Hot Rod Power Tour.... Drove up to Detroit 6-2-2012... arrived about 1:30 at the GM Proving Grounds. Traffic was bumper to bumper and it took a while to get to the show, usual car show stuff, MSD, Nitto Dynamax etc
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. My clutch leg was worn out!! That is a gigantic place. Then we found that we had passed up the registration and had to go around again..
Traffic was better that time...
Steve and I got a couple free shirts and hats..... most had GM on them On the way out it was bumper to bumper until we got to a loop that was banked pretty steep maybe 45 degrees and people were slowing down to get a run at it.... it was fun.. 
Did I say we were driving the Gm test tracks?? It opened up after that and life was good. My clutch leg was getting sore...
Detroit, MI - GM Proving Grounds, Milford to Muskegon, MI - Downtown Muskegon
Sunday 6-3-12 215 miles
Left Holiday inn and arrived at briefing at appx. 7:45, lots of cars lined up, not much organization though. After short talk they announced that the first tour had 12 cars and today had 3 thousand cars, got on the road about 8:45, police let us through the first lights then we were on the way!! Went pretty smooth pretty impressed, lots of cars. maybe 500 to a 1000, all the cars don’t come to the briefing.!!
The ride after getting out of the city was nice with police directing traffic, rode with a half dozen cars then slowly was by ourselves for a while, got off the route and while looking for a Dairy Queen found the Apple Tree and had a great lunch!! Took mostly back roads to the hotel. We could see Lake Michigan and one street from the window. That night we had dinner in the hotel and walked down to the street where cars were doing burn outs. About an hour in a big 4x4 truck came and did a big burn out, it was great, until we realized that there was a cop on the other side of the intersection. Shortly after 3 more cops showed up and we went back to the hotel room.
Muskegon, MI - Downtown Muskegon to Champaign, IL - Assembly Hall, University of Illinois
6-4-2012 318 miles
Had our photo taken by the bus…
Less cars lined up but they poured in as we started to leave.
The police escorted us out today and through a half dozen lights. Then we went about 10 miles got on the highway and drove with a group for a while. Then got off drove back roads to Lanes automotive for a free lunch… very nice in and out quickly. Back on the Highway for a while Big traffic jam due to construction but it was better due to all the nice cars we were surrounded by.. Another day where you start out with a bunch of cars together and then slowly separate out and find groups at random times.
Back roads for maybe 150 miles; put the top up ¾ of the way, too hot!! Probably should have put it up for the highway portion. Arrived about 5:30 at the venue. Turned in our photo sheets from this morning and went to the Hilton. Steve got sunburned on one half of his face. Dinner at Hooters, Steve had fried pickles (and they were good)!! It was a long day.
Champaign, IL - Assembly Hall, University of Illinois 6-5-12 … Small world
Started out well, while waiting for the brief and the start, talked to people and looked at cars…. Very nice. Started out and got to the second light and the Officer was letting us turn left on red. J. Stalled the car, I thought and it wouldn’t start
. Was blocking the turn lane, looked at fuel pressure and none. Talked with my son and suspected a fuse, hoped it was a fuse. I didn't want to trouble shoot in traffic. After all show traffic passed (was great watching the cars go by), Officer Terry came to me and ended up ordering a tow truck to a shop he recommended. He has an older mustang, small world. Tow truck driver had a chev he raced. At Peter B’s while waiting, started checking and found an in line fuse that was burnt, not shorted but melted. Went in and asked for a 20 amp fuse and they said they would have to order one, then the owner came out and looked at the car and put a 25 in and it started. 
The in holder was burnt so they took it in and replaced it and put a 25 amp in. Balanced my tires while there since I had some shimmy. The owner had a newer mustang….
On the road around noon and drove expressway to catch up and did the last half of the tour on back roads, drove a while on route 66 which was neat!! Caught up with a group and stayed with them til the end.
Recap
Maybe I said this lots of groups driving and stopping together. You would start with a group but red lights, gas stops etc. would break them up. I drove alone for maybe an hour once passing gas stations full of Tour cars.
Along the route people would bring the cars out and have a show with their cars and watch you pass…. Pretty neat!!
Overall it was great, not very organized in some ways. The last instruction in the driving instructions were, University of Illinois Assembly hall, or City of Muskeon or Gateway Motorsports. When you arrived parking was terrible, driving around and around looking for the way into the event.
