Autumn Leaves at Mont Tremblant

[bmwqc]

September 29 - 30: Autumn Leaves V Le Circuit Mont Tremblant
High performance driving school
Mont Tremblant, Quebec (1 hour and 15 minutes north of Montreal)
This school is hosted by the NEQ Chapter with
assistance from the Eastern Canada Chapter
Register: Register for Autumn Leaves V (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xq68nccab.0.mtkgvccab.78ebw9n6.17674&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.neqclub.org%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_ev ents%26task%3Dview_detail%26agid%3D19%26year%3D2007%26month% 3D09%26day%3D29%26Itemid%3D46)

[SpeedTT]

Vous avez aimé vos deux jours à Tremblant, n'oubliez pas que le club Audi en collaboration avec le club BMW Québec seront présent à la fin septembre. Un rendez-vous à ne pas manquer.

[Nano]

is AUDI membership required? Or BMWqc membership valid for event?

[bmwqc]

is AUDI membership required? Or BMWqc membership valid for event?

BMW membership is recognized

[Lee]

It would be great to have a large number of BMW Club members at this event. Especially that our membership is recognized.

[bmwqc]

It would be great to have a large number of BMW Club members at this event. Especially that our membership is recognized.


Yes, the event is filling up. Please do register early to avoid disappointment.

[johnmdanskin]

It would be great to have a large number of BMW Club members at this event. Especially that our membership is recognized.

I'll be there, proudly representing extremely south-eastern montreal, and of course the quebec bmw club of which I am a proud member.

[Phil]

It would be great to have a large number of BMW Club members at this event. Especially that our membership is recognized.

I really wish that I could be there. But I will be the chief competition steward at the Club Race at Motorsport Ranch that weekend as part of BMW CCA Oktoberfest in Dallas.

And yes, it is a CAR race, not a HORSE race.

Groan.

:)

Phil

[johnmdanskin]

I really wish that I could be there. But I will be the chief competition steward at the Club Race at Motorsport Ranch that weekend as part of BMW CCA Oktoberfest in Dallas.

And yes, it is a CAR race, not a HORSE race.

Groan.

:)

Phil

can you at least amuse yourself by DQing and 13/13ing a whole bunch of racers? Think of the fun you could have and the friends you could make!

I don't race, but I am eternally grateful to the volunteers who make the fun activities I do take part in possible. I hope there is at least some good racing to watch.


I finally made my hotel reservation. I was thinking of camping until I realized that I wasn't going to get to tremblant until after the track closes. I definitely established that there are hotels which will be full. Auberge au CDQ had a room, may have more.

Looking forward to trying out my new toyo ra1s. Looking a little less forward to scuffing them in. Perhaps i should drive up on them and then move front to back at the track. Still waffling on this. Not sure if fwy driving contributed to early over-heat-cycling of my PSCs.

[blacksheep]

drive 1 hour at highway speeds then immediately remove the wheels and store them in a cool place for 48 hours (or lift the car up on jack stands inside the garage)
= initial heat-cycling

[Nano]

Not sure if fwy driving contributed to early over-heat-cycling of my PSCs.

John, you track too much!

You have all the issues people normally have during the course of tracking decade, condensed into one. :)

you need a track car

[Lee]

I finally made my hotel reservation. I was thinking of camping until I realized that I wasn't going to get to tremblant until after the track closes. I definitely established that there are hotels which will be full. Auberge au CDQ had a room, may have more.

Auberge du Coq has great food and spartan rooms. Maybe a bunch of us can meet there on Saturday evening for dinner? I intend to leave Montreal right after noon on Friday. and do a few stops to tune my new carburators. 48 DCO/SP are real race carbs. Big venturii and no chokes.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/CF_Stacks_6.jpg

[bmwqc]

Auberge du Coq has great food and spartan rooms. Maybe a bunch of us can meet there on Saturday evening for dinner?


Good idea! The food there is indeed great.

[Emre]

Good idea!What time will you guys be there?

I'm still not 100% sure I can make it: I'm losing a bit of oil from behind the oil cooler body...and no one seems to have the damned gasket in stock!

Emre

[johnmdanskin]

I am very up for dinner saturday. I'll be eating some kind of beyond-fast-food dinner friday, hoping to arrive before midnight.

[johnmdanskin]

John, you track too much!

