FLORIDA CAN DELIVER ON GREAT DRIVING ROADS!

By: Kevin Tipton, Area Governor – North Tampa

When you ask someone about Florida and how the roads are, their response is normally somewhere along the lines of straight, flat, and rather boring. You begin to think Florida is perfect for drag racing, but you have to ask yourself, surely Florida must have more to offer? Central Florida may surprise you with the kind of roads we have. Some areas may have you thinking to yourself “Am I in Georgia?” Some of the elevation changes and twists and turns in central Florida are challenging! Other car groups in central Florida have stumbled on the fact there are some great roads to enjoy. The secret is out!

On June 13^th, we launched a new series of monthly events called ‘Bavarian Auto Fest’ that would help people to explore the great driving roads in our backyards. We began in Wesley Chapel, FL where we would embark on a 71-mile route of absolutely awesome twisty backroads before ending it in Brooksville, FL for some breakfast. We had BMW’s from the 80’s all the way up to the newest offerings and everything in between. These cars are after all, ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’, so why not drive these cars the way they were meant to be enjoyed? One of my favorite stretches on this route has some perfectly banked ‘S’ turns back to back with some slight elevation changes. As you approach the corner, you just naturally blip the throttle, downshift, apex the corner, and throttle out of the corner beautifully all while setting the car up for the next turn.

Florida is a wonderfully scenic place. The first thing that most people think of when someone mentions Florida are the beaches, but the state has so much more to offer. Orange groves, forests, swamps, agriculture fields, and more. Imagine climbing a hill and as you crest the top you can see miles ahead in either direction with vast views of agriculture land and orange groves just as the sun is rising thus giving spectacular views during the morning drive.

The best thing that happens when you have these kinds of events are the people you meet and the background they bring. So many different stories to be told and heard, camaraderie to be made, and friendships to be had. It truly is a special thing to be able to meet so many different people across so many different walks of life and share these experiences with each other.