2nd Annual East Coast Lexus Meet With Team Lexus On Sept 29, 30, Oct 1

[DaveGS4]

There have been several threads in the last few months discussing this MASSIVE Lexus event and now we're ready to open registration for the Second Annual East Coast Lexus Meet. We're anticipating this will be the biggest Lexus-only event on the east coast (and possibly biggest in the US) and are anticipating 200 - 250 Lexus vehicles in attendance and double that number of people. For our inaugural east coast event last year, Lexus' factory sponsored race team (Team Lexus) graciously hosted us with an open house at their shop. This year we're going to see them in action with the spanking new IS350 GT2 racecar at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta Raceway in Atlanta, Georgia.

Please visit our meet website www.lexfest.net for more information; the snippets below are just a starter.

W H E N

The weekend of September 29, 30 and October 1, with the primary meet event during the race on Saturday September 30. There will also be Lexfest events planned on Friday evening and Sunday. The weather will still be warm, but should be a bit cooler for outdoor activities towards the end of summer.

W H A T

Meet fellow avid Lexus enthusiasts

Show off your car and scope out what other folks have done with their Lexus rides

Participate in the first-ever Lexus sponsored car corral at the Petit Le Mans

See the exciting new IS350 GT2 racecar in action

Learn about Lexus aftermarket parts from vendors

Alternative daytime local tourism for guests in the Atlanta area

Chances to win valuable prizes from our meet sponsors

Scheduled caravans to the meet from major local metro areas. We'll form up folks who may want to drive together to the meet location

MORE details on special events and surprises at the meet to come!

What's still in the works by the planning committee (more details to come):

- Details on group discounted admission for events

- Group event and dinner at Andretti Speedlabs on Friday evening for those who would like to attend link to speedlab website

- Group event and lunch at the new (worlds largest) Georgia Aquarium on Sunday, including a video shoot of our caravan in downtown Atlanta. link to aquarium website

W H E R E

Road Atlanta Raceway just outside of Atlanta, GA

Atlanta is a location that most folks in the central-eastern US can get to (as well as other ambitious folks). The Atlanta area was selected for the second annual meet because of the ready-built core group of Lexus enthusiasts within easy driving distance of the ATL area that can make this meet a really big one. Future Lexfest meets will be in different east coast cities each year to allow for changes of scenery and allow different groups of members to attend.

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The www.lexfest.net meet website is up and running and will be constantly updated with new information about the event. We still need to add a bunch of additional content to it including details on the special events planned during the meet from our sponsors / vendors, special deal and location of meet hotels, lists of the raffle prizes, etc.

We ask that people that are likely to attend register now so we can begin to get a count of people coming for food and facilities planning at the car corral. We need as many people that are probable to attend to enroll by end of July. If it turns out you can't make it, just send me a PM or an email to info@lexfest.net and we'll pull you off. Click on the register button below or click here to enter your registration information. Note that you won't show up right away on the 'confirmed attendees' page because there is an approval / review process.

Hotel Reservations

I've set up a link at our official meet hotel so you can register online for rooms as well. Click here to be taken to the meet hotel website to reserve your room. Our block of rooms will be set aside until September 15.

The meet planning team will check back on this thread regularly to answer any questions.

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The planning team still needs help! If you have any:

* Connections or media contacts with magazines or auto enthusiast websites that would want to cover the event

* Suggestions for sponsors / vendors that may be of interest to our group

* Special authority with anyone that could provide us with venues for exceptional photo locations

* Can help promote this event to your local Lexus dealer / organize members in your city to attend

* Suggestions for a Altlanta-area no-fee professional photographer who takes exceptional pictures and resells large prints on the web

* Volunteer videographers (with their own mini-DV cameras) for the caravans and events. Media will be provided.

please PM me asap!

[SKperformance]

I have my hotel rooms booked and am ready , anyone else going for the drive ?

[DaveGS4]

Anyone else signed up from LOC? We have over 100 cars registered.

[SKperformance]

I don't think anyone ventures into the meetings section to answer.

I should have made your sig banner clickable to this post.

[DaveGS4]

OK, folks following are several posts with a detailed update on Lexfest. If you have questions please post them here and I'll try to check in daily to respond. I apologize for the delay with the update, but there are a lot of moving parts in planning this meet and not a lot of people working on it. It's starting to all come together and I'm very excited about seeing many of you this weekend.