You have all the issues people normally have during the course of tracking decade, condensed into one. :)

you need a track car

This car is for sale:
http://www.utahlotusmuseum.com/27226820.jpg

There are also some lotus 23 kits. Without the roll bar, this car is only 26 inches high, which means it would fit in and out of my loft "easily".

The real lotus 23 would be vintage-raceable.

Dreams du jour

[Nano]

awesome... that's really awesome

where did you find that? what kit is that? what are the specs?

[Emre]

The real lotus 23 would be vintage-raceable.I remember seeing a pair of Lotus 23's (or maybe Lotus 11's ... not 100% sure) at one of those "Classic" races at LCMT a few years back. They were TINY. When the driver's got in, they sort of reminded me of these guys:

http://www.menalto.com/albums/July-4,-2006-Celebration/223_Shriners_Mini_Car.sized.jpg

BTW, if anyone knows why the Shriners drive those tiny cars, I'm all ears :confused:

Emre

[johnmdanskin]

awesome... that's really awesome

where did you find that? what kit is that? what are the specs?
that car is here: http://www.utahlotusmuseum.com/id101.htm

there are two kits that I know about:

This one is somewhat modernized under the covers
http://www.mambamotorsport.co.uk/index.html

This one is more authentic:
http://www.xanthoscars.co.uk/

This one is sort of a north american distributor for xanthos, but they seem to be unable to keep themselves from really f#@cking them up.

Lotus 11 and 23 are somewhat similar, but lotus 11 is front engine and lotus 23 is mid engine. You can keep this straight if you remember that mid is more modern and lotus numbers are more or less chronological. Lotus 23 is smaller. Real racing weight was 860 pounds. Replicas seem to have bloated to around 1000 pounds. The lotus 23 is -way- faster: fatter tires and real wheels.

http://xanthos.com/

[johnmdanskin]

Of course, this might be more practical: 245 mph vauxhall omega
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/210264/vauxhall_omega.html

[Nano]

what about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.it/vendo-lancia-037-gruppo-b-anno-1983_W0QQitemZ140162439782QQihZ004QQcategoryZ18186QQtcZphoto QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

it's a rare find... I can help with import :D

[Hugo]

Thats a good deal.

[johnmdanskin]

what about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.it/vendo-lancia-037-gruppo-b-anno-1983_W0QQitemZ140162439782QQihZ004QQcategoryZ18186QQtcZphoto QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

it's a rare find... I can help with import :D

At only 235K Euros ($329K dollars, US or Canadian) it would make a nice beater: snow, groceries, track days. In a couple of years, I might even be able to vintage race it.

8-)

[Lee]

Back from LCMT with the Audi club(s). Still the same great people and volunteers. Weather why pretty chilly in the morning but warmer in the afternoon. I arrived at the track on Friday by 3:30PM only to discover that employees were fencing the grass area near the lake... Bummer.

I drove the 2002 after spending a whole week wrenching on it as the car hasn't been touched for 2 years and when last used, it had a wobbly front right wheel. I completely removed the front and rear brakes and installed a prop valve. Since I installed my rear brakes to complement the front Massive kit I installed 6 years ago, I experienced a strange situation. The brake pedal would be hard, then soft, then hard again, usually requiring long travel. I bled several times, which led to a very firm and short pedal, but only momentirely. I drove two sessions while experiencing this strange situation. I also had major tire rubbing with the strut. Hmmm... I checked the wheel bearings and indeed they were toast on that side. Replaced them immediately, and suddenly the brake pedal became very short and stiff. Drove two sessions to set the prop valve and all I can say is WOW. Even in sections where most other cars don't have enough brake to go fast, I only need to carefully push the brake pedal, without applying too much pressure and the car stops on a dime. I run very cheap $85usd E compound pads and that's more than enough for anybody, even running full slicks. Street purpose would most likely require ceramic Q compound pads.

I also got to drive hard my student's Audi RS4 and was extremely impressed by that car. I pushed it very hard, going sideways in Corner #1 or Caroussel, and kept it this way with the throttle. Very predictable car. I also drove my other student's e46 M3, and did not like it as much. It understeers like a pig and doesn't have the engine of the RS4. Not that e46 M3s are bad, they simply aren't great in stock form.They need a few improvemen ts to be "driveable". I drove my students' cars to show them how their car reacted when pushed hard and where the cars' limits were. We went from smooth, initially in order to get to know my students' cars, to gradually more "dynamic". That greatly helped them drive their own car as they did not fear their car to bite back anymore. They saw beforehand where the limits were. My RS4 student is from Montreal and he was a first timer, except for his karting experience. He had a blast controlling intentional 4-wheel slides in Caroussel... He got inprinted by my signature training style: 4 wheels firmly planted on the ground is boring, unproductive and slow... And also, they won't be surprised and won't panic if the slide happens on our public road.

