I would like to join my fellow racers from Ontario in thanking Dan, Claude and all our Quebec friends for putting on the Vintage grid at Mont Tremblant's Spring Classic. They were very gracious hosts. Following is a summary of the weekend from my perspective.
 
I set off Friday morning and followed Walter Davies' "Triptik" directions via Ottawa/Hull to Montebello and up 323 to Ste. Jovite. 323 is an interesting road(!), beautiful scenery and an excellent drive for the first 40kms or so then all hell breaks loose -- break being the operative word since the asphalt seems to have undergone a transformation from violent shifting of the earth's tectonic plates. I felt like I was on a bucking bronco (also felt like replacing the b with an f!). Still, I made it intact from Scarborough to the paddock in 6hrs 20min so not bad at all. I arrived on a gorgeous sunny, 23C afternoon but it was all rather downhill in the sunshine dept from there. A bunch of us stayed in the Auberge Mountain View -- I highly recommend it for future events.
 
Saturday morning was what I would call organized chaos, it being their first big event of the year. It wasn't raining but there was a nice wind blowing and I thought I'd stepped into a remake of Desert Storm as the sand was blowing every which way, including into my contact lenses. This delightful paddock surface changed into a soupy mess with the coming of the rains and I had enough residue in my trailer when I got home to fill a kid's sandbox. Despite some of us having had our annual tech already done, Scrutineering insisted on seeing every car in person avec driver's gear - they were extremely thorough. I just about had to be shipped home in a pine box after deciding to push my car the length of the paddock to the scrutineering area, not wanting to waste battery power as there was no way to recharge it. It was an interminable wait but Claude did step in and smooth the process a bit near the end so thanks Claude for that.
 
Mont Tremblant is a magnificent circuit for those who haven't yet experienced it. Much more work than Mosport in the braking and gearing dept but some super corners. The track surface is like glass, though according to the seer Greenwood, this is a negative from the way the track used to be before it was redone. Certainly in the rain, that surface in spots acts very much like glass and one has no steering control whatsoever going through it.
 
As for amenities and services, there are none -- no gas, no air, no water, no restaurant but one (warm and clean, at least for the guys) washroom at the base of the Tower. So you have to bring pretty well everything with you -- hopefully that will improve in the future.
 
It was very interesting on this track in the early going to sail over a hill, muttering to yourself, "now was it here the track bends to the right or left and am I to slow down or keep my foot in it?" All normal stuff when acquainting oneself with a new track I suppose but never a dull moment in the wailing and knashing of teeth department that's for sure!
 
With about a 10 car grid, we managed to get our practice and all but 1 lap of qualifying in before the rain started coming down.
 
Our race in the pouring rain was entertaining to say the least. Richard proved to be the MG master in the wet, finishing 3rd in a good drive. Alain's little Fiat had some electrical problems I believe and gave up the ghost early but he was back for the full day Sunday. Walter Davies was out in the ex Philip Soden Lotus, freshly painted and looking like a dream. The dream was rather dampened if you were following him as great plumes of water would dash over us hapless souls in the other open cars.
 
Bob DeShane fought a stripped distributor clamp bolt so experienced variable timing but it didn't seem to slow him down a whole heck of a lot. He also had a plug electrode go south in the Sunday morning practice but got that fixed in short order.
 
Martin Beaudry drove his yellow Porsche in fine style to a second place finish and it was a great help in the practices to watch him take the lines through the corners for us newbies.
 
To Vince, Dan and Jason -- I know you guys were out there but I didn't have a chance to find out how it went with your cars. Another VARAC member, Ross Smith, decided to stay off the Vintage grid and raced with the FF1600's instead.
 
We woke up Sunday to pouring rain but by the time our practice rolled around, we had a semi-dry track to go out on and qualifying and the second race were both done in the dry.
 
I had qualified third behind Walter and Bob. A very nice Porsche (I think it was a 911 but I am as thick as a brick identifying car types) driven by Hugh Kwok was 4th. I was looking forward to a dice with Bob but he didn't show up on the mock grid so I assumed another problem had gotten the better of him (as I discovered after the race, he did start from the back and managed to finish 4th).
 
So I was in the #2 spot out in front with Walter on the pole. We got the green and just then my engine, which had been flawless all weekend, decided to develop a misfire at high revs. I popped it quickly into 3rd but the Porsche was by me by then so I spent the rest of the race trying to unsuccessfully chase him down. Richard blew up his engine -- no oil was getting to the crank or bearings so really hard luck for him though I understand he's invoked Plan B for the VIR event the week after next. All in all, it was a great weekend of racing. All sessions got off better than a German train schedule so I was a very tired but happy lad when I rolled into my driveway about 11pm Sunday night with a car that was still running and in one piece...
 
Next, to VIR and the Confederates!
 
Nick...