Sonia informs us that she won't be joining us for supper.
Tylenol and Gatoraid are the current meal preference.

The burgers are up, and adorned with all manner of vegetable. We keep things healthy at the Chalet....


We roll back into town, grab the car, and get ourselves set up for the street party. The DJ is up, the weather is good this year.... and the crowd reflects it.

Meg and Cal will be up first, 32 out of 33, they start in reverse order.

Cal is excited when asked by the Emcee how he feels about the weekend.....

Sometimes you need that 1000 word photo, and Jason Nugent takes it:

_________________
"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 rain is starting to fall, but it won't dampen our spirits much. This is rallying. We don't do rain delays here......

Mal and Sonia will not be the only ones on the box without a car. Last years winner, JS Besner will take his daily across, equipped with child seats and Co driver.


The Emcee plays along as Sonia and Mal walk up the platform.....

"But Mal, Mal what has happened to your car???"

"Well, you see the car is very new. It's never been seen in public, so it got shy, and didn't want to come....."

There is a chuckle from the crowd.

"Will it be shy tomorrow?"

"No.. no it will be very angry......."

_________________
"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 podium done for Mal and Sonia, Daph takes point and returns our ailing codriver for rest and recouperation.

The rest of us mill about and enjoy the show. Several teams have had technical issues, and appear in street cars. Just one of those years, where the gods of rallying have decided to be entertaining.

We aim for a return to the chalet. It won't be a late night, but we don't have a 5am wakeup call either.

Tech inspection is tomorrow, and Team B (Blu, Brian and Jon) will take the car for inspection at 0700hrs. I'm later reminded under force of Monkey Wrench, that one could be offended by an A or B designation on teams. I assure them it's simply a mechanism of denotation.

Team B have taken the car back Service, lights off, and packed with gear, helmets and everything for tomorrow. Once it's passed tech, it's in Parc Ferme until 15min before the start.

Oban and Cole have the late night this evening..... The RX7 now scheduled for a midnight arrival......

_________________
"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..."

0700hrs, 29 JUN 2019.

GAME DAY

The coffee pot is the first priority, full stop.

After that we'll worry about other things. We don't need to rush, but we can't dawdle either.

Our bacon got missed. Again. We feel it's a vendetta fabricated by pork producers, but we can't fathom why. We run out of speculation time.

As it turns out, if you ration eggs, and use lunch meats, you can make a somewhat enjoyable breakfast sandwich. And we have coffee, Which really makes most things ok.

Sonia is already on the phone and getting details. News arrives that Car 32 is through tech. Team B asked to now be rebranded Team A. Their request is denied.

Of more important news, Car 21, the RX7 has had it's final inspection done, and it's tech inspection done. Passed! Video's are starting to circulate online. Fresh Braid Wheels, white paint, new rubber.... it's an emotional time.

We do need to get Sonia in town for some logistical things. Mal wants to have a quick chat, and Sonia has not yet so much as seen the car...

_________________
"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..."

In to town we go.

We have some things to do in service, sans car. Sonia's helmet will have a Peltor intercom installed, and Mal and her take some time to sit and talk about objectives, and how each other likes to work in the car. Given Mal's 100+ events, and Sonia's 6+.... we can only surmise as to who is teaching. Like everything in life however, all parties bring something to the table. This will be good for both sides of the car.

Suited, Gatoraided, and primed to go, we make our way across the Honda dealer to Parc Ferme....

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

Teams are gathering outside, and the drivers meeting is about to begin. The official notice board is posted, and codrivers are making sure they have all the official last minute information that is presented. It's not the type thing you want to skip over, just in case someone has blocked a road with a cruise ship or such....

_________________
"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 Drivers meeting does the usual intro of officials, notes for teams.. and updates of importance.

The series manager takes any novice crews aside for a little chin wag. It's going to be a long two days, and you can't win it on the first stage.


Watered and fed, and with 15minutes to go, we are granted access to Parc Ferme.

Sonia is quickly taken by the Uptown Motorsports gang, and stuffed into the co drivers seat. Having not even seen the car, it's a bunch of new to learn very quickly.
Belts are adjusted, padding inserted, and every thing made to fit her in the car best they can. Her summary later would suggest it's not a bad spot, surprisingly ample room, for a car that is so small.

Out of the lot and across the 132 car 0 goes..... #1 behind is not far behind.

The noise and spectacle of the show are about to begin....

_________________
"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..."

Bit by bit the field filters out, off into the wilds of Quebec.

The organizers have reseeded Mal and Sonia down the order. While still holding #21, they will start 29th.
It's understood that a fellow competitor didn't think they should be that far up with an unproven car. Mal gave a wry smile while relaying the news: "We'll do our talking on the stage..."