I'm sure I am forgetting some of the items we need to include here and will continue to update over the next day... there are more details at www.lexfest.net, but this post has the most current information.

Team Lexus Update

Most of you already know this from other posts in this and other forums, but Lexus and Performance Engineering, Inc. (the former Team Lexus) have all but parted ways. I have been optimistic for several weeks that this issue would be worked out and we would have a car in the race. However, due to recent changes in sponsorship between Lexus and Team Lexus, the IS350 GT2 car will not be racing or showing at this event. I know this is disappointing, but for me (and hopefully everyone else) the main point of the meet is all of us getting together, seeing each other face-to-face, checking out each other's rides and having fun. The Petit Le Mans race is still ON and some of the cars in it are absolutely spectacular, we'll just have to pick SOB (some other brand) of car to pull for. More to follow on the race day in posts below.

Lexus Corporate is still picking up the cost of the car corral at the Petit Le Mans (which is a very significant cost, over $11K - THANK YOU LEXUS) but we don't have sponsorship for food, drinks and tickets as I'd hoped for when this was a funded race event. I have requests out to local dealerships and other potential sponsors that may pull through in the last days to help defray some of the out of pocket, but I'm not hopeful. I'll outline in each day the known costs so there are no surprises for anyone. I am very thankful that we got the major cost of the car corral picked up - that would have been an event-killer.

Judging

I've been in several car shows and very seldom am I pleased with the judges. They invariably know less about Lexus than I do, don't have any idea about any of the mods on my car and don't know what to look for. For that reason, we are doing participant voting for "Best in Show" for Lexfest 2006... YOU will be the judges. We'll also recognize the second place vote winner and have an 'Iron Butt' award given for the longest drive to the meet. You can pick up a registration number for your Lexus if you wish to participate in the show, as well as your ballot when you register at the hotel. We'll bring the registration to the event if you miss the Friday check in. Voting will occur at the race before 2pm (assuming the car corral is configured as it was described - with our cars located near our tent).

Gifts and Raffle items

All registered Lexus owners attending the event will receive a gift bag and shirt courtsey of Lexus-Parts.com (Sewell Lexus).

We have a number of nice raffle prizes this year including:

- a Xenon HID kit (winner's choice of type) courtesy of Xenondepot MSRP $379.99 Genium Philips bulbs and ballasts

- SIX Lexus detailing bucket and kits from Sewell Lexus worth $139 Details here

- an SLI Ipod Interface courtesy of Vais Technoogy

- (The former) Team Lexus has donated their remaining stock of Team Lexus race shirts and rain slickers.

- We'll have some great items from Carson Toyota and Tanabe that are promised as well (TBA)

Friday

After you check into your room at the meet hotel, please stop by the "Maple" conference room we have reserved on the first floor. There you can get sign in, get your raffel ticket assignment and pick up your preprinted name tag, meet agenda and direction sheets to each of the meet locations from the hotel.

We have the Maple conference room from 5 - 11 pm, feel free to hang out there at the hotel and meet others as they come in. Most of the group will probably head over to Andretti Speed Labs for dinner at the attached Fuddruckers, some games and/or indoor cart racing. Our local guides will prepare some alternative food recommendations and/or club locations if you'd rather go off in a smaller group and experience the ATL nightlife.

I expect the groups will start heading over to Andretti's about 7pm or so and will trickle on through the evening. We will have one of our meet organizers lead anyone who wants to head over about that time, so if you want to be in a caravan head down to the meeting room or parking lot at 7pm (it's nearby and we have direction sheets, so don't worry if you miss the group or want to join later). If you want to leave messages for someone to meet you somewhere else, let me know in the registration room and I'll keep a message board until we close down the room at 11.

Some pictures of Andretti's below so you know what to expect when making up your mind about Friday. It's a like a small Dave & Buster's but with an indoor cart track and racing theme with a climbing wall,, linked games, pool tables, air hockey. We'll get a 10% discount for the food at the attached Fuddruckers.

