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SS14 - Tortue South (Part 1 of 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfmKJcXzrBc
We had been promised, and were very much looking forward to, coffee and donuts at the turnaround at the North end of the long Tortue stage. But we were way down the running order at this point (third last?), so by the time we finally arrived at the turnaround the coffee and donuts, if there ever had been any, were l
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
Quoterkj
QuoteFerdinand
our first pass of the Farley stage:
Is that named after Farley Mowat?
I think not.
Farley is the name of the nearby small town.
by
Ferdinand
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Community Forum
Hey Brad,
Good to see you're still alive and kicking. How's your car these days?
by
Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS13 - Tortue North (Part 3 of 3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg05s5VcfEk
In this, the conclusion of Tortue North, just before reaching the finish, we caught and passed David Morrissette & Patrick Lévesque as they struggled to coax their broken Audi to the finish line.
They busted something in their right front suspension and couldn't go any faster, or steer, because the tire w
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS13 - Tortue North (Part 2 of 3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLgpOtslKL4
The Tortue stage is 23.78 kms long and very fast.
The corners are almost all sixes and fives, with only a few tight corners to watch out for. Compared to the extremely tight, slow, and constantly twisty CGFA stage, now with the snowbanks and trees whistling past inches either side of the car, it feels like we
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS13 - Tortue North (Part 1 of 3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zL6oIuqZG4
I had kind of figured our day was done when we busted the suspension on the previous stage, so I wasn't really mentally prepared to find us now still running and lined up ready to start the long Tortue stage.
When we arrived to check in at the start control, another competitor was there on foot having a long
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
After breaking the rear suspension on a rock in the CGFA-2 stage, we limped back to Service at Black Rollway with the car crabbing sideways down the road.
Black Rollway is a remote Service location and we didn't bring the trailer, just the truck with whatever tools and spares Freak & Christoph could fit into the box. So, just like always, we had everything we needed to repair the car
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
Quotewodcutr
OK so I'm an idiot...I never had a father to tell me otherwise.
We never get too old to learn new stuff.
I make it my goal to learn something new every day. Some days I might even accidentally learn two new things. But then I get to take the next day off.
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Ferdinand
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Technical Forum
First sign of spring...
Deer resurfacing.
"I knew we shoulda made that left toin at Albukoykee"
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
QuotewodcutrI wonder if that is why I get such good mpg...I will keep an eye on that too!
Very likely yes. When pumped up to maximum inflation pressure, the tires will have significantly less rolling resistance than if they were under-inflated.
There are a good series of tech-articles concerning proper inflation pressure at TireRack.com.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?te
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Ferdinand
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Technical Forum
Quotewodcutr Makes me want to rally!
Rallying is fun.
There are several different levels of rallying. The most awesome of course is World Rally Championship, but we're not likely to ever get that far. The next best is the stage rallying I do with my buddy Martin in his Nissan 240SX. I would much rather be driving though, than navigating. Someday I will get my own performance rally car
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
QuoteDave_G
Flying glass. In an accident, the chances are high enough that the side window would shatter that most sanctioning bodies require the window to be down. Somewhere in YouTube-land there's a video showing exactly that effect in a relatively minor two-car incident on a track. Car A T-boned Car B in the driver's side door, and Driver B got a glass shower.
In the Chevette ice-rac
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Ferdinand
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Technical Forum
SS12 - CGFA 2 (Part 2 of 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQzI_cqQM4g
With the benefit of hindsight, I now realize we really should have made a note of those rocks which we hit in the previous pass on this stage. But during this second pass, with no note to remind us, we'd already long ago forgotten about the two rocks. It's only by comparing the in-car video of both runs that y
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS12 - CGFA 2 (Part 1 of 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEI-JR-1g0A
Our time on the first run through here was 16:13 minutes. We thought that was pretty good, all things considered. We are a self-funded team, no rich sponsors, very few spares, and can't afford to take crazy risks. We're in this to finish and to have fun, while also trying to score as well as we can.
We wer
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
QuoteDave_GI'm thankful for the rule that says we must drive with our windows down.
I've always wondered, what is the reason for that strange rule?
In stage rallying, unless you have window nets, you're not allowed to run with the windows open. They have to be closed, or opened no more than an inch.
I did one track session with my car at Calabogie with the BMW club, and they
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Ferdinand
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Technical Forum
SS11 - CGFA 1 - Part 2/2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c04YPJImNLE
I made another error in this stage. Again it was really no big deal at the time, on this first pass through the CGFA stage, but it would have major consequences on our second pass through this same stage.