The 02 run very well with water temps steady at 180ºF and oil pressures at 65psi to 75psi from 3k RPM to 7,5K RPM. Engine did burn some oil from being ran at very high RPM for long stretches.

I have also gladly noticed that there was a huge percentage of cars coming from our province and nearby Ontario. This is very good as it means that the local "scene" is developing. Which will make organizing local events easier for all clubs. That's a far cry from 10 years ago when "locals" were no more than two cars.

Evan from Chicoutimi sadly spun in Namerow in his turbo 635. Nothing major resulted except a bent BB$ forged RC wheel and lower control arm. Hugo and myself lifted the car and removed the steering arm assembly for Evan to straighten back the control arm to approximate spec, in order to drive back home. Sadly, he spent 4 hours looking for a proper big vice. Not to be found. But somebody suggested to use his Prevost bus. That's perhaps 10 tones of pressure... So they jacked the bus and lowered it on the control arm until it was back into shape. And it worked. I reinstalled the part and off went Evan...

[Nano]

Yes, very nice event and nice people as always

it was a indeed a bit chilly in the morning, but the view of tremblant in autumn is truly spectacular, well worth it.

The event was booked to the extreme (we were 32 cars I think in the white group, don't know how that worked), but great job to the organizers for making it work even with a few issues.

Thanks lee for the supper invite sunday, sincerly appreciated. I was itching too much to get on the road and back in Montreal, didn't want to drive in the dark. I thought of turning back all the way down ryan though. :)

[johnmdanskin]

A good event. I was happy on the way home. I got to ride with andrei and eric which was a treat, and had a, e, & lee in my car as well. Eric and I had an argument about how to do 123, which was what I was hoping for from the reciprocal rides. I'll try to try Eric's line at least for a while next time. If I'm lucky Eric will be right and I'll be wrong and I will have learned something.

The event was somewhat marred by very little track time (#$#!# 30 car rule) and I've also been learning what it's like to be in a low (er) horsepower car. A carrera s4 wouldn't let me pass even though I was on his ass -every-single-corner-. I should have pulled through the pits, but I just couldn't believe that this guy wouldn't let me by. Then it happened again with the MZ4 Coupe. He finally signaled me by and then didn't lift enough. After that he felt that he'd given me a chance and no more signals. Again, I should have pulled through the pits but when sessions seem to be running about 10-12 minutes it's hard to miss even one minute, even when it's clearly the right thing in retrospect. I didn't have this problem in my m coupe. Maybe I should go out and get a gt3 cup car just so people let me pass.

It was really great to see my friends from Montreal again.

[SpeedTT]

Très beau week-end.
Une observation suplémentaire. Je n'ai jamais vu autant de débutant débutant débutant ( leur première fois sur piste) à un même évenements. J'ai observé chez quelque uns dentre eux une certaine prise de conscience de ce que peux représentrer de rouler sur un circuit de la trempe de LCMT lorsqu'on qu'il on vue arriver au Pit la Porsche qui a frappé le mur de pneus entre le 11 et le 12, certains sont devenus plus craintifs.

[Lee]

That was a great weekend but I felt that passing etiquette was a major problem at this event. The first day was a nightmare and even Allan got a bit frustrated himself to witness those looong trains. How about spending a whole session in a 29 car train, right behind one slow car whose instructor wouldn't look in its mirror. The obvious solution would have been for that very slow car to use the pit lane and let everybody drive by... I remember that the instructor mentioned hearing that no passing was allowed during this whole session, which is why he did not bother and is also well possible. But I don't remember seeing an yellow flag except for the first or two initial laps, as usual. Not to mention that no clear passing sides were determined for the rest of the weekend. Which resulted in having to sway left and right to pass 3 or 4 cars on the front straight. That was very entertaining though. I have no personal problem with that if I am the driver. Just too dangerous for students. But hey, as they say, we are invited and must obey the house's rules. But maybe I should point that this is a driver school and that to help students learn better, then rules are essential. Especially in the novice and intermediate group. Those students have no time to start thinking if they should do this or that. Rules are made to make things simpler... But that's only my humble point of view, and I accept it might not be shared by others.

