wds928

Many thanks to DAve, Jeannie, Pam and the whole 928 Specialists crew. An outstanding job and super hospitality!! T\This was my first SITM, but won't be the last.

Great time meeting new people and talking to many from this list.

The supercharger is a really nice unit, with superb craftsmanship. I left around 1:20 or so, so didn't hear it run. Andrew, very wise of you to wait until tomorrow to leave. No way you could have made it to work on Monday. Hope she runs great and with muich BWAAAAAAA.

The driving and scenery in western North Carolina was outstanding. I used a quart and a half on the driving "tour" Saturday. Lots of second gear driving uphill and downhill.

I made it home with some cord showing through my left rear tire. Didn't have any problems, even in the rain, but those tires are shot. They will be replaced tomorrow! Not even enough tread left for decent sandals.

Thanks again

Bill Ball

Did DR hire Tony to do the SC installs? Tony will do it better than right.

Super pics, Big Dave and everybody. Looks like a great party.

Marine Blue

What an amazing turnout! I am going to do everything I can to make it next year

DR

Here you go... :-)

michaelathome

Uploading pictures now most are from the drive down and back used the 35mm SLR at the event and need to get those developed. Also recording the video of the fun run. I got 2.5hrs using my camera and mount this weekend. WOOHOO!! BTW, recorded it in 16:9 so I am working e/on a letterbox edition

It will take me a while to edit and compress it but hope to have the ride available in the next week or so. For those of you who want the unedited version mailed on DVD, let me know via PM.

I wish that I had caught the boo boo. Well, I did catch mine. Overheated my brakes w/7 miles of the run left but I missed Tareks, I was in the middle of swaping out tapes. DOH!!!

Dave and Jeanie, had a great time. Thanks for the GREAT event!! It was great meeting everyone!

















































Larger images are available in my album: http://gallery.rennlist.com/gallery/...VA-and-MD-GTGs
Michael

Darien

SWEET!!! Congrats Andrew

Darien

Bill, knowing Tony, he wouldn't except anything but beer

DR

Tony is always the first to jump in and help anyone and has never expected for more than a handshake and a smile from my experiance. Sharks in the Mountains would never be the same if he didn't come and we are blessed and honored that he continues to come see us year after year.
Andrew drafted him to strip all the stock stuff off the GT Saturday night after dinner. After they finished (and I went to bed) he was still here helping Scott M. with his CIS issue until VERY late. Then Tony was back in first thing Sunday morning and continued helping untill he almost missed his flight (Tony, you did make right??).

THANKS AGAIN TONY, you are TOP NOTCH!!!

...and THANKS TO EVERYONE for making this years Sharks in the Mountains the biggest EVER. I just wish I could have gotten more sleep (zero hours Friday night) so I could remember more of it !!!!

whitefox

I wish I could've made it up there... looks like it was fun.

928ntslow

I have to agree about TH. I noticed he was all up under the hood of that car. I wasn't surprised. Every event I have seen him at, he was always the first one to jump in and help fix or upgrade someone's car. He is just that kind of guy. We could all learn from his generosity and just plain out, him being a really good human being.

Sounds like he was with "family" out there. Lot's of good folks out their on the right coast!

One of these days, I hope Jennifer and I can make it out to SITM.

Congrats everyone!

