The Link 2002-05 - Motorsport Club of Ottawa

Misery at Mosport, April 28, 2002
Speedorama 2002
May 2002
2002 MCO Executive
President and
Ontario Race Organizing Rep.
Ron Woltman
H: (613) 831-8682
W: (819) 997-6988
C: (613)75 863-5360
ronald.woltman@hrdc-drhc.gc.ca
xracer01ca@yahoo.com
Vice-President
Bennett Leckie
W: (613) 822-1765 x124
leckierb@hovey.ca
Directors
Open Wheel
Rick Miskiman
H: (613) 592-0696
rick_miskiman@yahoo.com
Closed Wheel
Steve Greiner
sgreiner@isocad.com
Rally
Craig Hamm
H: (613) 727-3192
W: (613) 596-7107
kchamm@sympatico.ca
Membership
Hotline
(613) 788-0525
Website
www.mco.org
maintained by Rob Microys
Hosted by
Anjura Technology Corporation
General Meetings
Louis's Steakhouse
1682 Cyrville Rd., Ottawa, ON
FirstTuesday of every month
All are welcome
M.C.O.
P.O. Box 65006,
Merivale Postal Outlet
Nepean, ON K2G 5Y3
The LINK is the official publication of
the Motorsport Club of Ottawa. The
opinions expressed in the LINK do not
necessarily reflect those of the LINK
Editorial Staff or the Club's Executive.
Though all efforts are made to ensure
that facts stated in the articles herein
are accurate, the individual
contributors should check the
a c c u r a c y o f t h e i r articles prior to
submission.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS:
18th day of every month.
Patrick Weightman
H: (613) 831-3749
family.weightman@sympatico.ca
Treasurer
Robert Benson
H: (613) 837-2051
ben1544@rogers.com
Secretary
John Powell
H: (613) 835-2910
mgb296@hotmail.com
Solo-II
Karting
Paul Swinwood
W: (613) 237-8551 x133
p.swinwood@shrc.ca
But at least the writers are feeling verbose.
I'm so happy with the submissions this
month; this is the first 24 page Link I've
been priviledged to produce. Keep the
submissions coming, the Link keeps
getting better and better!
As I've mentioned before, I'm hoping to
take leave of this position over the coming
5 months. I'd like more time to devote to
Motorsport in general and to this club in
other capacities in particular.
One area that I would like to devote more
time to is writing, in this case writing
about Motorsport. Moving from the editors
role to a contributor is one way of
distributing my time to make room for
other pursuits such as writing. This month
I was able to take my laptop with me to
each of the four events and found time to
jot down 3 articles this month. I have two
more articles for next month.
I would have liked another 2 days to finish
this month's Link, but alas, I'm running a
bit behind, so the two unfinished articles
on Volunteerism and the successful MCO
Race School will have to appear in the
June 2002 edition.
Til then, keep all four wheels on the
pavement!
Cindy Armstrong
H: (613) 489-2725
cindy.armstrong@sympatico.ca
Club Merchandise Co-ordinator
Solo-I Liasion
link@mco.org
Richard Muise
H: (613) 241-9983
observer@IntelligentSand.com
1
The start of the 2002 season has finally
arrived, although the Ontario weather
seems to be doing a right terrible number
on the racers this year. Yuck! I've been out
to the track four times in April: Spring
Fling, MCO Race School, BMW Driver
Training and the BARC GP. The first and
last had horrible, bleak weather.
Ontario Race Committee Rep
Greg Kierstead
H: (613) 274-3942
W: (613) 765-9167
gregkierstead@rogers.com
Jeff Graves
H: (613) 838-8348
jeffgraves@sprint.ca
May 2002
Editorial Exhaust
Warren Haywood
whaywood@mec.ca
LINK Editor
Cover Photo: Lotus Elan by Richard
Muise, Speedorama pictures by Mark Atos.
Motorsport Club of Ottawa
Founded 1949
Founding Member CASC 1951
Incorporated 1953
May 2002
CASC 2002 Ontario Region Schedule:
Spring Fling Shannonville
BARC
Mosport
BEMC
Mosport
CRDA
Shannonville
MCO
Shannonville
VARAC
Mosport
DAC
Shannonville
BARC
Mosport
CRDA/SCCA Mosport
BEMC
Mosport
CASC/Panoz Mosport
* Spring Fling is now 2 days
April 13/14 *
April 27/28
May 11/12
June 1/2
June 22/23
June 29/30
July 20/21
August 10/11
Aug 31/ Set 1
Sept 14/15
Sept 28/29
Solo-I Schedule
Open House, Cedarbrae Volkswagen
April 7th 1pm to 5pm OMSC
Solo I School, SMP, May 11, TAC
Solo I School, SMP, May 12. TAC
Event #1,
MDDT, May 18, OMSC
Event #2,
MDDT, May 19, OMSC
Event #3,
SMP,
June 15, HADA
Event #4,
SMP,
June 16, HADA
Event #5,
MDDT, July 6,
BAC
Event #6,
MDDT, July 7,
BAC
Event #7,
TMP,
July 27, HADA
Event #8,
TMP,
July 28, HADA
Event #9,
SMP, Aug 10, TAC
Event #10,
SMP, Aug 11, TAC
Event #11,
TMP, Aug 24, BAC
Event #12,
TMP, Aug 25, BAC
Event #13,
SMP, Sept 14, OMSC
Event #14,
SMP, Sept 15, OMSC
Top Gun Shoot Out TBA TBA TBA
Solo Banquet November 2nd.
MCO Karting Series
Please note that this series has been cancelled.
Please see notice on page 18.
MCO Rally Championship Series Schedule:
Mississippi Valley Drivex
- November 16, 2001
Lanark Winter Highands Rally
- night time drive, January 12, 2002
Slush n'Slides - January - March 2002
Mangy Moose
- daytime drivex, April 27, 2002, 200km
Totally Silly Drive (TSD)
- night time learnex, July 13, 2002, 132km
Solo-II schedule
- See bottom left
Golden Pine Rally
- daytime drivex, September 14, 2002, 200km
Lanark Highlands Drivex
- daytime drivex, October 19, 2002
MCO Solo-II Schedule
April 14
Event #1
May 5
Performance Control School
May 26
Event #2
June 2
CADL Invitational Solo II
June 9
Event #3
June 29
St. LAC Invitational Solo II
July 14
Event #4
August 11
Event #5
August 18 Performance Control School
August 25
Event #6
September 8
Event #7
October 6
Event #8
October 13
Event #9
* all events at Jetform Park
2
May 2002
Sorry Sir, But You
Can't Go in There!
by Sam Mandia
I wish I had a dollar for the number of
times I have heard that phrase. Security
guards are of course just doing what they
are told. Right? The amount of security
required at races around the world these
days is simply amazing. It wasnÕt always
like that.
Reflecting back to the 70's. A 3-day pass
at Mosport was the perfect way to get to
see, and talk to just about everyone who
was involved with motor sport in the
world. Friday was a special day, every one
was laid back and things weren't quite so
hectic. Drivers had a practice session in
the morning and second session in the afternoon. You could stand around and listen in on all kinds of conversations with
Ken Tyrell and Jackie Stewart, Colin
Chapman and Emerson Fittipaldi etc . The
taking of photographs was the order of the
day. In 1973 at the Canadian GP, I got to
sit in Arturo Merzario's Ferrari. Heck I
was invited to sit in the car. The Grand
Prix itself had no real bearing on one's access to the drivers and cars. As long you
kept quiet at the right time, stayed out of
the way, and didn't do anything stupid,
you could move about, as freely as you
liked.
Saturday and Sunday were car picture
days. Although, I much preferred to keep
shooting the drivers. In 1973, I took a
head and shoulder shot of all 24 drivers
for the Canadian GP in their cars with little more than a 50mm lens. Some would
even pose for you.
When the Grand Prix moved to Montreal
things changed a little. Security was tighter, and had more 'layers'. My favorite
means of going into areas where I had no
real access was to simply approach the security guard, walk past him until he tried
to stop me and say: "it's OK he's with me
pointing to my brother-in-law as he followed me through the gate. I used this
method on many occasions, and if you
looked like you belonged then you would
get in. Never even slowed down for the
gate. My two favourites are of Clay Regazzoni and AJ Foyt.
Report from the
President's Chair...
It was a bright and sunny spring day three
decades gone by. I was hurtling blithely
along in my bright red MGA, through the
Carleton University Campus, and while an
undergraduate, I was not always keen on
the class part. The road swept right, offcamber and down hill east towards the
Bronson Avenue exit! And wouldn't you
know it, I found myself travelling a tick
too quickly! Only later would I learn this
was a decreasing radius corner, and the
damn roadster seemed to sliding away
from me! The top, was of course, off and
without seatbelts, I knew if the car rolled
over, I would have no trouble getting out
quickly.
Instinctively, I let off the throttle (well, I
was going too fast!) to correct what
seemed a 'loose' condition. Well damn, if
the bloody, little under-powered 1500cc,
four banger, didn't gather itself up with a
somewhat jerky lurch back to centre.
"Hmmm", I muttered. "Am I good?"
Safety Fast - the motto of the Abingdonon-Thames MG Car Company - thank
God.
Fast forward to Shannonville Motorsport
Park 34 years later. Mee bum is tingling
just like that very day, and I have the same
stupid grin on my face. I am piloting a
now very expensive and rare 1959 MGA
Twin Cam vintage racecar round the
"twisties" of the Fabi circuit. The car is
not BMW M3 quick, but it boy-oh-boy, it
goes exactly where you point it; stops incredibly efficiently and the cut-down
windscreen whips my "hair" into a frenzy.
Oh, what a feeling -- and Toyota can buzz
off.
Sorry about that - sometimes memory
blurs direct point making - in any event, a
circular way of coming to the MCO's Racing School (2002) -- the weekend of April
21-22 at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
Did we have fun? A full comple-ment of
enthusiastic students, with automobiles
spanning the generations, from new Bim-
3
mers to the aforementioned MGA Twin
Cam. The Treasurer even says we made
some "dinero"!
I have tried to thank personally everyone
who contributed, attended, assisted, and
volunteered at every opportunity. Allow
me to publicly do so again. But most especially, I want to pat on the back all of
those individuals who quietly go about
their volunteerism; contributing endless
time and resources, even sacrificing family commitments, without fanfare, seeking
no other satisfaction than a job well done.
To all of you - and you know who you
are - THANKS. That's class. Good team
work, all.
Our next big challenge is the Canaska
Cup. Scheduled this year for June 22-23,
again at SMP. Much work has been done:
much more need doing. Please VOLUNTEER. I need trucks. Specifically, pick
up trucks to aid in the rescue and intervention. If an individual is willing to loan
his/her truck, and want to drive it, as well,
I shall endeavour make it so.
Other needs, besides the all-important
VOLUNTEER, are gifts for the workers.
Pins, hats, coupons for service at your
place of business, vouchers, a pace car
(want to show off your latest toy?). Unless, you are qualified as a pace car driver,
we will put someone in the seat. But you
can go with said individual.
Insurance has been for the most part settled. Thus far, it has gone "smoothly".
We have more paperwork to do for our
events - especially Solo II - but it is getting done. Also, more cost, but as I have
repeatedly said, that is the cost of doing
business.
All the time and space for this month enjoy your club more by contributing.
rpw
Workers need for the
MCO Race Weekend,
June 27-28. If you
can volunteer your
time for a wonderful
weekend of speed,
please contact the
MCO executive
May 2002
Speedorama 2002
by Rob Microys
2002 proved to be yet another successful
year on the show car circuit for MCO.
The first Annual Speedorama at Lansdowne Park was a success! Thanks have
to be given to all the people who helped
make the display a success - it seemed to
attract a lot of attention and the cars all
got their pictures taken by many people.
The cars at the booth included my Volkswagen Jetta GT-D racer, Craig Seko's very
attractive Red Porsche 944S2, and Greg
Brady's wild Subaru Performance Rally
Impreza 2.5RS.
Greg B for their great cars. A well deserved special thanks has to go to Jean
MacGillivray for pulling all the display
materials for the booth together - there
was a incredible amount of reading material and photos that was there to catch
people's eyes. Pictures from the show, in
this issue of The Link, and on the website,
are courtesy of Mark Atos' great digital
camera.
The show generated great interest in Rally
- by far and large the most recognizable
sport in the booth this year - even my Jetta
was frequently called a 'Rally Car' or a
thought to be a Mini-Stock 'RoundyRounder'. The number of issues of The
Link, membership forms, and event and
informational flyers handed out over the
weekend should help continue to make
people aware of MCO in a broader sense.
This is one of the only chances where the
club really has a chance to interact with
people outside of our regularly scheduled
events - it
provides a
great opportunity
to
bring
in
new blood.
I'm sure that
we are going to get a
few
new
members to
the club as a
result of the
worker's efforts.
The two nicely painted cars got great
looks, and the rally car had to be cleaned
down hourly from the drool marks - it was
a great crowd pleaser. It was constantly
getting pictures snapped, and people were
always peering in through the windows
and asking how
fast
it
went.
