Marc-André Hallé and Olivier Delorme put together a journal of their experiences last weekend at the Montreal Green Rally, a unique event in North America. We hope you enjoy their trials and tribulations along the "green" trail.
Day 1: Busy schedule, expulsion, confusion
We showed up bright and early, collected our log book and headed to the gas station to fill up the ol’ automobile -- which should have been a pretty simple affair. Not this morning, apparently.
It took us no less than 55 minutes to fill the Porsche Cayenne up to the brim to the obvious dismay of the officials, and our rivals waiting in line behind us.
We learned that the fueling hose was extremely long and the valve used to keep unwanted debris from infiltrating the gas did nothing to help the process along and gave our appointed pump operator quite a hard time.
Once that was taken care of, we headed to the next station: tech inspection.
In a high-profile event like this, sponsored by the FIA, every minor detail is carefully evaluated so that nothing is left to chance.
A team of five made sure we hadn’t fiddled with the engine, put too much air in the tires or done anything whatsoever that could have given us an edge over the competition. The vehicle was then weighed, as were your two humble participants (much to Marc-André’s consternation, who realized he’d partaken a little too much in the finer things in life as of late).
So, off we went to park the Cayenne on McGill College Avenue where our yellow Porsche, decked out in Auto123.com’s colours, caused quite a stir. Several passersby took pictures and asked us questions about it, while others wondered what a beefy SUV was doing in a race like this, pointedly eyeing the Mitsubishi i-MiEV parked in front of us.
The green flag fell a few hours later after the drivers’ meeting, and we were off on the first leg of our journey. We were headed to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for two laps around the track and then back again to our starting point.
We had butterflies in our stomachs, and the tension was palpable. Yup, the Montreal Green Rally was officially a go!
Once there, though, our unbridled enthusiasm took a beating: All competitors were asked to leave the site.
Seems there was a communication breakdown between the rally organizers and the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau (who manages the track), and cyclists and tourists were now sharing the track with us. According to our logbook, we were supposed to maintain an average speed of 57 km/h – but the posted limit on the track is 30.
We don’t need to tell you that the situation could have quickly taken a turn for the worse, with an unfortunate incident clouding the entire event.
The expulsion caused a bit of a kerfuffle among contestants. Everyone took a different way back; some of us managed to complete two laps, while others didn’t even get to drive on the track at all.
Back on McGill College, after a few minutes deliberation, the event organizers decided not to take the day into account and everyone was directed to fill up on gas again.
The stage was thus set for the next day.
Day 1: Busy schedule, expulsion, confusion
We showed up bright and early, collected our log book and headed to the gas station to fill up the ol’ automobile -- which should have been a pretty simple affair. Not this morning, apparently.
It took us no less than 55 minutes to fill the Porsche Cayenne up to the brim to the obvious dismay of the officials, and our rivals waiting in line behind us.
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| Photo: Auto123.com |
We learned that the fueling hose was extremely long and the valve used to keep unwanted debris from infiltrating the gas did nothing to help the process along and gave our appointed pump operator quite a hard time.
Once that was taken care of, we headed to the next station: tech inspection.
In a high-profile event like this, sponsored by the FIA, every minor detail is carefully evaluated so that nothing is left to chance.
A team of five made sure we hadn’t fiddled with the engine, put too much air in the tires or done anything whatsoever that could have given us an edge over the competition. The vehicle was then weighed, as were your two humble participants (much to Marc-André’s consternation, who realized he’d partaken a little too much in the finer things in life as of late).
So, off we went to park the Cayenne on McGill College Avenue where our yellow Porsche, decked out in Auto123.com’s colours, caused quite a stir. Several passersby took pictures and asked us questions about it, while others wondered what a beefy SUV was doing in a race like this, pointedly eyeing the Mitsubishi i-MiEV parked in front of us.
The green flag fell a few hours later after the drivers’ meeting, and we were off on the first leg of our journey. We were headed to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for two laps around the track and then back again to our starting point.
We had butterflies in our stomachs, and the tension was palpable. Yup, the Montreal Green Rally was officially a go!
Once there, though, our unbridled enthusiasm took a beating: All competitors were asked to leave the site.
Seems there was a communication breakdown between the rally organizers and the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau (who manages the track), and cyclists and tourists were now sharing the track with us. According to our logbook, we were supposed to maintain an average speed of 57 km/h – but the posted limit on the track is 30.
We don’t need to tell you that the situation could have quickly taken a turn for the worse, with an unfortunate incident clouding the entire event.
The expulsion caused a bit of a kerfuffle among contestants. Everyone took a different way back; some of us managed to complete two laps, while others didn’t even get to drive on the track at all.
Back on McGill College, after a few minutes deliberation, the event organizers decided not to take the day into account and everyone was directed to fill up on gas again.
The stage was thus set for the next day.