Greetings from Vallee-Jonction, Quebec, Canada
From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
Autodrome Chaudiere – asphalt oval – Lifetime Track #1,749
“WARNING: MOOSE! REALLY?”…. TRACKCHASING WEEKEND! THE KEYS TO THE TRIP This was a very special weekend for a number of reasons……………..more in “The Plan”. Trackchasing public relations helps the hobby………………more in “Observations”. A candidate for best truck stop of the year? …………..details in “You cannot live well……….”. RLR – RANDY LEWIS RACING SPECIAL REPORT My special reports are meant to be “critical thinking” pieces on the state of trackchasing. Sometimes they are just “news” items. Often times the “trackchasing hierarchy” will consider them controversial. At other times they are just good ways to think about the right things. The topics won’t always directly relate to trackchasing but they will always at least indirectly tie to the trackchasing hobby. Remember the best way to learn about new things….is to listen. * Whenever non-subscribers receive significant mentions in my special reports I make an effort to make certain they are copied. Coming back to Canada today brought back special memories. The last time I came to Canada to trackchase was just about three months ago on February 26. On that cold and blistery day in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada trackchaser Ed Esser joined me. This was a special trip for Ed. After seeing some 1,429 racetracks in the U.S. this was his first ever trackchasing trip internationally. He and I had a great time during our adventurous weekend. Sadly, just four days later Ed passed away. My last trackchasing day in Canada will be remembered for a lifetime. During our visit to the Mission Bay Ice Track in Thunder Bay we met up with several of the folks who manage the ice racing there. We met drivers, the club president and got to spend the afternoon with the race director, Peter Dumoulin and his daughter Shaylee. During the races they drove us in the official pace van around the icy road course. Given the wind and snow and generally most uncomfortable weather, this allowed us to get photos from several different locations. We also were able to get all of our questions answered about the racing operation. Later in the afternoon we even got to meet the track’s radio announcer. It was a great day of trackchasing. The folks at Thunder Bay wanted to honor Ed Esser’s memory. When the people at Thunder Bay heard of Ed’s passing they were all very much saddened. Luckily for everyone Ed had the chance to meet so many Canadian people on that particular weekend. Shortly after our visit I got a note from Peter. He and the track were interested in setting up a race in Ed’s honor during the 2013 ice-racing season. That sounded like a great idea. I contacted Ed’s son Lee and niece, Kelley. They thought it was a great idea to honor Ed too. As the event becomes finalized later this year, I’ll keep you posted. It’s very nice of the Thunder Bay ice-racing group to take this special step. Then, of course, Ed was a very special trackchaser and deserves this recognition. GREETINGS FROM VALLEE- JONCTION, QUEBEC, CANADA WHO, WHAT, WHY AND WHERE The Plan This weekend had lots of pluses. I was very much looking forward to this particular trackchasing weekend. I would be going to two Canadian provinces. The first would be French-speaking Quebec. Then I would be making a return visit to the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. Back in 2008, Carol and I were rained out in PEI at the only track that operates in the province. I’ll hope to rectify that void in a couple of days. By the way, I don’t really consider Canada to be a foreign country. There is one exception to that feeling….Quebec. Quebec IS a foreign country. They don’t speak much English. It’s worse (from a language point of view) than traveling in France. The rest of Canada is just like Minnesota. Or, maybe Minnesota is just like the rest of Canada. I would begin the trip by flying into the Bangor, Maine airport. I’ve flown into nearly every U.S. commercial airport but I can’t ever recall flying into Bangor. That will be special as well as meeting up with Mainer John Sullivan who works with the TSA group at the airport. I had a good plan. The plan included firm race dates. The weather was predicted to be outstanding. I also had a great way to get to everywhere I was going to go. That WAS a good plan. The Trip I booked in advance….just like a normal traveler might do. I woke up this morning in Essington, Pennsylvania. I went to bed at the Motel Spring in Chateau Richer, Quebec. This is what today looked like. I did something on this trip that I almost NEVER do. I booked hotel reservations in advance for the last three days of my trip. I don’t like to do this because I never really know where I will be traveling until the very last minute. However, I had just a couple of flights to make on this trip. The flight to Maine was wide open. From there I would control my own fate with my rental car. Bangor was my most convenient starting point. That’s right. How often does someone say, “Bangor was my most convenient starting point” for a vacation trip? I used Google Maps to explore all of my alternatives. For what I wanted to do Bangor was it. The scenery was gorgeous flying into Bangor. I used Booking.com and Kayak.com to find hotels that were geographically and fiscally well located. Once those two requirements were met I read “consumer reviews” from people just like you and your sister. If the reviews sounded good that was all I needed to know. Garth, my friendly GPS buddy, will get me to each of these out of the way places. He always does. I chose Bangor as my airline base for this three-day Canadian adventure. Bangor would minimize my driving time. I will make somewhat of a big circle (if you have a wild imagination about shapes) from Bangor to a couple of locations