Team Xcedrin heads to Canada.

The team heads off the Canada for track days at Mount Tremblant and then Shannonville. Mike and Jack will be doing both events while Craig and I will be heading home after Tremblant. This is a rare opportunity to have all the primary team members together for some track time. We try but funny how hard it is to get all 4 of us together at the track.

Sunday morning arrives and Mike and Craig head north and Jack heads northwest to meet up at my place. Jack arrives at my place first and we dash to load up my stuff and get ready to head for the great white north. Mike and Craig arrive just as Jack and I finish loading up, perfect timing, or was it? We button down a few more things and we're on the road. I'm sure it's a site, Jack's truck and camper in tow with Craig's Explorer and the 2 bikes on the trailer close behind.

Our caravan heads north to Canada. Traffic is light for a Sunday and we are thankful. The rest of the trip is uneventful, unlike some fellow TPM members. Omar and Michele lose a trailer wheel and takes out the undercarriage of a passing van. With the aid of their chase vehicle and a local Wal-Mart, Omar, Michele and crew are back on the road. We hit a few rest stops, trade snacks that were displayed between vehicles along the way, and trade off some CD's.

After a few hours we hit the boarder to Canada. The lines at the crossing are long but our line is moving. We pass other TPM members heading to Mt Tremblant too. We have a quick conversation as we progress past them. We're up next, passports and papers are ready and we are wearing our best American faces. A few quick questions and Jack and I are on our way. Craig and Mike pass through without a problem too. We head off towards Montreal. With some congestion in the city and we follow the signs, luckily numbers are the same in all languages. We take Rt 15 all the way through the city and manage to get out the other side. With the city behind us we roll through the mountains and valleys with the scenery getting greener all the time. We pass some ski areas, now closed but with some snow still near the tops of the trails.

We make out way to the exit for the track, top off the gas cans and vehicles and make a few calls to see where other TPM members are. It's a warm day and we hope for the same weather for the next 2 days. We head down to the town of Tremblant and to the Wydam resort. We plan on staying here for the first night then stay in Jack trailer for the remaining nights. We get registered and make our way to our room. Along the way to the room we meet up with Gallo who’s heading out for ride. We gather up our things and head to the room. We enter the foyer of the condo, then up the stairs to the living room which extends to a small dining area with a small cove then around to the fully equipped kitchen. Down the hall is a large bathroom with separate room for the toilet and tub. 2 bed rooms, 1 with 2 twin beds the other with a double bed. Off the dining area is a patio with a grill. At this point we all look to Jack and say for $150 Canadian a night we inform Jack were staying here tomorrow night too. We now have a full kitchen and a trailer full of food, so logically it time to start cooking up some of it. Burgers, dogs, baked potatoes and veggies and top it off with come chips and we hit the patio to watch the sun set. The resort is on the top of a mountain over looking the valley and the lake next to the track. Our patio over looks the swimming pools, hot tub, tennis courts, play area and some of the most amazing views ever.

Morning arrives and we head off to track which only takes about 3 minutes, we arrive to the normal beehive of activity. We find our spot next to Fran Erickson and wife Jenny and start to unload. Once unloaded Glen comes along and asks us to setup the track. Since the track is new to a lot of us, we get lots of help. George Ribner, Barry Thomas and Fran all come along with us to help. This is the first look at the track for most of us. Mike and Jack have been here before so we turn to them for guidance in the cone placement. The first look at this track is amazing. The pavement is as smooth as glass with nice curbing, no gator strips that we see at other tracks, which are ok for cars but cause havoc for our knees and send knee pucks into obit. The track is noticeably wider then other tracks, which are a good thing as you'll read later. After the cones were setup we took the liberty to take a lap to verify and adjust the cones. Placing cones is an art more then a science. Determining the exact placement is not just determining the apex of the turn but the many variables you encounter when riding are considered and then the exact placement of the cone is determined. Repeat this process for each turn, most times 3 cones per turn and you start to get the idea and realize it's not an easy process.

The riders meeting starts as we arrive back in the paddock so we listen to our great communicator Dave Gallo as he conducts the meeting with a style and grace that only Dave can provide. First group out on the track is a “coaches” only group. Mike, Jack and I hustle over to suit up and head out. Mike and Jack head out as I have problems starting his bike. The battery seems weak and Craig comes to the rescue. Craig offers his bike up to me and I gladly accept and pull away, as Craig determines the problem. We all get a feel for the track and are called in after a few laps. Mike and Jack head for the grid as I shoot in to see the state of his bike. As I arrive at the trailer, I find my bike happily idling away. Craig comes over for a big thanks and I head out to coach for the red group. The pace is a little quicker with the red group and we all get a feel for the flow of the track. Jack and Mike have been here before so it's easier on them I.