Craig's car with
it's spectacular red
paint was certainly ogled at by
many passer by,
and also photographed regularly.
Although my Jetta
doesn't have a
show car paint
job, a racey 'fast
and the furious look alike' decal
package,
stark
Again,
I
racecar interior,
photo
by
Mark
Atos
thank
evand
certainly
'unique' power plant certainly had many erybody who was at the show to help out.
people looking at it and asking questions. It couldn't have been done without all
Craig's Porsche won Best in Class (Pro- your help.
duction Road Racer), the Jetta was the
Class Runner-up. The Subaru took class The best club display was the National
Capital Corvette Club - which had a great
winning honours in the Rally Car Class.
display of 'vettes, one of each generation,
I'm doing this from memory, so I apolo- all in spectacular shape. It was a very
gize now for any names I miss - you all well done booth. The best of show was a
did a great job and without the help the '70 'cuda - it won just about every 'best of'
display would not have happened. First, category - Paint, Interior, etc. The show
thanks for the members who donated their was run under new management this year,
time to man the booth for the weekend. formerly known as Autorama, and was
Ron W, Mark A, Jim M, Jean M, Craig H, somewhat 'sparse' in comparison to previSam M, Greg K, Jeff G, Ayan G & Jodie ous years. The show just didn't have the
S. Then the workers who helped setup, same intensity, nor number of booths - altear down, polish cars, and hauled in stuff most one quarter of the Aberdeen Pavil-lifor the display and make it all happen! on was empty, and the setup of the Civic
Bennett L (thanks goes to Hovey Indus- Centre, although mostly full, seems sometries for their display booth), Jim M, Jean what hollow. As a whole Speedorama
M (additional thanks to Jim Holtom & 2002 gets mixed reviews from me.
Control Microsystems for his booth display), Mike W (for hauling my car to and ...and for the record, my car has 'plenty' of
fro), Greg B, Steve F, Jay S, Jeff G, Craig horsepower, and its top speed is 'fast
S, and many others - oh how my memory enough' - I can't possibly remember how
fails me... Of course, thanks to Craig S & many times I got asked "how much HP
does it make" and "How fast does it go?"
CASC-OR 2002 Mobil 1
Solo 2 Regional Championship Series
by Wes Tanney
I would like to take this opportunity to inform the Solo community of the CASCOR 2002 Mobil 1 Solo 2 Re-gional
Championship Series.
The new Solo Ontario Solo 2 Web Page is
up and running at; http://www.soloontario.com/solo2. If you couldn't make it to
the Open House, registration can be done
by contacting;
Solo 2 Series Hotline / Registration
Voice: (416) 252-9813 (to 11pm)
Fax: (416) 252-0938 (to 11pm)
E-mail: wendy@racerrobb.com
The series will be taking place in parking
lots across Ontario this year, from London
to Ottawa with a number of stops in between, from the Solo 2 school on May 5th
to the Top Gun Shoot-out on October
12th. There are ten series events tentatively scheduled (with six being scored towards the championship) including events
by clubs that have been hosting events for
years to clubs that will be hosting their
very first Regional Solo 2 events.
The schedule and rules are either available at the Open House or online at the Solo Ontario Solo 2 Web Page. The CASCOR 2002 Mobil 1 Solo 2 Championship
Series Schedule is TENATIVE, so check
back on the web page for updates.
***Please Note:*** The only "Official
Copy" of the 2002 Solo 2 Regulations
will be the printed version available at
CASC-OR Head Office or at the Solo Ontario Open House, April 7th, 2002 at Cedarbrae Volkswagen 1 - 5 pm. There are
no changes planned for the rulebook and
we have put a copy on the website as a
courtesy to all of our competitors. Due to
security reasons, the ONLY official recognized version will be the printed version.
If you have any questions or comments,
direct your inquiries to the appropriate
Solo Committee member.
Solo 2 Series Hotline / Registration
Voice: (416) 252-9813 (to 11pm)
Fax: (416) 252-0938 (to 11pm)
E-mail: wendy@racerrobb.com
4
BMW Precision
Driving School
by Richard Muise
There comes a time when everything
happens in the car at exactly the right
time: driver, vision, transmission, tires and
the go-pedal. You're hooked up. At the
BMW Precision Driver Training school, it
was the last two laps of the autocross
course. I was driving the 333-horsepower
2001 BMW M3 around a generally simple
course consisting of some nice straights
with connected with two chicanes and one
large, one small diameter hair pin. I had
had trouble the first time on the course 7
minutes earlier because I didn't know how
to deal with the slow pull out of the
chicanes caused by the BMW traction
control (DSC) and because I blew the
braking and understeered off the course in
the small diameter hair pin. But the
second attempt was on, I was in the zone.
I timed the throttle a little earlier so that
the engine started getting into the shoulder
of the horsepower curve just when the
wheels started to straighten out. Floor the
throttle letting DSC soak up the excess
power to prevent the wheels from
spinning when the torque peak was
reached. Full power all the way down the
straight into the long sweeping hairpin,
hard on the binders then bring the speed
back up to just below the point where
understeer would start. Keeping it there,
light on the throttle, balancing the grip,
hold it, hold it, now dive to the outside to
get as more room for the second chicane.
Time the DSC onset again and blast past
the start-finish.
That's why I paid $1000 for this one day.
This was the money run.
The day started in the BMW 330i with a
more modest 225hp. We did some simple
warm up exercises concerning braking
and the differences between ABS and nonABS. Most schools go through these types
of exercises, no need to review here, other
than to note that these cars had a switch in
the glovebox to turn off ABS. Next the
group was split in 2 (there were only 12
students with 3 instructors). Half went to
learn some trail braking (but not in the
racing sense) and the other half when to
learn reverse 180 spins.
The spins were fun, but were not like what
I was expecting from doing the same in
computer games. Driving in reverse, one
hand on the steering, twisted around in the
seat to look out the back, drive through a
gate to start the maneuver. Flick the
steering briefly left, then 90 degrees right
to get the heavier front to swing out, then
straighten the steering, select 2nd (easier
then first because it's a simple pull back
5
and to the right, not a U-turn to select 1st),
look up at where you want to go (vision,
vision, vision) and power out of the spin.
Most of us were able to do it a few times,
but one student, Jim, was much more
successful and was about ready to change
his name to Jim Rockford.
After 40 minutes, the groups were
switched. Trail braking in this school was
about learning to control both braking and
turning at the same time (such as having
to avoid an accident on an off-ramp),
which is different from the racing sense of
trail braking which is used to set the car
and maintain the weight over the front tire
contact patch. It required a delicate touch
without ABS, but with ABS, it was a nobrainer. This was the best demonstration
of ABS I have seen yet. I did well here,
something I chalk up to spending a lot of
time at noon-hour in our winter driving
schools.
Lunch was a time to socialize with the
students and instructors (I found out that
the chief instructor, Pierre Savoy is also
the chief instructor at the HRC school).
Strangely, most participants spent the
noon hour bragging to each other about
who had been in the bigger accident. I
stayed out of those types of
discussions/one-up-manship, instead I
spent noon thinking about getting into the
M3.
After lunch we did more accident
avoidance (brake, release, vision, turn). I
did well here too; have I mentioned good
vision before? Using only my peripheral
vision, I was able to pick up the yellow
lights that signaled which way to avoid
during the maneuver and complete the
exercise without looking away from my
goal (the left or right lane).
Then we switched to the controlled
oversteer exercise. The point was to
initiate, then control a power-on oversteer
condition through an entire loop of the
wet skid pad. This was the exercise I was
waiting for, because it's the one I can't
practice in my Civic. I also thought I
might be good at it because it seemed
easy, or at least easy on my computer. But
real-life is a very different place, and I did
horribly. Too much power, too little
steering and the car snapped into a 360
every time. Frustration on my part just
made things worse. Trying a second time
10 minutes later was a bit better, but I still
couldn't get it right, only keeping it going
for 10-20 feet before spinning. At least I
never stalled the car. I had the vision right,
but had no previous experience; perhaps it
will come with more practice. By-the-by,
anyone got a rear-drive car I can borrow?
Around 3:15pm, it was time to switch into
the M3. The level of chitchat and nervous
2002
MarchMay
2001
fidgeting increased as we adjusted the
seating position. Then turn the car on.
Wow. The M3 sounds like an angry
animal. Blip the throttle and the chassis
shakes with power. Keep the foot down,
the engine zips through 6000 on the way
to 7900rpm; now the animal sounds
seriously pissed-off!
We started with a not-so-simple slalom.
The cones were placed randomly from 15
to 22 paces apart. Then as we were
driving through the slalom, the instructor
at the very end would randomly raise his
arm, indicating that we had to skip the
next gate, even if we had already started
the turn-in. The M3 was incredible; even
on street tires it would instantly turn out,
no hesitation, just working at the speed of
thought. Ian, the student with whom I was
sharing the car, was very aggressive,
driving much quicker than myself, but
seemed a bit ragged with the effort of
going as fast as possible. I took my time,
not slow, just a pace that I felt comfortable
with, building up speed on each run. This
exercise was a great way of really hitting
home the vision message. You had to
watch the instructor, not the pylons.
The final exercise was the autocross with
all 12 students. This was a damn lot of
fun, and gave the first opportunity to see
all the other students and how much they
had progressed. The age group was
everywhere from early twenties through to
an Austrian couple who were in their 60's.
Watching the white-haired retired woman
and her husband throw the M3 through the
chicane was an eye-opener.
After two runs (each run was one warmup lap and two timed laps), we retired to
the classroom for presentations. The group
was a little quieter now, having expended
all the accumulated adrenalin in the
autocross.
There was a final presentation for the 3
fastest laps. The third fastest was Jim at
29.67 seconds. I'm just beaming with
pride as I write this; I got the first and
second fastest laps at 28.77 and 29.29! A
jump in the air, fist thrust to the sky, hey,
where's the champagne?
In the end, it was a most incredible day
with great instruction and magnificent
machines.
Note: The BMW Perfection Driver
Training school is the second level of a
three level course. The first level is a more
modest $455 in the BMW 330i. The final
level, planned for 2003 is a two-day
weekend at Mount Tremblant in the M3
and M Coupe. No price has been
announced for Level 3, but it is planned as
a weekend get-away for couples, all
expenses paid.
May 2002
Spring Fling Report
by Richard Muise
Saturday, April 13:
The 2002 season started with a misery of
a weather system (who knew it would only get worse, see page 9 - ed). Pissing-inthe-wind drizzle thrown by a unremitting
wind. But by 9:00AM the pits were open
and ready to start the first hot laps of the
2002 season. I didn't recognize any of the
cars, but I didn't have time to check with
registration before heading out onto the
marshal station.
For those who have not been to Spring
Fling, it's a kind of test-and-tune weekend.
No races, just 25 to 30 minutes of open
lapping alternating between open wheel
and closed wheel.
The open wheel racers were in short supply. There were never more than 4 on the
track at once. In fact, none answered the
first green flag and starting at 9:30AM,
the first hot laps were recorded by the
closed wheel racers. It's hard to find a
good reason to stand, freezing in the rain
while only 1 or 2 formula cars circulate.
Perhaps a dry track on Sunday will help
bring out wings-n-things. (I don't fault
them, I'm sure I'd wait for dry too! In fact
I was wishing the same for myself the entire day.)
Closed wheel sessions also started slowly,
but built to a peak just after lunch when
there was a continuous stream of cars
around the track. A number of drivers
were there for observation, some in their
street cars. The closed wheel entrants
ranged from the 2 or 3 street cars (Talons
and a BMW M5), a few vintage vehicles,
through to a few Porsches 911's, a Corvette and a Firebird. Oh, and a truck Ford F150. A very loud truck. Fast too,
certainly not impeded by any noise reduction devices. Did I mention it was bloody
loud?
By far the most populous were the Ontario
Street Stock - all identical prepped Nissan
Sentras. There were only 5, but they were
out at every opportunity, lapping their
brains out. Judging by the informal racing
from day 1, this is going to be a great series to watch this year. It's exciting, exceptionally close racing. By the final session
at 4:30, only the OSS cars were out, still
pushing up to and beyond their limits.
Even on a test day, these guys and gals are
going for it! More than one pushed beyond the limits, the most spectacular was
a green model that went over the outside
bank of Turn-2 before plunging through
the lake that had formed through the infield. It looked like those off-shore unlimited powerboats from my vantage point in
8; two plumes of water from each front
wheel. But many of the other cars were
testing the limits, sometimes just barely
saving it, especially through Turn-2.
(Note: this series was renamed as I went
to press. It is now known as the Action
Front Street Stock Challenge (AFSSC) ed).
Sunday, April 14:
The weather forecast was a bit better - no
rain, no wind, but the temperature barely
got above 10 before dipping back down to
single digits in the afternoon. At least the
track was dry and so were the marshals.
There were two marshals-in-training joining us from the CRDA marshal school this
weekend.
As with Saturday, the sessions were 30
minutes each for closed wheel and open
wheel before repeating. So each day, the
drivers would get about 3 hours on track.