in Quebec, over to Prince Edward Island and then back to Bangor. I don’t want to buy fuel in Canada. The trip will have me driving about 1,200 miles. Remember that’s the “minimized” driving version of the trip! I have a plan in place to eliminate or at least minimize the need to buy fuel in Canada. Canadian fuel prices are about $1.00 per gallon higher that what we find in the U.S. Does that make you feel any better about our “high” gas prices? I’ll keep you posted on how I do. You’ve probably noticed that the itineraries I follow on the timing I do it would be very expensive for the “normal” traveller. Of course, I don’t consider myself a normal traveller. Your system will give you the results it is designed for. At every turn I try to use the systems I have in place to minimize my travel expense and generally just make life easier. I’ve been doing this for quite a few years. Every time I’ve run into a problem I’ve tried to implement a solution that prevents that problem from happening in the future. Over time that has eliminated just about every problem that used to be a stumbling block. Systems baby! A few dollars saved here and a few saved over there can add up to a pretty healthy amount when one travels as much as I do. The headline of this section, “Your system will give you the results it is designed for” applies to EVERYTHING in life. Remember these reports are not really about racing. They are about life and how to manage life. Remember, nobody gets out alive. However, on the money front, I don’t save money to hoard it. Money by itself isn’t worth a thing. If I can save a little in places where it won’t affect me in anyway then there is that much more to spend on things that WILL affect my lifestyle (or others) in one way or the other. Does that make sense to you? Observations It pays to know people. When I arrived into the Bangor International Airport I had a little bit of time to meet up with racing buddy John Sullivan. John is a TSA agent at the Bangor, Maine airport. During my time in the airport I met some other TSA folks. They were all interested in my racing and my travel. Lots of people are. I guess that interest exists because what I do is so unusual compared to the “norm”. Let me say it this way. After meeting these folks I didn’t expect to be “randomly selected” while coming or going into the Bangor airport! They really do have moose in Maine. This might have been the most spectacular weather weekend I can recall over the past several years. It was bright and sunny with temps in the 70s. That was the forecast for the entire weekend. Just seeing the scenery on these trips is worth the price of admission. New England in good weather can’t be beat for scenery. The drive from Bangor to my destination, Vallee-Jonction in Quebec was going to be nearly 200 miles northward. The geography was so rural that I don’t believe I saw a McDonalds during the entire trip. Everywhere you go in Maine you see “Moose” highway warning signs. Do they really have moose in Maine? You betcha. I saw three of them and took lots of pictures for you to see of this Maine tourist attraction. Don’t miss ‘em. Trackchasing public relations helps the hobby. People are important when I tour the racetracks I visit. I usually try to let the track management know I’m around. I’m amused that a few of the “old-timers” in trackchasing have gotten so bent out of shape over this idea. I have had so many positive experiences by doing this. Today was another example. Track owners are proud of what they have created. I’ve discovered that lots of track owners and operators are more than pleased when a visitor travels a long way to see their “little baby”. They are just like proud parents. They want to show off their handiwork. Today I sent my business card up to the press box to say hello. It wasn’t long before I was receiving a nice welcome, in French, over the P.A. system. It’s always nice to receive such a warm greeting. But wait! There’s more. However, the track had more in store for this trackchaser. They asked me to come up to the press box to say hello. I guess they really asked me up to say “Bonjour” since Quebec is pretty much 100% French speaking. Once up in the press box I met the track owner, his son (the flagman) and the track photographer and track designer Christian. Christian spoke English and acted as translator. He asked me if I would like to take a ride around the track in the pace car. Of course I would. As we toured the track, Christian explained that when the track changed from dirt to asphalt he created a “graduated banking” design for the asphalt oval. The three racing lanes were all banked at differing degrees. This allows the driver on the outside to have more banking given the fact that the driver in the outside lane has to drive a longer distance around the track. When this works well it promotes side-by-side racing. Another fine souvenir to add to my collection. When I returned from my ride the track owner came to track me down. No I had not violated any track policies! He simply wanted to say thank you for coming. Of course he spoke only French. In his hand was a beautiful black and red racing hat with the track logo emblazoned on the front. That hat now sits on my office bookshelf along with the many many other mementos and remembrances I have received from tracks all over the world. Now you be the judge. Is it a good idea or not to let the track know that I am visiting? Maybe the hobby of trackchasing would have benefited if others had taken the same outgoing approach. I guess it’s too late now. ONE CANNOT LIVE WELL OR SLEEP WELL IF ONE HAS NOT DINED WELL Dysart’s Truck Stop – Bangor, Maine Just the best. I had time to each lunch in Bangor before I headed to Quebec. How do I choose where to eat when I’m not familiar with the locale? I use my iPhone app, “Yelp!”