Early in 2015 discussion started about the MEQC, the Martime-Eastern Quebec Rally Championship. The events included would be the Regional Section of the Rallye Baie Des Chaleur, June, in New Richmond PQ, the Ledwidge Lookoff Rally, near Halifax Nova Scotia in August, and the Rallye De Charlevoix, in La Malbaie PQ, Late October.

The championship was formally announced in late spring.

Not long after that, I got word that Daphne was putting some numbers together to see what it would take for her and James to take on Rallye De Charlevoix, with the Production 2WD VW Golf they run.

What would it take? What would it take indeed...........

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Before we get too far along, let's take a minute to meet the players:

Car 25
Dan Spalinger and Ben Nadeau are up from Eastern US. Having done Lookoff here, and heading to Charlevoix, they are in the 2WD game for the MEQC. BAC members at that!

Car 21
Malcolm "Oldschooltwinrotor" Swann
Tim "Pacenotesaregood" Dine

Car 29
Jonathan "Hammerdown" Conrad
Clarke "Notmyfirstrodeo" Paynter
Cal "Wrenchminion1" Vandaalen

Car 34
James "Dasauto" Whitman
Daphne "Thecatshepherd" Sleigh
Ian "Wrenchminion2" Pearce

Also in our service area from the Eastside:
Blu "Thequickcarrecoverysystem" Vandaalen
Cindy "Theorganizerextraordinaire" McCarron
Maxime "Theyhaveanexcellenteggroll" Meconse


We met many other folks on our trip, and I hope I not excluded anyone. None of this is possible without the family members and friends that tend to things while others are away. Thanks to them.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

With the summer rolling on, and plans being solidified, others started to have some idea's of their own.

By the time paperwork was being done for Lookoff, Jon and Clarke were in. Mal and Tim, having put a bunch of work into Lookoff (not being able to make it by a slim margin) had their appetite whetted. It was looking like 3 cars were going to make the trip.

This changes the economics of some logistics. With 3 service trucks going, you could pool on some things, and look for accommodations that fit the group better.

The shepherd came up with a stunning facility, on the banks of the St Lawrence, with room for vehicles, and sleeping for all. The cats were herded, and we would have excellent comfort, less than 20minutes from the service park.


Each team made it's own departure plans, with a general "meet on Thursday evening at the house."

Car 34 made a Wednesday evening getaway, and stopped quickly overnight en route. The plan would give us a shorter less tiring day on Thursday. We fueled the truck and headed west, wheels turning at 1715hrs. Overcast but dry, good tunes on the ipod, and some light conversation.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

0900hrs Thursday:

We roll past Fredericton. Coffee is good, and the ole Dodge is working well. We're fully loaded, but the 360 has been well looked after and it's earning it's keep well.

Weather is starting to deteriorate by the time we're skirting the south side of the St Lawrence River. We grab a bite in Riviere du Loup, and fuel up. Latest information is that car 29 is 90minutes behind us, and keeping the Cummins in the eco range. They'll catch us in Quebec City while we run an errand.

At my peril I disregard some information to turn right off the highway. I turn left. Never ignore a co-driver, it's never going to end well. We end up finding the old bridge, not the new. The lanes necked down to the point where you have a comfortable 4 inches on either side of the trailer, it's a bit nerve racking and I'm relieved when we escape 987meters later with both fenders on the trailer. A few more good hills to test the clutch and bull low, we find our errand spot and regroup.

After stuffing the setup into a spot it had no business being, I hand over the driving duties to James. Pretty slick work getting it out of a tight spot, and we are back on the road. We are now near 1600hrs, and traffic in Quebec is bad. It's James turn to ignore The Shepherd, and he turns right, against her left. We'll get out of Quebec, but it'll cost us another 15min.

Car 29 is now ahead, and we get a bit of a cryptic message regarding hills. Huh, wonder what that's about.........

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Taking the 138 East, we head for Saint Irenee. At Baie St Paul we take the 362 East, and there in lay the problem.

It would be a wonderful road, in a Miata, Z4 or 911, with an attractive person at your side, top down, fall colours, laughing about how good your last financial report was, or how the sale of your yacht went.