Red flags would repeatedly halt the sessions, which may sound odd, but with no
actual racing going on, the course would
shut down for any car stalled on the circuit. As soon as the car was cleared, the
pit exit would open again and the pack
would stream back out.
Most of the cars were looking well sorted
by the afternoon, or at least the cars that
were still running. There were still a few
cars that were having difficulties in the
morning. One example was the ex-Len
Clue Nissan 240SX, which spun a few
times, deflated a tire, got completely stuck
in the mud and finally was black-flagged
for a loose front wheel.
The formula cars were still sparse, reaching up to 7 cars on track during the early
afternoon before finishing the last session
with only 2 cars. One Formula-2000 had
quite a moment after the apex at the troublesome Turn-2. I didn't see how it started; perhaps he overcorrected when the
back-end got loose through the apex.
When I saw him, he was already flying
over the edge of the track and just missing
the swamp that claimed the OSS car on
Saturday. Mario (I didn't catch his last
name) kept it going, but only seemed to
get in deeper, finally coming to a stop in 2
inches of mud. The scary part was that he
had hit a rock that tore back the underside
of the nose, stopping just before the drivers' feet.
At one point in the morning, the closed
wheel session was red-flagged after 3
spins on different parts of the circuit on
the same lap. One of the vintage cars, an
MG, had put down a 1-foot wide streak of
oil around 75% of the Pro-track. We
couldn't put down concrete dust on the
still damp pavement, it would have turned
to, well, concrete. So all the drivers were
instructed in the pits about the oil and the
marshals displayed the debris flag at the
beginning of each session for the rest of
the day to remind the drivers.
By mid-afternoon, the closed wheel cars
back to where they started, that is to say
somewhere just past the limits of adhesion. But attrition and common sense
brought most of them back into quiescence. The last 60 minutes had no flag
calls at all, just a few blues as the two
Canada-GT cars lapped through the OSS
pack. The OSSes had traded some bumper
paint in the morning session but settled
down in the afternoon. Spring Fling is informal enough that even a novice like myself could throw the blue flag and I was in
Turn-8 without a corner captain. It was a
great learning weekend in that respect.
The day ended at 5pm, just 10 minutes before the rain started again. Bloody rain.
MCO General Meetings - 8PM, First Tuesday of every month
Executive Meetings - 6:30PM, Third Tuesday of every month
LOUIS' STEAKHOUSE
1682 Cyrville Road
(613) 741-2130
From the 417, take the Innes Road exit (by 417 Nissan and Costco)
all are welcome!
6
MINUTES OF MEETING
M.C.O. Executive
Committee
April 16th, 2002
Louis's Steak House, Ottawa, Ont.
PRESENT:
Executive: Ron Woltman, President; Bennett Leckie, Vice-President; Bob Benson, Treasurer; Rob Microys, Website
Editor; Rick Miskiman, Open Wheel;
Steve Greiner, Closed Wheel; Craig
Hamm, Rally; Jeff Graves, Solo I; Greg
Kierstead, Solo II; Richard Muise Link
Editor; John Powell, Secretary.
Members / Guests: Nick Berry, FRS Radios; Jean MacGillivray, Promotional
Display Material; Bob Armstrong, Racing School.
ABSENT WITH EXCUSES:
Executive: Paul Swinwood, Karting; Pat
Weightman, Membership; Warren Haywood, Club Merchandise Co-ordinator.
NOTE The position of Public Relations
Director is still vacant.
The President opened the meeting at 6:15
p.m., and the following business was discussed:
Racing School:
Ron Woltman opened the discussion on
this topic, and the following points were
raised:
- The St. John's Ambulance and BBQ and
lunch arrangements have been finalised.
Preferred roommates at the hotel will be
arranged as requested.
- Shannonville has no line marker, and a
classroom has been reserved for Friday
evening.
- Bob Armstrong noted that 2 students
have not yet paid in full, but 4 on the reserve list are fully paid. Bob 'Fearless'
Benson advised that these 4 represented
pure profit. Bob Armstrong then said
we could take 34 students, or if the two
not paid up drop out, then 32. Later in
the discussion, Bob Benson said that the
present projection was for a $1600 profit.
- Other items in the discussion concerned
the pick-up of pylons, drinks, etc., the
certificates need to be printed, we will
need 20 radios, and that Paul Swinwood
would not be available for personal reasons.
FRS Radios:
Nick advised the executive that we now
own 12 FRS radios with chargers, but extras would be needed for the Drivers'
School.
President's Phone Update:
Ron Woltman advised those present that
7
he can now be contacted by mobile phone
at 613-863-5360.
Membership:
Rob Microys reported for Pat Weightman
as follows:
- The membership issues raised by Pat are
under control, but the issue of a service
charge for late or rush renewals should
be discussed, as well as a uniform renewal date which he suggests should be
Dec. 31st .
- Ron Woltman asked that these items be
discussed at a future executive meeting,
and Bennett Leckie noted that the present system tends to retain more members.
- Ron then stated that he would like to see
a discussion paper sent out on the various points, which also include social
memberships and a software upgrade
(which Steve Greiner is investigating),
for the next meeting.
- Rob closed this topic by requesting a
new printer for the Membership Dept.,
which was approved, and stating that the
present membership stands at 216.
Insurance:
Ron Woltman gave a brief run-down of
the present insurance status. We are now
fully insured for all events and the event
forms are available for event organizers to
use.
Solo II:
Greg Kierstead briefed those present an
the following:
- We need an equipment storage room, to
which a member suggested that we approach JetForm Park. We also need a
12 amp charger for the timing system.
- In a discussion on entry fees, Greg noted
that they are now set at $25 for members
and $30 for others, but that he would
like to see a greater difference. There
was also a proposal to allow for a full
season rate. Ron Woltman asked for a
proposal on the matter. Craig Hamm
closed the discussion by noting that Rally entry forms show the entry fees and
then a separate $10 insurance levy.
OJOA Solo II Event:
There was a brief discussion on this topic
including our organising fee, insurance issues, and free runs for MCO workers at
the event.
Karting:
Ron Woltman reported for Paul Swinwood on the Karting situation as follows:
- Amongst the issues were the insurance
problems for the track at Quyon, unresolved event date conflicts with NCKC,
and the uncertain financial exposure of
$8,000 to $12,000 for the Club's series
as NCKC has now been granted ASNFIA affiliation. Accordingly, Paul's recommendation is to cancel our series.
- Ron then acknowledged Paul's tireless
May 2002
efforts on behalf of the Club in the field
of Karting. He also noted that, while
Shannonville relies on race organisers to
bring in their own insurance, Paul has
wisely decided not to risk the interests
of his family or the Club by depending
on such a measure at this time. There
may be a possibility in the future for
members' Karting open practice at his
track if it is found that bringing in the
Club's insurance is an acceptable risk.
The Link:
Richard Muise reported that we still need
a replacement for him as editor.
Lifetime Memberships:
Discussion of criteria for Lifetime Memberships was postponed to the next executive committee. On a related matter, Ron
Woltman suggested that we begin the
process of nominating the late Ted Powell
for membership in the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Special Events/Promotions:
Jean MacGillivray gave a summary account of disbursements for the $140 advance for the Club's promotional display
for Speedorama, and requested information on how they should be reported. She
then indicated hat she would be willing to
assemble small displays throughout the
year provided sufficient advance notification was given.
Spring Fling:
There were 44 teams present, and it was
cold and rainy.
Treasurer:
Bob Benson reported that we currently
have $19,899 in disposable funds available.
Speedorama:
Rob Microys gave a brief wrap-up on this
year's Speedorama. Our booth elicited
lots of spectator interest, especially the
rally cars.
Solo I:
Jeff Graves reported that the open house
for season registrations was well-run.
Rally:
Craig Hamm gave a brief up-date on the
Mangy Moose rally, and reported that we
are now expecting 20 or more teams. He
also informed the meeting that Ryan Huber will probably be moving to Toronto,
but will finish the organising duties on the
next rally (the Totally Silly Drive).
The meeting was adjourned approximately 7:15 p.m. in order to allow time for the
following Racing School Instructors' and
Workers' meeting.
Prepared by John Powell, Secretary,
MCO, April 24th 2002.
May 2002
MINUTES OF MEETING
M.C.O. General Meeting
April 2nd 2002
Louis's Steak House, Ottawa, Ont.
Prepared by John Powell, MCO Secretary
PRESENT:
Executive: Ron Woltman, President; Bennett Leckie, Vice-President: Bob Benson, Treasurer; Rob Microys, Website
Administrator; Steve Greiner, Closed
Wheel; Rick Miskiman, Open Wheel;
Craig Hamm, Rally; Jeff Graves, Solo I;
Greg Kierstead, Solo II; Richard Muise
Link Editor; Warren Haywood, Club
Merchandise Co-ordinator; John Powell,
Secretary.
Members: Sufficient members were present for a quorum.
Guests: Colin Parr, NCKC, Karting; Peter
Thomas, Media Inc., TV pilot.
ABSENT WITH EXCUSES:
Executive: Paul Swinwood, Karting; Pat
Weightman, Membership.
NOTE: The position of Public Relations
Director is vacant.
The Club was forced to hold the monthly
meeting in the general restaurant area as
our regular room was again being used for
a training seminar. The President opened
the meeting at approximately 8:00 p.m.,
and the following business was conducted:
General:
- Ron Woltman first apologised for the
room we were using, and asked members to keep conversations to a minimum as the poor acoustics make it hard
to hear speakers.
- He next gave a brief up-date on the ASN
insurance situation, including the Presidents' meeting on the topic, and advised
that the matter would be dealt with in
more depth later in the meeting.
Ron then welcomed the guests present,
which included Colin Parr of NCKC, and
Peter Thomas of Media Inc.
Racing School:
Richard Muise reported that we now have
28 deposits or full payments, leaving 2
positions open. Any questions regarding
the school are to be directed to Richard.
2002 Tech. Inspections:
Bennett Leckie reported that 6 cars were
processed, all from MCO, and there were
no problems. He also reported that Craig
Seko and Pat Weightman conducted pretech. inspections for Solo II.
Membership Issues:
Bennett also reported that he had talked to
Pat Weightman about problems he was
having in such areas as workload, late
calls and last-minute requests for renewals. Ron Woltman reminded members
present that Pat runs a business and has a
family, and that they should ensure that
there should be no last minute panic requests. He also stated that the Karting
membership package has more forms,
would involve more work and take more
processing time, and Pat will need some
help in this area.
Executive Committee:
- Ron Woltman advised that no replacement for Basil Chiu as Public Relations
Director has yet been found. Anyone interested is invited to contact the Executive.
- Ron next introduced Warren Haywood,
who has volunteered to fill the new post
of Club Merchandise Co-ordinator.
Warren then gave a brief explanation of
his role as contact point for the purchase, storage and sale of club merchandise.
Speedorama:
Rob Microys gave a brief description of
the present state of preparation of the
ClubÕs display for the April 12th to 14th
event, and asked for volunteers to help
with set-up the preceding Thursday and to
work the booth.
Solo II:
Greg Kierstead reported the following:
- Registration is now open for the first
Performance Control School on May
5th, and there is room for 20 students. In
response to a question regarding costs,
he stated that it would be $75.00 for
members and $100.00 for non-members.
- The first Club Solo II event is scheduled
for April 14th and we need organizers
and workers for the series.
The schedule for the Club series will be
posted on the web-site.
Race:
- Steve Greiner reminded members of the
CASC Spring Fling test days at Shannonville, and advised that a Race licence is not required. John Powell noted that he had received conflicting information from Bob Varey at CASC, and
Ron Woltman asked for the details in order to verify the licence requirements.
- Steve then gave a brief report on the Ted
Powell Memorial, stating that there was
an archival display of Ted's achievements going back to Brooklands prior to
World War II.
ASN Insurance Problems:
Ron Woltman gave the meeting a brief
history of the present ASN Insurance situation, as follows:
- Although it was recognised that the
events in the U.S. of Sept. 11th would
have some effect on insurance, there was
no early indications from K&K Insurance as to what they would be.
- Early in 2002, K&K did indicate there
were some problems, but promised a
policy would be forthcoming. The situation dragged on, however, with no resolution.
- ASN recognised early in the process that
all was not well, and made other inquiries in the meantime.
- When by mid-March K&K did eventually fail to come through, negotiations
were well underway between ASN and
another underwriter, with just the final
details to work out.
- At a meeting with ASN, CASC-OR and
the club Presidents on March 20th, all
the basic issues were resolved regarding
the new policy, except for some administrative provisions.
- ASN will act as broker for member organisations, and will handle all their motorsports-related insurance. Premium
increases will probably be in the order
of 50% to 60%, and the final package
was promised for the Easter Weekend.
(Note: The actual receipt by e-mail was
April 5th 2002.)
- On a question regarding the ineligibility
for coverage of non-member participants
and workers, Ron replied that he had
spoken to Paul Cooke, who said that this
would not be the case in most instances,
but membership in a club would probably be a good liability measure. Ron
then stated that members would be kept
informed regarding insurance matters
through the Club's web-site.
- Jean Blouin asked if there would be another increase in Race entry fees due to
the increase in insurance premiums.
