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2007 Rally of the Tall Pines Daily Log

What is Tall Pines

Based in Bancroft Ontario, 2 hours from Toronto, the Rally of the Tall Pines is a favourite event with competitors and fans alike. Taking place in late November, the rally always dishes out challenging conditions for the drivers.

Dirt, snow and ice routinely mix together on the roads to provide a supreme test of driving skill. As the final event of the Canadian Rally Championship, the Rally of the Tall Pines also features tight year-end battles which make for hard driving and great spectating.

The Tall Pines Rally 2007 is scheduled for November 24. For more information visit www.tallpinesrally.com

The Team

Car: 1991 Subaru Legacy Turbo

Driver: Glen Clarke

Co-Driver: Ray Felice

Crew: Doug Mepham, Evan Gamblin, Joel, Mike and Jonathan

Preparation

I have wanted to get involved in performance rally for many years. The idea of running "the back roads" at speed without being on the wrong side of the law is very appealing.

Last winter I purchased a 1987 VW Golf SCCA rally car. It is a great little car with fantastic handling. The plan was to prep the car for Tall Pines in November. Unfortunately business has a way of getting priority over having fun and we didn't get the car done on time. After a few emails, ACP (Andrew Comrie-Picard) offered to let us use a Subaru Legacy that was built during episode 7 of the War of the Wheels TV show that Andrew hosts.

 

For those of you who know ACP, get a load of the promo picture for the series. I wouldn't have recognized him.

ACP is an entertainment lawyer turned auto journalist. He hosts the TV show War of the Wheels and co hosts the Canadian Rally Championships. ACP is one of the top rally drivers in North America. He has competed in the X-Games twice and recently finished second in the Canadian Rally Championships.

More importantly he is an all round nice guy.
 

The Subaru Legacy was built in 36 hours by: Frank Sprongle (4 Star Motorsports), Jen Horsey, Nick Boucher and Mr. Veilleux. It's sister car from the show has now completed two Targa Newfoundland events in the hands of Andy Proudfoot and Bruce Terris.

The car required a little work to get it ready. We changed the windshield, skid plate and belts. We added a new light bar, turbo restrictor and cat.

The original plan had been to run Tall Pines with Evan Gamblin as the Co-Driver. Evan and I have run Targa together for 5 years. We make a great team and won Targa overall in 2006. However, we had never run a performance rally using pace notes before. To help shorten our learning curve we decided to bring in some experienced help.

With the help of Ross Wood, I managed to secure Ray Felice to help shorten our learning curve. Ray is pretty selective of who he rides with and I was pretty happy that he agreed to strap himself into a car with a novice. Ray normally competes with Peter Reilly in a 4wd Open Class VW Golf. Ray has lots of experience including winning the 2001 North American Rally Championship. He is also the president of Rally Sport Ontario.

To help me prepare for the event I attended the O'Neil Rally School in New Hampshire. This is a great school and a must for anyone thinking about entering their first rally. The school teaches a lot of the basic techniques that are essential for keeping the car on the road.

Thank you to everyone who helped us prepare. 

Glen Clarke    Ray Felice
Car #51
1991 Subaru Legacy

Special Thanks to our 2007 Sponsors:

Click here for 2007 Tall Pines Entry List

Reconnaissance Day

The November weather was shaping up quite nicely for a warm dry run on some great gravel roads. Then the snow came. On the Wednesday and Thursday before the event we received an early snow storm that dumped close to 30cm of dry light snow on the roads. Good thing we ordered snow tires.

Thursday and Friday were spent inspecting the stages in Ray's Ford Escape. (I know its a Ford but what are you going to do) Recce, as its called, consists of driving the roads at a maximum speed of 60kph while the codriver reads the route instructions. The purpose of the recce is to allow the team to create/review and perfect the instructions that will be used at speed.