In the rain, with 10k lbs of service and rallycar, dark, and 17% (I kid you not) grades, it's horrific. Good news is that the water keeps the brakes cool. From the mirrors you can't tell if it's steam, smoke, or water spray from the trailer brakes. We elect not to stop regardless, the speed might be keeping flames at bay. The run offs are very well built, much like the Rocky Mountains, and they are well marked. James figures we can land in the pea gravel of one and get it stopped before we need the water barrels. Good times.

At Saint Irenee, we follow the GPS down a goat path. It's supposed to be our House, but we are uncertain. It's already tried to turn us into someones front lawn, and we've had enough GPS adventure for one day. We stop at a T intersection. Trying to check the map, we have a small car roll up on the left. "Bonjour, do you need help sir?" It's Nova Scotia's adopted son, Max. He nips off to find a route, and leads us to the house.

Parked, car 29 already situated, we kick back and meet up with a bunch of the folks. It's a fantastic spot, and we feel pretty good about having a solid base to work from. Tomorrow will be Service setup, and Recce. We are lucky in that it's not a 0500hrs wake up call, but it will be a long day.

We find some grub, share some stories, have a beverage, and relax for a bit. Tomorrow it will be time for the real bit to start.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Friday 23 OCT 2015:

It's recce day in Clermont.

We awake rested, and read to go at it. The location of the accomodation be beyond words. I awake in my room to a stunning view of the St Lawrence and ships moving slowing up the river. It's windy and cold, but the view is wonderous.

Bacon, eggs, coffee, all the good things to start a day. We have an hour to chat with everyone, how the drive was etc, and what their plan for the day is. We move into more serious items on the list, who is in what service spot, who's truck we'll need first, movement plans for vehicles, time for tech inspection. The logistics, as it were.

Rolling though the villages east, it's the same views from cliffs and dips that has made this area popular with tourists for years.

At La Malbaie we turn inland, heading for Rally HQ and the service area. Organization is fairly good. The HQ is in the Clermont Arena, and service is in the parking lot. A good setup. Some kind words get all 3 cars moved into adjacent spots for service locations. This is going to make things easier.

We do the usual signing of wavers (I should just tatoo this thing on a forearm) and get our wristbands. Infomation packages are handed out, and Daph, Tim and Clarke start to work though Recce info and plan their day. Recce will be tight, and it'll be near impossible to do it all in the allotted time. They make a sound call to leave the smaller under 4km stages for last if there is time, and worry about the larger tests, 39km, 21km, 17km... Organizers notes are supplied, and the general feeling is they are not too bad.

With the teams our for Recce, Cal and I are left to setup things. We get the tarps down, Cal heads off to get some tires mounted for Jon, and I aquaint myself with the service truck to figure out where things are. Spare uprights, control arms, wheel selections.... Almost everything you'd need. You can never bring enough, or so they say.

Car's have numbers attached, gear is checked, tires, pressures, the usual. Ceremonial start is 10 km away at the door of the Manoir Richelieu, and Tech is in the parking garage for the Casino, 150m away from there.

Cal and I have 4 sets of kids in the drivers seat of the RX7 by late afternoon, it's attracting a lot of attention, and people want to know where it came from, who it belonged to..... My French does it's best to give a brief rundown, but I'm sure someone thought Tom McGeer was back out of retirement to run the event. Two other cars in the paddock are turning heads as well, a mid 80's Audi 4000 sedan with 20V swap. It's a dead ringer for Jon Kempt's old car, and the owner knows it. The other is Re-Engineered Racings Audi 90, with 20V swap. There are lots of fast subaru's in the park, but if your looking for history and fan interest, the Audi's and RX7 take the cake. Seems rally fans are followers of it's past.

1700hrs:

Cars are starting to roll back in from Recce now. It's been a long afternoon for them, and not enough time to get it all done. We've got a few minutes to grab some food, and then cars need to head out for Parc Expose, Tech and Start. The sun is down, and it's just plain cold. I get handed keys to just about every vehicle in our group. We make the wise choice of a 2015 STI, and follow the gang into town for the start..........

