The Season Begins
With February ending and March now in full swing, the 2023 season is officially ready to start! Soon, the mountains will be constantly echoing with the sound of engines all along the roads that twist and turn through them. Aside from the obvious, this is extremely good news and it’s something we’ve been waiting on for what feels like an eternity! Lots of events and shows are coming soon, and we’re super excited for each and every one!
Now that the weather has started clearing up here in East Tennessee and winter is coming to a close, more and more enthusiasts, both local and not-so-local, are starting to spend more time out driving and exploring the area. Soon, businesses will be opening back up and the mountains and surrounding areas will be full of enthusiasts enjoying the roads and the great atmosphere here. With this, we have a season schedule full of events that are always interesting! Among those events are the spring TougeFest event, Deals Gap Rotary Rally (DGRR), Miatas at the Gap, and more! Each event brings its own crowd and unique attributes, meaning there’s always something different going on to enjoy!
The first event on our 2023 calendar is the spring TougeFest, and as usual, we’ve been ready for this event since the day the last one ended. This year the spring meet is the last weekend in April, a bit later than normal, which means we’ll have much warmer weather and (hopefully) better conditions meaning more drive-time for everyone in conditions that are much more enjoyable. The spring event is usually smaller and has a stronger focus on driving, but it doesn’t stray far from the overall heart of TougeFest : the people. We’re excited to take a break from everything else going on and have a weekend centered around driving and spending time with friends. For those of you who have never attended a TougeFest before, I encourage you to come out and give it a shot! I’ve been in attendance every year since 2018, and each year after the weekend is over, I’m ready for the next event!
Although events at the Dragon are always good fun, there are many more events I’d like to attend this year that are separate from that. Last year, I started autocrossing with the goal of gathering a little experience so that I could transition to HPDE / Track Days in the future. I did a few autocross events ( and I plan to continue doing them this year ) and had an absolute blast at each one, but I realized that they don’t quite give me the experiences that I was after. Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen so much stuff related to track days and the experiences that they offer, and I’ve had the track day bug bite me. I unfortunately didn’t get to make it to any events last year, but this year I've got a car that I feel confident in and the drive to get my ducks in a row and make it happen. Seeing one of my closest friends get on track for the first time and have the time of his life really pushed me over the edge, and now I'm beyond excited to get my journey started with HPDE.
The events are always a good time, but the main thing I’d like to do this season is get out and explore a lot more of the local area. I frequent the Dragon, and I visit the skyway a few times per year, but there are so many other roads in the area that offer great drives and scenery that I’ve never driven. The goal this year is to explore as many roads as I can and just get in the car and start driving, following new paths and trying new places, and enjoying the area as a whole. In particular, I’d like to explore more of WNC and North GA and try roads like the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Suches loop. We’re so lucky to have a plethora of great roads within a few hours and I’d like to take advantage of that this year.
Along with all of the events this year that we’re excited to attend, there are also a number of new things coming to Just Drive! I don’t want to say too much, but there have been a few things in the works for a little while now and we’ve been working on rolling out something new for everyone to enjoy! In addition to the new things, I’m pleased to say that we’ve been steadily seeing growth on all our platforms, and for that I’d like to thank everyone who’s been a part of the journey so far! It’s such an amazing experience to see more and more people enjoy the content that we put out, and we can’t wait to share even more in the future!
What would you like to see us get into in 2023? We’ve got lots of things planned, but we’re always up for suggestions! Be sure to check us out on social media and let us know, or send us an email through the Contact Us page and we’ll add it to the list!