Performance rallies such as Tall Pines use route instructions called Pace Notes. For those of you who have not experienced pace notes it is quite an earful. I have run 5 Targa events which use tulip diagrams. I am used to the level of information provided by the tulip diagrams but pace notes were a whole new experience. Tulip diagrams provide information on the most important corners and intersections. Pace notes provide detail on every aspect of the road. When the codriver is calling the pace note instructions it sounds like a non stop verbal barrage for the entire stage. Listening to and comprehending these instructions is incredibly demanding. To drive the stage at speed the driver must listen carefully and can not afford to miss a single detail. A communication mistake will quickly result in a crash.

At first I couldn't keep up with Ray's calls, even at 60kph. There was simply too much detail and I couldn't digest it fast enough. Ray dumbed it down for me and left out some of the short distances and minute detail. That worked and I found that the calls started to make sense. After 2 days of practicing the calls I was ready for the real thing.

We set some simple goals for the event.

More than anything, I wanted to ensure that we finished the event. Speed and finishing position were not a concern. (that's hard to do when you are as competitive as I am)

During registration we met the team that built the car during the TV show. When they found out that we were driving that car in the event, they thought we were crazy. They stressed that the car had been built to last for the 2 minute competition at the end of the show. They didn't think that we had a hope of making it all the way through the Pines. They went into great detail about all the things that were going to go wrong. Wonderful. Now I was even more determined to finish.

 

Tire selection is very important in all forms of motorsport. The tire on the left is a Silverstone Gravel tire. With the aggressive tread pattern you would think that it would be good in the snow. Surprisingly, it has very little grip in comparison to the Yokohama A034 snow tire on the right. One of the main differences in the tire is the compound. The silverstone is very hard while the A034 is extremely soft. The A034 also has siping in the tread blocks that help grip the slippery surface. During Tall Pines, top teams actually ran an ice tire that provides even further grip.

Shakedown

Shakedown consisted of 5 runs through a stage at night. This was the first time that I had driven the car in anger with a codriver barking instructions, icy roads, deep snow and night lighting. To say that it was challenging was an understatement.

We managed to keep the car on the road and I started to become more comfortable with the performance. I focused on balancing the brakes and throttle to steer the car through the corners. Left foot braking is a must for these conditions.

Several cars found the ditch including Ian Crerar, who put his Ford Cosworth on its side.

During shakedown we experienced some of the problems that the original builders described. The gearbox was pretty crunchy and the turbo would quickly go into overboost causing the ECU to perform a hard fuel cut at 5000rpm. We also had a continuous antifreeze smell coming into the cockpit. Luckily it was cold enough that the engine did not experience any overheating. Since there was nothing we could do to fix the problems before the event, I just had to learn to drive around them.


The Event

Saturday morning came early. We left the house at 6am to be ready for the 7am grid.

The snow had stopped but the temperature had dropped to -19C over night. According to the weather forecast, the afternoon was going to be +6C with rain. Great.

 
 

During the grid preparation we met Joel, Mike and Jonathan. They are from Kemptville near my home. They agreed to help crew for us and they did a great job all day long.

 

ACP was in 2nd place in the championship and needed a win to have a chance at the title.

His goal was to win at all costs.
    ACP's Mitsubishi prior to the start

Stage A1: Upper Old Hastings 1

We started the event at 9:40am and headed out for the first stage. This was a plowed road but the conditions were very icy. We were the 39th car on the road and the surface was becoming polished ice. I focused on Ray's calls and drove a very conservative pace to ensure that we stayed out of the ditch. It would be very embarrasing to stuff it on my first stage. Our time was slow and only good enough for 30th place but I had completed my first stage and the car was still on the road.

Stage A2: The Peanut

The peanut started out as a high speed run over plowed icy surface before turning into some unplowed logging roads. I was very conservative on the plowed section but I gained confidence on the snow covered logging roads and we picked up the pace. The logging roads were incredibly rough. A couple times my helmet banged off the roll cage which is temporarily disorienting. We had a good tank slapper on a downhill run into a L3 but somehow managed to stay out of the ditch.

At the end of the run we had set the 16th quickest time. A great start.

Stage A3: Old Detlor 1

During the run through the Old Detlor road we caught and passed our first car. We caught him on a snow covered single track road. He gave us as much room as he could but it was still a difficult pass. I was afraid that the snow would pull us into the ditch. It didn't and we had a great run to the finish.