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Its not just rally cars. Go anywhere and its the same thing. Old stuff rules! Go to an air show with state of the art F35 prototype, and most people will be looking at the vintage P51 Mustang. Go to the Wharf Rat Rally where there are $40K new Harleys lined up there like cord wood, but most people are crowded around the mint WWII Harley or the rusted rat Indian that someone actually rode there from Maine.

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

Loving this Ian....please keep it going.

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"On snow or ice or gravel, we all know that a car will not stop or steer. And yet rally cars do both of these things. That means the whole thing is sorcery, and the people who do the driving must be witches." - Jermy Clarkson.

18:30hrs, Manoir Richelieu:

The GPS guildes us into the parking lot of the hotel. With the addition of the Casino in the 90's it's taken on quite the atmosphere. There is a large open air car park, classic tiered outdoor lots, and a section at the back, that may have been for service staff or high end guests. Eitherway, it is now Parc Expose.

Given the air temp though, not too many are hanging about. We find some in the lobby of the hotel, were staff seem a bit perplexed at where all these folks dressed in odd clothing came from. Clearly we do not fit the normal clientel list. We also get a stern reception from the guards at the Casino. I am certain they are much friendlier if you have different dress, and are there to play.

The parking loop between the main lobby and Casino entrance is now a dance floor, with live DJ, inflatable sponsor arc, etc etc. One by one the cars are sent from Parc Expose to the garage for Tech. We hover. We arn't worried about much, we figure the cars are all up to snuff. We do keep an eye for Mal, the old RX7 was last though tech 21 years ago, but it's been well improved, and brought up to par. Advice on minor items and placement of decals is the only result. We're all in!

We mill about for another part of an hour, while tech finishes. The sound of fairly "breathable" exhaust is intoxicating in parking garage. I5 Audi sounds, UEL, EL Subaru header burble, the smell of 108 octaine ELF, camera flashes, DJ mixing... it's a festival.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

The shedule is a bit late, but it's time for the start.

Blu is now in town, and we've given him directions on where to find parc expose once he drops the trailer.

There are no specials tonight, but there are several hundred people about, wishing to see the start to the event. They'll roll out from here, back to service, and be locked up for the night.

Cars are looped down to the front gate of one of the most elegant hotels of it's time, with Range Rovers dropping guests, arranging Valet service, .......a few GT-3's hang out for good measure. The sight of Simon Dube's VW next to $150k worth of Porsche is amusing to me, but it works.

A good show is put on for the specators as the cars are introduced one by one. Teams are listed off, with home towns and models. There are big cheers for our local teams, video and pictures are all around. Cal and I saddle up the STI and head back to Service with the teams. I'm sure he's critizing my pace, but like being a good house guest or being served a good meal, don't break the china or soil the linen, and you might get invited back. I keep it tame.

We pack up the park, and head for the house. James and Daph head off to have something light at the house, Clarke, Cal, Jon and myself hit Mikes, and have something a bit more hearty.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

I am also enjoying this, more please, at your leisure sir.

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" I was crying so hard, that when I was breaking, tears were streaming down my visor. " Jean Alesi after winning the Canadian GP on Fathers Day, on his birthday, driving a Ferrari with Gilles Villeneuve's # 27 on his car. I was there, my first GP as a marshal, 1995.

So far so good. But MORE MORE MORE!

0630hrs, Saturday 24 Oct 2015:

We're up early, it's nice out, above 0c, and less frost than Thursday night. The cummins has been on the warmer last evening, but it might have lit up without.

Quick cup o coffee, and we head out. I'll grab something as they depart for the first loop.

The service park is abuzz. There are enough 2WD honda's here to keep McNutt in business for ever, and high end gear like Pastrana's first '08 STI. Hobbs is running it now, and it's quite the bit of engineering. Car 0 is due out at 0829, and we've got everything idling to get some heat in it.

Jon has opted for snows on the first loop. There was snow in the higher ground during Recce. It's still cold, and the gravels might not work quite so well on pavement. The first two are "Clermont 1+2", not long, but greesy on cold gravels. James and Malcom have made the decision easy, and are sticking to gravels.

Cindy and Max suggest a spot near a Chinese restaurant to watch from. I'm not quite getting the full picture and don't figure we've got time for breakfast, as the next serice is only an hour away. Turns out the restaurant is on the side of the river bank, and you can look down from it's lot to the stage below. The organizers have made a dirt loop, with Rallycross esque jump in the middle for the fans. It's well attended for sure. We only get a few minutes to watch before we need to make it back to do what we are here for.