Sunday was much better though and passing was cleaner. Although it is true that "momentum" was not a concept understood by everybody, especially those with big engines... But I had no personal problem over the weekend. I was loud enough so that drivers were aware of my presence and pointed me by. Nontheless, I felt that in the student groups, many drivers went into panic mode as soon as a car would follow them. So much, that they would consider that "agressive". Which resulted in passing signals in very akward places. Like right in corners such as the dangerous ones: #1, #7, #12, #14 (Namerow).

But overall, I am very happy I was invited to instruct for this wondefull event, as the Audi volunteers, organizers and members are all great people.

[johnmdanskin]

Thinking about it, the most traumatic thing that happened to me was that my camp stove ran out of gas and I couldn't make my afternoon espresso on sunday. This meant that I couldn't even eat my "Battle Biscotti" which have to be soaked, not dipped, unless you want to be eating tooth flakes instead of biscotti. (Every batch can't turn out right. You have to try new lines sometimes and they don't all work out. I didn't let the biscotti come into contact with the exterior of my car, so no bent sheet metal.)

Multiple trauma, but of course they were caused by driver error so I shouldn't complain.

[Nano]

That was a great weekend but I felt that passing etiquette was a major problem at this event. The first day was a nightmare and even Allan got a bit frustrated himself to witness those looong trains. How about spending a whole session in a 29 car train, right behind one slow car whose instructor wouldn't look in its mirror.

That was indeed a problem.

I got stuck behind a RS4 on pilot sport cups an entire session. He would fly away on the straights, and by namerow I was inches from his bumper... then again the same thing on the front straight, and then I had to brake early into 4, and again at 8, etc.... I did the same thing John did, I couldn't believe the instructor wouldn't tell his student to give a point by so I stayed there the entire session. I thought that was poor etiquette and ??? to the instructor. There wasn't a huge difference, but good lord, If later on, that car speeds up, I'll gladly give a point by back. White group felt like a beginners groups until halfway through the second day. Second day was better... but I made sure to be as far away as possible from the no-point-by cars. And drove through the pits once to avoid a train.

It should be repeated ad nauseam (like at BMW events) that if a car is behind you, repeatedly, in the turns, it means he is faster than you and you NEED to let him by. I think some people(instructors included) fail to grasp the concept that even if your car puts 200 yards distance with the car behind in straight line, if the car is again behind you at any point during the lap, it means he is faster around the lap.

Beside that irritating moment (quickly forgotten)... everything was fantastic. I had a clear track 95% of the time. It's an easy fix for the next events.

[Wabbit]

Lotus 23 is smaller. Real racing weight was 860 pounds. Replicas seem to have bloated to around 1000 pounds. The lotus 23 is -way- faster: fatter tires and real wheels.[/quote]

Remember Colin Chapman built cars to finish races, and no more, so to get reliability you have to make it stronger, and therefore heavier.

Another of Colin's ways to make a car go faster, was to remove weight, rather than make the engine more powerful.

Bennett

[johnmdanskin]

Lotus 23 is smaller. Real racing weight was 860 pounds. Replicas seem to have bloated to around 1000 pounds. The lotus 23 is -way- faster: fatter tires and real wheels.
Remember Colin Chapman built cars to finish races, and no more, so to get reliability you have to make it stronger, and therefore heavier.

Another of Colin's ways to make a car go faster, was to remove weight, rather than make the engine more powerful.

Bennett[/quote]

I think this one might be at original weight although I don't see it specified:
http://www.xanthoscars.co.uk/uk/SaleCars.htm

One reason I suspect original weight:
"All chassis are built to original specifications of tubing and are bronze brazed as they were originally. Variations are available on request and we recommend up rating the tube gauges of critical components such as wishbones for safety."

:)

Apparently there are groups which will let you vintage race this kind of replica "accurate to a fault".

[Nano]

btw, any pictures from the event?

[Andrei]

During the morning instructor meeting on Saturday it was specifically mentioned that the first green run is a familiarization run. No passing and 60 km/h. But because this was not put in writing anywhere it turned into a mess. I made my student give point-bys half way through the session when I saw that the scheme fell apart.

At some point my student (and obviously me) were accused of causing trains. I apologize for that. It's not that I did not see a car behind. I did see a car behind but every time we would exit a corner the car behind would fall back a bit too far and I deemed it not necessary to stop in the middle of the straight to wait for them. My student was not going too fast in the straights at that point and we would be caught by the entrance of the next corner. I will keep that situation in mind next time and will let cars like that through.

