OUR TRIP TO THE ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE WORLD FINALS NOVEMBER 14 TO 20, 2000 Please Note. All the photos except the ones at the hotel are courtesy of Sebastien Blin and Sportimage. It is strictly forbidden to copy and/or reproduce these photos without the  written consent of Sebastien Blin and Sportimage. For info: www.karting.ws INTRODUCTION Because  most of you followed the on track adventures of our six Canadians in Puerto, the  text that  follows will give you a more general view of the trip, taking time to talk about the trip outside the track.  As well as the six qualified drivers for the race, David Sirois, Robert Bédard, Jean-Pierre Julien, Gilbert  McCann, Steve Bernard et Jean Moncion, the Canadian delegation also included 9 other  persons,  Michel Boisclair, Patrick Moreau,  Luc Sauriol, Yannick Daoust et Jocelyn Bernard (Steve's father) who accompanied the drivers. Paul Cooke from ASN Canada FIA was the official CIK-FIA representative and was  accompanied by his wife Cherie, lastly, we must not forget the press. Sébastien Blin et Ronald Arsenault from karting.ws Picture 1st row: Jean Moncion, Gilbert McCann, Robert  Bédard, Steve Bernard, Luc Sauriol et David Sirois. 2nd row : Michel Boisclair, Ronald Arsenault, Yannick Daoust, Paul Cooke,  Cherie Cooke, Jocelyn Bernard et Patrick Moreau. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14th Our rendezvous point was Dorval airport at 5:30 am. Excitement was in the air, more so, because  three of the drivers had never  flown before. Our first problem came up when we passed American customs, Jean-Pierre Julien was detained, everyone else had already passed, so no one knew  why.   So we board the plane without him, and,  after having waited for him a bit, the plane finally takes off for Newark, New Jersey, without him.  We had a scheduled, 30 minutes  stop, for our connector flight. But because we were late, we barely made the second flight. The flight went well and we landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 12:30 PM, Montreal time, but 1:30pm there.       As soon as we got off the plane, we were met with hot humid suffocating heat..  We took our luggage, leased cars and left for the  hotel.  Road signs San Juan are a far cry from what we have here. Even though the hotel was a mere 5 minutes from the airport, we all arrived at different times.  Lets just say that Michel and Patrick  decided to visit San Juan before going to the hotel and Once there, everyone had to register.  No problem for the drivers but, for Michel, Patrick, Sébastien and Yannick, it got a bit more complicated.  They could not find our reservation, and the hotel was packed. We quietly waited in the hotel's terrace and downed a few cold beers.  We finally got our rooms around 7:00pm. After  everyone got settled in, we had diner on the beach in a small resto bar.  Most of us got pizza, (we were not aware of what was to come in the days ahead).  The warmth and friendliness of the Porto  Rican waitresses, as well as the numerous errors on our bills, helped make this first evening a successs. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15th We all met, that morning, at the hotel's « Market Place » where breakfast is served every morning from 6:30am till 8:00am. Needless to say that one does not arrive, at these types of breakfasts, at 7:45am, at least, if you want to have something to eat.  Let's just say that breakfast was sparse on this first day. At around 8:00am, we left for the track, situated 25 km from the hotel. We didn't get lost, but got stuck in the morning traffic. For conformists, please note that a car that is not scratched or dented is not normal in Puerto Rico Michel  trying to sort out all the pieces of the puzzle. Our initial contact with the track was, to say the least, very. dirty. The track itself was very  well suited for the FR125 Max. Unfortunately, the track installations were not finished and because it had rained hard the last few days, it was hard to set foot anywhere without it being mud.  Fortunately all the paddocks were grouped  under 2 very large tents. Michel assembling Jean-Pierre's kart, with happiness...   Today's agenda, assembling the chassis and installing the motors, supplied by Rotax.   Many  also took time to walk the track. We also found out what diner would be in the days to  come PIZZA! If only we had known, we would have eaten something else last night.    In the afternoon Michel and Patrick went to the airport to pick up Ronald.  But because of a mix up on the airport television monitors, while  they were waiting for Ronald at the airport , he was already at the hotel. We had to mount the tires on the rims in the Parc Fermé. Once everyone got to the hotel, it was nearly 7:30 pm.  We  dined on the beach for a second time.  