In this clip, Part 2/2 of this first pass, we've just moved over to let by Peter Kocandrle & Jimmy Brandt. I
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS11 - CGFA 1 - Part 1/2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eQi6DzTRg4
This brand new stage is sponsored by "CGFA", which at first I thought might be the local radio station or something. Turns out it's actually the "Corporation de Gestion de la Forêt de l'Aigle", the management corporation for the Eagle Forest, through which all these fabulous forest stages are r
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
Quotedanieli don't think i want to take my car on a rally, though. it is closer to being setup for a racetrack than a rally.
Contact them anyway.
They might even have all-tarmac events. See these photos that look like they even use the Portland race track.
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS10 - Kitigan Zibi 2 - Part 3/3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpFhIfaj4JI
The video continues starting from here, heading West.
After chasing Jaak & Jane for such a long time, but not really gaining on them, we now have another car catching up behind us. Under this added pressure we start pushing Jaak a little harder, and 2 minutes into this clip Jaak moves over to let us both pas
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS10 - Kitigan Zibi 2 - Part 2/3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq4Mm_ODhVE
If you're still trying to follow along on the satellite map, this clip Part2 starts right here, heading South, and we turn left (East) at that first junction.
About 3:40 minutes into this clip we turn right (South) here onto a very rough trail. ("Caution R2 up, fast bumpy 80 up")
At that point we
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS10 - Kitigan Zibi 2 - Part 1/3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDSDkXni3_o
Kitigan Zibi is a monster of a stage at 32 kms long. It's also much more icy on this second pass.
The stage starts here, heading west. If you look at the Google Map using satellite view, just west of this point the satellite image resolution is really excellent, and if you listen as I call the notes in the
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS09 - Fix Auto 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FdYoUbh2nY
Here's a map of the Blue-Sea to Bouchette stage, sponsored by Fix-Auto a local auto body repair chain.
We switched to recording from the other rollbar-mounted camera. I like this view better because it shows Martin hard at work behind the wheel.
Unfortunately the camera is positioned a little too far back so it sees to
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS08 - Farley 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImCUQJ7dlXA
Even more icy the second time. The Farley stage is always a skating rink. Here's a map of the Farley stage.
Patrick and André Rainville stuffed on this stage.
We smelled rubber burning. It turned out to be the alternator belt slipping, but we were convinced we had another flat.
"Good thing we didn't stop
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS07 - Fix Auto 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY82KNOpF3A
This is the new Blue Sea to Bouchette stage, very near to where our cottage is located.
This stage has some steep elevation changes, tight icy corners, and crazy fast long straights.
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS06 - Farley 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ayxg3b0NqQ
This is a fun stage. Lots of spectators, lots of tricky icy corners.
The road was straightened in a couple of spots this year, removing some of the more interesting bits. Luckily there's still no shortage of other interesting bits.
We biffed a couple of snowbanks, dodged a complete exhaust system lying on the exit of one
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS05 - Kitigan Zibi 1 (Part 4 of 4): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqFtBYvXSFw
The conclusion of the long Kitigan Zibi stage. Lots of other teams experienced an assortment of flat tires and other issues on this tough stage.
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS05 - Kitigan Zibi 1 (Part 3 of 4): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78EkQ9nWg1Y
About 3 minutes into this clip the flat tire finally comes off the rim forcing us to stop. We made a real dog's breakfast of this tire swap.
First we overshot the spot where we should have stopped to get safely off the road. We couldn't go any further forward with the rim spinning uselessly inside t
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS05 - Kitigan Zibi 1 (Part 2 of 4): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMzUdm_PNNc
At the beginning of this clip, Chris Martin & Phil Narini catch and pass us. We know they're faster than us, and Martin has been keeping one eye on the rearview mirror all this time waiting to see them coming up behind us. It was a big relief to us, and probably to them too, that they caught us right at
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum
SS05 - Kitigan Zibi 1 (Part 1 of 4): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGwfxlVWGSw
This stage has a little bit of everything. Actually, it has a LOT of everything.
This is a very challenging stage that seems to go on forever and ever.
The first challenge came in the announcement that the start line was moved 1.5 km downstream, due to a lack of volunteers needed to marshal some of the earl
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Ferdinand
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Community Forum