Every night was a car show, at the venue or at the hotel room. That was great!!
Anyway don’t look at the grammar just random thoughts
Steve (Pops Fun)
.
. My clutch leg was worn out!! That is a gigantic place. Then we found that we had passed up the registration and had to go around again..
Traffic was better that time...
Steve and I got a couple free shirts and hats..... most had GM on them
On the way out it was bumper to bumper until we got to a loop that was banked pretty steep maybe 45 degrees and people were slowing down to get a run at it.... it was fun.. Did I say we were driving the Gm test tracks?? It opened up after that and life was good. My clutch leg was getting sore...Detroit, MI - GM Proving Grounds, Milford to Muskegon, MI - Downtown Muskegon
Sunday 6-3-12 215 miles
Left Holiday inn and arrived at briefing at appx. 7:45, lots of cars lined up, not much organization though. After short talk they announced that the first tour had 12 cars and today had 3 thousand cars, got on the road about 8:45, police let us through the first lights then we were on the way!! Went pretty smooth pretty impressed, lots of cars. maybe 500 to a 1000, all the cars don’t come to the briefing.!!
The ride after getting out of the city was nice with police directing traffic, rode with a half dozen cars then slowly was by ourselves for a while, got off the route and while looking for a Dairy Queen found the Apple Tree and had a great lunch!! Took mostly back roads to the hotel. We could see Lake Michigan and one street from the window. That night we had dinner in the hotel and walked down to the street where cars were doing burn outs. About an hour in a big 4x4 truck came and did a big burn out, it was great, until we realized that there was a cop on the other side of the intersection. Shortly after 3 more cops showed up and we went back to the hotel room.
Muskegon, MI - Downtown Muskegon to Champaign, IL - Assembly Hall, University of Illinois
6-4-2012 318 miles
Had our photo taken by the bus…
Less cars lined up but they poured in as we started to leave.
The police escorted us out today and through a half dozen lights. Then we went about 10 miles got on the highway and drove with a group for a while. Then got off drove back roads to Lanes automotive for a free lunch… very nice in and out quickly. Back on the Highway for a while Big traffic jam due to construction but it was better due to all the nice cars we were surrounded by.. Another day where you start out with a bunch of cars together and then slowly separate out and find groups at random times.
Back roads for maybe 150 miles; put the top up ¾ of the way, too hot!! Probably should have put it up for the highway portion. Arrived about 5:30 at the venue. Turned in our photo sheets from this morning and went to the Hilton. Steve got sunburned on one half of his face. Dinner at Hooters, Steve had fried pickles (and they were good)!! It was a long day.
Champaign, IL - Assembly Hall, University of Illinois 6-5-12 … Small world
Started out well, while waiting for the brief and the start, talked to people and looked at cars…. Very nice. Started out and got to the second light and the Officer was letting us turn left on red. J. Stalled the car, I thought and it wouldn’t start
. Was blocking the turn lane, looked at fuel pressure and none. Talked with my son and suspected a fuse, hoped it was a fuse. I didn't want to trouble shoot in traffic. After all show traffic passed (was great watching the cars go by), Officer Terry came to me and ended up ordering a tow truck to a shop he recommended. He has an older mustang, small world. Tow truck driver had a chev he raced. At Peter B’s while waiting, started checking and found an in line fuse that was burnt, not shorted but melted. Went in and asked for a 20 amp fuse and they said they would have to order one, then the owner came out and looked at the car and put a 25 in and it started. The in holder was burnt so they took it in and replaced it and put a 25 amp in. Balanced my tires while there since I had some shimmy. The owner had a newer mustang….On the road around noon and drove expressway to catch up and did the last half of the tour on back roads, drove a while on route 66 which was neat!! Caught up with a group and stayed with them til the end.
Recap
Maybe I said this lots of groups driving and stopping together. You would start with a group but red lights, gas stops etc. would break them up. I drove alone for maybe an hour once passing gas stations full of Tour cars.
Along the route people would bring the cars out and have a show with their cars and watch you pass…. Pretty neat!!
Overall it was great, not very organized in some ways. The last instruction in the driving instructions were, University of Illinois Assembly hall, or City of Muskeon or Gateway Motorsports. When you arrived parking was terrible, driving around and around looking for the way into the event.
Every night was a car show, at the venue or at the hotel room. That was great!!
Anyway don’t look at the grammar just random thoughts
Steve (Pops Fun)
