Nissan 370Z Forum - Brunch Run May 22: Winters, Lake Berryessa and Napa

I would like to thank everyone for coming out for the Brunch Run on May 22, 2010. We had a great jumping off point at the Putah Creek Café in Winters. I have to give a round of applause to their staff, especially since they do not take reservations. They were able to accommodate our large group of 25 drivers along with copilots at a moment’s notice. The morning, being sunny and warm, we sat out on the patio. Their service was excellent and fast. We were actually ahead of schedule by one hour.

This run surpassed my expectations of what I hoped to accomplish, which was to bring together the north, south, east and west of NorCal Z enthusiasts and sports car enthusiasts in general. There are runs and GTG’s and then there are those special occasions when the people who have come together, spark something magical and in an instant that one moment becomes a memory of happiness, one that can never be taken away. Well, I had many of these moments on Saturday. It seemed like every scheduled stop we made, people were giving me memories that will last a lifetime. When I can see the happiness people had written all over their faces at every stop, I knew I had accomplished something special. I hope everyone came away Saturday with some good memories.

I want to thank some long time friends who helped make this a success with the preplanning and dry runs and some new friends who stepped up at a moments notice and took the lead and I mean literally took the lead. To begin with, I spent the last two months planning the route; time of the month, stops, location and then promoting it on several forums. There is a lot that goes into making a run successful. People do not see the whole idea behind a successful run and preplanning, which is to make it look simple and smooth. Good direction and team work are the keys to a good run. The maps were a very important part in direction, making them readable at a glance, with scheduled stops for photos and catch-up stops. Thanks to all the drivers for making this smooth and simple!

Thanks to Hal (TheBrosZee) for coming up with the idea and taking on as editor of the flyer along with making two dry runs and fine tuning the route and stopping points. On the day of the run he was the tail gunner at the end of group # 4 and made sure no one was left behind.

Thanks to Lyent (Z Stylin) for talking me into making this run extend out to Napa and helping with fine tuning the route and stops after the second dry run. He was also group leader # 4 who rounded out the different driving styles. He was instrumental in the route, stops and time schedules.

Thanks to Oliver (Lost Cloud) for joining us on the second dry run. His knowledge of the road (Hwy 128) provided us with valuable information to pass on to the drivers at the pre-meeting. He was also group leader # 3 and kept the half spirited ones on their toes.

Thanks to the last minute recruited Team Leaders:

Enrique led group # 1 in his Smart Car. I heard he was very fast with the car and he knew the route like the back of his hand. He proved his skills from the start and continued to lead the entire run. The idea of a Smart Car leading a group of sports cars is just insane, but what is more insane, is actually seeing the double take from on lookers.

David (NightRider88) is a native to these roads and makes the run at night with his buddies. Owning a Z33 Nismo and coming from the Napa area, with a private road course - Life is Good! After a quick survey with the drivers we found ourselves down one leader for another spirited group. David had just arrived and volunteered to lead group # 2 and the rest is history.

Everyone was given a choice to which group they wanted to drive in, based on their driving preferences and comfort level. No one was pressured to push their limits.

Honorary mention goes to Casey (devlin_c) for being a true Z enthusiast. Casey and his wife- Becky came all the way from Fernley, Nevada, which is east of Reno. With all this crazy weather in the valley, it was worse in the Sierra’s as snow was constantly being dropped on the summit and lower levels. A last minute decision was made to make the trip in their truck, even though it broke their hearts not to participate in the run with their 07 Black Z33. They put their friends and the run before their disappointment and made the best of the day. Casey piloted the Avalanche with son and daughter onboard to keep him company. Becky started out as my copilot and finished the second leg of the run as driver while I snapped off some onboard pictures.

Thanks to everyone that attended the run and I hope to see everyone on the next run.

Here is the next run: http://www.the370z.com/northern-cali...onc-event.html

Curtis