We passed two cars burried deeply into the ditch. Ken Block in the Monster Subaru was the first car we came across. He was standing at the edge of the road with his tow rope ready for a pull. I felt bad for not stopping to help but his team mate was right behind us and I felt it would be best to let them sort it out. Besides, who wants to stop when you are having fun.

Ray's calls were now starting to make sense. I could visualize his calls before seeing the corner. I was trusting his calls and now turning into the corners with greater confidence. Communication and trust is critical in this game.

 

Frank Sprongle shows how it is done in his Mitsubishi.

Notice the narrow ice tires.
    Photo: Michael Tan
 
  RX8 - Maybe the last good picture before it went for a ride on its roof. Ken Block in the Monster Subaru.
Photos by: Paul Pinchbeck

Service 1

 

 

When we arrived in service, the guys quickly went to work. They removed the wheels and checked all the suspension.

No problems and we were back on the road.

I was surprised to find out that we had moved from 39th to 19th place in the first 3 stages.
    Discussing Strategy with Ray

Having a full service crew was a new experience for me. In all my years of competition I have never been able to step out of the car and have someone else take over and service the car. After the event I realized how great an advantage this is. By having a good crew I could focus on driving and not worry about the car. Special thanks to Doug, Evan, Joel, Jonathan and Mike for making this happen.

Stage A4: Upper Old Hastings 2

Wow. You can't believe how much ice can be created by rally cars. This was our second run through this stage and about 80 cars had run in front of us. The braking zones and corner exits were becoming pretty treachorous. Ray explained that the ice tires polished the ice as they spun.

I think we passed 3 cars off the road during this stage. The Mazda RX8 (the car that was driven by Jeff McKague at Targa) was on its roof on the outside of a very slipperly L3.

Although the road had less grip, we beat our morning time by 45 seconds. A good improvement.

Stage A5: Old Detlor 2

The transmission was starting to act up. It didn't like to shift into 1st or 2nd gear so we drove most of the rest of the event in 3rd gear. Everytime I put it into second gear it would just pop back out.

 

We also had a couple of hard hits on the don't cut corners. I heard Ray's calls not to cut the corners but I had no choice. There were only two tire tracks in the deep snow and I didn't dare go outside those tracks. At first Ray thought that we had picked up a flat but all was well.
  Photo: Michael Tan
 

We had a pretty good run going until the final corner. It was glare ice and I lost the back end of the car on the exit. (the photo at the right would have been taken about 5 seconds before I looped it) At first I thought I could save it but then thought better of it and put both feet in. The car stopped its slide in the middle of the road right in front of the finish line boards. The spin cost us about 10 seconds but we still managed to beat our first run time.
    Photo: Paul Pinchbeck

I found out later that ACP had spun at the exact same place.

Service 2

The brake pedal was starting to get pretty long so the guys bled the brakes with help from Stewart Hoo from CanJam.

Stage A6: Iron Bridge

 

At the start of the Iron Bridge stage we were advised that a yellow Golf had gone through the guard rails and that a cable was strung across the road to keep the car from falling further down the embankment. We were going to have to drive across the cable through the corner.

The stage was starting to get very icy so we drove with greater margin. Unfortunately the first part of the stage was one of the bigger spectator areas and I probably looked like the slowest car on the road.
    Photo: Michael Tan

Stage A7: The Peanut 2

Our second run through the Peanut was a little slower than the first. I had more confidence on the high speed section and pushed a little harder. We came over a rise and saw ACP burried in the ditch. His hunt for the championship was over.

The logging road section was very rough and we had to take a little speed off to preserve the car.

Service 3

 

It is now getting later in the afternoon and the crew fit the lights.

The brake pedal was still quite long and the crew bled the brakes for the second time. Left foot braking against the throttle was generating a lot of heat in the calipers.

The tires are still in great shape and show very little wear.
    The Crew goes to work during a service stop.

Stage A8: Lower Old Hastings 1

This was a long flowing 14km stage on plowed roads. We had a conservative pass, no drama. Most of the stage was a continuous stream of tight lefts, rights and crests. There was very little time to take a break. Staying focused on Ray's calls was very demanding.