For more information http://www.andrettikarting.com/

Costs:

Food - Standard Fuddruckers fair $7 - $15, the Atlanta SELOC group has a standing 10% discount (ask for the SELOC discount). They do have drinks there, please plan to designated a driver or call a taxi if you get have a few too many. I'll take you back in the AM personally to pick up your car if you need to leave it there overnight.

Cart Racing - Standard cost is $43 for two races and a temporary license. If we get 10 + people, we get 10% off... 16 + people 15% off.... 25+ we get 20% off. There are other packages that includes games, food etc.

Parking is free

Saturday

The big race day! This is the part of the event where we have some missing details I'm awaiting from Road Atlanta (like the exact location of our corral, hospitalty/infield parking sticker clarifications, parking instructions, etc).

We'll caravan over to the racetrack leaving promptly at 9am from the hotel (this is subject to change based on info I get back from Road Atlanta and if it is different will be posted here and announced in materials at registration). Turn-by-turn directions will be available at the registration room Friday night and we'll have several caravan leaders designated.

Guest Guide for the Race:

http://www.roadatlanta.com/2006-GuestGuide.pdf

Map of the Road Atlanta track here and general location of the car corral:

http://www.roadatlanta.com/Petit-Map-nogrid.pdf

Some great pictures of the 2005 Petit Le Mans race here, credit dubspeed driven.

http://www.speedsportlife.com/photopost/sh...ery.php?cat=799

Some examples of what we'll see:

Our corral should have the following:

Private Enclosed Hospitality Area

40 x 60 Tent with sides, tables and chairs for 200 people at a time, registration tables

We'll have two TV’s with Closed Circuit Feed and they'll provide us with 200 Event Programs and 200 Event Posters and infield parking passes.

What we don't have is tickets to the race included, and catering for the event. There are LOTS of food options and vendors all around, so we won't go hungry. I'm told we aren't allowed to bring our own catering in or I'd have stocked up at least for beverages. I am going to ask around to see if we can bring in indivual coolers regardless (no glass is allowed) and suggest you do so.

Saturday night is on your own in small groups. Some are going to just want to sleep, others will go out to clubs and adult entertainment venues and some will go to some of Atlanta's unique eateries or fine dining establishments. Ask around during the day to pick your group.

Estimated Costs:

Tickets - expect $45 - 55 for the race day including pit pass access.

Food - Catering folks suggested a $12 meal voucher (which is what I'm trying to get sponsored still) would cover the meal and drinks.

Parking - listed as $25 with free alternatives but I'm hopeful that is covered in our hospitality suite costs. More to follow.

Sunday

In case you haven't heard of it, the Georgia Aquarium is the newest and largest aquarium in the world. We'll spend some time together on top of the deck downtown and take photos, then go into the Aquarium to check it out.

Details: http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/index.aspx

Map of the aquarium

http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/media/pdf/overviewMap.pdf

More random pics to set your expectations courtesy google image

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&...sa=N&tab=wi

Estimated Costs:

We're working on group admission but need to find out how many will attend. Standard admission is 22.75 , the group discount is $20.50 .

There are many food options once inside http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/exploreTheA...afeAquaria.aspx

Parking is $10 in the aquarium deck. We'll have our own section reserved on the top floor. We hope to have several cameras stationed around and in the deck as our group makes its way through downtown and up the parking deck. Should be an impressive sight and sound.

Those who stay in town Sunday evening (I am) will do small groups again for dinner, etc.

[DaveGS4]

Sunday Aquarium Update

We've re-confirmed our spot on the roof of the downtown parking deck at the aquarium, and the aquarium will block it off for us with cones (which we can move when we arrive).

We also learned the aquarium group rate is NOT available for a weekend 'day of' purchase. They advised us that they often sell out on weekends and to purchase tickets in advance if at all possible.

There are 368 tickets as of earlier today available for the 10:50 - 12:20 arrival time (I just tested and found out it shows up as '11am to noon' when you purchase), and we're suggesting buying tickets individually for that time if you are IN for the aquarium. If you won't decide until Sunday, you'll run some risk of not getting in or having to sign up for a later time in the day.

Hours on Sunday are 9-6 p.m. If you pre-purchase, you only need to print them out at the gate and go in (and this is the only way to be sure and not get sold out). Tickets are $22.75/adult and can be purchased at the link below:

http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/acb/stores/...f1%2fdaily.aspx