airosey

I feel bad for anyone that couldn't make it. It was awesome! I had never seen another shark up close with the exception of mine. So to come around the side of the BW and see all of those sharks lined up was breathtaking. It was great to get as many compliments as I did on my shark. It really makes all of the time and effort worth while. I got some help from some really awesome people this weekend. George (who kept me and my wife in tears from laughing so much) had heard the story of my original purchase checks from the car so much that he was telling the story while me and the guy with the euro and the english accent (I can't remember your name to save my life) was fixing my fuel problem. When that was taken care of, my waterpump sounded like it was knocking a little. Mike and Mel stayed back with me even though everyone else was taking off on the mountain run. Turns out my timing belt was way loose, so we did the timing belt tension on the spot. It was ironic as soon as I pulled out my Kempf tool, Jay was standing there right behind me. With the 3 of us on it, it didn't take too long. Luckily my engine bay was clean enought that we hardly even got our hands dirty. We started the mountain run and stopped when we come up on Tarek's car. Very unfortunate event, but at least everyone was OK. The park ranger had cooled off by then, so BS'd with him for probably 30 mins. At one point he was under the hood of my shark checking out the engine bay. Me, Mel and our wives checked out the mile high bridge today. It was definitely worth the drive up. There are some really breathtaking views. I'm sure Mel will post some pics when he gets home. All in all, it was an incredible weekend. Everyone we met treated us like friends we had always known. Definitely the most fun I've had in a while. For anyone that hasn't went, you are really missing out. My thanks go out to Dave and Jeannie for all of the work they put into the event, it wouldn't be possible without them. Here are a few of my favorite pics!

One of my overall favorites.



The most beautiful color I've ever seen on a shark. You would have to see it in person, the picture doesn't do justice.



In front of the Banner Elk Cafe.



Mike's S4 on the mountain run. He actually let me take it for a drive later on.



Mine and Mel's sharks up at the Mile high bridge. I could just picture that rock coming down on Mel's car, so I didn't park under it (haha).

Bus

Got my shark less than two months ago, since then I've had the dash apart, engine out and in, clutch out and in, brake calipers, halfshaft, bla, bla, bla....

So, SITM would be the first time it's even left town.... I was really excited to be sharing this with my wife, as I'm often taking weekends away on the motorcycle with my friends, and it's definitely a "no spouses" atmosphere. So this was a fun event we could share together.

Started Friday after work, got packed, backed the car out of the garage, hit the lights and nothing. Parking lights, but headlights wont raise or illuminate. I disassembled and cleaned the headlight switch, chased fuses, saw no problems. As I had just had the fuse panel out and back in, I removed it and rechecked... worked... Still don't know what it was, but I secured all the terminals, resorted the bundles and buttoned it up... no more problems with the lights.

I hadn't got to try out the new "Road Force Balance" on the tires yet... but it appears like money wasted in this case. Our "almost new but dryrotted" P6000 zr's are sending bad pulses through the chassis at certain speeds... worse than they did before they re-balanced them. She's gonna need new shoes sometime soon.... what a waste.

Drove through the rain and made it to the Best Western, only to find there were no rooms. Had to drive through the parking lot though and had the same experience as Airosey.... shark heaven. Stopped and asked the group still out at 2am if they knew where any rooms are... and there is the famous Jay Kempf himself. We run up to the lobby to call some other hotels and in the 5 minutes since I left there had been a cancellation... we're in.

Really enjoyed hanging out with Jay, Michael, John, Matt and Graham till after 3am... these guys know how to hang.

OK, I gotta cut this novel short and get to work. Had a great time looking at all the sharks and meeting so many nice folks at the gathering. Great meal put on by DR and Jeannie, all and all, I can't think of how to do it better. I thought the ride to dinner was fantastic, although my wife is still mad at me Maybe I should've got a little more in the back of the group... years of racing motorcycles means that I always want to be IN FRONT OF the guy in front of me! The car performed phenomenally.... I had driven a 928 in '86, but I never got to drive it aggressively... this car does exactly what you tell it to do, no muss, no fuss... I don't think it needs any more power, or anything.... except maybe tires that arent old and rotten! Anyway, great dinner, more comraderie... phenomenal folks.

Sunday morning wakes nice and pretty, we're driving the blue ridge parkway to it's end, across Deals Gap, then home... what a day... Car runs perfectly, fast and quiet. We stop for gas... it fills up with only 12 gallons (gauge showed 1/4 tank?... after fill up it only shows 3/4? ) Then we go three blocks to a place to eat... car's got a puddle of gas on the ground when we come out... I think it's got to be the vent hoses leaking. Get in, won't start.
Fuel, driblbles out line when cracked. Spark, check, TB, there but on the front edge of right side gear. Pull covers, roll in gear, marks are lined up. back to fuel. Voltage present, pump is not making it's normal noise. Reversed and ran forward several times. Got it to start, but it would immediately die. Pulled and blew out filter, no change. Checked the fuel supply side, the hose out the top of the sending unit appears to be leaking fuel, cut it off and reclamped. no changed, pulled the sending unit to check that's not plugged, got fuel everywhere, no change.... so, finally, $455 tow home. I think it's the fuel pump, we'll see..

