As a ‘Grand Finale’ to the VRRA’s ‘Canadian Vintage Endurance Championship’…running a 3 hour endurance race at Calabogie instead of a 2 hour race?
We have Thursday as a practice day as well as Friday, so there would still be ample opportunity to practice. However, the extra hour would cut Friday practice, that much shorter.
I think the last round of the Championship season should be something really special, so I am hoping for a 3hr race.
Thoughts…
The three-hour format has been an interesting possibility for years. Endurance is different from sprints, ride smoothly and sensibly to finish. This Calabogie round is an end-of-season joyous celebration so let’s relax and give a little, think positively. Three hours is nothing, grasshoppa. Endurance races of 24 hours were run well before your P3 ride was born, it will do it.
to quote… however that extra hour will cut Friday practice that much shorter…a lot of track to learn in so little practice time as it is without shortening the time… just sayin…
So enter the End.Race - find a co-rider you trust with a similar bike,go at your own pace,on and off when you choose,no such thing as DNF(every lap counts),best bang for the bucks
I am not sure what percentage of our members have actually ridden at Calabogie, we know some have done track days and some P4 guys did the CSBK support race. Therefore, new track to many, quite technical, so shortening practice would seem counter productive. Those on older bikes may not want to do a 3 hour endurance, and as someone suggested, may not be able to or think it wise to do a track day particularly on a older slower bike among the regular track day moderns. I hope Ashton can keep it to a full practice session.
Peter S
There’s also the Thur. practice day,which at $150 is a really good deal for Calabogie,for those who are independently wealthy,retired,self-employed (provided your boss isn’t a tight-ass), unemployed,have vacation days left,call in sick.
More practice would be better for Calabogie. Like Peter said, the track is highly technical, difficult, and has 20 something turns. The other point being Calabogie doesn’t have the luxury of great run off, so when it goes bad it could get really bad. We should remember that Armco was positioned as it is to corral cars, and it isn’t bike friendly.
I am specfically thinking at the exit of turn 4 and specifcally Big Rock (turn 6), off camber, down hill, left turn - Armco track side.
Exit of Temptation (turn Armco 15 ft off race line at exit. If you lose it you hit the Armco, if you panic and lock the front you fall and take out the following riders.
Deliverance (turn 9) Armco at track side left.
Turn 12B , lots of high sides here.
Turn 16, left into the gravel pit,… front goes light or wheelies, just as you turn.
Wilsons (turn 20) on the front straight.
Turn 1, if it goes wrong at speed you are right into the Armco.
Anyways you get the idea. Most of us mere mortals require 2 full track days to figure out which way the corners go, and how to get relatively fast safely. I tend to do the odd Pro6 day and the DOCC rally’s at the track. Having worked the crash truck I can say that when it goes bad at Calabogie it can be very bad.
So I would rather have more practice than a 3 hour Endurance Race.
Bottle bags aren’t the most effective at high speed circuits. We are armoring up similar to CTMP, straw bales and some air fence. There’s a small team of us working on that, but if you have on-site experience Rob, they’d very much appreciate your help. If you PM/email me I will put you in touch.
Armco 15 ft off race line at exit. If you lose it you hit the Armco, if you panic and lock the front you fall and take out the following riders.