Polar Bear Run (Bham, AL) - Sat. 1/9

VroomGrrl · 01-03-2010, 12:06 AM

Happy New Year, everyone!

I've never done this. But I bet some of you have! Looks like fun. From the Mercedes club newsletter (edited):

Several years ago a group of Triumph enthusiasts in Atlanta were inspi red by the Polar Bear Club in New York who cut a hole out of ice and jump in on New Year's Day, thought they should take their notoriously fragile British cars for a midwinter drive. The drive has a differnt destination each year. Three or four years ago their destination was the Barber Motorsports Museum. About a hundred Birmingham enthusiasts met them in Talladega and joined them all the way to Barber. Since then we have made the Polar Bear Run an annual event for the Alabama marque clubs. You will see about a hundred cars from Alfa to VW. This is great
fun and draws a lot of attention.

Meet at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham (I-20 exit 140— the first exit east of I-459) at 8:30am. The Barber Museum will be open to use the “Toiletten” which are always immaculate. If they don’t have another event scheduled, they have been known to let us drive a few laps of the track. We will depart by 9am in groups of marques.

The route will take us via challenging but well maintained roads to the covered bridges in Blount County and to the 13th century Tuscan pilgrimage “Church of the Blessed Sacrament” near Hanceville. We will dine at the “All Steak” (which has many non-steak entrees) restaurant in Cullman where we might entice them to prepare some authentic German food. There is no fee for the drive, but if you want a static cling decal for your car commemorating the event, they will be available for $5.00.
Info from here: http://www.mbca.org/Alabama/Newsletter/NovemberDecember%202009.pdf

It's too darned cold to wash the car. I will be ridin dirty!

Will I see any of you there?

bart1 · 01-03-2010, 05:26 AM

Looks like a cool ride. I have never driven the track at Barber and may do a DE there this year, so a preview would be nice. Post up any more details you find out!

ruby911 · ruby911's Garage

Sounds fun, just need a little more notice. Might be fun to get a group of guys from Atlanta and head over there next time.

VroomGrrl · 01-03-2010, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bart1

Looks like a cool ride. I have never driven the track at Barber and may do a DE there this year, so a preview would be nice. Post up any more details you find out!

I've gotten several emails all quoting the original benz newsletter & don't expect anything more. But I'll post anything else I get. I'm gonna show up at Barber next Saturday at 8:30. I hear Porsches will be up front - woo hoo!

Looking_for_911 · 01-04-2010, 11:19 AM

Gotta look at the work schedule when I go in tomorrow. I may be able to do half the ride before going in Saturday.

bart1 · 01-04-2010, 12:18 PM

My club (Heart O' Dixie) did a covered bridges tour last fall, hitting 4 or 5 of them in that area. I may just come around 8:30 to look at cars and then hang out in Bham. This is my rig if anybody wants to say hi:

VroomGrrl · 10:50 PM

I will have to look for you! I'll be in the filty dirty 88 911, white under all the grime

Here's the latest which I got in email today - note that the gathering time is now 8:00 am. Awesome! We'll be lucky if we break 10 degrees by then. They are also threatening snow this week - I can't imagine either cold or snow 2 days before would stop the "Polar Bear Run" - but I will keep an eye out because we are expecting 1-2" possibly Thursday night. And that means salt and sand around here, not sure how folks would feel about that. Anyway if it's on, I plan to be there.

The 2010 Polar Bear Run is scheduled for Saturday January 9, 2010.

Please meet at Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum around 8am. The PLAN is for the first group of cars to leave at 9am from the parking lot. This year we will have groups made up of types of cars or clubs. The Porsche guys with Porsche guys, M/B with M/B (etc.). and of course, Brits with Brits. Groups will depart the lot at say 5 minutes apart. Instructions for the route will be handed out to everyone on the day of the drive. Plan on this being an all-day affair with much of it on a "you can do this or this" basis. The whole reason for the drive is to bring enthusiast together to enjoy their cars and meet others with similar interests.

This is a FREE event, no charge to join. However, if you elect to take some of the side trips or events, the cost incurred will be your responsibility.

This is NOT a race to see who can get somewhere first, just a drive. With this being said, it means to obey all State and Federal traffic laws. If you break the law, it is your responsibility.

Hope to see you this Saturday at Barber Motorsports Museum !

My husband is trying to fink out on me, too! Because it's going to be cooooold! Well I'm going to go out in the cold with him on Thursday night to sit in a stinky bar all night watching a certain Alabama Crimson Tide football (nat'l championship!) game. While I will not hold it over his head, I do hope it'll buy me some good will and that he'll come on with me on Saturday. I was looking forward to his company for the day, and he's an awesome navigator.

See yall Saturday.

So you can find me, here's me, NOT hitting that cone, by the way

I will not have my numbers on this weekend either. Nor the camera on the car. And I will not be wearing a helmet, though I may resemble the Michelin Man with all the layers I'm sure to have on