Notes from the ACNA/BMW Club Canada Day event at Calabogie (ridiculously long ramble warning)
06-30-2008, 06:55 AM
#1
Notes from the ACNA/BMW Club Canada Day event at Calabogie (ridiculously long ramble warning)
This event was sponsored by the Eastern Canada Chapter with support from the NEQ chapter. BMW lent students and instructors, but the Audi Club basically did the grunt work of running the event. Thanks to Joy and Bill Olders, Alan and Wendy Bellavance, and Henry Wong.
First off, a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who chose to stay home and miss this awesome event. Light participation meant small run groups (12-15 cars on a 3.5 mile track) and tons of track time for those who endured the long drive up. While it is true that we put just over 1000 miles on the Suburban between driving up and back and some local motoring, I also managed to log over 340 miles in the Miata, which literally never left the paddock to go anywhere but the track....and I even skipped my last run session! Yes, folks, that is three hundred and forty miles on one of the very best tracks in North America. <insert smug grin here>
The details:
I drove up from Hartford in the Suburban with Miata on the trailer. While my wife doesn't drive at the events and rarely goes out as a passenger, I invited her along. This might sound funny, but on some events she is not allowed to accompany me, like the Glen and NHIS...er, NHMS (still getting used to that). This is based on two factors: the length of the drive and quality of the hotel I am staying at. Calabogie is 440 mile return trek on a Sunday night after a day of track driving and sun exposure. She decided to ride up with me to help keep my eyes open on the trip back.
Because I could only get one vacation day, I excused myself from work early on Thursday and we managed to get rolling by just past noon which meant we might complete the drive in the daylight. This is a good thing, since the roads near Calabogie are not direct, are fairly twisty, and are not well marked, although they are in very good shape with little traffic. Both our GPS and Google Maps found good routes and kept us on track. We drove west to Syracuse (4 hours), then due north to the border (6 hours total). Two more hours of hustling the Suburban and trailer through the rolling roads brought us to our B & B just as it got dark. Same as last year, we were "treated" to some fantastically powerful thunderstorms with very active lightning as we wound through the backroads of Canada on the way up.
We were the only guests at our 3 room B & B, which was tucked into the woods across from the lake about 10 minutes from the track. My wife, a hotel snob (even the Red Roof at NHMS is a no go for her) seemed OK with the place.
Friday was an instructor and candidate day at the track, so I was up early and I hurried to get to the track by 7 (if you're on time, you're late). Arriving at 7:02, I expected to find a long line at the gate, but was surprised to find only one other person signed in. Doh! I forgot that things move a little slower at Calabogie.
The day itself was muggy and warm, but no rain. A RWD guy, I was happy, as were the BMW guys. (Oddly, my car was the only Miata at the event.) But the Audi guys looked a little disappointed. The day started with a sort of "musical cars" type drill, as folks who had yet to drive the track either rode along with those who remembered vaguely how get around the long track or formed groups to play follow the leader. By mid morning, pretty much everyone was in their own car, and less frequent ride-a-longs were primarily a tool for exchanging ideas on how to attack one or more of the 21 turns. The day itself went well, with lots of on track time and no issues. Lunch was provided, so everyone sat and ate together and swapped stories.
Robyn and I had a quiet, relaxing dinner at The Duck, a German joint overlooking the lake. This is the finest dining in the immediate area, and while the food and service were very good, attire was relaxed (shorts and flip flops were not turned away). There were a few other trackers there, but most ate at Polly's and I heard that they just overwehlmed the joint.
Saturday I was a bit smarter and arrived at about 7:45. The track was wet, and before it could dry out it started to rain. The Audi guys were all smiling. Since the run groups were small I figured that a super slow car would not be too much of a hazard, so I elected to pray for sun rather than change out the bald R-compounds in the pouring rain, and I left the rain tires under the cover of the Easy-up. While this proved to be poor stategy for going fast, it was an excellent opportunity to work on being smooth...not to mention a few chances to try my hand at some "mad driftin skilz, yo." For the curious, since the track is so new and unworn, the wet line is the dry line.
Toward the end of the day, the tables finally turned and my last lesson was run on a predominately dry track. Unfortunately, the day was marred by some sheet metal damage as an M3 found the concrete wall exiting the final turn. Both occupants were unhurt, and the mess was quickly cleaned up.
Saturday night was the banquet at the Calabogie Highlands, which was well attended. We met a few new people and (as usual) ended up staying much longer than we expected.
Late Saturday night brought heavy rains, and resulted in the demise my beloved Easy-up tent. Sunday morning the track was wet, but the skies were clear and things quickly dried out. From an educational standpoint, this was fantastic: one day of wet to learn and practice being smooth followed by a day of better grip to turn the wick up a bit. Fun!
