Track dates for 2010

[chrisp]

It's not too early to start planning your track days for 2010 Make sure to mark these down in your calendars..

BMW CCOttawa - Calabogie - Monday May 10 Register now!
BMW CCOttawa & Quebec - Tremblant - Monday June 7 Register now!
BMW CCOttawa & Patroon - Calabogie - Fri/Sat/Sun July 16/17/18Register now!

Other local track events tentatively set for

BMW Club Quebec - Tremblant - weekend event August 21/22
BMW Club Boston - Tremblant - weekend event Aug 7/8

BMW Club Trillium - Mosport - last weekend April
BMW Club Trillium - Mosport Shannonville - June 26/27
BMW Club Trillium - Mosport - Sept 11/12

[mlg2ca]

Man, it's gonna be a long winter.... 

Any winter car control clinics going on in the area ?

[chrisp]

Yup-

The Motorsport Club of Ottawa runs some excellent Winter Driving Schools. These are aimed at introducing and improving basic winter skills to regular drivers and includes exercises on slalom, emergency braking, understeer, oversteer, braking with and without abs, using the clutch or neutral (depending on your transmission) to regain control, steering, vision, and more. It's a full day ending up with lapping the twisty track slipping and sliding around with with reckless abandon Or at least a lot of fun.

No helmets, no special requirements, just you and your car. The track is a twisty wiggly snow-plowed snow and ice circuit just outside of Stittsville. Many of the instructors are also BMW Club instructors so you will likely see some familiar faces.

They also run a series of 'snow-cross' at the same track- helmets, timed runs, one at a time, see how fast you are in the snow and ice. Good fun!

The North East Audi Club runs a more advanced winter driving school at Mecaglisse just near Tremblant. Dates are usually sometime in February.

Both clubs have a pretty close relationship with the BMW Club and will usually recognize a current BMW Club Membership and give members rates for registration.


Chris P

[mlg2ca]

Thanks for the info Chris !

[chrisp]

For winter training you can also check out BMW Winter Driver Training..

It's at the Icar circuit near Mirabel, you use their new 3 series (manual and auto available), it's one day, small classes, and costs $800.

Compare that to the $150 or whatever you pay at the local MCO schools..

BMW- 16 students, 2 instructors
MCO - 20 students, 10 instructors (1:1 in car instruction)

BMW- use their car, they buy lunch
MCO- use your own car, you buy lunch

BMW-
Exercises include emergency braking and avoiding, and front and rear wheel skid control (under- and oversteer). The participants will experience handling of their car with and without the help of Dynamic Stability Control (DSC). In the afternoon exhilarating exercises like Forward and Backward 180 turns and Drifting will leverage the participants’ car control skills. To end the session, participants compete against each other in a snow autocross, utilizing the skills learned throughout the day.

MCO-
Emergency braking and avoiding, front and rear wheel skid control, DSC on and off, slalom, end of day full course lapping. No 180 turns or drifting though (well, not on purpose!!).

Both are great improvements in your skills.

ChrisP

[mlg2ca]

Thanks for the info Chris.

I actually got an email from BMW Canada yesterday announcing their winter school. I think I'll go for the MCO one. Good to encourage a local org too.

[mlg2ca]

Hello all,

Just attended the MCO's Winter driving school today in Stittsville. Altough a little cold, the weather conditions were simply perfect to allow for a nice powdery track. And what a hoot it was ! Lots of fun to learn about car control at relatively low speeds. Nice sideway skids and rooster tails behind the car 

Highly recommend. Lots of track time as well. And the complement everything, Dan and I had Bennet as our instructor.

Great school to recommend to family members that are concerned about snow driving.

[mlg2ca]

It's not too early to start planning your track days for 2010 Make sure to mark these down in your calendars..

BMW CCOttawa - Calabogie - Monday May 10
BMW CCOttawa & Patroon - Calabogie - Fri/Sat/Sun July 16/17/18

Other local track events tentatively set for

BMW Club Quebec - Tremblant - weekday event late August
BMW Club Boston - Tremblant - weekend event Aug 7/8

BMW Club Trillium - Mosport - last weekend April
BMW Club Trillium - Mosport - first weekend June
BMW Club Trillium - Mosport - Sept 11/12

Chris, just curious: are you going to have the option for 3 days for Advanced and Intermediate drivers in July like last year. I will seriously consider the 3 day option.

[chrisp]

Yes!

Novice students can register for Sat/Sun (2day)
Intermediate and Advanced students will have the choice of 2day(Sat/Sun) or 3day(Fri/Sat/Sun).

Track rates have gone up ~10% but we're working hard to keep the student fees as low as possible- expect maybe a small increase ~5%.

We're just trying to sort out the HST garbage-- it kicks in on July 1 I think which means we have to pay an extra 8% for renting the track.. but if we are collecting fees before that we can't also collect HST because it's not in place yet.. so we'd be left holding the bag. Can we pay the track early and avoid it? maybe.. #$@%^ jerks in provincial gov't..

Chris

[mlg2ca]

Ok Chris, thanks.

My friend from Pittsburgh is seriously thinking of coming, think he liked it alot last year    Might as well maximise time at the track since travel for him is same no matter.

Hear your frustration. Funny like a nice word like 'Harmonize' translates to a bigger hole in our pockets...

I wonder why track fees went up 10% in this economy ? Business must be good.

[mlg2ca]

One more thing, you guys know of decent accomodations (motel, cottage) in the Calabogie area ?

We drove back and forth last year from east end of Ottawa which is way too much commuting. This year we want to be close.

[chrisp]

Yes, I think business is working out quite well for the track- some big events, a bunch of smaller ones, some corporate, some clubs, a good mix. They continue to put in infrastructure- there is a bunch of new buildings/garages (see pictures).

Sucks for us little guys, but what can you do?

re: accomodation- yes, we used to have a big list of places on our school student package, I just checked and it seems to have been trimmed out.. I'll try and get it back in place soon. Meanwhile a few places I can think of off the top of my head
Calabogie Motor Inn
Jocko's
Highlands Golf Course
Peaks ski hill

ChrisP

[mlg2ca]

Thanks Chris !

[sb_600]

Any update on costs for these lapping days yet?

Thanks,
Shawn

[BC]

I'd be interested in pricing too (maybe the May date at Calabogie), for me with my Impreza and my dad with his 'Stang GT.