During the evening, Steve went to pick up his Dad, Jocelyn, at the airport.  He was in Mexico on a business trip.  By the end of the evening  Luc Sauriol arrived.  Having spoken to Jean-Pierre during the evening,  we knew that he would not be able to solve his problem in time to make the race, we were  left with a vacant spot. The Rotax people were willing to let one of us take Jean-Pierre’s place, as long as that driver had an International license (which of  course none of us had).  The presence of Paul Cooke was a godsend.  He knew Luc and was  aware that he met all of the criteria’s, so he gave him his license right there on the spot.  We still had to convince Luc.  It wasn’t an easy task, it must have taken at least 5 seconds (nano-seconds) to finally convince him. And this is how we ended up with our 6th driver. The scale model of the track, without the mud! New Mega merge in the business world?  Hope the  Wall Street Journal knows about this ! THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16th Luc disguised as a driver in his XL suit... Next day, Luc had to go shopping for proper equipment (Helmet, suit, gloves) and had his first  contact with Jean-Pierre’s  kart.  Considering, that Steve and Luc were using the same type of chassis, they were able to exchange a lot of information. This day was, for our drivers who had  never participated in a competition at this  level, an initiation to  the  procedures   and work required in a Parc Fermé. For those of you that don’t know  how this works, you have to install and remove your  tires and fuel tank every time you want to go on or off  the track.  The parc fermé   is used to control tires and fuel, you must leave them there  before exiting.  This creates a heavy workload and doesn’t leave much time to set up the chassis. The  first session was a little hectic for the whole  Canadian team, but once everyone got the  hang of it , it became easier. Everyone lent a helping hand to help the drivers.  Even Patrick had his hands and  cloths dirty by the  end of the day.  Now that’s a first. Gilbert doing one of many tire installations.   An important element to be considered was the suffocating heat and worse, the humidity that literally  crushed the drivers and the pit crews           <-- David,  just before a session David after the session...-->  By the end of  the first day, after, of course, having eaten Pizza for lunch, things were looking up.   The day had started with pretty  bad lap times, but as the day wore on, the gap between our drivers and the leaders had narrowed considerably.  Most were confident about  tomorrow., but David, Gilbert and Robert had oversteer problems with their chassis.   It was so hot  that drivers who had spun off were taking off their suits, waiting for the session to end.  We arrived at the hotel quite late, but took time to relax in the spa and pool.  We decided to try our luck  and eat outside the  hotel.  We went to a very loud resto-bar.  We ordered the steak, the choice proved to be a good one.  Afterwards, we got back to the hotel, a  big day lay ahead.. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16th It was the moment of truth, qualifying day and it would determine the driver’s starting grid position for each of the upcoming heats.  The changes done on David and Gilbert’s kart did the job.   Gilbert went from 62nd yesterday to 36th   in  qualifying.   Unfortunately Gilbert had forgotten to fill the fuel tank and was 500g under minimum weight.  His times were erased and he would have to start each heat at the end of the starting grid. For Robert, the last minute changes on his chassis had an opposite effect.  After having performed fairly  well during practice, things got  worse for qualifying and the results were catastrophic.          Steve and Jean getting ready for the tough day ahead Robert showing us his lucky number. Seeing Robert so discouraged, Michel set out to find the problem with the kart.  After a  lengthy verification everything  seemed ok, until he took out a measuring tape to make sure that the seat was well positioned.  After a few measurement checks, Michel let out a loud « who’s the... that installed this seat ?».  « Me » answered Robert.  A heavy silence could be felt in the paddock between Michel, normally a better diplomat and Robert who had just realised that he was the source of the problem.  The  seat had been, effectively, positioned in a way that it put no weight on the rear of the chassis.  Quickly, we borrowed a drill from the New-Zealand team and Michel as well as Robert proceeded to correctly re-install the seat .  Once back on the track, Robert immediately  knew that they had found the source of the problem.    When the heats started, our drivers had finally taken care of most of the chassis set-up problems.  