Next the White group grids up and Mike seeks out Craig for some training as Jack and I help out other riders. After the session Craig is still processing the track as he talks with Mike and Jack. I stay out in the blue to keep the battery charging and to learn the track better. The red group heads out again and Mike and Jack join in again. We all perform our coaching duties and though out the day and hookup with Craig when we can. Craig is progressing well. The track seems to suit him and he's getting comfortable on his new ride, well new to him.

Lunch break hits and we start to cook up some burgers and dogs. As we gather up the food we find we left the rolls back at the condo. I take off to the condo with Mike's street legal KE100. Normally this is not a usual sight but the fact that I'm in his full leathers makes it a sight to behold. I did get strange looks riding though the small town but I enjoyed the ride and no one can say I'm not safety conscience. OK I was just too hungry to bother taking off my leathers. Lunch is served up as we talk about the track and rest up for the afternoon sessions.

With lunch over it's time to get back to what we came all this way for, ride. Now that we had time to process the track and understand the flow we all start experimenting with different lines. This repeats itself over and over and we all start to like this track more and more. The weather cools off a bit we take it easy to save our speed for better conditions. The day ends far too early as most track days do. We finish the day with a quick trip to local hardware to for a repair of the one propane lines on the camper. With repairs in order we head back to the room and get the food started. Gallo stops over to share in the food and hang out for a while. Dave's a long time TPM member like Mike and I, so stories of the past come up. Craig and Jack get some insight into the untold history of TPM, only the good stuff though. As night falls we watch some DVD's and head off for some rest.

Dawn arrives, that's morning, get your minds out of the gutter people and we head over to the track to do it all over again. Today weather is a bit cooler with some cloud cover keeping the temps down a few degrees. After another thrilling Gallo style riders meeting we prep ourselves and the bikes for another day. First session out is just a warm up for us and to get a feel for the track in cooler temps. With the first session over we find the track has decent grip despite the weather. Craig heads out in the next group and we all tag along taking turns working with him. We all play nice and have fun. There are a few incidents on the track most of which seem to happen in the first left hander. It's kind of like the Carolina turn 1 deal. We're not sure why but we'll soon figure it out. Lunch time comes along and we light the grills and share food with Fran and his wife. With ourselves refueled we head out to finish the day. A few more incidents, one involving a local rider clipping a dear and a few more down in the first left again. I hookup with Omar for a blue session and show him a few lines. Omar is a newer coach with TPM and a really good guy. We are always happy to see Omar not because of him but because he brings along his girlfriend Michele. Michele is a very nice person too and does car track days when she's not at the track with Omar. From what I heard she's a very good driver too.

Mike determined that the cause of the riders that are falling in the first left hander because of a few reasons. First there are 2 easy right handers before the hard left that rider use to warm-up with. When they approach the first left they are ready to ride and wick it up exiting the left. The left side of the tire is not warmed yet and causes a lack of traction. This and that the paddock is sand and the left side of the tire still has sand on the left side all contribute to the lack of traction. Proof of this requires us to just to follow a few riders out and watch the rear tire. When there is no more sand you can wick it up. As the day ends Fran, Mike, Jack and I meet on the grid for a blue session. I know this spells some good old fashion trouble. Fran pulls out first with myself close behind, then Mike then Jack. As we go down pit road Fran looks over his left shoulder. I notice Fran start to make this move and decide I'll jump past Fran on the right. Fran become immediately aware of my intentions and wicks it up staying in front for me. You can't blame me for not trying. With Fran still out front we ease through the 2 rights and the short straights into the first left. I watch Fran's tire carefully and once all the sand is gone from his rear tire. It's "game on" time. Mike does the same behind me as Jack does the same for Mike. I poke my wheel under Fran in few spots as I watch for shadows of Mike or Jack behind me and listen for them closing in on me. We make it around the long back turn and a few drops of rain start falling. As we approach the last few turns there is more rain and as we reach the front straight it a slight drizzle. Knowing we are in game on mode Fran wisely backs off as we all do and wait for another time. The rain falls lightly off and on for the last few sessions and as we pack up. At the days end Craig and I load up the Explorer (Exploder as Mike calls it) and trailer. We all load up Mike and Jack in the big rig, along with Linda's new 636 that Mike and Jack are so kindly bringing to Shannonville for the next TPM event a few days away. Mike and Jack head out to dinner with Fran and his wife.