At around 3:00, a heavy storm rolled through. While the Audi Club loves a good rain storm at the track, the corner workers seem to have some sort of adversion to being struck by lightning, and the track was closed for about half an hour. Tired but happy, many people took this opportunity to avoid any "red mist" issues, so they packed up and left. I packed, but couldn't resist going out one more time for a ride-a-long when the track re-opened. Robyn sat in the fully packed Suburban with her arms folded as I enjoyed my final few laps around Calabogie from the passenger's seat. Sorry, sweetie, I just needed one - more - run.
By 4:15 we were rolling out of the rapidly emptying paddock, waving our good-buyes to friends old and new. On the way home I began planning our return next year.
So you people who missed this fine experience and are kicking yourselves, we'll see you there next year. Get it on your calendar now! It's far too good to be missed.
First off, a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who chose to stay home and miss this awesome event. Light participation meant small run groups (12-15 cars on a 3.5 mile track) and tons of track time for those who endured the long drive up. While it is true that we put just over 1000 miles on the Suburban between driving up and back and some local motoring, I also managed to log over 340 miles in the Miata, which literally never left the paddock to go anywhere but the track....and I even skipped my last run session! Yes, folks, that is three hundred and forty miles on one of the very best tracks in North America. <insert smug grin here>
The details:
I drove up from Hartford in the Suburban with Miata on the trailer. While my wife doesn't drive at the events and rarely goes out as a passenger, I invited her along. This might sound funny, but on some events she is not allowed to accompany me, like the Glen and NHIS...er, NHMS (still getting used to that). This is based on two factors: the length of the drive and quality of the hotel I am staying at. Calabogie is 440 mile return trek on a Sunday night after a day of track driving and sun exposure. She decided to ride up with me to help keep my eyes open on the trip back.
Because I could only get one vacation day, I excused myself from work early on Thursday and we managed to get rolling by just past noon which meant we might complete the drive in the daylight. This is a good thing, since the roads near Calabogie are not direct, are fairly twisty, and are not well marked, although they are in very good shape with little traffic. Both our GPS and Google Maps found good routes and kept us on track. We drove west to Syracuse (4 hours), then due north to the border (6 hours total). Two more hours of hustling the Suburban and trailer through the rolling roads brought us to our B & B just as it got dark. Same as last year, we were "treated" to some fantastically powerful thunderstorms with very active lightning as we wound through the backroads of Canada on the way up.
We were the only guests at our 3 room B & B, which was tucked into the woods across from the lake about 10 minutes from the track. My wife, a hotel snob (even the Red Roof at NHMS is a no go for her) seemed OK with the place.
Friday was an instructor and candidate day at the track, so I was up early and I hurried to get to the track by 7 (if you're on time, you're late). Arriving at 7:02, I expected to find a long line at the gate, but was surprised to find only one other person signed in. Doh! I forgot that things move a little slower at Calabogie.
The day itself was muggy and warm, but no rain. A RWD guy, I was happy, as were the BMW guys. (Oddly, my car was the only Miata at the event.) But the Audi guys looked a little disappointed. The day started with a sort of "musical cars" type drill, as folks who had yet to drive the track either rode along with those who remembered vaguely how get around the long track or formed groups to play follow the leader. By mid morning, pretty much everyone was in their own car, and less frequent ride-a-longs were primarily a tool for exchanging ideas on how to attack one or more of the 21 turns. The day itself went well, with lots of on track time and no issues. Lunch was provided, so everyone sat and ate together and swapped stories.
Robyn and I had a quiet, relaxing dinner at The Duck, a German joint overlooking the lake. This is the finest dining in the immediate area, and while the food and service were very good, attire was relaxed (shorts and flip flops were not turned away). There were a few other trackers there, but most ate at Polly's and I heard that they just overwehlmed the joint.
Saturday I was a bit smarter and arrived at about 7:45. The track was wet, and before it could dry out it started to rain. The Audi guys were all smiling. Since the run groups were small I figured that a super slow car would not be too much of a hazard, so I elected to pray for sun rather than change out the bald R-compounds in the pouring rain, and I left the rain tires under the cover of the Easy-up. While this proved to be poor stategy for going fast, it was an excellent opportunity to work on being smooth...not to mention a few chances to try my hand at some "mad driftin skilz, yo." For the curious, since the track is so new and unworn, the wet line is the dry line.
Toward the end of the day, the tables finally turned and my last lesson was run on a predominately dry track. Unfortunately, the day was marred by some sheet metal damage as an M3 found the concrete wall exiting the final turn. Both occupants were unhurt, and the mess was quickly cleaned up.
Saturday night was the banquet at the Calabogie Highlands, which was well attended. We met a few new people and (as usual) ended up staying much longer than we expected.
Late Saturday night brought heavy rains, and resulted in the demise my beloved Easy-up tent. Sunday morning the track was wet, but the skies were clear and things quickly dried out. From an educational standpoint, this was fantastic: one day of wet to learn and practice being smooth followed by a day of better grip to turn the wick up a bit. Fun!
