Even though my track car is not up and running, I was able to attend a track event: our club's annual school at Calabogie. The school was cancelled two years in a row due to the pandemic so we were eager to get back to the event. There were more students than ever in our advanced group and all our instructors were busy as a result.
I decided to drive there in the M3 so I could take some "easy" laps during the lunch break, when instructors are allowed to had on track. I figured if I drove the car gently, like it was a student's car, everything would be fine. On Saturday I drove a few laps with DSC on and everything worked out fine. I was not pushing and the car was responding properly. It felt nice to really rev the engine and the car felt planted, although the tires were not terribly confidence-inspiring.
On Sunday, I decided to shut off DSC and it turned out to be just fine without any driver aids. I was not pushing much harder than Saturday, but managed to go a bit faster (1:31 instead of 1:33) and on my last lap, I finally went flat out through the fast section after turn 1. I made a video, which is actually quite boring because the sound is muted and, well, it's not a race car.
I enjoyed giving the car a workout on track after all these years. The main issue was the lack of a proper race seat. I would say the second item that would need addressing was the lack of proper performance tires. Third, I would install some quality coilovers. I think with a seat, tires and coilovers, you would have a car that is comfortable on the way to the track and performs well enough on track. I know I was not fast out there (I was also almost completely alone) but I was having fun, and Carl mentioned how good the car sounded from the pit wall. All in all, it was a fun weekend, although we were very tired at the end of it...I was glad to be driving the 3 hours home in the M3 and not the Civic. One highlight for me: I was wearing a t-shirt with a Sauber C7 or C9 on it, and Claude Bourbonnais, one of my co-instructors, noticed it and said "Hey, I raced against those cars. Shumacher was one of their drivers!". So cool...
There was again a large variety of cars, but it seems the wealthier Ontario crowd is moving away from the Porsche GT3 and choosing American muscle. Maybe I'm wrong and this event is an outlier. Still, there were some cool cars out there.
Some American muscle on display
This cool Alfa did not hit the track
... neither did this lovely 5-series.
Typical Calabogie mix
Who knew a 90's Mustang could look so good on Enkei wheels?
Artsy shot of the M3
One of the instructors' GT3
Nice Viper on track
Cayman GT4
Intructor's sleeper Evo 10
There were many Camaros
Oldies but goodies
Modern German machinery
Did not go on track, but still cool
Several Calabogie-based teams had fleets of Miatas
Nice spec for this M340i
Only 1 Civic Type R in the school
... it was outnumbered by Camaros
Yes, that's a Subaru Crosstrek in there...
Instructor cars, including the Integra Type R that was used in my wedding in 2005!
The temperature seems to have gone from around 13 degrees to 30 in a very short time. In many ways, it feels like summer. Sadly, this does not mean my Civic is ready, although there is now an engine in the hole where an engine should be. Choo has a few more days of work to finish things up (I hope).
There are plenty of cool cars on the road now, just like in summer. I had a broken spring rear replaced on the 535xi and the only springs the mechanic had available were (stiffer) front springs. Now that they're installed, the rear of the car sits a bit higher, which is not as good-looking, but has as a MAJOR advantage that the car does not rub on the grount at all anymore when I enter and exit the garage. Sadly, there is now a pulley noise coming from the engine and it will require fixing the oil leak to solve this issue. Not a small job. The reliability of this car had been frankly lousy. The mechanic told me the 4-cylinder models are much more reliable. I can't keep spending money on this car at this rate. Let's hope that will be the last repair for a while (fingers crossed).
It's weird also having the M3 around. This is maybe the first time in my whole life where there are two usable cars parked at home and I actually have a choice as to which one to drive. I've almost always picked the M3 so far, unless it's to go somewhere with the whole family, in which case the 5-series is more roomy.
The not all that nice-looking Ferrari Portofino
I like a Saab wagon with hub caps!
Strange choice of colour for an otherwise great-looking car
First fire of the year at the country house.
The M3 after a rare wash
Two available cars these days
Lonely GT3 at the court house
Clean E28 5-series
Rare Mitsubishi 3000GT on the road
Stange short Ford SUV... kind of neat
This lovely E30 has moved into the neighbourhood
Lining up an engine for the Civic
Mclaren near the office
The 535xi with new higher rear end
Always some cool cars at this spot
...across the street, not so much.
Rare (in Canada) Alfa 156
The 5-series on its old springs
Jules tried to get a shot of this Bugatti Chiron but it was next to impossible (moving, at night)
Even though it snowed earlier this week, Spring is technically here. Track events will begin in a matter of days (at least at ICAR) but the Civic is nowehere near ready to drive. I can't really blame Choo, he is spending time working on the car. There have just been a few setbacks, like a broken bolt in the subframe that needed to be extracted, as well as some other bolts that were simply missing and had to be ordered. He is supposed to keep working on the car this weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the car will be available soon.
I managed to get the M3 out of the barn and drive it around a bit, but when I attempted to drive it home las Sunday, it developed a misfire on cylinder 5 and I had to leave the car in Deschaillons. I bought a coil pack which I will install this weekend and which will hopefully solve the issue.
Meanwhile, we have been driving the 535xi and it has been performing well. There is a weird squeak coming from the rear suspension which I suspect is a broken spring or a worn bushing, but I can't leave it at the mechanic to check it out (and install summer tires) until I have the M3 back in Montreal.
There are nice cars out and about, although not that many people have brought out their summer cars yet.
Our car after a rare wash
There are very few E36's on the road
I like this combo: wagon and steel wheels
20-year old Audi wheels look cool on a Golf R
New Bentley SUV is not that stylish
Pretty clean Civic EG hatch
Cool Volvo at the scrap yard
RS version of the E-Tron GT?
Tesla delivery vehicle
Exotic cars are starting to make an appearance
I like the version of the Bronco with fat tires
Aggressive tires on this G-wagen too
I don't like the wheels, but I still love the way these M3's look
... much nicer than the new ones
Nice plate
Rare 2-door Bronco
These Mazdaspeed 3's are very rare now
Ikea's electric delivery truck
Two brown German cars
M3 is out of the barn, but stranded in Deschaillons
I didn't even know BMW made a motocross
Surprising and cool spot in Mile End
A few classics are out too
This tasteful G50 911 was parked on my street. I love the modern Fuchs wheels
The current M5 is more subtle than the M3, but also better-looking