One event from Tremblant that will live on in Team Xcedrin history. In one blue group session Jack left the grid with myself next and Mike close behind. As the laps passed I caught up with Jack and rode behind him for a lap determining the best place to pass him. The back session of the track has a long turn leading onto a straight. As Jack and I approach the turn I back off at the entry to get a better drive out. I turn in later then Jack to setup the inside pass at the exit. With my slower entry I can get on the throttle sooner and hopefully get a drive past Jack. Jack rides a 05 R6 with me on a 99 R6. Logically Jack has the power on me, which he kindly reminds Mike and I of all the time. Back to the action, we are midway though the turn and I’m on the gas as Jack waits a few seconds later to open the throttle. As we exit it’s a drag race down the straight, Jack on the left and me on the right. Side by side we go, now the next turn is right so who’s got the position, yup me. I out brake Jack into the turn and take the position ahead of Jack. In Jack’s defense he was setup perfectly and there was no much he could do about it. Jack was a true sport about it and even confessed at dinner the he was “setup like a bowling pin”. Jack did learn from this and when it really counted at the CCS races at Barber. I tired the same move on Jack but he got the better of me then, by just an inch. Jack learned and is a better and faster rider for it.

Craig and I head south for home. As we leave the track we encounter rain just south of the track. With Craig at the helm we talk about the day and review the CD of pictures that Craig got on his laptop. I download a few other pictures from my collection that I brought along. With the steady rain as we get into downtown Montreal, traffic is heavy as we fight though it we end in the wrong lane and now have to pull a u turn, sounds simple right, not today. We ride a few blocks make a left then pull into the nice and wide bus stop area. We spot the exit and head for it. Within spitting distance of the exit out steps a local law enforcement person stops us and informs us that we need to turn around and go back. We try to argue the point but since he is insistent and we really don't want to introduce ourselves to the Canadian legal system we opt to head back and do as we are told. We find the back onto the highway and head for the US boarder where we are familiar with legal system there. Craig takes through the boarder guard and after a few questions we are back in the USA. Craig runs until the first gas stop and we fuel up the Explorer and grab some dinner to eat along the way. It's my turn at the helm and we eat and drive for a while. Along the way we pass Michele and Omar, a quick wave and we continue on. We stop for a pit stop along the way and I run while Craig catches a few winks. When I get inside I meet up with George Ribner and Barry Thomas in the rest stop. We talk for a while and grab our refreshments and head out. I jump into the Explorer and get settled in and head out of the rest area. As I exit I spot George and Barry passing by the pumps with Barry at the wheel, a key element later, as jump out a head of us onto the highway. Ribner has a large enclosed trailer with an Expedition as the tow vehicle.

Ribner's Expedition is not stock so we really don't stand a chance at out running it, nor do I even try. We’re content just drafting behind them. After a few miles Barry slows up, I figure there is something ahead and hang back too. When the speeds drop to about 45 mph, I pull out past them and call Barry. Apparently passing the pumps at the rest stop was a bad idea, they are out of gas. We tell them to hang tight and we'll get off the next exit fill up a can and head back with some diesel for them. Realize we are on the NY State thruway so the exits are spaced far apart. We find the next exit, fill up the can and the Explorer, just in case and head back north for 15 miles to the next exit, pay the toll and loop around again. It's after midnight at this point so there is only one person in the toll booth so he asks what going on. We tell him we just running gas to our friends. We get a big long speech about how and why we can't do this and blah, blah, blah. We tell the nice man we agree not to. We need to head back south anyways so he lets us go. Us being with such high moral standings and all completely ignore the speech and meet up with Ribner and Barry. We stop and pass off the gas can telling them they never saw us and we'll explain it all later. 30 minutes later Barry calls, they are on the mobile again and thankful we were there. The rest of the trip is uneventful and we arrive at my house about 4am. We unload my bike and gear and Craig heads off the work and I get some sleep.

Mike and Jack report that Shannonville was ok and came up the plan to ride Pocono on the Sunday on the ride home. Mike talked one of his co-workers to drive his Saturn and trailer up to Pocono to get him home and allow Jack to get home faster too. I meet them at Pocono for the day and we had another great track day and more stories to tell others while we are sitting in our rocking chairs on the porch.

George Benes…

TPM Instructor and CCS racer# 929