Back in the day, you'd have radio, remote team cars to watch, and runners in the time control. Cellular phone's have very much made most of that a thing of the past. You can almost guarantee a text back from your team when a stage is done, let you know how things are, and what they might need. The first from Daph is good: "Car fine, due in SS2 09:54hrs. No idea if it's supposed to sound like this on pavement." Good, one down only 10 to go. It's still a good idea to be within visual when there are at service check in, see if any frantic geastures are being made.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

"We are at MTC, time in 10:06"

The fact there is nothing in the message other than time, indicated to me that most things should be ok.

Malcom is in, and he's beavering away on some minor things. He's bent a wheel, and there is red paint on the front of the bumper. I can't quite figure how they've done that, but he keeps mumbling something about a curb. It doesn't fit in my mind, but I've not got time to worry about it.

Cal is throwing tires at Jon's car. It seems fine, working well, and fluids and a tire change is it. The next stages are near 138km worth of stage and transit, including the 39km of bataram.

Daph and James roll onto the tarp. I: "What's the news?" J: "Dont' know, seems to be fine! Cold and it's moving a lot"
We drop the pressures, the pavement thrash has put a lot of heat in them and we're high. Fluids are checked, nuts, we jiggle everything under the hood, fuel is still good, and we had planned to fuel it full to avoid having to refuel at first service.

Fueling at a Stage Rally is very controlled. There is a safety zone, where all fueling is done. Given the sponsor for this event, you can buy fuel and have it pumped for you, (Panta/ELF) or bring your own. Your bottles and fuel stay in the fuel zone, and you have a pumper truck 15 feet away. They don't play around.

We are going to have a bit of a break now. We don't expect to see them back until a Car 0 time of 1337hrs. We've got a few hours to kill. We do some cleanup, and I fire up the inverter. This feature of the rally makes it all worthwild. On a cold day, to have a slowcooker of chili filling the service truck with good smells is excellent.

In the background, other teams have not been fairing quite so well........

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

The Audi 4000 of Bares and Montplaisir has returned to service, with an A6 and tow rope as it's motivation.

It seems a meer 50 meters into the stage it died, and would not refire. A2E^2 and Platto Performance members decend on the car.

They dig into the front of the engine, and quickly find that the crank pully key has sheared, thus turning the crank pully. All intakes are bent, no compression. Bares seems a bit dispondent. This is rallying, but 50 meters in not what they came for.

Once figured out, the boys from Platto "Attack" the front of the Audi. A phone call is made, and a 20V cylinder head is put in a truck, heading North East from Quebec City. Bares almost protests, but he's told effectively to go stand in the corner, that his car is being fixed. It is no longer his decision. When asked roughly what the service agreement is, he responds "I'm not sure, but I guess this is Rallying in Quebec." One hour and Twelve minutes later the head is lying on the ground, and they await the delivery.

Max has joined us, along with Cindy and a box of coffee. Just what the Doctor ordered. We munch on some snacks, make a plan for what is needed. Jon will need fuel, so we move that to refuel. The next service is the big one, 45min, so if you've got something large, that is your chance. Next to us a 6 spd subaru box is dug out of their trailer. I don't know what that pays in a subaru shop for time, but it's not 0.75, of that I'm certain. They've got transmission issues, and they are going to rectify it.

"Hard core, Joker Man, hard core..... "

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

So I want to know what you start with first when they arrive at service?

Years ago I was the crew chief for the Young Drivers rally team I had one person on tire pressures, one on fluids, and one cleaning the windows of mud
Joe comes rolling in and my team descends on the car, but he starts hollering real loud:

"Forget about the windows ...do the sponsor decals first!"

Stacy

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The fricton circle for my 911 Porsche resembles more of an oblong... I'm either trailbraking or accelerating while trying to get it to turn!

Great read Ian. Keep it coming!

1241hrs, Saturday 24 Oct 2015.

The phone buzzes with an incoming text:

D: "Were done, transmission tabs broken."

I: "Crap, you need pickup then? Where are you?"

