2016 Miata at the Gap - July 28-31
 

Welcome to the unofficial MATG 2016 post - feel free to share anything related to this year's event.

This will be my first time attending and only my second trip to TOTD. I'm not sure which events I'll attend, hopefully all of them! I'm hoping we can use this page as a way to introduce yourself and arrange to cruise to/from the event with other local Miata owners. I'll be heading up Friday morning from Greer SC in my 04 along with my brother in his 00. If anyone else is local we'd love to get a big group together to make the drive up. Otherwise we'll see you all there!

Official website:
Miatas at the Gap

If I manage to get there in time for the spirited run, would anyone have an open passenger seat? I don't have the talent to participate as a driver :)

I'll be there again this year with a small group. We don't really go on the organized group drives anymore since their idea of spirited and ours is a little different (with the exception of Marcus's A&W run). MATG is a lot of fun but don't expect to get any clean runs on the dragon unless you are either at the crossroads by 7am at the latest or you like midnight runs. I was there for ZdayZ last weekend and we had a pretty good 'dawn patrol' run with very little traffic:

Looks like a blast. I figured traffic would be an issue, but I'll have to join the A&W run. Is it a faster pace?

I got thereally following Marcus at 1am last year, let me tell you, it was a blast! (I had the open waste gate red 1.6)

Ok I'm sold, A&W run is on the list, I'll try to keep up!

What's the police situation look like up there during MATG? I take it they're less of an issue during the late night/sunrise runs?

I think the police situation is worse on during daytime hours. I didn't see any police at nighttime. But I'm no expert

Usually July is a bad month for enforcement because there are so many people there. The more accidents the more they crack down. It was last year or the year before when they were even trying to crack down on the late night activity but I don't know if that will happen this year. Generally late at night and very early morning are your best bets. Don't forget that the dragon is just one road out of the many which are available for fun drives in the area.

Any other must drive roads? I've heard the Cherahola skyway is a nice drive though it's more of a leisurely pace, and also one called bootleggers run (or smugglers run?).

Plenty. The Cherohala is awesome and only feels leisurely if you're not going fast enough. Moonshiner 28 is another really good one. 6gap area is fun, Wayah Rd. Happy Valley, 360, etc.

I don't have my family vacation this year that weekend, I may able to finally make it up to MaTG for once.

I'm thinking about making the trip down

A&W run does 28, Cherohala, and 129. The run back on 129 is usually later, about 8:00pm-ish and is relatively clear, I've always had fun on the drive back from A&W.

I'm also doing a donut run Friday morning. I did it year before last and 129 was dead that morning. The drive back was boring though since it's closer to 10-11.

Whatever you do while at MaTG, don't cross the double-yellow and don't drive past your limits!

edit: just read all the posts, lol.

I still feel slightly bad leading Braian(btabor) and Cameron(vteckiller) into the gap..... first time for both in a car..... at 1am...... at a brisk pace :rofl: We all made it through though.

The video Matt posted of Brad's red miata...... yeah don't try that your first time out either :D The video doesn't demonstrate the speed entirely.

I am debating on going this year. I was just up at the GAP with my wife and kid, sadly in the Cobalt and not the Miata. I have never made it to the MATG and it would be great to go meet some other miata fools. Doesn't sound like there is that much interest from the miataturbo crowd this year so I might pass again. I really do not care too much for the miata.net crowd. I want to drive and have fun with some other upgraded Miatas. Who all plans on showing up for MATG?

I prefer the driving and am debating on going the weekend after, heading up the Wednesday evening so I can drive Thursday and Friday before traffic gets heavy for the weekend. My in-laws have a cabin about 40 min away and I know of several other awesome roads to drive when it gets to busy at the gap.

I will be there with 3 other friends and family with miatas (Friday through Sunday). This will be our first time attending as well so come on out! It will be fun for sure.

We will be there as a vendor, so come check out the booth all day Friday and Saturday. Our NB will be there, as well as a full engine display dressed up with almost every part we offer. Please come say hello!

I'll see you there!

Is anyone coming from Georgia that will be participating in the beer swap? If so, I'd love to work something out for some Jailhouse brewery Misdemeanor ale.
I haven't been able to find it since I left Griffin GA years ago!

I can offer up some goodies from one of my local breweries from the Charlotte area (Old Mecklenburg brewery and NoDa brewery are two of the better small ones).

An update on the current scheduled events.

* = spirited run

Thursday:
Sunset run across the Cherohala - 7:00PM @ Fontana Village General Store - route

Friday:
*Friday Morning Do NUTS run - 7:45AM @ Fontana Village Wilwood Grill - route
Friday morning spirited run - 9:30AM @ Fontana Village General Store - route
2nd Annual MATG Brewery/Winery Run - 11:00AM @ Fontana Village General Store - beer
Run to Fat Buddies BBQ - 4:00PM @ Fontana Village Wilwood Grill - route
*Annual MATG A&W run - 4:30PM @ Fontana Village Wilwood Grill - route

Saturday:
Annual Dam(n) Photo - 10:45AM SHARP @ base of Fontana Dam
Free Lunch provided by Graham County Travel & Tourism and Fontana TDA - Vendor's Area at Fontana @ 12:00PM
Free Ice Cream (sponsored by Moss Motors) - Fontana Ice Cream Parlor @ 1:00PM
Saturday Night Beer Swap and Wine Tasting(the party) - 7:00PM @ Vendor's Area / everywhere!


These are scheduled events, there's always spontaneous runs happening.

I'm definitely driving my Miata on the dtc60 pads this year, I'm still on the old 195 re011s lol, should be fun

Flier, do you go every year? I can't make it this year but next year I plan on going again. Next time I want to do more group drives and stay in the village. I made the mistake of staying in Robbinsville and missed out on a lot of stuff. :(

Yup, I'm there every year!

Going to be there with the wife and a bunch (4, I think) of Ecotec swapped Miatas. Heading down on Thursday, arriving late. Friday we'll be 'playing' on the awesome roads and I'll be hanging out at the MTMotorsport booth most of Saturday.

There are plenty of us going interested only in driving, and no so interested in posting on forums. If that's what you're looking for, you'll find us there.

I will for sure be going now. Going to get in late tomorrow night, then be hanging around on Saturday and Sunday. I will have mt.net and turbo kitty decals. You will know it is me based on my bright pink MKTurbo shirt.

Also if anyone needs a room to crash in Friday/Saturday night let me know. Concealer404 and I have some spare beds/couches I think.

Thanks for the love this past weekend everyone! We had a great time with you all, and looking forward to next year.

I had a great trip. The trip out to fat buddy's was amazing! found my new fav road 28N is UNREAL!! Love it! its about 20 min out, but so worth it. This was my 2nd trip and I found a ton of great roads. I think im dead set on a ecotec swap after further research. Hopefully itll be swapped before next years event!

Glad you came out!

Wayah Rd is pretty awesome. There's a TON of roads all around the the TN/NC/SC Appalachian range. You could spend over a week driving them and still find new ones just as good as the last.

I got to drive a ecotec miata and I'd really like to have one, but it still, and probably never will surpass the want for a k-swap.