Northern Alabama and is just south of hilly Southern Tennessee. The area promises great driving for 914 enthusiasts!

Event: We assembled an exciting schedule of events for the entire weekend, including: Car Show, Swap Meet, Poker Run, Tech Quiz, Scenic Tour, Technical Seminars, and an Autocross! This is a very scenic area of the country and we’ll include several drives in and around Alabama and Tennessee. For a detailed schedule of events, CLICK HERE!


Hosts: The RCR is graciously hosted by the Heart of Dixie PCA Region with the support of the PCA 914 Special Interest Group. Also, our attendees have been invited by the Twickingham Auto Club (SCCA) to join their autocross! Thank you to both clubs for your support.

(Please note, you do not need to be a PCA member to attend this event. There is no membership sales pitch! Also, SCCA autocross fee will include a 3-day SCCA membership, if you are not already an SCCA member!)


Autocross: We will be joining the local SCCA chapter on Sunday, October 19th for the Autocross at the Milton Frank Stadium. This is an excellent spot for autocross with virgin (unsealed) blacktop. For all autocross participants, there will be an Autocross Tech Class on Friday afternoon. Autocross fees will be $30 ($35 for non-SCCA members). We will collect cash or checks payable to the local SCCA chapter during registration.)

Bring your helmet, if you have one!

Lodging: The event will be headquartered and primary lodging for this event will be at the Marriott Space and Rocket Center. They have reserved the following for us: a dedicated parking area, a swap-meet location and a hospitality room. We've arranged a RCR discount rate for the rooms of approximately $98 with breakfast for two ($85 without breakfast). We recommend the breakfast! Please contact them direct and mention "Rocket City Ramble" when securing room reservations, phone (256-830-2222).

The deadline to reserve rooms at this price is September 1st! After that, we lose the room block. To cut costs, we may have some space for folks to crash with sleeping bags in the hospitality room... but space will be limited. Send us a note if you want do to that. Also, we can help find alternative lodging if you would prefer a location other than the Marriott. Please drop us a note and we'll be happy to help.


Registration: To make registration as easy as possible, CLICK HERE for our motorsportsreg.com site. You can send us your registration info & t-shirt size, pay via credit card or echeck. Or, you can register online and mail a check/money order/gold bullion to cover the registration fee ($73/person). Also, if you have a co-driver/friend/spouse attending with you, that person will receive a 20 dollar discount on their registration. Your registration fee covers:

•Entry into all the events and activities

•Welcome packet and goodie bag

•Thursday night dinner at Tech Session

•Saturday Night Awards Banquet Meal

•Nice RCR T-shirt

•Trophy costs for all competitive events

-Rusty, Brett, Scott (RCR planning team)

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Calendar of Events

Thursday, October 16th (early day)

• Check-in Noon - 7pm Marriott lobby
• Tech Session 4pm-7:30pm (meal paid) Topic: R&R Engine; at SM Racing
• Social Hour 8pm - ?? Marriott hospitality room

Friday, October 17th Check-in 8am-11am Marriott lobby

• Car Show (Show & Shine) 10am-11am Marriott grounds
• Scenic Tour 11am-4pm (lunch own cost) Tour to Guntersville
• Lunch at Limestone Bay
• Tech Session 4pm-6pm Topic: Autocross 101
• Dinner 6pm-9pm

Saturday, October 18th

• Swap Meet 7:30am-9:30am
• Poker Run 11am-4:00pm
• (lunch own cost) Tour to Jack Daniels Distillery & Return
• Free Time at Marriott 4:00pm-5:30pm Relax, prep for dinner, clean cars for Sunday AX
• Move to Banquet 5:30pm-6pm
• Tech Quiz/Happy Hour 6pm-7pm Redstone Officer's Club
• Dinner, Awards, and great Door Prizes 7pm-9pm (meal paid) Redstone Officer's Club

Sunday, October 19th

• Travel to Autox Site 7am-7:30am Gather in Marriott parking lot @ 7am
• Walthru/briefs/paperwork 7:30am-8am Milton Frank Stadium
• Autocross with SCCA 8am-5pm (lunch meal paid) Milton Frank Stadium
• Casual dinner 6pm (own cost) TBD

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News: We'll post the most current news about the RCR as it comes available!

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August 16th, 2008
It's August 16th, two short months away from the Rocket City Ramble / 10th annual Mid US Ramble! I rummaged through my closet and discovered by 1st annual MUSR shirt. I'll probably wear that Thursday night!

A few quick notes:

1. If you know a 914 owner or enthusiast that's not normally online, please pass on information about the RCR! It doesn't matter if their car is up on jack-stands. Send us a note if you have someone who wants to do an offline registration!

2. Someone asked what the weather in Alabama is like in October. Mid-October is not particularly rainy for Alabama. On average for the last 4 years, the daily high has been 78 degrees. On average, the nighttime low was 51. Recommend you pack a light jacket... unless you're from Texas. You guys can buy snow-suits online. (They even have children's sizes, Clay! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) )

3. Car repairs. Most of us carry a small toolbag and some tools. We have Brett's shop near the hotel if we need a place to do significant repairs to a car. The two tours will have a recovery vehicle for support. Also, at the autocross, we'll arrange to have an air compressor and a floor-jack for the 914 crew.

