Photos CSBK Circuit du Mont-Tremblant

Gougou

Well-known member
Voici mes photos, je vais en ajouter d'autre quand j'aurais fais le ménage des photos.
Triste week-end avec la mort de JR MacRae no.27

































 
Superbes photos! En effet celle du no151 est spectaculaire!
Triste nouvelle pour ce jeune pilote...J'ai une pensée pour sa famille.
J'ai justement récemment découvert le Isle of Man TT race. 240 morts en 105 ans d'existence. Certaines années y'en a 6 ou 7, incroyable!

Some people are really living their (shorter) life in the fast lane!!
 
Superbes photos! En effet celle du no151 est spectaculaire!
Triste nouvelle pour ce jeune pilote...J'ai une pensée pour sa famille.
J'ai justement récemment découvert le Isle of Man TT race. 240 morts en 105 ans d'existence. Certaines années y'en a 6 ou 7, incroyable!

Some people are really living their (shorter) life in the fast lane!!

Donc 7 cette année, 3 concurent et 4 spectateurs..
 
Concerning JR #27- R.I.P. !

My buddy races in that class #81- Thunder HD!! and he says the bikes are just nuts to ride.
The homage to JR was intense- here is the race report submitted by Michael Taylor- a veteran who won the race. this was an email circulated among racing buddies.
It sheds much light on what it takes to compete, and a lot can be translated to autos as well.
Enjoy the read.


Hello

Please note, I am writing reports to inform of my own challenges throughout our team's efforts this season. The weekends events are completely overshadowed by the tragedy that occurred on Sat afternoon during qualifying that included the death of a respected fellow competitor John Ross Macrae. My best wishes are with those closest to JR.

Brian and I set out Thursday morning towards Quebec to attend the last race of our season's schedule. I was second in points and needed some very good fortune in order to win the championship, but regardless , racing Tremblant is a tremendous joy unto itself, so a championship was more a side benefit.

I was running very well last season at the track about an hour north of Montreal for most of the weekend, so I was quite excited to improve and maybe win there this year. Our bike set-up was very good at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park two weeks earlier, and though much smoother, Tremblant is also very fast and flowing. Being very good with rhythm and hitting your marks is key to being fast and safe. Mistakes at the very hilly track can be costly. Riding without them, tremendously rewarding.

In the Friday warmup, I got down to business and felt fast and comfortable. The Mackies XR1200 was good, but I knew I could improve it. Brian and I made a few changes from our 2012 settings to agree with the speed we had found at Mosport and we were on the right track. I was surprised at first when the session ended and JR Macrae was faster than us. I hadn't anticipated him being so good here, but I guess that his latest win at Mosport had him very confident. After first grumbling about my second best status, I quickly realised the potential. If both JR and Darren James were fast here (Darren kicked my ass here years back on a Buell!) then maybe with Crevier back in fourth, I would be champion. Oh to dream!

In the afternoon session I was faster (fastest) and James was, expectedly, right with me. Crevier was struggling. Once again Brian and I made small suspension adjustments that had suited me and I used all my years of experience to stay connected to the pavement. Many others were falling.

Saturday was beautiful conditions and I improved on my best from Friday, getting near the lap record. I am always focused on being my best, but also being THE best, so lap records are pretty important!
Well the qualifier in the afternoon did not go anywhere near expectations. I avoided riding with the other teams by purposefully pitting after a single lap, then returning and trying to get a rhythm going. I did not. I was struggling to time my corner entries and was baffled by several big front tire slides, and ...well...mistakes. Brian stood stoic on pit lane, his arms crossed , telling me exactly what I wished were not true, I was slow!

With about four minutes left on the clock I finally did a fairly clean lap, and set out on a new one, to go better, when I saw a red flag being waved frantically on the very fast downhill front straight. Entering turn one with caution I witnessed the most horrific scene I ever have just past the long airfence placed along the outside wall of the corner. Macrae lay still, his body quite clearly lifeless, and I looked away quickly knowing he was in a very bad state.



Racing is dangerous. It isn't crazy. It just demands that you do everything you know how, to take care, and to be better. JR was better than most. He won his last race and just before he crashed over the crest of the hill, he set a new outright lap record. He was the best.

I was fifth fastest and Brian determined that our XR was failing me with a bad fuel pump, or coil, or both. Regardless, he changed them. My mistakes on track in qualifying were me not having the consistency I was used to in power delivery. I was very pleased to have things back in order on Sunday.

Sunday was a blur of activity. I knew that , with my kids present at the race, I needed to help them deal with the death and be safe myself, which meant keeping focused on the task at hand. Hard to call riding a 540 lb motorcycle leaned over to the engine cases around corners mundane, but it felt a little this way today. Our bike was not perfect. We were down on power and Crevier passed several times at the end of the 'power on' sections. At one point when I re-passed him in fast turn nine, I felt our bike jump off the ground mid corner at full lean and I easily saved it using a bit of Body English. When something like that happens and you get away with it you realize you have the race in hand. I would best describe it as being on a magic carpet. It does your will.

Winning seemed easy today. I paid very close attention to my senses and used all my experience and we were safely home, well back in the pits anyway. After finishing we all banded together a did a tribute lap with JR's checkered flag. His teammate had us all sign it and it will forever be with his family.

Darren James (teammate to Macrae) rode heroically to fastest lap and second, despite the grief. Crevier got third, but won the championship. I got to ride very fast and safely at my favorite track and then go home with my wonderful kids. Oh, with a nice trophy too!


Thank you for reading and being a part of our Mackies adventure this year.

Sincerely,

Michael Taylor
 
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