BULLRUN 2013: Tail of the Dragon (Day 5)
The ralliers awoke in Charleston, South Carolina. The city was very hospitable to us, but Bullrun can’t hang around for long.
The teams left the hotel with Tem Reicke in the silver Renntech Mercedes CL600 in the lead and Team NOLA Bangers right behind. The drivers were heading off for some tasty Barbecue at Cash’s Smokehouse BBQ in Franklin, NC. Many of the teams rallied together today as they headed off for lunch. The Wheelz Up GT-R soon took over for Jay Reicke leading the pack, but Ben Taylor in the silver Camaro and Michael Schwab in the green Panamera Turbo S were close in tow. Current rally leaders, Team Big Easy Banditz in their stealthy Mercedes ML 63 has been showing off their navigational prowess lately. Ricky and Billy’s preparation for the rally was pretty extensive this year. They’ve got all the latest gadgets to help them out. Plus they’ve brushed up on their map-reading skills to find those uncharted roads.
Miguel Quezada of Team Precision navigated to the lunch checkpoint first in his Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, a very stealthy ride for the Bullrun. Miguel is a Bullrun veteran. He brought his Dodge Viper last year and Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640-4 in 2011. This year the theme is staying low-key. Team NOLA Bangers, Big Easy Banditz, Team 13, Wheelz Up and Team Texas showed up soon after.
The Bullrunners enjoyed some delectable Barbecue before receiving their next checkpoint, the Tail of the Dragon T-shirt Shack on the famous Tail of the Dragon roadway. The drivers were in for a surprise! It is considered by many as one of the world’s foremost true driving roads, measuring in at 11 miles long. Team Wheelz Up and their beastly GT-R, among others, were up for the challenge! After taking the twisty trail to the t-shirt shack, the teams received their route cards, directing them to the W Hotel in Atlanta, GA. Team NOLA Bangers got to the hotel first today because Bobby had the bright idea to get out of the car and run to the checkpoint due to heavy traffic. Looks like the plan paid off for the buys from New Orleans!
The teams were joined today by Team N.O. Legs, Chase and Wes, from New Orleans. Chase is a C6 – C7 quadriplegic and was determined to do a portion of the rally this year. The guys brought a matte black Nissan GT-R and will be rallying the rest of the way to New Orleans with us.
Good morning from Team Royale… Mario and Luigi!
The drivers hit the road for the first checkpoint!
Team Precision, MIguel Quedada made his way to the lunch checkpoint ahead of the pack in his stealthy Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
Many of the drivers encountered some brief rain along the route. This was no problem for some of the cars with all wheel drive!
Rally newbies, Team 4Mati, making their way to the lunch stop in their Porsche 911.
North Carolina traffic slowed some of the teams down.
The teams arrived for lunch at Cash’s Smokehouse BBQ for lunch.
After lunch, the teams received their next route card, pointing them to the Tail of the Dragon highway.
Team N.O. Legs from New Orleans joined the rally at the final checkpoint in Atlanta, GA.
