Photo: Ash Monroe/gilbybarr via Corvette Forum
318 curves, 11 miles, two lanes, and lovely mountains. That’s the Tail of the Dragon in a nutshell, one of the best driving roads in North America.
As it’s often the case with two-lane driving roads, accidents can and will inevitably happen. On this occasion, a C8 was totaled in the Knoxville area of Tennessee by a Miata. First reported on the Corvette Forum, this unfortunate crash left the Stingray without one of the rear wheels and the MX-5 in a poor condition.
According to original poster gilbybarr, the young man behind the wheel of the Miata “allegedly failed to control his vehicle in the turns.” Corvette Blogger received more information on the accident from the owner of the Miata, and thankfully, “no one was hurt and that was the first thing I made sure of when it happened.”
Both drivers were there for the TougeFest, a yearly event that boils down to having a blast on the Tail of the Dragon. “We were both there to push the cars a little.” The driver of the MX-5 confessed that he “misjudged where the exit of the corner was and went in too hot.” The front tires weren’t up to snuff for evasive action, “so I just fought over as much as I could to avoid a head-on collision.”
He, the elderly man behind the wheel of the C8, and an elderly woman in the passenger seat of the Stingray “ended up getting things worked out.” When all is said and done, the only thing that matters is that Lady Luck smiled upon all parties involved because all three walked away without serious injuries.
One of the golden rules of driving on a two-lane road may come as surprising to the most butter-fingered drivers among us. More to the point, you should always stay off the centerline even if you’re cornering on the raggedy edge of grip to minimize a close call or an accident. You should also remember that driving roads such as the Tail of the Dragon are very busy during weekends.
According to original poster gilbybarr, the young man behind the wheel of the Miata “allegedly failed to control his vehicle in the turns.” Corvette Blogger received more information on the accident from the owner of the Miata, and thankfully, “no one was hurt and that was the first thing I made sure of when it happened.”
Both drivers were there for the TougeFest, a yearly event that boils down to having a blast on the Tail of the Dragon. “We were both there to push the cars a little.” The driver of the MX-5 confessed that he “misjudged where the exit of the corner was and went in too hot.” The front tires weren’t up to snuff for evasive action, “so I just fought over as much as I could to avoid a head-on collision.”
He, the elderly man behind the wheel of the C8, and an elderly woman in the passenger seat of the Stingray “ended up getting things worked out.” When all is said and done, the only thing that matters is that Lady Luck smiled upon all parties involved because all three walked away without serious injuries.
One of the golden rules of driving on a two-lane road may come as surprising to the most butter-fingered drivers among us. More to the point, you should always stay off the centerline even if you’re cornering on the raggedy edge of grip to minimize a close call or an accident. You should also remember that driving roads such as the Tail of the Dragon are very busy during weekends.
Google News