I also think that for student groups (especially green and yellow) very clear passing procedures should be defined in writing. A very simple and effective rule is used by the local PCA chapter. The approaching corner determines the passing side. The passing car always goes on the inside of the next corner. So at Tremblant that means passing always on the right except right after the Esses before 6. This removes a lot of hesitation and clarifies things a lot. I often asked my student to come out of the paddock bend and quickly get to the left to let cars pass. It worked pretty well.

In John's case I might suggest filling the mirrors of the car in front a bit more if there is no cooperation with point bys. A good exercise in timing corner entry speed and then creating minimum distance close to the exit. Some may say that is aggressive but I think it is appropriate for the advanced group. Especially at this event where everyone is pre-soloed. Doing this in green would be bad.

My driving season seems to be finished for this year.(Sorry Wabbit ). I had good fun and had people to play with in the instructor group. They were also snooty Porsche drivers. Chasing pumpkins around the track so close to Halloween is quite pleasant. Also having no more than 2 students is great. My wife did not accuse me of abandoning her for the whole day.

[johnmdanskin]

...
In John's case I might suggest filling the mirrors of the car in front a bit more if there is no cooperation with point bys. A good exercise in timing corner entry speed and then creating minimum distance close to the exit. Some may say that is aggressive but I think it is appropriate for the advanced group. Especially at this event where everyone is pre-soloed. Doing this in green would be bad...

I'm pretty sure I looked like the t-rex in jurassic park. "objects are closer than they appear". This would have been especially true in carousel where I was taking a different line than either of these guys and hence weaving back and forth behind their cars. I won't say how close in print, but distances were closer after several laps than when I first caught them. Basically I was as close as I considered safe.

I think the real answer is either to pull through the pits or go racing (really) and pass the 3$#!-ers in the corner. Or run with faster groups (scda, com, instructors) where slow fast cars are less of an issue.

[Andrei]

With the instructor group I enjoyed sharing the track with slower cars. They keep the cornering momentum and on the straights they see you early enough and give you a signal early enough that no lifting is necessary.
The only way to deal with people refusing to yield when appropriate is to report them to the people running the event. I do know that organizers of may driving schools will act swiftly in explaining the rules of etiquette to such people. I have seen that happen.
Also you can look at this as a character building exercise. Keeping your Zen inner peace while dealing with an obvious jerk.

For some reason I a

[Nano]

What time will you guys be there?

I'm still not 100% sure I can make it: I'm losing a bit of oil from behind the oil cooler body...and no one seems to have the damned gasket in stock!

Emre

A shame you couldn't make it, I was looking forward to a "euro" chat.

[Lee]

During the morning instructor meeting on Saturday it was specifically mentioned that the first green run is a familiarization run. No passing and 60 km/h. But because this was not put in writing anywhere it turned into a mess.

I also was at the instructor meeting, and don't even remember it was announced. Maybe not enough emphasis on this special condition? I think that the obvious understood code for not passing on a track uses yellow flags. Standing yellows for 20 minutes. Everyone understands it. Tracktime during this event was pretty limited, and not every novice driver needs 20 minutes at walking pace to figure out where they are.

Most clubs will ask instructors to drive their novice student's car for 3 slow laps. On the first lap, the student concentrates on identifying the flaggers' stations. On the second lap, the instructor starts commenting on the corners in a general manner while the student looks at those corners for the first time. On the third lap, the instructor starts explaining "pointers" like the two holes on the asphalt before corner 4. Then the driving begins after the student takes possession of his car. Especially that there was (theorically) only 420 minutes of track time to be divided among 6 groups (70 minutes per day) vs the usual 100 minutes. Obviously, the new LCMT requirement of 30 cars per group did not help the organization of such a big event and NEQ still did a superb job.

[Emre]

A shame you couldn't make it, I was looking forward to a "euro" chat.Yeah, I was pretty bummed out that I missed it. But I will be heading to Turkey soon. I will definitely be looking to run some Euro track events. I've even found a place that rents track-prepared E36 318ti hatches at the 'Ring for a reasonable $350 Euro per day.

Whaddaya say?