Ron replied that this is unknown at present, but some consideration to an expected premium increase was given
when the 2002 entry fees were established. He then stated that MCO could offset some of the increased costs by giving
extra crew passes at Shannonville, and
we are actively considering it.
At 8:55 the President called for a brief
break, and the meeting resumed at 9:10.
Solo I:
Jeff Graves advised that if any members
wanted their registration forms to be delivered to Cedarbrae VW, they should be
given to him, and the first event will be at
the Mosport DDT on May 18th and 19th.
(continued on next page...)
8
May 2002
Karting:
In the absence of Paul Swinwood, Ron
Woltman reported that information on
Karting licences and medicals will be
available on the Club's web-site. He then
invited Colin Parr of NCKC to address the
meeting, a summary of which is:
- NCKC has been in operation for 20
years, and they are currently running
Honda engines which give a top speed
of 85kph or more. They are also looking at a class with Rotax engines, and
have recently signed with CHEZ 106 as
a sponsor. They are currently running at
3 tracks, one of which is in up-state New
York
- NCKC is looking for a Race Director
and workers with experience, with the
Race Director's position possibly being
paid a per-race fee.
- Their next race is a charity event for
Cystic Fibrosis sponsored by Spacebridge, and they have league racing at
Top Karting.
- They are now in the process of joining
ASN-FIA, and are also affected by the
insurance situation.
- Information can be obtained at their
web-site, http://www.nckc.net.
TV Car Show Pilot:
Ron Woltman next invited Peter Thomas
of Media Inc.(?) To address the meeting.
Mr. Thomas explained that his company
was looking for test drivers for a proposed
TV show dealing with performance cars.
As the show will be aimed at viewers in
the 20 to 35 year age group, they would
like drivers of similar age, who are knowledgeable, good test drivers, and who can
articulate their findings regarding the vehicle that they are reviewing. Interested
parties can contact Mr. Thomas through
the Executive, if they wish.
Capital City Speedway:
The President then advised members that
the sale of Capital City Speedway has yet
to be finalised. Representatives of the
prospective buyers have been invited to
address the Club, but we have yet to hear
from them. We have been advised to exercise discretion when dealing with them.
Rally:
Craig Hamm reported the following:
- RSO posters and Rally flyers are available.
- The Club's next rally, the Mangy Moose,
will start in Navan. Several members,
almost in unison, advised Mr Hamm on
the correct pronunciation of Navan.
- Craig next outlined some highlights of
his Rally column in the Link, including
the Club's display, the Doug Mepham
presentation and his appreciation for Jim
Holtom's projector, Jim Morrow and
Jean MacGillivray's report on the RSO
meeting, including MCO's good reputation, and the next MCORG meeting
date.
- He then welcomed new member Clayton
Jenkins, who played a large part in the
9
use of HAM radios in the Lanark Highlands rally.
- Craig closed with a briefing of the news
to date on the Targa Newfoundland.
Treasurer:
Bob Benson advised members that:
- Since Nov. 1st 2001, outflow has been
$47,200.00 and inflow $26,300.00.
- The current bank balance is $29,000.00,
but there are outstanding Accounts Payable of $14,000.00, making a net balance of $15,00.00.
- The Winter Driving Schools showed a
net profit of $5,368.00.
- The 50th Anniversary Book Reserve
stands at $5,500.00.
- Richard Muise noted that these figures
did not include Racing School tuition
and deposit receipts of $10,000.00.
Affiliation Dues:
Ron Woltman gave a brief outline of how
MCO apportions dues to RSO and CASCOR. Apparently the latter has concerns
that our formula is costing them a loss of
revenue. We currently have an agreement
by which we divide our members' dues
equally between the two regional bodies,
which we think is fair and efficient for all
concerned. We also make a flat fee payment to OKRA for Karting members.
Ron has mentioned to CASC that it might
be a good idea for all clubs to use such a
method.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:50 p.m. on a motion by Jean
Blouin, seconded by Dave Butler.
BARC GP Report
by Richard Muise
A week ago, it would have been inconceivable to me that I would get sunburn
on Saturday and had to help dig out from
a snow storm on Sunday, but it happened
at Mosport this past weekend (April 2628). A snow cancellation is unprecedented
in Mosport history from what I gather.
Friday was the test day, and a number of
new and returning faces were out to give a
final check of the cars before the racing
began. Steve Greiner had his Beretta out,
but due to some niggling issues, didn't
stay for the qualifying on Saturday. Rob
Microys was out with Mike White in his
new (ex-Fearn) Jetta. Rob was able to
work up to speed quickly, up to 1:54 on
this circuit. Neither he nor Mike had driven at Mosport before and were showing
some amazing speed a good sign!
On Saturday, the clouds cleared, but it
was still chilly. Good horsepower weather.
Rob Microys and new MCO member Micheal Mori were out for their first qualifying, Mike White joining Rob in the Jetta.
Rob was having a blast and had a grin ear-
to-ear most of the day, punctuated by
some deeper conversations about tire
temps and fuel pressure. He qualified 3rd
in his first sprints race, and finished 3rd.
However, being expectedly quick, he
broke out of GT.D with a 1:45.58. It's a
quick Jetta that will only get quicker.
During Rob's only race, the sprints on Saturday, he diced with Michael finally loosing a place on the front straight. Michael
had taken the HRC course with Rob, but
also came out for the MCO school as well.
Jim Harrison was the only MCO member
out for the Canada GT qualifying, placing
his Porsche 911 in position two next to
Klaus Bytzek on the front row.
The new series was the Ontario Street
Stock (OSS) series. This is a spec series,
all cars identical prepared Nissan Sentras.
There were somewhere between 11 and
16 cars so far, with a maximum of 20 allowed for the series. The Nissans are also
street legal, a remembrance of 'race-whatya-brought' of yesteryear. This looks like
it's going to be a really fun series to
watch; a good portion of the paddock
turned out to watch the first (4-wheel)
standing start on the main Mosport circuit
in a long time. Last year the 3 OSS cars
were very close, literally bumper touching
bumper all the way down the back straight
and into the brake zone in 8. An off-duty
marshal watching the start with me suggested a prudent business case would be
to start stocking lots of extra Sentra bumpers, selling at a healthy profit. It's before
my time, but this is very similar in concept to the Honda Civic series of the late80's(?). (Note: this series was renamed as
I went to press. It is now known as the
Action Front Street Stock Challenge
(AFSSC) - ed).
Sunday was biblical. Well, ok, it wasn't
that bad, but well outside of the boundaries for safe racing, until we get a Canadian WRC event.
Most teams were leaving as I drove to the
track, the snow on the ground getting
deeper and deeper as I drove north. There
were already an inch of snow down when
I got there at 8:50AM. The karters on the
Mosport DDT where leaving en-mass. I
can't imagine driving a kart in an inch of
wet snow when there's only half inch of
clearance. Aqua-planing? More like snowplaning!
At 9:05AM, Bill Lobban called a drivers/marshals meeting to announce what
everyone already knew, the race was being cancelled. Unfortunately there could
be no refunds for drivers.
This weekend does not bode well for the
rest of the season. Drivers and the race organizers, BARC, lost a considerable
amount of money on the weekend.
May 2002
Competition Tires
2607 Diab, St-Laurent (Québec) H4S 1E7 • Tel.: (514) 337-0833 • F AX: (514) 337-8857
• 30 years of providing quality tire products and services.
• Sponsor of the Rennsport Region Porsche Club.
• Sponsor of Solo l and ll Racing, C.A.D.L., L.A.P.S., M.C.O.
• Sponsor of F.A.Q. Ice Racing.
• Sponsor of the BMW Car Club of Quebec.
• Accredited by the Automobile Protection Association (A.P.A.).
•
•
•
NEW*
• V700 (R-compound)
• V70A (R-compound) *
• ECST A 712 *
• AUTOCROSS (DOT)
• ROAD RACING (DOT)
• RACING SLICKS
• T1-S
• RA1 (R-compound)
• A VS-S1 / AVS SPORT
• A032R (R-compound)
ALSO AVAILABLE
AVON
T YRES
MAGS
• AMG
• BBS
• BORBET
• BREYTON
• FIKSE
• FITTIPALDI
• FORGELINE
• KINESIS
• KOSEI
• MILLE MIGLIA
• MODA
• MSW
• O-Z
• RONAL
• SVT
10
May 2002
Miscellaneous
Rumblings II
by John Powell
1. Another 'For Dummies'
I need someone to write a book. It should
be called 'Modern Racing and High Performance "Tires for Dummies Who've
On-ly Needed to Shop at Canadian Tire
for the Last Thirty Years Because They
Couldn't Afford a Race Car". A longish
title I agree, but we're aiming for a specialised market here, namely me.
This book would contain a description of
the improvements in tire technology since,
oh, about the time when the Beatles first
burst on the scene, and a comparative listing of high performance and racing tires.
The author would concentrate on such
areas as price, durability, grip, and behaviour at, and indications of nearing, the
limit of adhesion. It should also be reasonably priced and written in layman's
terms. And I'm dreaming, aren't I?
2. Back in the Saddle - Episode VII - The
Dark Side At Bay
Well, as we saw last month, the Dark Side
got to us at the Shannonville lapping evening and the first September Test Day at
Mosport. Back in the shop I started to resolve some of the problems that cropped
up, first and foremost of which was the
right rear lower trailing arm. Thanks to
Bob Armstrong, I found someone who
machined new spacers for the Heim joints.
You know, the ones that were scattered all
over the Mosport landscape when the nut
on the mounting bolt came off and it dropped out. By the way, when I checked the
other side, I found that nut was loose too,
so I checked all the rear suspension bolts
and discovered that none of them had
lockwashers. Well, all those bolts for
which Valley Hardware had the sizes in
stock now have lockwashers and locknuts.
They had nothing to fit the Watt's linkage
- are they really our only supplier of metric fasteners? Also, during this exercise I
discovered that, as of 1983, Mazda still
had a lot to learn from Volvo about service accessibility. They specified torque
settings for the nuts, but you can't get a
torque wrench on some of them, or even a
plain old ratchet, for that matter. I had to
torque those from the bolt heads and hope
it was close, which was not really the desirable solution. Anyway, jobs done, it
was off to Mosport for the last Test Day
of 2001.
I arrived Thursday afternoon, un-loaded
and set up, and then went to Orono to
check in at my (cheap) motel. I won't
11
mention the name, but after the one at Napanee and the other at Orono the previous
Test Day, I'm developing a generic name
for these low-budget accommodations "Bates' Motels"!
(Clue: Tony Perkins/Alfred Hitchcock.)
The Friday
morning was cold and the track wet, so I
took my time and waited for the second
session. I was really lucky and found
someone to play with. Tom Hnatiw (one
of The Car Guys) was set up next to me,
and I went over and chatted for awhile. It
turned out that his partner, Debbie Scott,
was going out to test their ex-works Hyundai Tiburon, and she offered to lead me
around for a few laps. This worked out
quite well, as it helped me make some
progress in unlearning my reference
points of 32 years ago, most of which
were now gone or radically altered. So
my thanks go out to Debbie for helping
me get back on the right foot.
In the following sessions I started to feel
more comfortable, so I upped my rev limit
to 7000 then 8000 (the car will do 9500+).
The car felt stable, and was easy to catch yes I had a couple of bobbles - but it still
felt a bit loose in the fast corners. Paul
Taylor had told me the car was pretty well
neutral, so I think I still had the tire pressures wrong. As my goal was learning,
not lap times, I made allowances and soldiered on. In the last of the sessions, I
picked up Debbie again, but this time we
had no arrangement so she was going
quicker. I decided to follow her and see if
I could stay close and pick up anything
new. I found I was a bit quicker in 1, 2, 4,
and 8 to 10, but with my 8000 rev limit
the Tiburon walked away from me on the
back straight, so she couldn't lose me and
I couldn't pass her. Talking after the session, I found that she had been doing
1:50s, so I must have been doing roughly
the same. That wasn't great, but given all
that had transpired up to this weekend, I
was reasonably satisfied. So, I decided to
go up to 9500 revs the next session and
see what happened. And yes, I forgot to
adjust the tire pressures!
There was no next session! I was starting
to have fun and was so pleased with the
day's progress that I had lost track of
where we were on the schedule. My first
hint, as I was wandering the paddock
while the formula cars were out, was
when I noticed that Tom was closing up
for the day. I finally checked my watch
and realised that it was past 4:30, and that
was it. A real disappointment, as I was
ready to go out and play again.
Oh yes, there were a couple of problems what else? The brake light connector
came off the pedal switch, but as there
were no meatball flags, no scrutineers,
etc., it wasn't a big problem. Except
maybe for those behind me who thought I
wasn't braking for 5b. The other problem
was a guy in a Porsche something or other
who tried to pass me on the outside going
into 3, and we almost touched. Why do
some these glorified VW drivers think
that they can barge in whenever they like?