4. Speaking of the autocross, that will be an event for most of Sunday. People who aren't driving will be helping pick up cones and learning how the course operates. We've had one of our fellow Ramblers volunteer to serve as an instructor. (Thanks, Betty!) Oh, if you have a helmet - please bring it. There are a limited number of loaners available. We'll have coffee and donuts in the morning and lunch will be delivered on-site for the RCR crew!

5. I got a strange question from someone about Alabama handgun laws. I am not a lawyer, but I referred to this website. (http://www.ago.alabama.gov/issue/pistol.htm) Alabama shares a reciprocal concealed carry permit agreement with other states including: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia. Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. There are some restrictions. Please check your local laws and the laws of the states you'll be travelling through.

6. We're all grown, but please do not forget - you must carry registration, proof of insurance and a valid driver's license in the State of Alabama. It's Alabama law. (Yep, I know that some registrations are a sticker in the windshield.)

7. We have a great crew of Supporters who have volunteered to donate door prizes for the Ramble. If you know a company that might like to help out by donating a door prize, ask them to contact us! Our current list of Supporters can be found at http://www.rocketcityramble.com/supporters.htm


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July 11th, 2008
The web-site has undergone a complete redesign! We've added several pages and one thanking the Companies and Individuals who graciously supported the RCR2008!

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July 1st, 2008
Good evening, Ramblers!!

It's July 1st, just 107 short days before the Rocket City Ramble / Mid US Ramble! Can you believe that this year is the 10th annual Mid US Ramble? It seems almost like yesterday... driving to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the first MUSR! I need to see if I can find my MUSR1 t-shirt!

A few quick notes about this year's event:

1. There are plenty of rooms available at the Space & Rocket Center Marriott. We are setting up two packages for the room, with and without breakfast. When you call about the room, breakfast for two in the restaurant is 10 dollars more - well worth the expense. Their phone number is 256-830-2222.

2. Dinner on Thursday night is included with the registration fee. We will make a short tour to SM Racing, where we will have our first tech session and grill burgers!

3. If you are bringing your significant other and kids, we're including local maps with malls and stuff annotated. Also, next door to the hotel is the NASA Space & Rocket Center. It's a great way for kids to spend an afternoon!

4. I heard that the PCA requires that gentlemen wear a tie to the Parade final banquet. We won't require a tie, but drivers will need to have registration, proof of insurance and a valid driver's license, because our Saturday evening banquet will be at the Officer's Club on Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Drop me a note if you have a concern about this.

Please write and ask if you have any questions or concerns. Most of what will appear in these emails will be questions we receive!


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June 25th, 2008
Good morning, everyone!

The 10th Annual Mid U.S. Ramble will be held in conjunction with the Rocket City Ramble in Huntsville, Alabama from 16-19 October, 2008. This 914-focused event is graciously hosted by our local PCA region. Any and all proceeds from the event will be gifted directly to Toys for Tots and the local Humane Society.

The action-packed weekend will include: tech sessions, two tours, one poker run, tech quiz, swap meet, car show and awards banquet. Also, we've been invited to participate with the local SCCA folks in their Autocross!!!

The city of Huntsville is in Northern Alabama, about two hours South of Nashville. It's very central to the southern U.S. and not too far from our traditional MUSR stomping grounds in Arkansas.

[Rusty]

For anyone who is interested, I'm going to do one last run of RCR t-shirts. I've added a few colors not previously available.

Details can be found in the Last Call thread!

-Rusty

[naro914]

pictures

http://www.naroescapemotorsports.com/Pictu...CR08/RCR08.html

[Grngoat]

Yes, that was a lot of fun. Count me in next year.

Nice view of the countryside on Friday's run.


Wait a minute. Take a closer look. WTF??? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)


I hope that's a Fiero kit.

[Grngoat]

Oooh. Pretty colors. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif)



Doesn't necessarily look like a place you'd want to eat. But that was some good Barbeque, and the best lemonade I think I've ever had. I drank half a gallon of it.

[Grngoat]

For those that didn't make the autox, you missed this little beasty.

[Grngoat]

A few more.