I final look to make sure each team have got everything they need. The sound of the Rotary at idle in the lineup is awe inspiring. Like a chorus of angry bees... And when you agitate them, they simply buzz faster....

Uptown is on the corner of the road with phones out. This has been their thrash this week, and they are very happy to see it depart. Across the intersection and up to speed you can hear the quick successive snap of each upshift of the dogbox.....

_________________
"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 and Meg enter the time control, and head out on the road.

There is a slight element of nervousness when the car seems to stutter on it's fuel, and dosn't clear it's throat as quickly as we'd like.

Heading up Chemin Edgar it starts to clear up, with some encouragement from the driver. We hope this is not a sign of things to come...

It's time to proceed back to service. Things are done for us here.

We help clean up some litter that has be strewen about. Awesome yellow tape, that states "WARNING: RALLYCARS"

You don't find that at Canadian Tire.......

_________________
"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..."

There is some 175km to be done by teams before we see them again. Roughly half of that is Special, and half is Transit.

We have time for a quick bite, and go through everything, to get ready for the first visit. We'll have 20min for Service #1.


Some geek in the group brought a Ham Radio with them. The volunteers from ON and PQ use a local simplex frequency (no repeater) to relay messages to Rally HQ.
While technology and the EZ Trak system is very good, sometimes it's nice to be listening, and not on your phone.
It sits on the table in service.... speaking details of car numbers, stage start times and other tidbits of info.

Numerous jokes are make about the size of ones antenna......

_________________
"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 tracking system is keeping us glued....

Staged up at Eloville, the grouping is tight. We ran this stage last year, it's a lot of fun. Given the nice weather, it's gonna be great this year.
Lots of spectator area's and hard core spectators are setup in the woods. Sponsors will get their moneys worth today.

Car 21 is off into the stage. We are hoping the thrash on the part of Uptown and the stress of the last few days on Mal and Sonia will payoff.

Speeds look ok, not stellar, but ok.

Cal and Meg start in on their run. There are the usual low spots in technology, where the live timing hangs for a minute due to foliage and valleys, but it updates fairly regularly.

Both cars ping the end of the stage. Good. One in the books. Two more to go on this loop.

The timing hangs on the stage end, and the turn north into more rural area's for "JAS"


Cal and Megs timing proceeds, as per plan. But Car 21 stays put.

We don't like this. Not one bit...

_________________
"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 and Meg continue their transit North....

But Sonia and Mal...... start to travel South.

We do our best to convince ourselves it's just signals bouncing about, but we quickly give in to fact.
They're current heading will bring them to the 132, and then West to service. Something is wrong, but we dont' know what.

We've all been into our phones, waiting for a text message that might explain this, but there is dead air. Not uncommon in an area with little cell service once off the beaten path.

We start to ready some jacks and stand for the return of the RX7....

_________________
"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..."

EZ Trak is most certainly showing a return to service park situation. Now on the 132 heading west.

It won't be long.

The message has arrived from Sonia, now with Cell service:

"problems, exhaust and missing......"

Obscure, but yet gives a starting point.


We hear it before we see it. The unmistakable sound of a rotary, with no exhaust. They have such a soothing tone when at part throttle. Much like standing next to a cold start of a PW R-2000 Twin Wasp, or a Wright 3350......

The correct entrance for service involves them driving past the service park, which is fairly open to the main rd. We can see the car, and a glow from under it.... Is it on fire?
Extinguishers are placed at the ready.....

_________________
"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..."

Though the service park
There arose such a clatter
We all shifted our heads
To see what was the matter.....

Guided into the service tent, bay #2 (you can do that when you bring huge setups) they stop over the required blue tarp.

The glow, can now be seen to be the open Catalytic Converter, glowing at who knows how many degrees.
The Blue tarp, immediately decides to recede in fear, leaving a large open melt mark in it.

13B=1 Tarp=0

Uptown gets it up on stands, and starts to debrief Mal. What is also of note, they start to gather info from Sonia as well. This is a team that knows how to formulate a full picture, a realize there is value in all opinions. It was kinda neat to see.


The issues are as follows:

Exhaust. It is no longer fufilling it's assigned role.
Engine. They have a miss at low RPM throttle, like one rotor is not firing.

First things first, Sonia goes off to rally HQ to request a restart under restart rules. That will be at the next Leg, about 4 hours away. We have some time.

Oban starts at the back. The exhaust clamps used, had a bit of a ridge. They caught something on a stage, and opened up the exhaust. At high speed. The force of the impact, bent the rear section of the pipe, around the solid rear axle.
The issue is that very good quality pipe was used and tig welded. You will not bed this with your hands. Or a pipe wrench. Or a pole.... (Jon Tried)

Cole grabs the recip saw from their vehicle. Never question a man who travels with a recip saw.