Even though I was the slower car, I had
the line, I was not shown a blue flag, and
he's the one who's supposed to ensure that
he can pass safely. And he was the only
faster car to try something like that on me
all day. Some things don't change - there
were Porsche drivers like him 32 years
ago! O.K., end of rant, end of story. It
was back home to the shop, prepare the
car for winter storage, and get to work on
some of those neglected chores around the
farmstead. And, think of next year, the
start of which will be dealt with next
month.
3. Speed Kills? - Part I
According to a recent post on the Club
Forum ("We can only hope..." General
Car Talk, Apr. 4th '02), a traffic engineer
has proposed that the speed limit on 400
series highways be raised to 130 kph.
This has, of course raised immediate protests from the O.P.P., soon to be followed,
no doubt, by howls of indignation from
the insurance industry.
I have always maintained that speed limits
are an artificial barrier based not on logic,
but cultural perceptions, especially in the
police and insurance communities. The
police seem to believe that only they can
handle a vehicle at speeds in excess of
100 kph, and the insurance industry, at
least in Canada, betrays its dour Presbyterian roots in the belief that anything enjoyable must be sinful. For the rest of us,
I am sure that they both think that we are
only safe drivers when proceeding at 4.5
mph, with someone walking in front of
the vehicle and carrying a red flag, as was
the situation 100 or more years ago. The
truth, at least as I have observed over 44
years of driving, is that the average municipal police officer is only a slightly
more skilled driver than the average motorist, which means not overly competent. I
will admit, though, that members of the
O.P.P. are somewhat better, about on a par
with a novice enthusiast driver. The insurance industry, for their part, believe
that our sins must be punished, in this
world if not in the next, by means of
crushingly high insurance premiums for
"speeders".
One of the common perceptual problems
regarding velocity concerns the conversion from Imperial to Metric measure. I
suspect that to most people, numbers in
excess of 100 carry a much greater connotation of quantity or velocity. Or price.
May 2002
Witness all the items placed "on sale" for
$99.99. Thus, 70 or 80 mph may seem
moderately fast, but 100 mph is excessive.
In metric, we have come to accept 100
kph as fast but legal, but 130 kph is, again
excessive, even though it converts to only
about 81 mph. I would hazard a guess
that if you asked the man on the street to
tell you, without thinking or calculating,
which of the two speeds are the greater,
the answer in most instances would be
130 kph. The truth of the matter, at least
at the earthly speeds we are considering,
is that the velocity of an object does not
cause crashes, all things being equal. And
there's the nub of the matter. If the rate of
speed caused crashes, planes would be
falling from the sky without the help of
terrorists, the space shuttle would not get
off the ground, and mankind would never
have gotten to the moon! Velocity only
becomes a negative factor when some other factor goes wrong, but in such cases it
certainly will compound the results. As
we can not realistically stop people from
driving, the logical course would be to
minimize failures in such other factors,
the "front-end", as it were. These can
generally be divided into three categories:
transportation infrastructure, vehicle design and maintenance, and operator training, licencing and performance.
Infrastructure basically means roads and
traffic control systems. To be sure there is
room here for improvement, witness the
design of some of the interchanges on our
own Queensway, but the basic system is
sound. Modern multi-lane freeways, motorways, autoroutes and autobahns are the
safest roads ever developed on the basis of
crashes per vehicle/mile travelled, and in
some countries they have no speed limit
outside urban areas. In the back of my
mind is the memory of an article I read
years ago that highway 401 was originally
designed for sustained speeds of 80+
mph.. And parts of it were opened in the
1950s!. By the same token, vehicles today are safer than ever, and more maintenence-free. Oh there are some problems
and occasional defects, but generally they
handle better, brake quicker, are more responsive, and have better safety measures
and crash-worthiness. This includes,
thanks to modern tire technology and suspension design, front wheel drive vehicles. We are thus left with the most difficult, but most logical area to tackle, the
vehicle operator.
I say difficult mainly because addressing
the principal factor, that of operator competence, requires some political will.
Would you, as a provincial Minister of
Transport, have the courage to tell the
average motorist and voter that he or she
is incompetent behind the wheel of a motor car? We, as motoring enthusiasts who
are interested in improving our own driving skills, know that at least 60% of today's drivers operate on the level of what's
known in staff training circles as
"unconscious incompetence". That is,
they don't know what they're doing behind the wheel of a car, and are not aware
of that fact. There are four stages in this
model: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence, and
the following are examples using driver
performance levels involving an encounter with black ice on a curve:
the front end, but those that are well designed, implemented, and consistently and
continually applied, have been shown to
more than repay their costs. And designing such programs, though sometimes
time consuming, is a simple, logical process - it's not rocket science, even though
the technical subject matter may well be.
In a future column I'll outline my thoughts
on how these processes could be used to
improve the current unsatisfactory performance of the average driver.
- Unconscious incompetence - the driver
encounters the ice, starts to skid without
realising it, wouldn't know what to do if
he did, and slides off into the boonies.
- Conscious incompetence - the driver encounters the ice, starts to skid, realises he's
in trouble and that he doesn't know what
to do, and slides off into the boonies.
- Conscious competence - the driver encounters the ice, starts to skid and realises
it, thinks about his alternatives and applies
the appropriate control inputs, and narrowly avoids sliding off into the boonies.
- Unconscious competence - the driver encounters the ice, senses that his vehicle is
on the point of skidding, applies the appropriate control inputs, all without conscious thought, and proceeds without incident.
Dave Jameson, a volunteer with the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, mentioned to me recently that they are looking
for "stuff", which I think is a technical
term for potential archival material. Anyone who has anything of historical interest
that they would like to loan, have copied,
or donate can contact Dave at davejameson@rogers.com.
This model is normally used in conjunction with what's known as the Training
Cycle, and with a good system of on-going performance assessments. And experience in performance improvement has
taught that no amount of punitive measures alone (in this case fines, etc.) will
move a performer from the first to the last
and most desirable stage. Yet this is exactly what the MOT and police are trying
to do by enacting and enforcing unrealistic speed limits, and the insurance industry
is trying to do with their punitive premium
policies.
I'm not against realistic speed limits where
necessary, such as in congested ur-ban
areas. And I do support strictly enforced
limits in school zones. In fact, I wouldn't
object to permanent photo-radar in the latter, as here we really are dealing with an
unpredictable element - the care-free and
impetuous behaviour of children. But
even with such measures, there will be
"accidents" due to the unconscious incompetence of most drivers, regardless of
the speed at which they are travelling.
What, then to do?
To me, the most logical step would be to
apply some of the concepts of technical
training and performance assessment to
the task of improving driver performance.
These processes are not cheap, at least at
5. Announcement
6. Winter? What winter?
A club member who attended the HRC
school in early April expressed concern
that an off-track excursion could be extremely hazardous to both car and driver
(no plug intended) due to the waterlogged
condition of the ground around the track.
Such a condition is due to the fact that,
despite a mild winter, as I write this on
April 12th, there is still frost in the
ground, and frost inhibits soil drainage.
At this point we haven't had enough rain
to melt it, and it is the comparatively
warm spring rain that melts the deeper
frost, not the temperature of the air. Early
spring temperatures here are not high
enough to penetrate more than 6" to 12"
into the ground, so they only melt the first
layer of frost, and most of the water just
sits there in the soil. Without rain to wash
the deeper frost away, it would take at
least 3 to 4 weeks to get rid of it, and
much more if it's a really deep frost,
which brings me to my point.
When I first started to re-acquaint myself
with motorsports a couple of years ago,
the first thing that puzzled me was the racing schedule, including schools and open
practice. It now starts very early in April,
when the frost is still in the ground, and
when there's still snow lying about in
many places. I can look out of my window right now and still see some hanging
around, even with the mild winter. And
spring snowstorms are far from unknown,
even in the Big Smoke. Likewise, the
season now ends the last weekend in September, when there's still another 3 or 4
weeks of good weather left. Thirty-two
years ago, (yes, I'm on that again) we
(continued on page 18...)
12
May 2002
The Way We Were
by Don Roger
It was 1962 and I was using my freshly-issued CASC national licence to
race my going-obsolete Canada Class
car at the back of the pack on the St.
Eugene 'airport' circuit; when Bill
Pickthorne said. "There's a race at
Watkins Glen. They always like to
have Canadians race there, let's enter!" So far; we'd only raced at Mosport and St.Eugene. And my other
racing experiences had been the MCO
Gatineau Hill-climb and the Mont Gabriel Hillclimb, plus an ice-race or two
at St. Pierre. But we sent off our entries, were accepted, and got ready to
go.
There was only time for last-minute
preparations, so for me the tasks were:
− load up my collection of Sears
Whitworth tools,
− hook the race car to the tow bar and
the tow-bar to the 12 year old $150
tow car,
− make sure the requisite gallon of
Canadian Tire oil for the tow car
was on board
− convince my mother to
wash and 're-fireproof'
the shirt and chinos I
wore as a race suit really!
− Throw my tent and
sleep-ing bags in the
car
My girlfriend made a
huge pile of smoked
meat on rye sandwiches,
grabbed a case of Cokes
and we were ready for
Bill to swing by for our
"right after work" Friday
night departure.
Bill got delayed, both from emergency
overtime work then loading his car
single-handed and securing it onto his
newly acquired used homebuilt trailer.
But we finally got under way in convoy with Bill in the lead.
This trailer was a big step up for Bill.
He was now one of the few MCO racers who didn't flat-tow or drive his car
to the track; probably only Ted Powell
and Gerry Cockerill were using trailers then.
Our first stop was at US Customs at
the Ivy Lea bridge. Bill was still first,
and I was wondering why it was a lit-
13
tle slow, and I could see Bill's outline
(it was dark and late by now) as he
seemed to be digging in his wallet a
lot. Finally I saw the nod, and Bill
moved ahead. Now it was my turn.
After the usual "Where were you
born" etc, the nice man asked "Do you
have a license and ownership for your
race car?"
hard to keep awake! We stopped at
every rest area and downed that wonderful freeway coffee.
Finally, we got there and somehow
got into the paddock with the cars,
flopped in the tow car and tried to get
some rest. But visions of the swaying
trailer, too much strong coffee, and
the thrill of being there worked
"Er - no! I don't; ummmm I have a against sleep.
bill of sale, that's all."
My tiny mind raced! Bill's lights were
growing smaller in the distance. They
won't let me past, even to turn around,
I can't even back up with the race car
in tow! Oh LORD!
It was during scrutineering that the
truth slowly started to seep in..... I was
'waaaay outclassed! This was no club
race: it was a divisional championship
event! My 'classmates' were driving
Porsche RS61 Spyders and Elvas, LoThe customs agent's silence seemed to tus' and Lolas with Coventry-Climax
engines. I had a souped-up flat-head
go on forever..........
"Oh well. I guess that will do. Come Ford Anglia engine! Oh my!
in here and we'll write up a Temporary Import Permit for you."
Practice was something else. All
around me were some of the fastest
closed-wheel race cars of the day.
Whew!!
Cars I'd only read about in my dogSo off we went, heading for the NY eared copies of Road & Track. This
Thruway and the Glen. By now we was going to be a great place to watch
the race! As my car was an 'F modiwere getting tired, a bit....
fied' car, I'd be in the
featured race. And
our race event was
for ALL the modified cars, classes 'A'
down through whatever. I found it hard
to learn the track
while keeping one
eye on the mirror and
hoping for a few notbeing-passed opportunities to actually
try for the correct
line through one or
two corners. Then
the engine started
showing signs of getting hot and the
clutch began to slip!!
It was as we gathered speed on the Oh well! We survived our practice
Thruway that we discovered that Bill's and moved on to pit for Bill.
trailer really didn't like straight ahead
running and 50+ mph. At about 48 Bill's car was running well for a nearmph it would start a rhythmic sway ly-stock MGA Twin-Cam, keeping up
that increased its excursions rapidly as with most of his classmates in the corspeed increased. No 'driving through' ners, but the big-dollar semi-pros were
this little speed zone to reach a moving away on the straights. Still, it
'smooth speed'! So we set the spee- looked like he'd have some good opdos at about 45mph and trundled on, portunities for some great dicing.
and on, and on. Bill was trying to go
as fast as he could while keeping the
trailer's antics to a gentle waltz; but
for me, watching the steady to and fro
sway combined with the slow speed
and the fatigue, it was getting soooo
May 2002
During the interval before the qualifying races we cut a slot in the fibreglass
nose to let in more air to the rad, and
sloshed fire extinguisher fluid into the
clutch in the hope that somehow we'd
oiled the clutch and could maybe clear
it with the aggressive solvent. With
no idea if either fix would
work, I crashed on a blanket
beside the car and slept
through everyone else's noise
until I was shaken awake to
run in my qualifying heat.
Now THAT was FUN! Somewhat rested, and aware that my
aim had to be to stay out of everyone's way and so not get
black flagged, I started to enjoy the thrill of actually driving
the track and it sunk in that I
was really racing at THE Watkins Glen! The engine still ran
hot, but seemed to stay just this
side of boil-over; and the
clutch was still slipping: but
what the heck! We were here!
Sunday was the big day; and
Bill had a great event. The
Twin-Cam ran well, he had a
couple of guys to dice with and
he came in with a big grin
from ear to ear.
