If there is one Canadian rally that I’ve regretted not running, it’s Perce Neige. Held in the dead of winter in snowy Quebec, PN is truly a test of man and machine. Way back in the early Nineties, my team owner, John Heintzman campaigned the little Suzuki and learned the hard way that stock alternators are not designed to power a full light pod, high beams, front and rear defrosters all at once.
The 2008 season is under way today and the boys at Flat Over Crest are there in full force. Andrew Harvey is shooting stills, while Warwick Patterson gets more of that incredible video that he’s so well known for. Another member of the FOC team is Erik Ockwell, who is manning a microphone for the newly launched FOC Rally Radio, where fans can get daily updates, live from the snowy forests of Northern Quebec.
I went to pick up mail today and it’s like Christmas all over again! My copy of the flatovercrest.com 2007 rally video magazine had arrived. Of course as soon as I got home from shooting photos of the Taurus X, I had to plant myself in front of the new lcd tv to get my fill. Oh my!
Way back in the early Eighties, there was a video put together about the glory days of Audi and the Group B. That video pretty much set the standard for rally video and has withstood the test of time, even today it is plastered all over the gootoobz. Nothing else has really come close to capturing the passion and excitement that is performance rally. Until now. Canadian film maker Warwick Patterson has produced, filmed and edited what may be the best rally video ever created!
The dvd holds the video magazine, which is a 30 minute movie and a bunch of extras, including in car footage and raw footage from the 2006 WRC Mexico. The feature is so stunning that an old school TV would be a waste. With a modern hd tv, the filming has an almost surreal quality that allows the cars to jump off the screen, while the dust is still hanging in the air. The well chosen sound track keeps things pumping as we travel from New Zealand to Mexico, then back up to Ontario and Quebec. The in car footage from Sylvain Erickson’s car in the snow is downright frightening.
If you have even the faintest interest in performance rally then you absolutely MUST get yourself a copy of the video!
I just came across this great video of the Rocky Mountain Rally way back in 1987 courtesy of Shawn Bishop at Rallysport.ca
This was a time when rear wheel drive rally cars still dominated the Canadian rally scene. I was at the Rally of the Tall Pines in 98 or 99 when Tim Bendle brought that yellow Datsun 510 out of retirement to have another go. The man is stunning to watch in the snow. In the early 90’s, I spent some time driving a Plymouth Fire Arrow that had a full rally suspension that had been pulled from a rally car that had some level of success. I wonder if it was one of these shown in the video.
Yippeee! My 2008 Rally Calendar just arrived courtesy of Andrew Harvey! What a calendar it is too, with gravel, snow tarmac and more. As if time doesn’t go fast enough, now I have a reason for the months to fly by.
You can get your own by visiting AndrewHarvey.ca Just be sure to duck when those bits of flying gravel jump off the page!
We love all sorts of racing here in The Garage, but nothing more than rally. As a driver, there is something very primitive about racing balls to the wall along a real road. Back in the early days of racing though, there was no choice between formats. They raced on real roads that were usually some sort of dirt. Sort of like modern rally cross, only without all the safety equipment like roofs, seat belts or decent brakes. As Ryan from the Jalopy Journal points out, these guys truly were daredevils.
Ryan tells the incredible tale of the Vanderbuilt Cup, held on Long Island in the early 1900’s. His story is accompanied by some stunning photos that were found by a member of the H.A.M.B. who was working on a research project. Both Ryan’s tale and the photo gallery are well worth spending some time.
As the marketing guys for one of the Canadian sports channels used to say in their spots: Real Cars, Real Roads, Real Fast. Or something to that effect!
The Rally of the Tall Pines, or Tall Pines as it is known has historically been the final round of the Canadian Rally Championship. It is one of the longest (if not THE longest) running performance rallies in North America. Some of the greatest names in rallysport have come to Ontario cottage country to compete in one of the toughest events in the sport.
The 2007 running of Tall Pines takes place this weekend, beginning in Bancroft, Ontario. If you have never seen top flight rally cars in action, then it is well worth the 2 hour drive north of Toronto on Saturday. If you look hard, you might even find guys like Andrew Harvey and Warwick Patterson st the side of the road with you working their magic with the camera!
Last year, our man Jaimie made the trip and you can see his photos here.
While things here in The Garage are heating up as Gary Faules prepares to do battle at La Carrera Panamerica, friend of The Garage Alex Roy has some stuff heating up in New York City. First off, Alex has launched a series of new wallpapers of the infamous number 144. Now the obvious reason is to build hype for the launch of Alex’s new book, The Driver, which launches on October 16.
Perhaps of more covert interest is news of a new Interceptor. That’s right, Roy’s mystical, magical M5 is being retired. The big question is, what is the replacement? Hmmm… Let’s take stock of things here. We have an international playboy with access to what may be one of the world’s most impressive fleet of exotic cars. What are the options? Bugatti? Naw, no back seat for extra passengers to share the escapades. Audi RS4? Nope, VW electronics are way too finicky. CTS-V? Too common.
I’m betting that Interceptor 144B will be something offbeat, like a Cayenne S that’s paid a visit to our friends at Ruf or some such super fast, super reliable shaggin’ waggon so AR can keep up with that playboy image!
After the break, see the original Interceptor in action as Team Polizei gets a police escort through Florence. Continue reading →
News out of Mongolia today is that Canadians Kees Nierop and Lawrence Yap are out of the rally following a high speed roll. Fortunately the rally prepped Porsche Cayenne kept them safe, other than the usual bumps and bangs that come from an over. Unfortunately their truck sustained more damage and is not able to continue in the event.
The overall leader is now Dr. Erik Brandenburg in his Porsche 911, Safari Rally Clone! Following Brandenburg by just over 9 minutes is the Cayenne of Rod Millen. The previous leader, the Garnham Land Cruiser fell to 12th overall when they spent over and hour and a half trying to get free from a mud hole.
The Flat Over Crest team has killed it yet again with the launch of video magazine #2, where Warwick Patterson follows Ken Block (above at the X Games) to New Zealand for the Rally of Whangarei. Block details the recce process and how it can make or break a driver’s rally. The film quality and soundtrack are stunning.
Warwick Patterson is definitely the Warren Miller of Rallysport!
Once you’ve watched the video, be sure to stop by the new FOC message board and say hi.
Somehow I missed the fact that X Games 13 was happening last week, but Andrew Harvey and crew got to LA and as always have captured some incredible moments. You can read about the whole adventure and see tons of great images at Flat Over Crest.