I drop under the front with some of the Uptown Gang, (not to be confused with the bloodhound gang...sweat baby, sweat baby...) and look at what is left for exhaust.

Oban and Cole are now trying to ensure that the brake line that was crushed by the exhaust, is passing fluid and not compromised. Jon is looking at pipe scrap bits and formulating a plan.

Uptown makes every effort to rebolt the downturn tip on the end of the header, making use of what is left. We take several stabs at this, and dispite repeated warning, I manage to graze the tip of the dormant Cat with the small bit of exposed wrist not covered by glove or coverall sleeve.

Warm. Very warm.

_________________
"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..."

Rear the of the vehicle is cleared of misc exhaust parts.

The remaining exhaust is attached best it can, and in a position that hopefully will keep it clear of further impact.

Back on the ground, the crew takes a look under the hood, and tries to shed some light on the running issue. Fuel? Spark?
It's a bit of black art. The carbs are big enough to drive bison through, and the number of people who can get a tuned rotary to run well is far smaller than those familiar with it's piston based cousin.

The nursing and fiddling starts. At this point, the heavy lifting is done, and it's up to the gang that built it to do some figuring.....

_________________
"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..."

Some more water, and a moments break.

The uptown guys are ready to give it a reshot.

Those of us who heard it come in, plug our ears. It's a warranted measure.

The sound is not what one would accept normally. They proceed to the stewards, with car, to get an opinion on their restart condition. Specifically exhaust.

"I got a bad feeling about this drop..." -Frost

_________________
"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..."

....And they're back.....

The verdict is unanimous, the crowd is not a huge fan, old people are appalled, the crew is concerned they won't be able to hear each over over the comms, and finally, the Stewards are not enthralled.

Sooooo, up on the pin stands it goes, for a more indepth exhaust examination.

Cole and Oban do a recon of Gaspe Diesel.

The rest of us decide we should likely decide who is doing what on Cal's car when they return. Formulate some sort of a plan......

Jon is attempting to hammer out the high quality pipe using the hitch and ball as a mandrel. "It's good stuff!" He proclaims. Lots of hammer marks, but little reshaping.


Cole is back with an Impreza trunk full of 3 inch pipe scraps and a scetchy used aftermarket muffler.....
"New Richmond dumpster diving on a Saturday, yes sir!"

Everyone is enjoying themselves it would seem.......

_________________
"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 discussions about who does what have yielded somewhat of a plan:

Ian will look under the hood, Jon will start with the rear end of the car. James will go under car center line, and Brian and Gord with go with fronts, one side each.
If something large is discovered, we'll address it best we can.

Cars from other teams are starting to filter in. Some are just dirty... some are dirty and well worn....
The NASCAM teams from Mexico are pretty upscale, they have their own pressure wash setup, before they hit the tarp.

I guess the crew doesn't like to get dirty.

We've been provided with no such luxury. The Nova Scotia crew shall embrace the filth.......

_________________
"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 approaching our minute.

Brian has taken a run down to the time control for a visual, and a chat. He cannot touch the car.

Blu has taken fuel to the refueling zone for the way out.
We had a great plan of taking our nicely scripted Rallyeast race fuel jugs, and using them in service.
Under the heading of things you forgot, are said jugs. Blu was very pleased with purchasing yet another, 20L jerry can.

I wander out into the access road area of the service park. They wouldn't have a problem finding us, but it's always nice to give the hand signal for service entry.....

Around the final turn and under the awning they roll.

We are on the clock.....

_________________
"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..."

Our resident IT expert did something really cool this year, and it just sums things up nicely.

https://www.facebook.com/gordon.sleigh/ ... 584202400/


The above it worth many 1000's of words. A flawless service, checks only, no faults, no repairs needed. 20min compressed into 20sec.

May all lifes services be so.......

_________________
"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..."

(ahem, brief intermission while we rally folk compete in the Lookoff Rally This weekend past. Regrets on the delay. We now return to regularly scheduled broadcasting)

_________________
"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 car up, we all start on our designated corners.

There is dirt, and minor things, a zip tie here for a fender liner, a rock riding a brake caliper, but nothing of significance.

Cal and Meg state they are just taking it easy. Some would question that based on the solid times, but they don't want to risk anything. This is not a Rallycross event. There is 100's of km to go.

One by one we proclaim the corners good, and bolt wheels back on, brakes checked, wheel wells cleaned, all joints shaken...

Time to repeat the deal...

_________________
"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..."

Brian and Blu head to the fueling area.... there will be a reseed at this point as well. This allows the organizers to re order the cars based on their performance. If someone in position 28 on the road turns out to be the illegitimate grandaughter of Henri Toivenen, then they can move her up the stage start order.