From now on, it was driver finesse and a bit of luck.  In fact, consistency is the key in these types of heats.  Steve drove very well and stood clear of accidents.  The others, on the other hand, had problems.  Luc was not able to finish the 2nd heat.  Robert , because of a problem with a tire, had to quit during one of the heats.  Jean, well he fell victim to fender benders that forced him out of 2 heats. Steve with his sponsor, mechanic, shrink, and number #1 fan, His Dad Jocelyn.  By the end of the day,  only Steve had manage to qualify for the final round. Luc, David,  Robert and Gilbert    would  have to try their luck in the “Second chance race” were only the top 6 finishers go to the final round.  As for Jean, he was eliminated. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18th A bit of traffic at the starts! It had rained again during the night, and there was still a lot of water on the track for the  warm-ups.  These proved to be  useless for drivers wanting to do last minutes changes.  Afterwards, the last chance race where only the top 6 finishers would move on the  final  rounds.  Luc Sauriol and David Sirois were our best hopes; they would start 2nd and 12th. Gilbert would start from the 22nd position and Robert from the 27th place.  As we all know, Luc finished 2nd,  but  was disqualified at the scales.  The reason was quite simply that he had lost a 2-kilo weight that was attached to his seat.  Robert was able to  move up 10 places, but that  wasn’t enough to put him in  the final rounds.  As for David, he had to quit after 10 laps, not only was he implicated in a pile-up at the start, he had also forgotten to fasten his helmet.  At this level, from the last chance race onwards, it is practically impossible to pit and come out without being presented with the famous diagonal blue and red flag.  In international events, you must immediately pit when the leader laps you.  Gilbert had to quit on lap 9 because the leaders had lapped him, after having fallen victim to a collision with another competitor. All our hopes now rested on Steve’s shoulders.  We were all confined to the role of  cheerleaders ( not a very  pretty sight).  Steve started 12th in the pre-final.  Unfortunately, Steve spun-off, in the first part of the race, trying not to run into a competitor.  Having to let the train of karts pass by made him loose a lot of places.  He finished 26th.  Quite unfortunate, knowing that he had signed the 6th quickest lap of the race.  It was now time for our daily slice of PIZZA.  Lunch was followed by the presentation of the drivers  and celebraties.  Now, what  everyone was waiting for, the final race, and what a show it was.  While many drivers were giving chase to the leader and  eventual winner, Steve  climbed all the way to 10th. But , in the last  laps, he was pushed by a competitor and finally finished 13th.  Afterwards, there was the 10 lap,: race of  VIPs.  The main attraction was Formula Super A international class driver Nicolas Gianniberti.  The other participants  seemed like stand-ins compared to him.  Steve thoughfull after his pre-final race. The first Rotax Max challenge podium.  The winner Gavin Cronje from South Africa.  In 2nd position, his fellow countryman Leeroy Poulter  and in 3rd position William Yarwood from Australia.  Right, Gavin  Cronje. The awards ceremony followed.  A slight logistical mistake happened when the house announcer  started the  ceremony, but all  the journalists were on the false grid for the start of the media race.   The day ended with the media race.  We had a special  interest in watching  this race because Ronald Arsenault (racer in the  Senior intercontinental class in the coupe de Montreal) and Sebastien Blin (Also an occasional racer in the same class) were racing in  it.  We were treated to a very competitive race from the media, most regularly practice karting.  Ronald had a blast with two other competitors who were taking the race quite seriously.   Ronald, attempting a kamikaze overtaking, even did a little free flight. The journalists, unaware of the drama unfolding at the same time (podium presentation) Sebastien wishes to  make it clear (I wonder why?) that Michel took this picture of most of the media people.  Before leaving the track, we had to strip the karts and pack them for the return trip.   Sunday was the only day free for beach time.  We tried to finish Saturday. When we left, only Gilbert and Jean-Pierre’s karts were left.  We would have to wait till Sunday for extra boxes, the original ones had been destroyed by water, before our arrival.   The driver’s party was on Saturday night.  In fact, it was more of a diner, were Rotax took  time to go through the customary  thank- you’s and to do a draw  amongst the drivers of a Sea-Doo water craft.  What the drivers didn’t know, it was a door prize and you had to be  present to win.  