At around 3:00, a heavy storm rolled through. While the Audi Club loves a good rain storm at the track, the corner workers seem to have some sort of adversion to being struck by lightning, and the track was closed for about half an hour. Tired but happy, many people took this opportunity to avoid any "red mist" issues, so they packed up and left. I packed, but couldn't resist going out one more time for a ride-a-long when the track re-opened. Robyn sat in the fully packed Suburban with her arms folded as I enjoyed my final few laps around Calabogie from the passenger's seat. Sorry, sweetie, I just needed one - more - run.
By 4:15 we were rolling out of the rapidly emptying paddock, waving our good-buyes to friends old and new. On the way home I began planning our return next year.
So you people who missed this fine experience and are kicking yourselves, we'll see you there next year. Get it on your calendar now! It's far too good to be missed.
06-30-2008, 07:23 AM
#2
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Almost 100 laps, cool!
Wish I could make it to the Canada tracks, but alas they are too far from Boston for me to suffer the ride there and back in my track toy. Last Thursday I was busy trying to sink it. My dd has been laid up for a few weeks with transmission issues, so my only other form of transportation (other than the wife's car) is the Miata. Torrential rains and bad drainage resulted in water coming over the hood while driving through one particularly deep pond on my commute home. You can bet I thinking about yet another new engine by that point if it were to ingest any water ;^)
Glad you had a good time. Hopefully I'll see you at WG2 in a few months if you can find the non-St. Maartan vacation time.
Glad you had a good time. Hopefully I'll see you at WG2 in a few months if you can find the non-St. Maartan vacation time.
06-30-2008, 07:36 AM
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I was there and I can say that the track was quite challenging with many
blind track in points, blind apexes and a few off camber turns. Not a track that would easily bore anyone. I had a great experience there and I would venture to say that the track is up there with VIR as a track experience. With this track I would say that you can rarely see more than one turn ahead due to the elevation changes. The scenery around the track is really spectacular with lots of lakes and forest. Worthwhile trip for sure!!! Nice meeting you and your wife by the way!
06-30-2008, 07:41 AM
#6
I killed it trying to save it.
I usually leave it up overnight, but drop the legs down for wind. Foolishly, I dropped down the extension for the center post too. This caused the heavy rain to pool in the corners...about 10 gallons in each corner. When I tried to lift the corner to heft the water off, the support collapsed.
I might be able to fix it.
I might be able to fix it.
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06-30-2008, 09:15 AM
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Nope...just Tues/Wed with COM.
I need to get two time trials in this season to keep myself in good standing with Mazdaspeed Motorsports for the OEM parts discount.
BTW: my $90 easy-up imitation from Dick's died a similar death to yours, unfortunately the first time I used it at the Glen. It put some nice scratches on my hood just to rub it in.
BTW: my $90 easy-up imitation from Dick's died a similar death to yours, unfortunately the first time I used it at the Glen. It put some nice scratches on my hood just to rub it in.
06-30-2008, 11:19 AM
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Damn you 2!!!!!!! ;)
sooo wish I could've joined you 2 and really can't wait for Tremblant this fall...
so glad to hear you had an awesome exp. and sounds like this is one event, I'm going to have to make an exception and attend!
is there another one anytime soon?
(sheepish grin) totally bummed the Glen event is cancelled
need some place to try this darn thing out!
hope to see you soon.
David.
so glad to hear you had an awesome exp. and sounds like this is one event, I'm going to have to make an exception and attend!
is there another one anytime soon?
(sheepish grin) totally bummed the Glen event is cancelled
need some place to try this darn thing out!hope to see you soon.
David.
06-30-2008, 11:46 AM
#10
I don't think I could wait until August to do my first event of the year.
You have the patience of a saint.
I'm hoping they reschedule WG-1 to October. That would be just fine with me. Looks like you'll be waiting for WG-2 in August unless you can find another outlet for your energies.
Tremblant will be great too. Robyn is talking about doing some sort of minifamily reunion there at the same time, so it might be a little crazy for me with all the in-laws around.
And yes, next year you need to find the time for the Calabogie event. It's really way too far to drive for any reason...until you get there. You owe it to your car.
I suppose the area is like Tremblant, but with hills rather than mountains and virtually no amenities. It's like vacationing in the Berkshires in the 1970's.
I'm hoping they reschedule WG-1 to October. That would be just fine with me. Looks like you'll be waiting for WG-2 in August unless you can find another outlet for your energies.
Tremblant will be great too. Robyn is talking about doing some sort of minifamily reunion there at the same time, so it might be a little crazy for me with all the in-laws around.
And yes, next year you need to find the time for the Calabogie event. It's really way too far to drive for any reason...until you get there. You owe it to your car.
I suppose the area is like Tremblant, but with hills rather than mountains and virtually no amenities. It's like vacationing in the Berkshires in the 1970's.