D: "End SS4, Port Aux Saumons. It's slightly mobile, can drive on trailer. We are waiting for Sweep."


Just like that, it's done. We look around at which trailer is easiest to get at. Jon's is a tool bench right now, and James has been wiggled to the back of our area to keep it out of the way. Blu volunteers, and we latch up Malcoms trailer. We grab a GPS from the Recce vehicle and Cal finds the Service Route book. I stuff some coordinates into the GPS, and suction it to the Tundra window. Blu heads of into the wilds of Quebec to find car #34.

Looking around the paddock we're not far physically from Lefebvre's service, or Dube's truck. Both are running A2 VW's, but it's likely the drivetrains are all A3. Through my bad French and some disjointed English, we find they don't have a Transmission spare, but Dube might. When relayed, it's decided that they are done, even if a spare is found. Other things have happened.

Car 34 arrives back on the trailer. We pop the hood, and find that not only are mounts broken, the engine has moved it's way rear, pinning the throttle open. The limiter likely saved it. There is more than just one broken bit, it's a fairly comprehensive mess. The work to repair all of it would take hours, if we had the parts. Confirmation, tout fin. Just to raise our spirits a bit on the subject of community, Lefebvre's team strolls over with a front motor mount arm. He offers it up, but it won't help. Looking under the hood: "ahh, c'est nes pas bon...." We loan him a spool of wire so he can get their exhaust back in something like a location that might work. Rallying is all about teamwork, and it doesn't seem to matter which team......

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Malcom and Tim are in, they've been moving all morning, and they are hovering somewhere near 15th, 3rd in 2WD. There is a price to pay for that pace.....

This time we've got multiple bent wheels, a bunch of front right camber, and brakes needs to be bled....

Daph and James have decided to sell me to another team, and I'm handed a bucket with all the brake stuff. We start to bleed the rears, and it's obvious what's up. During the prep of the car for Lookoff, a different rear axle with lines was installed. We get most of the poor looking fluid out, and start to get some serious pedal. Blu has swapped some wheels, and Cal, who had been trying to dial in some less negative camber on the plates, is now working on Jon. More tire and Fluids.
We check bolts, tug on stuff, and generally button up some body work.

We force feed Chili to any competitor who'll take it. The delight of Chili to those who are cold, but about to strap themseved into an enclosed space is lost on some. Roof vents are good.

Everyone is getting stapped in, and we leg it down to fueling. With a time out assigned, we fuel Jon and Clarke, and off they go.

The subaru lads who were pulling the transmission, do a full change in 56 minutes. I'm amazed. They'll take 1:10 in penalties for being 11min late out of service, but that is really really good. A2E^2 is fielding multiple cars here today, and we get a chance to chat with Vincent. He's done some suspension work for Gordon and myself, and it's good to meet him in person. Blu has some business to conduct with him before the weekend is out, so there is some get to know you, and some brain picking for information. I'm pleased with what I've seen.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

We'll do one more service late this afternoon. We decide that lights should go on then, as it's getting late, and the stages leading up to Service 3 are a bit behind. It'll be dusk for sure before Service 4.

Jon has geared up a nice 4 piece LED setup. It a neat setup, but it does take two people 10min to do it. Malcom seems to be in decent shape this time, he and Tim do some routine things. Tires, fluids......
I make a mistake of looking in the direction of Jon's pod when he tests it. I spend the rest of the evening with 80 LED imprints in my visual path. It works well!
Malcom is not happy with his light setup, and elects to go without. He's concerned that having them there, but flopping about will be worse than not at all. He's the driver, and we defer to his choice.

Both cars are back on the road, holding strong in top 20, of a field that started with 36 cars.


20 feet away, the truck from Platto has arrived. The front of the Audi is now a hive of activity, I count 7 people on it, and two are basically sitting on the car, in the back of the motor. Two under, Three at front... it's amazing to watch. This is not he first 20V Audi I5 they've worked on.

One hour and Nine minutes after the truck arrived, the Audi sputters to life again, and clears it's throat with a belch of misplaced oil and soot. They jazz the throttle a bit.... it settles down to that mystical growl. A few more blips of the throttle suggest it's timed and running fine. There are estatic hugs and high fives amongst the team that has adopted the car. Montplaisir heads off to ask for a restart under the rules. It will be granted with a smile. The Audi sits quietly burbling away...... Almost calm....... Like a lynx in the bushes.......