For my race, I was at the very back of
the grid (no surprise there!), and when
the flag dropped I was suddenly all
alone on the track. I had about six
laps I think before the race leader
caught me. Until then I was happy as
a clam and starting to think I was really learning the circuit. Once the pack
caught me it was a steady procession
of really neat cars passing me. What a
great place to watch the race from! I
kept a super-sharp eye in my mirrors,
and made sure to stay out of everyone's way. I did notice that attrition
was setting in, there were a few less
cars lapping me; and a few to be seen
off in the boonies. I even made a pit
stop to see if Bill had seen anything
leaking, and also just to see how it felt
to make a pit stop. Eventually the 30
or 40 laps of the leaders was over. As
I pulled off my string-backed driving
gloves and removed my Bell 'Shorty'
helmet with bubble shield; Bill told
me that throughout the race he'd been
sidling over to listen in on the clerkof-the-course' conversations. The
Clerk had been asking - "Is that slow
car, - 74FM, is it getting in the lead-
ers' way? Should we bring him in?"
And he handed me this nice silver rose
bowl!
Fortunately the feedback was "No - So there I was, wandering around in a
he's staying out of everyone's way
bit of a daze, clutching my rose bowl
OK; but we'll watch him."
and grinning like a fool. If someone
had said I was drooling I'd have beTrophy presentations and the post- lieved them. We bumped into one of
the racers who'd been in the
paddock beside us. He was
pretty drunk. When he saw me
with the trophy he slurred
"Hey! Where'd ja grab a guy's
trophy?"
"Er - Its mine. I got second in
class."
"Hoe - Lee Sh**! Hey Freddie!" Freddie appears, bearing
two fresh beers. "Freddie ol'
buddy; this guy won a trophy
with a $600 car. Did you win a
trophy?"
"Nope"
race party were held down at Seneca
Lodge, and we got there just as trophy
presentations were wrapping up. One
of the drivers from my race came up
to us and said "Hey! Aren't you Don
Roger?"
"Yeah: why?"
"They just called your name! You
were the only other finisher in your
class! You got second place!"
"Well we gotta help this guy
celebrate! We oughta fill his
pot with champagne, but champagne's too good for a $600
car, so..." - And he dumped
the two freshly-arrived beers
into my trophy!
Somehow, a drunk pouring beer into a
silver rose bowl draws attention. Before we knew it, my new pal was
loudly sharing my good fortune with
all and sundry; picking mid-pack folks
he knew, and ribbing them about the
cost/trophy ratio. Somehow they
humoured him and they good-naturedly helped him keep my rose bowl
awash with New York State's finest
brew.
Bill left early the next morning, doing
his slow waltz up to the Thruway and
towards home. We trundled home via
the side roads; the race car, ahem: the trophy-winning race car; rolling
along behind. We didn't make very
"Er - excuse me? (polite Canadian) good time on the way home. And you
Could you tell me who got second in know? It was one of the very few
F Sports Racing?"
times I just didn't mind at all!
Not sure if this guy was pulling my
leg, I sort of sidled up to one of the officials who was tidying up at the head
table.
"Hmm, yeah, let's see - Don Roger.
Why?"
"Er, well - that's me!"
"Oh! - Well here's your trophy! Congratulations!"
14
May 2002
From the Frying Pan...
in to the Ice Chest?
My First Race Weekend
by Rob Microys
Having spent my last 5 summers at the
racetrack, almost nothing could have entirely prepared me for my first race weekend. I spent a great amount of time under
the wings of the Armstrongs with a very
successful team - it was time for me to
spread my wings and "leave the nest". I
have heard that the first flight is the hardest; nothing could have been further from
the truth!
Mike White and myself journeyed to Mosport on the Friday for the Panoz Test
Day, and jumped straight in, both feet first
to go and get our first laps at Mosport.
The trip was about as exciting as the
whole weekend, as no sooner that we got
on the 416, Mike mentions - 'Maybe we
should stop and move the car a bit further
up on the trailer', and then we're in a tail
slapping, ditch to ditch view, trailer swayquick reactions by both Mike (steering)
and myself (applying the trailer brakes)
had the trailer back in line, and we quickly
pulled to the side of the track to reposition
the car. Wheew! With the trailer adjusted
the rest of the drive was uneventful and
we arrived at Mosport, other than what
seemed the longest drive in our lives.
Along with my first laps at Mosport, it
was also my first time driving my Jetta.
Not even my lapping, or the race school
prepared me for what was to happen. The
driving experience was intense. Learning
a car and a track all at the same times required an incredible amount of concentration, and when Klaus Bytzek comes filling
your mirrors and flying past you once every 4 laps or so, it's quite an experience.
The test day was quite a handful. The car
soldiered on, and we didn't have any serious issues. Our lap times quickly broke
the 2min barrier and got down to about
1m53s. The test day was also really useful for us to apply some dark mystic arts
on our carburetors - the Mikuni 44s are a
bit of a mystery to me still. Our 4-channel
EGT gauge proved invaluable, and we
were able to get the right settings in the
carbs and prevent an impending catastrophic motor meltdown from happening;
the car was running really lean. With the
EGT and plug cuts, we managed to keep
the motor properly fueled and developing
good power. Richard Muise dropped by
on Friday as well, and helped out a bit.
Finally, by the last session of the day, I
was starting to get 'comfortable' (I will use
that term loosely) in the car and was able
to really begin concentrating on my braking and turn-in points. After a successful
15
day, we registered for both the OCC and
Sprints, and then we went out for dinner
and relaxed a little before climbing in to
the tent for a cool night of camping.
Saturday, we woke to a frosty tent - the
frost was on the inside! As the day progressed weather was perfect, if just a little
cool - but brilliant and sunny. Chris and
Krista arrived and helped crew and take
photos. The day started with OCC qualifying, and I put Mike in the car first - he
never managed a clean lap, and had a best
time of 1m52s or so. I jumped in a bit
past halfway through the session and managed to get a 1m49s, my best yet of the
weekend. I think that one of the biggest
issues for the team on Saturday was not
being able to find the BBQ's propane tank
regulator - so we all had to grab a quick
bite from the canteen. After a quick
lunch, I strapped in to the Jetta for my
Sprints qualifying, after a interrupted session by a car getting stuck off in a six, I
managed to turn another 1m49s lap to
qualify 2nd in the GTD class for the afternoon's race.
Then my first race. The start was great,
and the pack sorted out nicely going in to
corner one. A few of the fast cars who
were placed on the grid behind me quickly
came through in to corners 3 and 4. Once
the race settled down, I ended up racing
Michael M. in the Ex-John Bondar Yellow #4 Honda Civic. An intense battle
ensued, culminating with me losing my
position to him after botching the entry to
10 and having him drive up beside me on
the entrance to corner 1, and I had to finally concede the position after laps of
side by side driving. Still in hot pursuit,
we managed to crack times in excess of
the GTD class allowable time, and the last
lap of the race I clocked off a 1m45.580s
lap. Had you asked me what my lap times
might be prior to the weekend, I would
have never had guessed to be that fast!
Darn - looks like I'm going to have to
move up to GTC now!
Immediately following our race, Mike left
to go in to Toronto to hook up with his
wife for the Theatre, to watch the Lion
King - from what I hear, the show was
great. That left myself, Chris and Krista
to clean up the paddock for the night and
to mount up the rain tires in anticipation
of Sunday's activities. We were all
packed and set for the evening. Chris,
though, was on a mission - we had a number of hours to spare, so the three of us
jumped in the car and headed to Mississagua for Krispy Kreme doughnuts - well,
not that I had anything better to do other
than have a beer by myself sitting in a
cold tent, what else to do other than tag
along? Hmmm... At least I have to say,
they are good doughnuts.
Sunday was, errrr, different. During the
night I woke constantly to the sound of
crashing canopies, and flapping tarps. I
was worried that the cover to my gear and
racecar would blow off. Half way
through the night, I climbed out of the tent
and secured the paddock down better. By
6:30am I woke again, but this time to the
sound of my tent pegs getting ripped out
of the ground, and once I opened the door
to the tent and looked about, a scene that
was of a winter wonderland greeted me.
There was two inches of snow on the
ground! The track was completely covered in slush, and there was no way the
weather was ever going to warm up - it
was only going to get worse throughout
the day.
After a nice hot shower (in which we
steamed up the shower room like a Turkish Bath), we proceeded to start packing
up the gear in the tent. Mike spent his
evening in Toronto at a nice warm hotel,
the lucky guy, and I was waiting for him
to arrive to start packing the truck - there
was no doubt in my mind that the event
was going to be cancelled. Needless to
say, without much further delay, a driver's
meeting was called; in which we were all
(appropriately) informed that the day's activities were cancelled. I managed to
quickly find Peter Jackson, the weekend's
Chief Steward, to get a signature, and we
then went back to the paddock to pack up.
We loaded up the truck and trailer, the
gear all sopping wet and covered in snow.
At least I did have a change of dry
clothes. We carefully drove home in the
storm, and on Hwy 416, seeing at least 7
cars in the ditch and a Ford Explorer gone
turtle on pavement - it wasn't fun.
All things considered, when the worst
things that happened on a race weekend
was not being able to cook a burger because of a misplaced BBQ regulator and
the weather going sour, well, then I'd have
to say it went pretty darned well. I have
to give thanks to Mike, Chris, Krista and
Richard for all their help and work on the
weekend, and especially to Sherissa for
putting up with my high revving energy
levels - Thanks Guys! I'm sure that the
weekends from this point on will be trivial
compared to this one!
Keep the shiny side up!
photo by Krista Ritchie
May 2002
My First Solo II
or
How to Have a Really
Good Time
by Mark Atos
Saturday, 1:15pm
Get up, get out of bed. Lazy bum. It's
not like I was out partying all last night.
Let's hit up Denny's for some breakfast,
and then think about installing my new
suspension parts.
Saturday, 3:30pm
Okay, finally on the road now, driving
down to Brockville to do my suspension
installation. Parents with garages are a
godsend. If only they lived a little closer.
Saturday, 5:00pm
Put the car up on stands, take off the
rear tires, have a look at what's going on
there. Well, this shouldn't be too hard,
(note to self: NEVER SAY THAT
AGAIN!) there are only three nuts holding the strut on.
Saturday, 6:00pm
The first strut came off nicely, and the
second one tried to break my arm. Stupid fourteen year old car and it's stupid
seized nuts in akward places, and stupid
wrenches that slip off the nut and make
me smash my wrist against the stupid
floorpan. No, really, I do love working
on my car.
Saturday, 9:00pm
Okay, the rear of the car is back together without much hassle, we'll just set it
down now and jack up the front... And
this is where things go wrong.
Saturday, 10:30pm
...and I'm still trying to undo the first of
five bolts on the passenger front suspension. I think it's about this point where I
decide that I'm going to ask Chris Tapp
how much he wants to install my front
struts. But Mark, you say, isn't your car
going to look silly lowered in the rear
and not the front? That may be true, but
right now, I'm tired, and I don't care.
Saturday, 11:00pm
Put the front wheels back on, pack up
the tools and parts and crap, now it's
time to head back to Ottawa, get a good
(short) night's sleep, and get up well
rested for the Solo.
Sunday, 1:30am
Yep, I can fit a lot of stuff in the trunk
of my car. And it is a long walk from
my trunk to the townhouse. But the car
is nearly empty now, so I'm happy. It
probably didn't help that I sat down and
watched half of Spy Game when I got
home. Time to go to bed.
Sunday, 7:30am
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Aaargh! Stupid alarm! Why did I set it
so early? (Pause for six minutes) Crap!
The tires. I knew I should have put my
summers on yesterday.
Sunday, 8:15am
Well, I'm wide awake now, and I've
changed two of the tires, and rolled the
snows into the back yard (after rolling
through some nasty dog-doo, I hate my
neighbours). Have I got time to do the
fronts now? Sure, I should anyways.
Sunday, 8:48am
There. That's the front tires done now, I
guess I should check the pressures, and
then take the snows back into the
house...
OH
CRAP! I've only
got twelve minutes to get to Jetform Park!?! How
long does it take
from Bayshore
anyways?
So,
throw the remaining two snows in
the trunk, jump in
the car, realize
that I forgot the
faceplate to my
stereo, (which is
Marks' co-driver Chris Chan storming
probably a good
thing, because the
the Solo-II course, April 14, 2002.
CD in the deck
just makes me
want to drive super-fast) and hit
the highway.
Sunday, 8:52am
Get out of my way! I'm late! I'm going
to miss registration!
Sunday, 8:56am
Get out of my way! I'm late! I'm going
to miss registration!
Sunday, 9:00am
Puff, puff, wheeze. "Am... I... Too...
Late... To... Register?"
No, I made it on time. This is about the
point in the day where things started
getting better. I got the car number I
wanted, and that makes me super happy.
Now, it's time to walk the course, which
I do three or four times, thinking about
the line I'm going to take. Now, it's time
to unload all of the extra junk out of my
car into the neo240sx.ca support van.