Emre

[blacksheep]

... I'll try to try Eric's line at least for a while next time.I don't suggest trying my "oh damn!? I forgot to stiffen up my front shocks and we're understeering off the outside of turn 2!!!" line :D
Then it happened again with the MZ4 Coupe. He finally signaled me by and then didn't lift enough. After that he felt that he'd given me a chance and no more signals.This driver did the exact same thing to my A student Seb David @ Midsummer heat. I thought it was an isolated incident then, but it seems to be a pattern. When I went to (politely) talk to him after the session he gave me a bunch of attitude and basically told me he only lifted as much as he felt like, and if the following car wasn't "fast enough to catch him" then he would continue on his merry way with his foot to the floor.

He will definitely be under the microscope the next time I see him at an event. If I'd known this before the last session of the weekend I would have done everything I can to have his sign-off revoked.

Besides that, it was fun seeing (almost) everyone again

[bmwqc]

btw, any pictures from the event?

They wrapped that high fence along the paddock area so you can no longer take any unobstructed shots from Namerow (unless you are an official photobug and get access to the infield).

[Emre]

Eric and I had an argument about how to do 123, which was what I was hoping for from the reciprocal rides. I'll try to try Eric's line at least for a while next time.Last time I was out at LCMT with Eric, he seemed to have the "correct" (i.e., fastest) line through 1-4. That's the same line that Rick Bye showed me a bunch of years ago. Over the years, I've noticed that Bob Rouleau, Peter Carol, and a bunch of the other fast guys use the same line.

I consider myself a fairly middle-of-the-road driver and my track car leans towards the...err, "crappy" side. Throw in street tires for good measure, and you're looking at a relatively slow package. Yet, I catch just about everyone in corners 1-4. So I guess there's something to it.

Emre

[Andrei]

The first instructor session was a bit... ahem... amusing.
Someone had the wonderful idea of putting cones in the middle of the track to point out the entry to each corner. That meant that being somewhat offline would make you hit the cone on the track. Hilarity ensued. Corner 10 cone was 20 meters into the grass after the 2nd lap. I saw the cone at the entry of the Esses punted off by Ron Green. The instructor B session finished off that cone menace. The chief instructor Steve Earley seemed to be happy with the cleanup.

[Lee]

I have seen placing "gates" before. It is not a bad idea as it teaches novices the proper line or entrance to a corner. But that was the instructor group and they are supposed to know the track. But hey, maybe a few didn't know the track and required it. That's okay.

[johnmdanskin]

I have seen placing "gates" before. It is not a bad idea as it teaches novices the proper line or entrance to a corner. But that was the instructor group and they are supposed to know the track. But hey, maybe a few didn't know the track and required it. That's okay.

the thing is, the gates weren't necessarily in the right place. actually, the chief instructor, Steve Early, who was also the classroom instructor for the advanced students, mentioned a few cones which he was hoping someone would "move".

There were definitely a few cones in places I wanted to drive. They seemed especially to be trying to keep cars off the inside curbing. They had cones where people usually drive at the insides of 3, 5, 10, 11, and 15 (at least), and also a cone on the track theoretically marking a turnin for 4, but actually on the track in a spot I sometimes like to drive over.

Someone gave someone too many cones. "I don't care where you put 'em, just use 'em up."

(Steve was a pretty good instructor for advanced btw. He gave us some things to work on. Showed us some books we should read. Didn't waste our time bullshitting.)

-john

[Lee]

Steve is a great chief-instructor. He got real hands-on track experience that many classroom instructors lack. He practices what he preaches.

Has anyone else noticed the bump at the bottom of corner #1?

[Silverblades181]

It was fun being there...I only wish I would of been there driving and not filming. Thanks Eric for a nice ride where I even got to film, a film that clearly demonstrate G-Forces lol. Those Audi guys sure have money, I saw some very nice (and expensive!!!) cars.

[johnmdanskin]

...Those Audi guys sure have money, I saw some very nice (and expensive!!!) cars...


It was pretty cool to see someone playing with a carrera gt.

The rs8 was a pre-production press car. They are going to flog it around NA, then fly it back to Audi, flog it some more, check it out very carefully, and then compact it. Really.

I really liked the rs8 interior. Alcantera on the roof. If I had that car you'd see me on the freeway rubbing my face on the roof.

[Andrei]

I have seen placing "gates" before. It is not a bad idea as it teaches novices the proper line or entrance to a corner. But that was the instructor group and they are supposed to know the track. But hey, maybe a few didn't know the track and required it. That's okay.