It was a great weekend still... we'll definitely be back!

airosey

Bus, that sucks about the tow. I had a spare fuel pump in my fuel bag! If I would have only known. Oh well.

Chris

MGW-Fla

As fantastic as last year was, this year was even more incredible & memorable. Told the wife when we checked in the hotel, I felt twice as excited than the year before! Course, seeing Andrew's "kid on Christmas morning excited look" anticipating his SC is one that no one will forget. I saw old(previous) friends, met even more great Shark people, which is ALWAYS the best part of ANY Shark event. Think we had about 110+/- Sharks in attendance perhaps, like 106 officially at the meadows on Sat.

My rough count had ten of us up from the Sunshine State of Florida. Even if one broke its nose. When I came around the corner with Mike & Chris behind me & started downhill on that long straight I saw the flashing lights & slowed down, thought it was a perfect place for them to be pulling people over. Then as I got close & saw it was Tarek & his Shark was up right in the middle into a large hickory tree, my heart sank & my stomach knotted up. Just knew hitting a tree that large coming down such a long straightaway that someone could get really really hurt. Fortunately, they were ok, and Tarek had a good attitude about it, but at the time, it scared the heck outta me when I saw his car against that tree. It sounds like his Shark cab might be able to come thru with some surgury to its nose. A true testiment to the strength of these cars. I believe many lesser cars & they could of really gotten hurt or killed. Sometimes it doesnt take much of an accident to cause serious injury. But to know the safety of a 928 is comforting cause we can all have an accident or make a mistake.

Thanks big time to Micheal G from Winter Haven who gave me & Chris hands on lessons with our TB adjustments. Thanks to Don from Kissimmee as well for lending a hand, wrench & encouragement. Don's living is made working on WWII planes(mostly T-6'S), so surely he can fix a Shark! Chris's TB adjustment was done in the meadow after everyone left for the restaurant, we did mine & Mike's Sun. am in a mini tech session behind the hotel in the parking lot!! So I guess Chris & I are no longer TB adjustment "Virgins"!! Or as I told Jay K when I saw him at Dave & Jeannies later yesterday, I've Been Kemph'd!!!! Guess I was due, I've owned the tool for a year!

Met lots of great people, my wife enjoyed meeting some of the other wives too. You ladies are great with your patience & enduring our endulgence of being shark owners. Matt & Suzanne from VA we enjoyed meeting you both too. Your a trip Matt & Thanks for not wearing your thong outside as you mentioned the weather was perfect for such attire! A BIG THANKS to Roger Tyson for allowing my wife & I to take a mini test drive in his GTS right before we left the hotel yesterday. I guess I can say I've finally been GTS'd too!! Still trying to talk the wife outta the BMW Z4 & into a GTS. Hey, was even blessed enough to be one of the two grand prize winners on Sat. to win a Porsche Jacket, can't wait to receive that! WOOO HOOOO!!!

Chris & I took our wives up to the mile high swinging bride. Whew, once is enough for me. Not the bridge, that wasnt so bad, but the drive up with no guardrails! Thought I felt weeny not being able to keep up with Jeannie in her Jeep on Sat. night from Little Sienna to their house!! Then she tells me she never left 2nd gear! OUCH!! Guess for me it goes with being a Flatlander from Florida!

We got home last night about midnight. My laptop died last week, but I'll post some pics within the week. Truly what makes being a Shark Owner worthwhile, all of the incredible people!

THANKS DR & JEANNIE!!! Can't wait for next year!!

AL-Shark

Had a great time. Here are a couple of my favorite shots. First two are on the BRP and the last one of Chuck's GTS. Thanks to everyone from 928 Specialists.