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

The second Audi, a 90 with 20V swap of Hollen Groff and Allison Loef has been in with a Rad problem. It's ironically the same Rad issue that Jim Theriault faced one week ago at Trout Lake.
Audi mounts the rad adjacent to the block, to allow room for the long engine, forward of front axle centerline. There is a bolt in the bottom mount that can be problematic. Cal fixes them up with some adhesive from Jon's box of goodies, and they head back out.

During the final moments of the Audi 4000 rebirth, Chris Greenhouse, who is running flat out in 2WD and top 5 overall, enters service. The relationship with Platto and A2E I'm not 100% certain of, but it's professional in some nature.

As Chris turned into service, a scream of "GREENHOUSE!" to the front of the Audi resulted in a complete shift of gears. They flew to the adjacent service, and had his car up on all four pin stands in 15 seconds. It's not their first Rodeo it would appear. They would spend the next 20 min doing whatever was required to make sure the SRT was ready for time out and the next set of stages. Very professional.

Daph and James are back with Coffee, and it's a welcome touch for sure. The Sun is now gone, and we are starting to get cold. The arena is open, and it's a good washroom and warm up spot. I view with interest the event T shirt, but it's white, and I just have a bad feeling about white as a rally service T shirt.

We are going to have one more service this evening. They'll be back from the final stages on Gravel, and change to Pavement setup for the final two Stages of Malbaie 1 and 2. This stage has not been used in 15 years, if I recall correctly, since Charlevoix was being observed as a possible WRC event. Most are estatic it's back, and it will be epic. Spectators line the route, and by it's geography it allows people to be close, but safe. The road way is built with a system of walls, that allow a serparation using physical objects. It also means that from the top of the climb, you can see down to the water level near the start.

Cars will transit from Service to La Malbaie. The stage start runs them at good speed through some 5's and 6's, before they then climb their way up the riverfront, though tight village roads and switchbacks akin to St John's, and land almost in Parc Ferme, at the Manoir Rechelieu. The Banquet will be there, and teams and service crews will be fed in elegance.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

F5 refresh, wait, F5 refresh, wait, ...

This is great!

_________________
My car doesn't leak oil, it marks it's territory.

Our friends from the North East have been pitted in service a bit away from us.

They are across the road, in a gravel section with Hobbs, 27 Honda Civics, and several other teams. We only get to chat briefly at times. They are having a good day, hanging out in the mix, holding their own in the mid 20's. The setup of Dan's truck allows it some luxury on the rougher sections that others don't have. Wheel travel and tall sidewall is helping.

By the end of Saturday they'll encounter some issues with heat. The preliminary diagnoses is head gasket, but they will carry on to finish the weekend. They are their usual smiling selves, and it's great to catch up with them after the final stages. They're solid run will keep them ahead of the attrition, and end their day in a respectable 24th overall.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Car 0 is due in at Service 4, the final of the rally, at 1737 hours. We figure we'll start to get some indication of our guys around 1800ish.

The road to the arena has been blocked, with one lane wide enough for cars to pass into the time control, and roll to their service spot. They are lining up 3 wide, to allow space for other users of the Arena room to enter. It's working well.

Before you pass the time control board, you are techincally on stage. Nothing can be done or touched by service. But you can say hi....

For some reason, I felt the need to say hi. I'm heading out of the Arena, after my pre-service bathroom break, and figure it's almost 6pm, I'll hand out here at the time control. There are many subaru's in the line, crews around. It's time to figure out what you need, and how to do it.

The Nuclear Banana (appologies to Karl Jadjevall) is in the que, mid pack. I wander up and ask how it is...... "Oh man, not so good..." Malcom is scratching his hair in that agitated manner one gets when they have something they need to solve, but not really sure how to do it..... "We've hit a rock, destroyed a tire..... brakes are gone........ I just don't know......."

I can't touch, but I can look. Flashlight out I find the right rear wet. It's clear that some fluid is leaking. Likely not the diff, and with brake issues..... I tell them I'll see them in service and I sprint up the hill.