Stage A9: Middle Old Hastings 1

The light was starting to fade and it was getting hard to see. A wolf ran across the road just in front of the car.

Stage A10: Lower Old Hastings 2

This was our first full night stage. The lights were great in the corners but it would have helped to have a bit more distance. There were times when I felt that I couldn't go quicker because I couldn't see far enough into the distance. Ray suggested replacing two of the Hella driving lights with pencil lights to help get some better distance.

At night, the communication between the co-driver and driver becomes even more important. To match the daylight speeds the driver must listen to and commit to the instructions before seeing the corner. It takes great trust.

I was surprised by the number of bonfires beside the road. The spectators were building fires to keep warm (although many of them seemed to be drinking cold beer)

I would like to thank the fan who flashed their tits mid stage. Great comic relief, I thought they were real. Was it cold or were you just happy to see us?

Stage A11: Middle Old Hastings 2

The road was quite slippery and we drove a conservative pace. We passed two or three cars in the ditch including Peter Thompson who had been leading the event up until that stage.

The brake pedal was getting long and the transmission seemed less happy.

Final Service

We had 70 minutes for the final service so the guys went through the car and checked all the suspension, brakes and exhaust. As usual Stewart Hoo was there helping to make sure that all was well. Nick Boucher helped bleed the brakes a final time.

We fueled for the final stages and the guys headed out to watch the action at Casteldine corner.

We were in 19th place going into the final stages.

Stage B1: West Eels 1

For the night stages, Ray has me switch on the lights with 20 seconds to go before the start. The idea is to keep your eyes in the dark as long as possible to improve your night vision.

At the start of this stage the lights didn't come on. No matter what we tried they just stayed off. This is going to be fun. We had to run the stage using moon light. Luckily it was a full moon with no clouds.

When you can't see the corners, communications become even more critical. I had confidence in Ray's calls and this allowed me to make it through the dark. Driving this stage in the dark was probably a long term benefit because it helped to build trust. I was now able to visualize Ray's calls 2 or 3 corners ahead. I drove as quickly as I dared but without lights it is hard to go fast.

Dave Mirra caught us about half way into the stage. After he passed us I was able to stay with him for a couple km by using his lights to see. Ray told me to back off and let him go so that I didn't follow him into the ditch. We were back into the dark.

Stage B2: North Eels 1

Amazingly the lights came back on for the start of this stage. (After a couple hard fist hits to the dash - possible grounding issue)

There is a short run down hill into Castledine Corner. This is a great night spectating area. Unfortunately I was pretty slow into Casteldine. I shifted into 2nd gear to make the tight down hill R3 into the tight up hill L3 and of course the transmission wouldn't stay in gear so I ended up coasting through both corners.

The rest of the run went very well. I like the narrow single track runs.
  Photo: Michael Tan

Stage B3: North Eels 2

About 3 corners into the stage I saw Alan Ryall standing on the inside of the corner with his OK sign. His car was about 20 feet down an embankement held up in the trees.

Again I was very slow through Castledine. I tried shifting into second, it kept popping out and I ended up coming to a complete stop on the exit. (You would think I would learn) Eventually I found 1st gear and we got going again.
  Photo: Michael Tan

Stage B4: West Eels 2

Fatigue was setting in and we only had one stage left to complete the event. I drove very conservatively to ensure that we finished.

We made it to the end unscathed and finished the rally. The car, which was built in 36 hours, held together and I had finished my first event.

Final Results

We met all our goals for the event:

We also acheived some reasonable results:

I really enjoyed the experience and look forward to more competitions in the future. I think we will plan to do a couple events in 2008 and consider the full championship in 2009.

Special thanks to Ray. He was a great coach and taught me quite a bit about how to compete.

Click here to see more of Michael Tan's Tall Pines photos.

Click here to see more of Paul Pinchbeck's Tall Pines photos.

The Tall Pines will air on A-Channel:

Part 1: 12-13 January 2008
Part 2: 19-20 January 2008

 

Tall Pines
Team
Preparation
Recce
Event
Results