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Activities
Nor'easter News
Car Care
Membership
Other Cool Stuff
Sponsors & Advertisers
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Porsche
Club of America
By Bruce
Hauben, Bruce993@PorscheNet.com
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| I've
just returned from two, three day weekends at Mosport International Raceway
in Bowmanville, Ontario; Joyce having accompanied me (and driven) during
the DE portion of the Club Race weekend. This month's column is devoted
to my experiences and observations during those six days at the track and
thirty-four hours of towing, hoping that you'll join the region at Mosport
on October 5,6,7. When you read this in early September there should still
be space to sign up for the weekend.
Yes, it's roughly an 8.5 hour trip from the junction of Rte. 495 and the MA Pike to Bowmanville, but well worth the drive. My guess if you're not towing is that you'll shave 30-60 minutes from my time. So it's a bit farther than Watkins Glen or Mt. Tremblant but offsetting that are the benefits of the exchange rate and the fun of learning a new track. Clearly, experimenting with and learning a new track are tops on my list as I added three new ones last year and will have added three new ones by the end of this year, not counting Mt. Tremblant with it's minor changes. The track is 2.5 miles long with a pit straight roughly equal to The Glen and a back straight with two kinks and three blind rises, probably .75-1.0 miles long. I never did check my odometer as that straight allows for lots of passing and ends with a sweeping, decreasing radius turn #8 after having had your pedal to the floor for the entire straight. As Rick Bye (more on him later) jokes, the back straight is your opportunity to have a beer, take a few breaths, and check your gauges and mirrors after a very high speed double apex in turn #2, pedal to the floor, blind, down hill turn #4 and double apex, up-hill turn #5A and 5B. All things considered, the track is less technical than Mid-Ohio or Road Atlanta but very fast and loads of fun. Rick Bye is the Canadian David Murry that the UCR prevailed upon to give the 'track walk' and be on hand for the three days. While he says that our group adopted him, his wife Karina and Bob, their Jack Russell Terrier, we certainly enjoyed their friendship and feel they adopted us. Rick rode shotgun with some of us assisting in refining our line, offering car set-up pointers where needed, and generally being the nice guy that he is. After racing with the likes of Murry, Haywood and Bundy he's presently running his race prep shop and representing PCNA in Eastern Canada interfacing with auto columnists borrowing a new Porsche. While recuperating from a major highway accident while trailering to Daytona several years ago, he's looking forward to returning to the race circuit. When not dining at our region's Holiday Inn dinner I'd recommend dinner at Bobby C's at the Port Darlington Marina. We loved the patio overlooking the water though, early October with cooler weather and an earlier sunset may suggest dinning inside. The Spinach and Avocado Dip appetizer with toasted pita triangles is delicious; we started every meal with it. The Bruschetta, and Salmon and Brie Pizzas were excellent, as were the various chicken and pasta dishes. That's where I first had Sleeman's Cream Ale and then introduced others to this fine liquid refreshment. Feeling the need to bring some home, along with Arctic Wolf Lager, I discovered "The Beer Store" in Bowmanville. This is a little, beer only, store where you order at the register and pick up your selections from the conveyor. Displayed on one wall are the beers they stock with prices clearly printed...more than a HUNDRED different beers, mostly Canadian that I'd never seen before...nirvana. For the non-drivers Bowmanville is home to Canada's oldest private zoo, there are many 'pick-your-own' apple orchards in the area, the largest Emu farm in Ontario is nearby and for those so inclined the Great Blue Heron Casino is north of the Holiday Inn. The Pickering Markets host 800 flea market vendors and antique dealers every weekend and there are a plethora of museums, golf courses and vineyards in the area. The Guild of Automobile Restorers in Bradford has an 8,000 sq. ft. showroom filled with classic and antique cars for sale. The Port Darlington Marina has many charter fishing boats that go for cohoe and chinook (king) salmon as well as lake trout. AND, Toronto is less than an hour's drive from Mosport or the Holiday inn. If you have an extra day available the 1,000 Island area is a beautiful place to spend it. Most of you will be crossing the border on Rte. 81 where you'll get great views of the area from two bridges. There's an Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY and a 1 mi. Go-Kart track 1/4 mi. from the bridge in Alexandria Bay, NY. There are many sight seeing boat cruises around the islands as well as air tours leaving from Gananoque, ON. Kingston, ON at the base of the 1,000 Islands was the first Canadian capitol when the British captured it from the French. Among the many museums you'll find three Waterfront Museums, and a Military Communications and Electronics Museum along with well preserved pre-Victorian architecture. Interestingly, many early settlers of the area were Pennsylvania Quakers followed by Loyalists fleeing America during the Revolutionary War and they've left their mark on the area. It's a fun track for drivers and there's more to do than time permits for non-drivers so come on up to Mosport and have a blast with NER friends. Don't hesitate to contact me for further details. Points to Ponder
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