Sunday, 10:05am
The usual drivers meeting, I've heard
this one five times before, at the winter
solo II. Here are the flags, yellow means
cone down, red means stop on course,
cross means off course. Have fun. Pretty
basic stuff.
Sunday, about 10:30am
Staged at the start line now, foot on the
clutch, in gear. My god, my clutch foot
is shaking. This is going to be such a
rush. Put the car back in neutral, step on
the brakes. Close my eyes, run the
course in my mind twice, take a couple
of deep breaths to calm down. Open
eyes, to see that the green flag is waving. Thank god the timing doesn't start
until I cross that beam. Countdown to
myself, three, two, one...
The scrabble of tires seeking purchase
on the gravel covered start box. Their
screech again as I enter the stop box.
The only two memories I have of that
first run, and probably two memories
that I will have with me for all time.
Special thanks to the organizing crew of
the first Solo II event of the year, and
extra special thanks to Allan Pepper for
the wild course lay-out.
I can't wait to line up again for event
number two.
16
May 2002
From Tasmania to
Newfoundland
by Shannon Lee Mannion
There are things that strike delight into the
heart of every man-child and Doug
Mepham thinks he's discovered the absolute first and foremost, a rallying event in
Tasmania (yes, Australia) called Targa
Tasmania, "I'm an ambassador, a disciple," he breathes reverently, his eyes glistening with the devotion of a new convert,
"It's as if someone hooked up vacuum
cleaner to my ear and sucked out my intellect. The automotive neurons took over.
I've never experienced anything like it before."
Here is a person with a serious rally addiction. And he was in Ottawa last week
to proselytize among the similarly affected Motorsport Club of Ottawa members.
With a PowerPoint show, photo albums
and rally regalia in hand, Doug regaled a
roomful of responsive motor sport aficionados at the Tanglewood Community centre.
He told the crowd how six years ago, he'd
bought a 1971 Volvo with the intention of
re-entering the sport. After spending the
next two years getting it ready, the car was
put to the test in North America, running
some relatively sedate events, such as the
Mount Washington Hill Club (three
times!) and the more exacting three-day
desert rally in Nevada, the Ramada Express International Rally. When he heard
about Targa Tasmania from rally buddy,
Walt Kammer, his response was, "When
do we leave?"
Doug Mepham and his wife, Susan MacDonald, own a communications company
in Belleville, MacDonald & Co. Getting
time from work was no problem and what
with cobbling together air miles and the
favourable exchange on our Canadian dollar, not to mention Doug's passion for rallying, there was nothing keeping him from
it. He had people lined up to go with him
and discovered a capable copilot in his
friend, Jim Kenzie. Moreover, what a superb opportunity for Susan to take a holiday and meet up along them along the
way.
And guess what, it's April and the Volvo
just returned to Canada. Why'd it take so
long? Because Doug left the car there and
returned to Australia and did Targa New
Zealand in October. Incorrigible!
Q: Have you always been involved in the
automotive hobby?
A: Yes, Two partners and I published
Wheelspin news, a national tabloid,
from1972 through 1975. We also published Autosport Canada during that time.
Early on, I dabbled in all kinds of motor
sports, including rallying but gave up almost all of it for a period. I'm 53 and my
scheduled mid-life crisis was to go back to
motor sports so in '92, I built a rally car
and got involved. I've always enjoyed rallying as the ultimate driving challenge.
Q: Tell us about the Volvo you used for
Targa Tasmania.
A: It's a 1971 142S Volvo that's painted
Wedding Cake White. The car was almost
a year in planning. Most of the work was
done by Frank and Dan Sprongl who build
fabulous cars
Q: How are you going to find 200 people
who want to do this?
A: We're working on that now and already
170 numbers have been given out. Not everyone's got their money on the table but
there is interest. Tom McGeer, national
champion, is signed up and we've got
queries from Australia, Alaska. Ads are
going into UK and US magazines soon.
Q: Do you need a vintage car to be eligible?
A: No, There are several classes including
historic, up to 1947, then 1947 to 1981,
and 1981 up to modern. There's a separate
rally for really old cars.
Q: Why Newfoundland?
A: Like Tasmania, they've got a can-do island mentality. There are interesting roads
and the political will is there to do it. This
is a community that can benefit from an
economic boost. Imagine 200 competitors
coming to town and paying for hotels, gas,
bars, souvenirs, hardware and airfares.
Q: Were there difficulties associated with
getting a vehicle halfway around the
world to go rallying?
Q: Will this be an expensive undertaking
for participants?
A: The hardest part of the event was dealing with the shipping. We didn't know
how the system works but we found
someone to help us. The people at Columbus Shipping were tremendous. We made
a deal with them. I put their name on the
side of the car and they helped getting the
car there. It wasn't free but it was a break.
It took 46 days for the car to get to Melbourne.
A: It was the best of everything, 284 of
the finest cars in the world, amazing roads
under gorgeous circumstances but with ferocious competition, and it was hosted by
some of the most hospitable people on the
planet.
17
A: Jim and I were on the ferry returning to
Melbourne. We were in awe of the event
and gabbing about wherever else in the
world could we have done this? I said it'd
have to be in Europe, that it'd never fly in
North America. But Jim said that there is
one place. You could to it in Newfoundland. It'll be the first Targa-style rally on
the continent.
The car taken down to bare metal, sandblasted, soda-blasted, seam-welded, 110
feet of chrome-moly tubing in the roll
cage and all suspension pieces and pickup
points are boxed. We changed the suspension and put on spring shocks. This is a
thorough race car.
Q: What was it like for you rallying in
Tasmania?
Doug Mepham
photo by Craig Hamm
Q: There is a similar rally planned for
Newfoundland in September. How did
this come about?
A: It's not bargain basement but in terms
of bang for your buck, it's a very competitive price.
You're essentially taking the whole year's
budget and doing only one event.. There's
six or seven days of completion so it
works out in terms of seat time. There's
two meals a day included, parties and
clothing. If you signed up early enough,
there was an early-bird special and there's
an affordable package for hotels and the
ferry. All you have to do is get yourself to
the coast.
This article appeared in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper on April 5, Wheels Section
May 2002
(continued from page 12)
didn't start until late April or early May,
and went on until the Thanksgiving weekend. And that didn't include hillclimbs,
which were then speed events which attracted many race cars, and which continued until even later in the year.
It seems to me that CASC today is in
complete denial when it comes to our
spring weather. Global warming or not,
none of us will live long enough to see a
Virginia-like climate in Southern Ontario!
Maybe their attitude is another indication
of the growing gulf between today's rapidly urbanizing society and the world of
nature, seasons and weather conditions.
In any case, if I had one piece of advice to
give to CASC right now, and you just
know that I do, it would be to move the
season back at least three weeks! It would
be tragic to have someone killed or seriously injured by flipping over in the waterlogged soil of a run-off area that's supposed to be there help save the driver.
P.S. On April 23rd, the day after the Club's
racing school, it snowed!
P.P.S. On April 26th, it snowed again,
even, as I understand it, in Mississauga!!
P.P.S. Mother Nature is really making my
point for me! It's April 28th, and there is a
Winter Storm Warning! We have ice pellets, heavy snow, high easterly winds and
blowing snow (read white-outs). And at
Mosport, does CASC expect drivers to
race in this? Well I guess not. In a post
this evening on the Club's Forum, Rob
Microys notes that Sunday's racing was
cancelled due to Force Majeure. However,
a late April snow storm in Southern Ontario is not that unusual, so isn't this stretching the definition of force majeure more
than just a tad? A snowstorm in June,
now, .... well ....
7. The Best Tool of the Millennium?
A bunch of the boys were whooping it up
at the Kingston East Side Mario's on their
way home from the Club's Racing School.
The conversation got around to Robertson
versus Phillips head screws, and I mentioned a book that I had received for
Christmas which included a passage on
that very subject. The book is 'One Good
Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw' by Witold Rybczynski
(yes, only one vowel), published by First
Harper Perennial Canada, ISBN 0-00200031-8 (US) or 0-00-638603-2 (Can.).
The jacket price says $24.00 (Cdn. or
US?), and it's well worth it. The book is a
humorous account by Mr. R..., oh hell,
Witold, of his search for the best tool of
the millennium just passed. I won't do a
review here, as this would give away
some of the author's surprises. Suffice to
say that it is, in my humble(?) opinion, entertaining and extremely informative.
And Witold, despite being American,
comes out squarely in favour of the Robertson system of driving screw fasteners.
Gearheads will love this book, others will
just like it a lot. So, if you only buy one
book this year, this HAS to be it!
8. Parting Shot
A month or so ago, in a discussion on the
Club's Forum on the Doug Mepham presentation, a (possibly younger) member
made a less than enthusiastic comment
about Volvos. For the edification of
doubters, I present the following, which I
heard on CBC radio the evening of April
23rd.
In 1966, Irv Gordon of Long Island purchased a new Volvo P1800. In his first
year he clocked more than 50,000 miles
with no problems. Since then he has suffered a few prangs, one courtesy of an 18wheeler, but otherwise has only had to replace regular maintenence items. The one
and only engine re-build was at 680,000
miles, not because of any problems, but
merely because he thought it probably
should be done. On inspection, wear was
found to be minimal. The Volvo now has
over 2,002,000 miles on the odometer, is
still running well, and owns the world record for mileage accumulated by a private
owner. And for you younger types, note
that the distance is in MILES, not that silly French system inflicted on the world by
Napoleon Bonaparte!
MCO Karting Series
Cancellation
To all MCO Members:
This is an official notification to everyone
that the MCO karting enduro series will
not be able to proceed in this year 2002.
The Quyon property has been unable, at
this time to obtain liability insurance leaving the directors at significant risk for any
activities.
Including the conflict in race dates that
NCKC refused to change, the financial liability to MCO and Quyon is also unacceptable at the current revenue forecasts.
Given these two issues plus my own personal lack of focus at this time on resolving all of these issues it makes more sense
to focus on 2003.
MCO will continue as an ASN/FIA OKRA affiliated club, I will continue to volunteer as the karting director, we have
new members who wish to continue as
MCO karting affiliated members and we
will be issuing licenses based upon the
OKRA/ ASN affiliation.
If insurance is obtained at a later date,
practice days, test days and tuning days
may be scheduled.
I appreciate everyone's support and look
forward to making this series possible
next year.
Paul Swinwood
MCO Karting Director.
MCO: The First Fifty Years
Only $35 for this important book!
Plannning for a delivery of 300 numbered copies. It is a hard-covered coffee table style book
recounting the long history of motorsopts in Ottawa and the regions. With 150 pages, everything
and everyone is included. Don't miss out on your copies!
There is still space available for sponsorship as well. For $20 you can ensure your name is in the
book by sponsoring a page of your choosing. Full or partial page ads are open.
Contact Sherissa Microys at (613) 822-7204 or e-mail s.microys@rogers.com
18
May 2002
Happiness on the
Pro Track
by Jean MacGillivray
I only got down to Shannonville for one
day to help out at the MCO Race School,
but it was an education to watch the next
generation of road racers prepare themselves for the excitement and challenges
to come.
Jim and I were flagging at the hairpin just
before the back straight on the Fabi track.
It offered a great vantage point to watch
the neophyte racers run through the twisties, as they learned the intricacies of braking and downshifting, turn-in points, late
apex and cornering, race lines, passing
and driving in traffic. We also watched as,
divided into four groups, they practised
their race starts in a two-by-two formation
along the quarter-mile back straight. You
could tell they were itching to do the real
thing!
The best part was saved for last, when the
students had written their exams and
packed up for the day. Then it was the
workers' turn for some fun, and I was
lucky enough to go around with Don Blewett in his amazing black BMW M3 (I believe J.R. Fortin is the one to thank for arranging this opportunity). The M3 was the
pace car for the students on the Nelson
track, and we had admired it circling that
track during the day.
It was my first experience going around
the Pro track, which combines the Nelson
and Fabi portions, at speed - with a race
driver! - and it was worth the wait. I sat
there with my jaw gaping open, every
now and again exclaiming "Wow!" quietly into my helmet. Then I could feel a big
grin on my face. (There must be a physiological reason for this (note to self: must
ask Dr. Sherissa), as I saw the same earto-ear grin plastered on Bennett LeckieÕs
face - clearly visible through the beard
and moustache - when he came in from
driving Jim's Subaru Impreza 2.5RS.) When Don
asked if I wanted to go
around one more time, my
conscience insisted that I
acknowl-edge the other
workers who were waiting
for a ride. We went in to
the pits, where I reluctantly got out and another
lucky worker took my
place.
Ron Woltman enjoying the MGB Twin Cam
of Jim Holody at the MCO Race School.
dimension. So now I know: it takes a special kind of person with a very specific set
of skills to do road racing, and I loved living the moment vicariously.
Good luck to everyone who passed the
MCO Race School! I'll be out there rooting for you, trusting that you'll think of
me and the other workers at the end of the
day.
Advanced Driving School
(BMW Car Club of Ottawa)
BMW Car Club of Ottawa is hosting an
Advanced Driving School at Shannonville
Motorsport Park Friday June 28th.