If this was a beginner only event I would support having those cones. But in the more advanced groups you are supposed to be experimenting with using other lines and often when finishing a pass it doesn't make sense to come back all the way the the correct line but there is enough room to be partially on line and not completely off. I am glad I did not see them on my second run.

[Nano]

It was pretty cool to see someone playing with a carrera gt.

The rs8 was a pre-production press car. They are going to flog it around NA, then fly it back to Audi, flog it some more, check it out very carefully, and then compact it. Really.

I really liked the rs8 interior. Alcantera on the roof. If I had that car you'd see me on the freeway rubbing my face on the roof.

Just to be annoying... that was an R8, not an RS8

R8 only has 414hp

RS8 is speculated to be in development and either will feature the gallardo V10 or twin turbos on the V8. Good for 500-550hp.


... unless it really had a V10 and was a proto RS8

[Silverblades181]

It was an R8 with the RS4's V8, tuned for more power apparently.

Btw, they announced the new RS6 Avant...5.0L V10 Biturbo good for 580hp.

[Nano]

The thing that surprised me most about the R8, is how quiet it was.

Barely audible on the front straight, and even when we got passed by in the instructor group with my instructor, it just hummed.

[Lee]

The RS4 with 410 naturally aspirated HP is quite impressive on its own. That would be a superb racecar with 1000lbs removed from it. This car is very neutral and feels like a more stable rear wheel drive. Myself and my student had fun pitching the car in oversteer in Caroussel and control the slide throughout the corner with the throttle. We had a few thumbs up from the flagger at the exit of Caroussel. Excellent chassis and superb brakes.

[Nano]

It's true that the new RS4 is a superbly executed and engineered car.

But I'm still surprised to see you praise a 4000lbs cars Lee. It really must be very good!

[blacksheep]

This car is very neutral and feels like a more stable rear wheel drive.all the Audi's with the longitudinally-mounted engines (A4, A6, S4, RS4, etc) feel that way.

Full-time AWD with constant 65% rear / 35% torque split does that. First the rear end comes around, then the pull from the front end balances it out and stabilizes the car

[Lee]

It's true that the new RS4 is a superbly executed and engineered car.

But I'm still surprised to see you praise a 4000lbs cars Lee. It really must be very good!

It shows that I am not partial. It's indeed a heavy car. But 410HP makes any good car even more sexy. The torque of the engine makes the car very easy to drive on the throttle. And BTW the RS4 still has an 8200 RPM motor... :eek:

I managed to kill the brakes in one session. They got very spongy. But that's because the (huge) calipers had street pads on them. I started slow :cool: and then increased the pace as I built confidence with the car. Going sideways in corner 1 on the throttle is fun.

[snowmanmtl]

The turn-in-cones ( gates ) were left over from Trioomph ( super car experience ) who were at the track on Thursday and Friday. Without those cones I probably would not be alive today! It's very scary being a passenger when the drivers only get three laps in a variety of high powered cars.

[SpeedTT]

Depuis notre retour de Tremblant, je n'ai pas vu de photos des membrs... ni des teaser des photographes. Y a t-il des gens qui voudraient nous mettre l'eau à la bouche?

[Lee]

Hey percy. As-tu demandé des photos au photographe officiel? C'est le seul qui a des photos de l'événement, car c'est le seul que AUDI-NEQ a autorisé à accéder au "infield". Les autres photographes n'avaient pas accès au circuit.

Le photgraphe officiel a pris quelques photos de ma 2002, et je vais maintenant choisir laquelle m'intéresse en haute résolution. $20 par photo, jusqu'à concurence de $100.

Paddock Bend.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/2007-09-30-Img1326.jpg

Virage #6 - Avec "le gros" qui essaie très fort. On peut voir qu'il a un couteau entre les dents, et qu'il est tout rouge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/2007-09-29-Img0582.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/2007-09-29-Img0042.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/2007-09-30-Img1363.jpg

Virage #7
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/2007-09-29-Img1019.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/Lee_Vuong/2002%20folder/2007-09-29-Img1040.jpg

[SpeedTT]

Donne moi les coordonnées du photographe par PM svp. Elle sont superbe. J'aime bien la 2002 et la montagne en arriere plan

[Lee]

pierre.goyette@gmail.com

[Guy_Tremblay]

Est-ce que quelqu'un se rappel du nom du représentant Audi qui était responsable de la R8 pré-prod. Il l'avait pris à Toronto et nous a fait un breefing au souper.

Merci