[lttl_Sammy_Grl]

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Well it was a good thing that I got to auto-cross last weekend during the event!!! I do want to say that if you have never auto-crossed, it is a good thing to do even if it is not something you are interested in doing more than once. I was heading home and it was drizzling rain. It had been raining most of the night and all day, so the roads were good and wet. I started through the S curve on California. I was in the first curve when the back end of the 318 started coming around to the left on me. Immediately I knew what was happening, so I counter steered...probably too hard. The rear then slid around to the right. Before I knew it I was side ways, so I steered back to the left, because I was afraid I was going to slide into the curb. I ended up completely doing a 180 with the car dead in the oncoming lanes. I did kill it, but I didn't hit any of the cars around me, and I didn't slide it over the curb. I am thankful that all the traffic around me wasn't too close, and that the oncoming full size pick up truck had enough time to stop. The cop that was in front of me missed it all. I was shaken up, so I pulled over until I calmed down and felt okay to drive. I was going to fast around the corner, but only because the rear tires suck in the rain. They are the ones that John got from Scott. The tires are okay as long as it's dry, but in the rain it can be like driving on ice. They are too hard. I'm just glad the front tires are good tires. John has been telling me to be careful in the rain, because of the rear tires. He knew...now I'll remember too. The auto-cross probably made the difference between me hitting a car, the curb, a house, or a telephone pole today. If I hadn't participated in the auto-cross, I wouldn't have known how to control the car or even what the car would do. The major thing is that I was able to keep a level head without freaking out. It did get my adrenaline up, but I wasn't scared. I'm ready for better tires, bigger sway bars, and stiffer springs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

[ClayPerrine]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/212.gif)
Well I want to say it was a good thing that I got to auto-cross last week at the event. I do want to say that if you have never auto-crossed, it is a good thing to do even if it is not something you are interested in doing more than once. I was heading home and it was drizzling rain. It had been raining most of the night and all day, so the roads were good and wet. I started through the S curve on California. I was in the first curve when the back end of the 318 started coming around to the left on me. Immediately I knew what was happening, so I counter steered...probably too hard. The rear then slid around to the right. Before I knew it I was side ways, so I steered back to the left, because I was heading for the curb. I ended up completely doing a 180 with the car dead in taking up the 2 oncoming lanes of traffic. I did kill it, but I didn't hit any of the cars around me, and I didn't slide it over the curb. I was shaken up, so I pulled over until I calmed down and felt okay to drive. I was going to fast around the corner, but only because the rear tires suck in the rain. They are the ones that John got from Scott. The tires are okay as long as it's dry, but in the rain it can be like driving on ice. They are too hard. I'm just glad the front tires are good tires. John has been telling me to be careful in the rain, because of the rear tires. He knew...now I'll remember too. The auto-cross probably made the difference between me hitting a car, the curb, a house, or a telephone pole today. If I hadn't participated in the auto-cross, I wouldn't have known how to control the car or even what the car would do. The major thing is that I was able to keep a level head without freaking out. It did get my adrenaline up, but I wasn't scared. I'm ready for better tires, bigger sway bars, and stiffer springs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

Glad you are OK after that adventure. And I am glad you liked running the AX. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving-girl.gif)

Now you are really hooked.. and like you said to John in the parking lot at the AX....Now you have ANOTHER hobby.

Make him buy you a 914!!!!

[lttl_Sammy_Grl]

Yeah, I'm glad too. I am thankful that nothing happened to anything including the car and the other people around me.

It'll probably be a while before I get a 914. I have to get the 318 painted, so it doesn't rust into oblivion. John also is going back to school in about a year. After I get my first real job, I plan to buy a 914. Hopefully, in the next year or two. I want to buy a running one. I don't mind if it needs some things, but I don't want to put one together from the body up. The jeep still needs a lot of work.

[Brett W]

Just because you got one autoX under your belt doesn't mean you know how to drive. The next Autox is Nov 8th and 9th so you can get your drive on then.

[cooltimes]

Everyone sharing their photos:
Thanks for sharing all the photos with the rest of this forum.
It is normally the highlight of MY personal year when I see others doing their 914 rambles, especially in the South. Looks like all enjoyed their visit to Huntsville and the other areas you passed thru.

Did you think the rain was going to screw it all up as you were heading to the RCR in Huntsville?
See any twisties that would be a challenge next time you ramble the area?
Food has a quick impression when the 1st bite hits the mouth. Any that became a memory to talk about? Anyone do the whiskey addition for $.50 at Jack Daniels?
Did you know your old, never seen in the flesh before, friends without having to see their name tag and did they know it was you?

Couldn't go myself. Had a Grandson birthday and missed that too because of major arthritis that kept me from walking more than a few feet so I really do appreciate the fun photos. I am copying each one. Any object? Let me know which and I will honor your objection by deleting them. Otherwise they stay with many more from years past.

Mike Cooley
Oakfield, TN

[lttl_Sammy_Grl]

Just because you got one autoX under your belt doesn't mean you know how to drive. The next Autox is Nov 8th and 9th so you can get your drive on then.

Yeah, I never claimed I could drive. But without the autocross experience I probably would have hit something. The last time I did that I was able to pull out of it, but the time before that I totaled a car. I'll claim I can drive when I'm able to slide it sideways through that curve without hitting the traffic in front of me or the oncoming full size pick up truck. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I'm ready for the next autoX!!! If John doesn't want to go, I'll leave him at home. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif)

[SGB]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/drunk.gif)

Last call!

Anybody else wanna be on the RCR contact list?

I'll give it until Friday, then send the list out to all who responded.