. It’s the best. If you wanted to eat in Bangor could you find a good place in Bangor? Probably. Would it be as good as what I found with Yelp? Nope! Yelp! directed me to Dysart’s Truck Stop. Yep! A truck stop. Let me be a little more specific. Yelp! directed me to the comments that Dysart’s users had shared. The users convinced me Dysart’s was the place to be. Although it was nearly lunchtime I had a yearning for breakfast. I wanted pancakes. However, when I arrived I saw the cinnamon roll they were serving. The large pastry came on a plate swimming in a sea of caramelized cinnamon sugar. To top things off a large steak knife was positioned vertically in the center of the cinnamon roll. They take their cinnamon rolls seriously in these parts! Of course, I still wanted to have pancakes. That allowed me to smother my cinnamon roll in PURE maple syrup and lots of whipped butter. The calorie meter was straining with this one. Don’t miss the pictures!!! Don’t miss Dysart’s. RACE REVIEW AUTODROME CHAUDIERRE – VALLEE-JONCTION, QUEBEC, CANADA You won’t usually find me in the pits. I don’t normally buy a pit pass at most U.S. tracks I visit. Usually a pit pass will cost about twice as much as what a spectator will pay to sit in the grandstand. Track owners will likely say the difference is for the extra cost of insurance to be in the pit area. I don’t believe that. I think they’re just taking advantage of the racer. In England virtually every track allows anyone who buys a grandstand ticket full access to the pit area, at no extra charge. However, tickets prices in the U.K. are very high often twice as much or more compared to a typical U.S. race ticket. Canadian ticket prices are high too. Today’s general admission was $20 Canadian. However, a pit pass was just five Canadian bucks more. I chose the pit pass. This allowed me to get some great pictures of the beautifully prepared racers as they readied their cars for racing. What’s to eat? When my work was done in the pit area I could walk into the grandstand and sit anywhere I wanted to watch the races. It wasn’t long before the “sugar high” from the Dysart Truck Stop had worn off. Now I was hungreeeeeee. What to eat? Let’s see. I’m in Canada. What is the specialty at virtually all Canadian racetracks? Poutine! Of course poutine is French fries smothered in brown gravy and then liberally sprinkled with cheese curds. I rarely pass up poutine when I visit Canada racetracks. However, I was so hungry I needed more. That meant two hot dogs. They don’t use hot dog buns here. The hot dogs are wrapped in basically a piece of toasted white bread. Yep. Just like Fenway Park in Boston. They were good. Victoria Day….a holiday weekend. There was a large crowd on hand for this “Victoria Day” holiday weekend. Victoria Day (Victoria Day) is celebrated on the last Monday before May 25. The federal holiday is in recognition of Queen Victoria’s birthday. The Autodrome Chaudière is a 3/8-mile banked asphalt oval. There are plenty of spectator grandstands. The stands run all the way down the front stretch. The P.A. system is stout and the commentating is 100% in French (except when they provided my trackchaser mention!). I was impressed with their slingshot class. Good local stock car racing. There were several classes of stock cars (including the kamikazes!) as well as the slingshot division racing today. The “guest” division was the a 4-cylinder powered sprint car group. I can’t ever recall having seem similar powered sprint cars. The asphalt racing was good with plenty of room to pass. The track was well-organized and efficient. Normally I won’t take a lot of your time to tell you about the racing when you can see the “cars and stores” via my YouTube posts and Picasa slideshows. I will say this. The cars were extremely well-prepared and colorful. Most of them had multiple sponsors. It was a nice evening of asphalt stock car racing. PROVINCE COMPARISONS Quebec Le Belle Province This evening saw my 17th lifetime track in Quebec, the Le Belle Province, yes the Le Belle Province. I still have nearly 50 tracks to see up here. That group is a mixture of ice tracks, ovals and “one-off” racetracks. The language barrier (French) prevents me from better understanding the opportunities in Quebec. Coming Soon – RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Exclusive Features! Do some trackchasers carry an unfair geographical advantage? Should foreign trackchasers be given a handicap so they can enjoy the fruits of trackchasing glory? Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis World’s #1 Trackchaser Peoria Old Timers Racing Club (P.O.R.C.) Hall of Fame Member Quebec sayings: Est-ce qu’il y a un pilote dans l’avion? TRAVEL DETAILS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Philadelphia, PA (PHL) – 2,390 miles RENTAL CAR #1 Philadelphia International Airport – trip begins Stroudsburg, PA – 105 miles Philadelphia International Airport – 215 miles – trip ends AIRPLANE Philadelphia, PA (PHL) – Bangor, ME (BGR) – 472 miles RENTAL CAR #2 Bangor International Airport – trip begins Vallee Jonction, Quebec – 209 miles TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: Snydersville Raceway – $6 Autodrome Chaudière – $25 Canadian (included pit admission) LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS The three most important trackchasing comparisons to me are: Total lifetime tracks seen Total “trackchasing countries” seen Lifetime National Geographic Diversity results Total Lifetime Tracks There are no trackchasers currently within 300 tracks of my lifetime total. Don’t blame me. Total Trackchasing Countries There are no trackchasers currently within 9 countries of my lifetime total. Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results That’s all folks! Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report
Click on the link below to see what a fun trip was in store while visiting the Autodrome Chaudiere. Moose, Maine and fun in Quebec 
