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On August 11th, 2006, S2000 owners and s2ki.com friends from as far away as Florida and California converged upon Mystic, Connecticut for a weekend of comradeship and fun. As people arrived at the Best Western Mystic hotel, they were greeted by our NES2KO welcoming committee, personalized gift bags, and a lovely outdoor cocktail party which immediately set the tone for a fantastic ìweekend away.î
The New England NoríEaster was a year in the making, and was designed with something for everyone in mind. As the action commenced on Saturday, we found ourselves engaged in a diverse set of activities which were accompanied -- in somewhat uncharacteristic New England fashion -- by perhaps the most gloriously clear and mild weather of the summer!
The morning was spent with a visit to Cardinal Honda in Groton, where 80 S2000s of all years filled the parking lot. The various driving groups banded together and had a chance to socialize while our judges roamed around inspecting the cars for prizes that were later awarded at the banquet. Also, Giles and Michelle (Holy Roller Dyno) set up their portable DynaPack behind the service bays as they attached various cars -- including one supercharged NSX belonging to Jeff (Hardtopguy) -- and did pulls. Yeah, that was loud! Tim the Ding Man was also busy working his magic to rub dents out of doors and fenders.
A cookout lunch was provided to us by Cardinal (thanks!) and the driving groups staged and departed Groton. Some of our friends from Metro NY made a casino run while the rest of us toured wine country. I led one of the groups in a counter-clockwise local drive of local roads which included stops at the Jonathan Edwards and Sharpe Hill Vineyards, as well as an ice cream stop later in the afternoon as we aimed back to the hotel. Meanwhile, back at Cardinal Honda, Scott (Ballistic Motorsports) was busy installing a GReddy e-Manage ECU in Kevinís AP2 which Giles then tuned on the dyno for an extra 20 horsepower.
Late in the afternoon people arrived back at the hotel, and war stories and sunburns were compared in the parking lot. We then prepared for our terrific banquet dinner, which was capped off by the awarding of prizes and raffling of gifts from our generous sponsors. After dinner the s2ki.com Vintage Owners fired up the karaoke machine and the merriment in the banquet hall continued.
On Sunday, three parallel activities began as our guests left the hotel. Some of us journeyed off for a day of autocrossing, hosted by Connecticutís own CART organization. This was held in a large parking lot and the CART staff were very well organized and helpful. Folks, if youíve never done this, you donít know what youíre missing! Another group headed to the Mystic Aquarium, where Dean (our Florida owner) led a tour which was very well received. The third group took a drive around Connecticut, where some of them eventually came to view the autocross fun later in the day.
The 2006 NoríEaster was a huge success, far exceeding my expectations and leaving a lasting impression on our guests. NES2KO members should all be proud of the accomplishment of hosting this magnificent event.
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