Even if most of the drivers were present, it took 4 draws before getting a winner.  You can imagine the deception amongst the drivers whose names had been drawn but were not present.  Afterwards, the top drivers from each country was  given a commemorative medal.  Of course, the Canadian recipient was Steve Bernard.  To close off the evening, we were treated to a wonderful multimedia presentation on Malaysia, where the next World  Rotax Max Challenge will take place in January 2002.  The presentation got a lot of drivers excited at the prospect of participating in next year’s Challenge.  Ask Jean Moncion!  Steve with the Frenchman Romain Bretet, one of the three that would have won the Sea-Doo, if he had been present. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19th The only day left for R&R (rest and recreation).  It was a beautiful hot, sunny day.  Before lunch, Michel, Luc, Gilbert and Patrick went back to the track to finish packing.  After lunch, everyone got together on the beach  and had a few beers.  The hotel had a  veerrryyy good way of promoting the Corona beer (photo on right, promotional tool in  middle).  The afternoon went quite well.  While Steve was having fun doing a photo shoot on a Sea-Doo with a fellow competitor’s girlfriend, David Sirois got really drunk.  In fact, according to sources present, David drank as many as 2 ½ beers in only one afternoon.  Don’t  worry David, we won’t tell your parents.  We also met 2 Quebecois on the beach, they had planned to cheer for their friend Jean-Pierre. Compromising picture of David partying with Jean, Robert, Gilbert, our waitress and a friend of Jean-Pierre and Gilbert That evening, we had one last diner together in a restaurant on the beach, not far from the  hotel.  Needless to say that it  was a nice evening.  Coming back , we were surprised by a crab, running everywhere on the beach.  Not something you see often in St-Roch-de-L’Achigan < Steve posing for the camera ! (It’s hell but someone has to do it)   In the background you can see the restaurant  were we had our last diner.   MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20th It was the day for farewells, most of the Canadian delegation left for home.  Michel and Patrick had to stay, because it was a day of meetings for the Rotax distributors.  They  were hoping that the meetings would end early, but they finished at 5:30pm. (or so they  say).  They had to settle for the pool (what a tough life). Our drivers during the official presentation. From left to right, David Sirois, Jean Moncion,  Gilbert McCann, Steve Bernard, Robert Bédard and Luc Sauriol. >   Commentaries from the participants Robert Bédard « I loved this international class event.  It was very  demanding in regards to the timetables (parc fermé) and the set-ups.  To kart with palm trees in the background and a whirlpool in a 5 star hotel by the sea, the beach and it’s attractions...( life is hard at times) allows you to taste  sensations surely reserved to either junkies or professional drivers.  It would be nice to also note the uncustomary mutual aid between the drivers in regards to set-ups and  mechanics.   If not for the streak of bad luck that plagued the Canadian drivers we would have given quite a performance during the Final.  The 6 days in Puerto Rico seemed too short.  Like a dream, an orgasm.  As far as my results  on the track, well  I believe that  it all has to do  with the racing number that I was given (13)  Many thanks to Rotax and especially Michel Boisclair and Patrick Moreau for their help and support to everyone at the track.» An example of the mutual aid that Robert mentioned.  Steve signing a flag, which held every participant’s signature. Steve Bernard « It was a great experience. The weather was  excellent, just like the track conditions, the competition level and  the hotel.   Following this experience, I am sure that we learned a lot and I am also quite sure that the Canadian drivers will be better prepared  next year and we will have more of them in the Final.  It’s a rendezvous for all the drivers in Malaysia! Obviously, I cannot finish without thanking Yannick from SH and Michel and Patrick from SRA who were a tremendous help all along the trip.» Jocelyn Bernard « For my part, I would like to thank Rotax, SRA Karting and SH Karting for this beautiful  adventure, it was  quite an experience for me to take part in an international competition.   As for the weather, it was extraordinary.  For the group of people with whom I was, I only have  fond memories of everyone and I am  very happy to have had the chance to know each of you a little better. Thanks again for this beautiful experience and who knows maybe in January 2002 in Malaysia. » Jocelyn and  Steve in the parc fermé.  