The entry fee is $220 for BMW Club
members, $278.85 for non-members. The
difference in price covers the cost of becoming a BMWCC member. Only
BMWCC members will be admitted to the
school.
Further information is available at the
club web-site, including the registration
form and more detailed information sheet.
Please see http://bmwccottawa.org.
There is also a need for workers including
marshals to help out at the school. If you
are interested, please contact Ron McAuliffe at ronm@nortelnetworks.com.
I know this sensation is
old news to experienced
drivers, but the contrast
between watching a fast
car zoom by and being inside it, living the experience, is . . . well, you've
just ascended to a higher
Ottawa Lynx at Jetform Park
www.ottawalynx.com
http://www.plus1performance.com
Sponsor of the MCO Solo-II season
19
Proud sponsor of the
MCO Solo-II Timing Board
Car
15
13
14
3
16
6
4
11
10
5
7
12
9
2
1
8
Driver
Randy Lachance
Craig Hamm
Kirby Dunstan
Ryan Huber
Jodie Shay
Jeffery Corace
Casey McKinnon
Sebastian Beaulieu
Erik Smith
David Hawkins
Peter Starowicz
Robin Emard
Klaus Willroider
Allan Pepper
Erik Thorsteinson
Doug Parsonage
Navigator
Steve Carrick
Brad Smith
Gary Oman
Macies Kuzma
Sonya Howard
Stephanie Young
Cheryl Gazzard
Evan Gamblin
Katrin Smith
Mike Charron
Caroline Starowicz
Alain Matu
Klaus J. Willroider
Jeff LeClair
Mathew Kloeppfer
Keith Parsonage
CP1
0.0
-0.1
-0.3
-1.1
-1.1
-1.2
-0.4
3.4
1.2
5.4
-1.7
-2.0
-2.9
16.7
-6.4
16.3
Rob Microys
2nd GTD
1:49.800
6th OCCGT3 1:49.170
Class
E
E
E
N
E
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
CP2
0.6
1.0
0.6
-0.7
0.6
0.3
1.2
1.8
2.4
0.6
4.2
0.8
3.3
0.1
4
5.7
CP3
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.0
-0.5
-1.0
1.1
-0.8
1.1
0.2
1.8
-0.8
0.3
-0.1
2.4
-0.1
Mangy Moose Rally, April 27, 2002, Navan, ON. Rallymaster: Corey Groves.
Car
Driver
Navigator
Class
Overall Pos. Overall Pts Class Pos.
15
Randy Lachance
Steve Carrick
E
1
5
1
13
Craig Hamm
Brad Smith
E
2
4
2
14
Kirby Dunstan
Gary Oman
E
3
3
3
3
Ryan Huber
Macies Kuzma
N
4
2
1
16
Jodie Shay
Sonya Howard
E
5
1
4
6
Jeffery Corace
Stephanie Young
N
6
1
2
4
Casey McKinnon
Cheryl Gazzard
N
7
1
3
11
Sebastian Beaulieu Evan Gamblin
N
8
1
4
10
Erik Smith
Katrin Smith
N
9
1
5
5
David Hawkins
Mike Charron
N
10
1
6
7
Peter Starowicz
Caroline Starowicz
N
11
1
7
12
Robin Emard
Alain Matu
N
12
1
8
9
Klaus Willroider
Klaus J. Willroider
N
13
1
9
2
Allan Pepper
Jeff LeClair
N
14
1
10
1
Erik Thorsteinson Mathew Kloeppfer
N
15
1
11
8
Doug Parsonage
Keith Parsonage
N
16
1
12
CP5
-0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
-2.5
2.7
-0.1
-2.8
2.7
2.7
-8.3
-9.1
0.0
-5.3
-9.1
Total Pts
10
8
6
7
3
5
4
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Class Runner Up:
Production Road Racer
Rob Microys Jetta GT-D
CP4
0.1
0.4
1.0
0.2
0.7
0.2
-0.2
-0.6
0.8
0.5
-1.3
-2.3
-1.8
0.9
-2.6
0.0
Class Pts
5
4
3
5
2
4
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Total Score
0.9
1.7
1.9
2.1
2.9
5.2
5.6
6.7
8.3
9.4
11.7
14.2
17.4
17.8
20.7
31.2
May 2002
MCO Event Results
Speedorama
First in Class:
Production Road Racer
Craig Seko's Porsche 944S2
First in Class:
Rally Car
Greg Brady Subaru
Performance Rally
Impreza2.5RS.
BARC Grand Prix of
Ontario
Jim Harrison:
2nd Canada GT 1:25.6
Qualifications:
Michael Mori
4th OCCGT3 1:48.600
4th GTD
1:53.310
Results:
Rob Microys
BRKOUT 1:45.580
19th overall
Michael Mori
BRKOUT 1:45.980
18th overall
20
May 2002
MCO Rally Group
News, May 2002
by Craig Hamm
The Mangy Moose has come and gone.
Cor-ey Groves presented his rally on April
27, out of Navan, on a perfect sunny day.
The weather never deters us rally people
anyway, we seem to cherish some level of
adversity, but sun is nice, and it's really
good for first timers (given the several inches of snow on Sunday we nearly had a
surprise winter ral-ly!). Speaking of first
timers, we had plenty, and some returns
from earlier in our season. In total 16
teams ran after the Mangy Moose: 4 Expert, and 12 Novice. This was an excellent turnout for us, and one we could only
dream of last year (Lanark Highland's Rally excepted). Prior to the rally about 20
people, competitors and first time marshals, sat through an introductory rally
school given by Jim Morrow. Some members of the National Capital Subaru Club
even showed up to help marshal and compete! The exposure to the World Rally
Championship that Speed Channel (formerly Speedvision) is giving the young
people is really paying off, as is our aggressive "marketing" of the MCO rally
group activities. Regarding 'the Moose'
for-tunately, the map makers in the eastend had some hills and streams to route
around, and there were actually plenty of
"interesting" turns to drive through. After
about 3 hours of driving it was great to see
a group of hap-py competitors back at the
finish satisfied with a day filled with rally
learning, driving, and telling lies at the
end. Class winners were Randy Lachance
with Steve Carrick (Expert) and Ryan
Huber with Macies Kuz-ma (Novice).
Scores are posted in this issue.
Speedorama: the most interesting crosssec-tion of humanity west of Heathrow airport . . anyway, the MCO booth was 2/3
rally. The most obvious piece of rally ma-
21
teriel was Greg Brady's (owner) and Steve
Franko-vitch's (co-driver) Subaru 2.5RS
P4 Class rally car. This beautiful auto got
a LOT of attention. Sorry about all the
drool, boys. I'm sure you can get it off
soon enough. The rally car in disguise was
Craig Seko's bright shiny red Porsche
944S2 which will contest the all-tarmac
rally Targa Newfoundland in September
(Jim Morrow co-driver). Equal amounts
of drool were present, but the Por-sche
was so shiny and slippery it all hit the
floor (yechh!). Rob's road racing Jetta
drew attention from many people too. Rob
had the only open bonnet, and it wasn't the
shini-est engine bay in the show. Nope,
this is a WORKING CAR. A real race car
(see be-low). Thanks guys, you really
helped out. Of course, some people were
more interested in "Sanford and Son's"
junkyard across the way, but the fussy folk
came to MCO's booth. It was quite obvio u s t h a t M C O w e r e t h e o n l y m o t o rSPORTS club at Speedorama. We were, I
believe, the only club at Speedor-ama
which organizes and participates in sanctioned motorSPORTS. Hats off to Rob
Microys for organizing the MCO effort
showing Ottawa at Speedorama cars that
can turn left AND right!
Ryan Huber only a member since January
has been making excellent progress on the
2002 version of the Totally Silly Drive,
firm-ly slated for July 13. The event runs
close to Ottawa, starting on Carling Ave
and running in the vicinity of Carp/Dunrobin/Galetta area. This is a very beginner
friendly event of about 130 km. You will
require no spe-cial equipment other than
clipboard, pens, and a stopwatch. A map
light for the naviga-tor might be helpful as
this rally straddles sunset. Info is posted to
the website as it be-comes available, so
keep checking.
Doug Mepham
photo by Craig Hamm
been great to us, and it shows in the attendance at Mangy Moose. Her article
covered Doug Mepham's Targa Tasmania
story, and it appears in this issue of The
Link, page 17.
Come out to the Emerald Plaza Branch of
the Ottawa Public Library, on Merivale
Road. We have a great space to hold our
discus-sions, loads of free parking, a moderately central location next to many restaurants, and audio-visual equipment for
watching videos (Rally Crash Kings 4 for
April!) after the business portion of the
meeting. All are welcome, especially nonMCO members, whether you are curious
about rallying, or are fully brainwashed.
Meetings are held the last Tuesday of each
month at 6:30 PM.
Thanks to Shannon Lee Mannion, MCO Remember: Rally friends don't let rally
had yet another rally article in the Ottawa friends apex too early.
Citizen Wheels-section, that's two since
January 1st! Shannon and the Citizen have
May 2002
Classifieds
For Sale:
Race Winning 2000 CRG Santana 'S'
Very Good Condition, Modified KX80 motor, Fresh
top end, New pipe, can, Tillett seat, Gearbox Velocity I
Bodywork, spare CIK Bodywork Tack, Spare Tires,
Many Spare Parts
Gearbox Racing Suit size 54
Race Ready $ 5000.00 Cdn. OBO
Call Bill or Herb @ 613-836-3811
email: hdhenning@sympatico.ca
For Sale:
1995 Champ Car Light, 1996 Rear Suspension &
Wings, Spare 1995 Front Wing (complete), Spare
Goosenecks (2) & Rear Uprights (4), 5sp Gear Box
With 12 Gear Sets, 16 Wheels, 4 Orig. Formula Renault With New Avon Radial Rains, 4 New Weld
Wheels With New Goodyear Rains, 8 3 Piece Panasports With Avon Slicks (used) 2 damaged Outer
Rims. many Used Avon's & Goodyear Slicks, Penskie
Triple Adjustable + 3 Original Shocks (Blistens?
maybe), 6 Springs 2x700, 2x550, 1x600, 1x500, 2 Battery's, 2 Fuel Pressure Regulators, 2 Complete Exhaust
Systems Incl. 2 Headers & 1 Supertrapp, 2 Rear Sway
Bars 1 Tee 1 V, STACK 8100 Data With cable & Eurocom 486 Laptop, 8 New Spare Control Arms(wishbones), 2 Slightly Bent, Various Spare Pushrods & Tie
Rods, 2 Spare Front Wheel Brgs, 3 CV Boots, 2 Lever
Jacks, 1 Front, 1 Rear. With CCL race prepared 2.0L
Neon DOHC 0 Laps.
Raced In 1999 & 2000 Series
$35,000.00
Call Ken 613-489-0980 (Ottawa)
For Sale:
1992 Ray F1600, fully re-built, and tested at
Shannonville during Spring Fling. Ran reliably, and
quick! Double adjustable Penske Shocks, recently rebuilt motor (half a race weekend, and two test days).
New F3 clutch with lightened flywheel (legal). New
batteries, on-board, and booster. Approx 15 LD-200
gear sets, allows optimal gearing for all tracks in Pro,
or Regional Series. Quick lift jack. Pit stands. Some
spare parts. Setup information for all tracks. Factory
contacts.
Ready to race & priced to sell at $16,200
Contact Martin Walter
613-489-4048 (h) or 613-271-9208(w)
martin@qnx.com
ADVERTISING RATES
Members are welcome to submit classified
advertisements
for
non-commercial
purposes free of charge.
Members may also submit business cardsized advertisements for their businesses
free of charge. These will be published
space permitting.
Business ads: $400 - full page
$200 - half page
$100 - quarter page
$ 50 - business card
The rates are for one year, can include color
ads for the web edition, and include direct
links as a sponsor from http://www.mco.org.
22
Main Street Racing and Automotive
Parts, Performance and Service
INTERPROVINCIAL LICENSED MECHANIC *** MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION STATION
Automotive Take It Back Partner - We recycle your Used Oil, Antifreeze, etc.
P.O. Box 37, 2319 Community Way,
North Gower, Ottawa ON K0A 2T0
Ken Baird
www.mainstreetottawa.com
Table of Contents
Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2
Sorry Sir. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3
The President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3
Speedorama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4
Regional Solo-II Championship. . . . . . . . page 4
BMW Driver Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 5
Spring Fling Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 6
MCO Executive Meeting Minutes. . . . . . . page 7
MCO General Meeting Minutes . . . . . . . . page 8
BARC GP Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 9
BMWCC Advanced Drivers School . . . . . page 9
(613) 489-0948
mainst@magi.com
Miscellaneous Rumblings II. . . . . . . . . . page 11
The Way We Were . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 13
Happiness on the Pro-Track. . . . . . . . . . page 13
Out of the Frying Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 15
My First Solo-II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 16
From Tasmania to Nfld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 17
MCO Enduro Karting Series. . . . . . . . . . page 18
MCO Event Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 20
Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 22
Grassroots Motorsport in the National Capital Region since 1949.
Affiliated with Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs - Ontario Region (CASC-OR),
Rally Sport Ontario (RSO) and ASN Canada FIA