With the service area slightly cleaned up, we shift our glance over to where Oban and Cole have been hanging out. On a melted tarp under an RX7. The exhaust is taking shape. They've used some of the Updown stuff, some of what was scrounged from Gaspe Diesel, and Blu suspects they've even taken bits off the hauler......

They are looking for exhaust not to be an issue on this section of the event.

_________________
"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 next service is a big one. It's coupled with a Parc Expose in Service. 50 min of service time.

The weather is nice, so this means there WILL be people watching you, and hanging out over your shoulder. They do stay outside the tent, which is nice.

Blu has dug out some surplus military equipment, including a BBQ that looks like it was large enough for the USS Missouri. Hamburgers it is! Good ones too. Food is always better in the service park.

_________________
"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 burgers have come along nicely, and so has the sausage of stainless, platinum, and 1020CDS that is currently forming the new RX7 exhaust.

A test is in order, mostly to see if Driver and CoDriver could actually hear each other in the car should that sort of thing be required.
A loop of the parc does show that things are improved from the failed assessment earlier, and communications can be had.

Project Restart is a go.

Dinner is concluded, and the grill is secured. Blu was hoping the Tip Jar had more to offer, but we assure him it's nothing personal.

Sonia has gotten herself well hydrated, and has been sharing info and consultation with Daph, who is the senior member of our little group in terms of rally starts.

The stages after Parc Expose will include the famed "Camp Brule", and a 1000 spectators are waiting for the RX7. At least that is the story that Mal is regaling us 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..."

1000's or meerly 100's, it's a good turnout.

We feed the car some fuel for the next loop.

Ben Nadeau comes around the corner of the trailer:
"ummm, could one of you guys give us a hand?"

Seems the Nissan has encountered a starting problem that is a mystery. Just random. There has been lots of work on the 4.0 engine install, and we'd be lost trying to get it to sorted.
It's turning at this point, but not catching. James and I hop up and try and get a better look under the hood of the mini trophy truck.

We get Dan to cycle the engine with the oil cap off, just to make sure we can see Cams turning. They are. Doesn't appear to be catastrophic..... We take a pause, and reseat some connectors and coil plugs.

It starts. Hood goes back on and out they go, but something random and odd is afoot. It's those mystery problems that really annoy a person.....

_________________
"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 Mighty Rotary is off, Up Town is meeting it for fuel after the Service time out.

It's not to hard to hear it depart. It does fade after some time however, and we resort to our cdnrally app, and the Amateur Radio.

The move in stages has brought in more of the Radio Controls on the stages within range. This adds some entertainment, and allows us to keep tabs on things that we might miss with the live tracking only. The live tracking gives you facts... the human radio operators.... sometimes share an opinion. Whether with words, or tone of voice.

Unless something premature happens, we'll see them in 1 hr and 16 min.

_________________
"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 cars are out,and progressing. There is always a moment of breathlessness as something stops progressing on stage, but it's usually a moment of cell darkness.

Cal and Meg are moving along quite nicely. A screen shot of highlight coverage will show them running top 10. Top ten at a national event against some very strong competition from all over North America. Names that are on the list have WRC pedigree. There is no shame to be had here today. The DNF list is growing, and this is part of the game.

The RX7 is moving along. Not as quickly as we'd like, but they are having moments that are showing the potential of the car. Most of all, despite the last minute thrust into the seat, Sonia is enjoying her time, and learning at a rate that is significant.

The radio is giving us tidbits, but so far only first and last car into and exiting the stage....

_________________
"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..."

More water. More Gatorade, and a bit of a walk.

It's always interesting to see how things progress in the service park.

Big teams will always have a good setup. It's very neat to watch, and it's awesome to know that it's so accessible. People are all over the place, enjoying a first row seat. Setup next to the high end teams, are the average person. The ones who make the sport. Yes, the top 10 is where the big fight is, and where the highlight reel focuses, but no form of motorsport exists without the show that is all encompassing.

We are getting closer. The sun is waning, and we should be considering the next service time.

_________________
"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 debating lighting.

Cal's system is slightly different than some, in that he changes the whole hood. One might think this strange, but it actually works ok, and only needs four bolts.

We have the hood out and setup, ready to go. The next loop they will run will close in on darkness.


The radio is chatting. It's not the chat we want to hear.

Car 21 has stopped on stage. Then moved slowly on. Then stopped.

We are not 100% certain on the situation......

_________________
"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..."

It's closer to next service, and the news is not all good.

Uptown has departed Service after a Cell Phone call.
The radio has reported sweep removed Mal and Sonia from the stage.

It's not what we'd like to hear, but it's been a good effort. Heroic some would say.

They still prepare for some work, just in case they can fix it.

_________________
"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..."