"Mal's got brake issues." Cal and Blu gather and we dig out the bucket. I'm sorting jack stands, jacks, fluid, bleed lines.... I'm not keeping track of time, but it's been a couple of minutes. As I look to my left, I see the RX7, and roughly 8 fellow service and rally people pushing the '7 up the grade to the service pad. "What the?"..... "Wouldn't start out of time control..."

"Aright....." I go for brakes first. We get the back off, and start to look. I've got wet line, I snug all fittings, look at options for replace line, but we won't have time. "We could crimp..... I wonder how........" As I brush my left arm over the caliper it moves. During one of the big rock incidents, or maybe the tire shredding display, the caliper has come loose.

I had a friend in high school with an RX7, but save for putting oil in it and driving it, that's about as far as I went. And, lets be honest, that wasn't last year. This car also has some trick bits on it. Or at least they were trick bits when it was built. To get at the back of the backing place, the disc needs to come off, to get that off the caliper needs to come off, and..... "BAM!"

Cal's head pop's into view under the rear tube like a prarie dog who's just appeared in your view plane. "Hey, watcha need?" Clearly I've had too much coffee today, and I'm a bit jumpy. "12's, 14's, Mal, I need nuts." Malcom is at my left handing me nuts, Cal is under the diff pulling the rear caliper bolts and I'm trying to get the disc started on it's trip off..... "HAMMER PLEASE!"

There is a burble on the right, and shine of lights before dimming..... "JON's IN!" says Blu, "Gotta Go" Cal disappears from the glow of the snake light like the Prarie Dog returning to it's hole. Tim and Malcom flank either side as we work away. I manage to get bolts back in, and things are going back together. Blu yells over "Wacha need now?" "Fill the brake fluid!" No time to bleed, so we'll get Mal to pump best he can. There is some pedal there........ some.....

Wheels go back on. He's bent 3 on this round and Blu has decided to be team manager now. He's lecturing Malcom on wheel use, much like you'd see a junior driver at a formula team.... "Yes, I know..... I just..... " It's all in good fun. The wheel that they grab out of the back, is not a wheel. I might have been at some time, but it's not by definition now. It has one sidewall, and some tread....... I have no idea how long they ran on it, but it likely won't make Road Hazard Warranty.

Jon is good to go. He's opened a hole in the floor with a rock, somewhere on the last stage... "Yeah, I don't know man, we just hit this bump and then, WHAM!"...... No fluids are leaking, and he's back on Snows for the final pavement stage.

With the RX7 back on the ground it's time to figure out what has happened to it not starting. Jon is departing, and we are over service time on the '7. Malcom is figuring we are done, but I just can't let it go. None of us can. We get a meter. Battery is strong, everything works..... just no click, no spark. We attempt a push start. You can hear all the chambers make, there is compression, just no light up. We push it back into it's spot. The starter is buried in the transmission, and it's tough to get at. I stare at the "13B" bossed on the top of the chamber..... Malcom calls it. He's done. Tim agrees. I have a hard time swallowing that we are now down to 33% of what we started with.........

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Cal, Blu, Tim and myself push the RX7 back off the tarp.

As it rolls backwards, a small black nondescript object is lying on the tarp. Something about it seems... odd, out of place if you will....

I pick it up and look at it. It suddenly registers...... "Son of a....." It's a breaker from the custom breaker box that Can-Jam used when building the car. In my own mind, I curse a blue streak.... "Are you ....... serious?"

I yank open the co drivers door, and grab my light. On the bottom row of breakers, far right... is one.. empty.... slot.....
I jam in the new found item, tap the shifter out of first, and cycle the key....

Brappbrapbrapbrapbrap......

The RX7 sits there idling at a perfect 1k, almost as if it's mocking us now: "Yeah, what did you think you were going to do? Run the whole event???? I've been in retirement for 21 years, I'll tell you how it's gonna be first time out......"

Mal and Tim are over at the back of the truck 15 feet away. The service park is noisy, Test racing is right across from us, gen sets are running, it's hard to hear. Hard to hear an idling RX7 as well.