Michel deep in discussion with Paul Cooke Michel Boisclair « For a first experience, I believe that it was a big one for our drivers, be it the contact with Puerto Rico, driving  under torridly hot conditions, the number of drivers on the track, just to name a few.  I obviously appreciated the tight knit group that animated our delegation.  Everyone worked with a common goal,  that all the Canadian drivers perform at their best.  Our drivers were not lucky during this event, but they can all be proud because they had nothing to envy from the drivers of the other  countries.  After having found the right set-ups, everyone was in the race.  Overall, the event went off very well, Rotax work very hard to keep the spirit of the Rotax Max  Challenge; to compete for  the pleasure of racing.  Now, strong with the experience of a year for the organizers, I surprise myself, already dreaming about next year in  Malaysia.  » Yannick Daoust « I wrenched like ...  Rotax engines were definitely the quickest engine of this event!  :)»   Steve &  Yannick on the beach. Gilbert in deep concentration just before a race. Gilbert McCann « It was a wonderful trip, I learned a lot.  I would like to thank Michel Boisclair  and Patrick Moreau from SRA  Karting for the technical, moral and physical support!!! (Patrick who had the courage to lift the back of my kart all week, even though I had 50 pounds  of weight  bolted to the rear of my seat) and of course Yannick Daoust from SH Karting for his technical support. Next time I’ll make sure that I have gas in the fuel tank !!! »   Jean Moncion « As for myself, our trip to Puerto Rico was a magnificent adventure.  To compete against 65 other drivers from 19  countries is an experience that I will never forget. It was also the opportunity to get to know my Canadian colleagues, who are really great guys.» Jean correcting his line... Wow, even Patrick got his hands dirty! Patrick Moreau « What an experience for the drivers.  I would have liked to have seen 6 Canadian  drivers participate in the Final because it was realistically very feasible.  We will do it next year.  For those of you that might question the quality of our drivers, be assured that they were in league with the competition.  Except for a few drivers that were much quicker than everybody else, our drivers were right there.  Don’t forget that all the drivers present, were winners in their own country.  At this level, very  little will make the difference.  A little more grip, a little better luck in staying clear of pile-ups  As for me, I didn’t see the week pass by and  I adored it so much, that I might try my luck and participate next year as a driver !  (Don’t get scared, it’s only a joke).  I believe that the experience gained by the drivers , on the track as well as in chassis set-up and engine, will be very  beneficial for them, next year.   I wish to congratulate every driver who represented us,  with a special mention to Steve for the extraordinary Final that he gave us. »   Luc Sauriol « What a trip!  I went to Puerto Rico with the objective of giving a helpful hand to  the Canadian drivers.   In  fact my role became quite different.   When I arrived, late Wednesday night, I learned that I had the green light from Rotax and the  organizers to replace Jean-Pierre Julien who could not make it.  I also had to have the ok from the other drivers who accepted me in their group and the blessing from Jean-Pierre to rent his kart.  I thank them all.   So, Thursday morning, I found myself on the track  with equipment I had scrounged left and right.  The first  laps out were a little hectic.  I had to familiarize myself with the chassis, the  Rotax Max engine and the hard  compound tires.  The plan was simple; go as fast as possible as quickly as possible !  But, there was a lot of work to be done.   Fortunately we  had a good team representing Canada and everyone worked together.  Everyone got involved, which enabled us to constantly progress all along the competition.  At the start we were 1.5 seconds behind the front-runners, at the end only 0.3 seconds  separated us.  All in all, the experience was extremely  enriching.  In the past, I had participated in this  type of competition as an official or a team member, but never as a driver.  I would do it again today. » Luc draining the water from his kart! David closing the door to a competitor . David Sirois «  I loved my experience, even though I did not perform as well as I had hoped. I had  to (like  everybody else) adapt  to new conditions: A warmer climate, a very slippery track with no rubber, new, slipperier hard compound tires and because I am not really a set-up pro, I was  not able to adapt myself quickly enough to be able  to compete honourably. Nevertheless, it was a very enriching experience»

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