"MAL!GETYOURGEAR,IT'SRUNNINGTIMTIM,COMEON!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

We stuff Mal and Tim in, who are somewhat shocked to be back on duty. We get them backed out of service, late, but on the road.
They'll take a penalty at the end of it, and we'll take that all day long. We are just ecstatic that it's out of the control, running.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

With all cars gone, and most of our service duties done, we are hoping to catch some of the action. We stuff trucks and trailer shut, bolt down anything that we figure could leave, and head out. We'll leave service vehicles here, and come back in the morning.

Daph takes the duties and we roll the Recce vehicle into La Malbaie, to see if we can get a rink side seat for the final period. We are directed into a hole in the guardrail, and abandon the car. The fact that they've turned a one way street into a two way street, for two days only, just to accommodate a rally tells you all you need to know. We follow some other people, and our group turns into a bit of a pack. We know we are close, but we are not certain where exactly we are, and where we can get through to view.

At the Petit Manoir, I look left, and see dayglow vests. Aha! Road marshals and Police. We descend into the parking lot, and though mostly good luck, end up perched 20 feet up from the roadway, with a view to the water, and the L1 hairpin to our left. We could not have planned it better. The stage is 20 below our feet.

There is likely 1000 people in this section of town, all sorted into the designated viewing area's. The stage finish is 100 meters to our right, and it's almost warm. Blu and Cal find us after a couple of texts. We've all made it.

Car 000 is just finishing it's sweep. 00 is not far behind, to make sure the stage is secure.

With a snarl, we hear Car 0 depart the start. It's a fully prepped GC8. I feel a bit regretful. Ours is home, in a garage. The crowd is in full enthusiasm mode now.... We can hear each car as it leaves the line, and every shift. It's wonderful.

The quiet Lynx, waiting to strike, takes it's revenge for it's engine failure earlier and posts a top 8 time, only seconds from the leaders. I smile to myself. There is nothing quite like a 5 cyl at full tear, the sound echoing off the walls of the hotel.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Fab stuff, Ian. I'm hanging on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens!

We stand and soak up a dozen cars, the ambiance, the smells, the sounds....... Lights off the pavement, flying finish horn.... It's awesome. Subaru's, VW's, Honda's.......

Some Locals seem to make a "mistake" at the hairpin, and require an extra turn. The crowd loves it...

Due to the late timeout at Service, Mal and Tim have been reseeded to after Jon and Clarke. We wait with baited breath.

The R6 at the bottom of the waterfront has a streetlight. We can see the black decal work of the Halifax Speed Company, and the glare of the lights off the road.

Car 29 winds its way up the hill, upshifts snapping on the lift, Bruce would be in his element to hear this tune. With a nice slide on the L1 at the hairpin, he winds it out for the finish, even taking time to nail the horn for the spectators as he ends a long long day. The final stage control sounds, and they are done. 1:27:40 of special stage will be their day, and it's well earned.

The Subaru has had hours and hours of work and prep put into it over the past few years, and other than the rock that opened the floorpan, it's been damn near bullet proof this weekend. Jon is to be commended for his work. It's been an epic show.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Felix Wankel had a very interesting idea when he came up with his engine. At just over a liter of displacement, it can push out near 200bhp from 30 year old chambers with a good port job. It has little harmonics at high revs, and a very unique sound. It is also known for being a bit.... loud, when unmuffled. The exhaust on the RX7 has broken several stages ago, and when it leaves the line in La Malbaie, you know it.

Screaming toward the R1 over the tracks and uphill, Mal and Tim are unmistakable. The car is down to one raised headlight, the other being removed by a rock when they reeled in a slower car, earlier in the day. They snag the L4 uphill, and climb towards the hairpin. The crowd is over joyed, and you can hear the screams. Mal drives the rear of the car out at the hairpin, and using all the road as he runs it to redline in all gears. He's at our feet with full rotary scream, we're all hanging over the roadway for his pass.

The finish horn sounds and signal the completion of the event for our teams. We see off the last cars, and start the walk to the Richieleu.

At Parc Ferme, we catch up with our teams. Mal is over joyed to have made the finish, and throws and arm around Cal and I. "Thanks guys, thanks... this is awesome....." I can't speak for Cal, but I'm pretty stoked that after the thrash we put on in Service 4, it made the finish.

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."