2006 Redline Rendezvous
August 11 to 13, 2006
Shannonville Motorsport Park, Shannonville, Ontario, Canada
You strap yourself in and get comfortable. You grip onto the leather tightly. The stomp of your foot pushes you back into your saddle. Your heart begins to race. All that you hear is the powerful growl just inches away as you grapple your way through the twisty corners. Suddenly, you’re in for the ride of your life!
Canadian and American SVTOA members came together the weekend of August 11-13 for the 6th Annual SVTOA Redline Rendezvous, hosted by the SVTOA Canadian Region. We returned to Shannonville Motorsport Park in Shannonville, Ontario (about 120 miles northeast of Toronto), which has been a long favorite of various automotive and motorcycle clubs, automotive journalists and driving schools because of its numerous track configurations and amenities.
Sunny skies and cool dry weather welcomed everyone all weekend long. The gates opened early Friday to allow everyone to register early and undergo tech inspection. Once they were given the red dot of approval, they quickly returned to the Ramada Inn on the Bay, our host hotel, for the meet-and-greet session. Many had the opportunity to catch up with old friends made at previous On Track events, while others discussed their latest modifications to their cherished vehicles.
Saturday morning began early for many with a coffee stop under sunny and clear skies. We cruised to the track ready for a day of learning and fun. Pit Row was a sea of SVT vehicles that included all its family members: Cobras, Lightnings, Focuses, and Contours (would you believe six). The diversity didn’t stop as countless numbers of old and new Mustangs, Focuses, Thunderbirds, MazdaSpeeds and other daily or race-bred vehicles quickly filled the paddock. One by one, everyone saw the international nature of our event as plates from Ontario, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and the United Kingdom shone in the sunlight. While participants began prepping their vehicles for the day’s session, their guests jumped in and helped out with registration and raffle ticket sales.
It was then time to begin the day with a grueling workout up the Stairmaster 400 to reach our classroom overlooking the entire track. Kicking off the day’s event were some familiar faces – Jeff Lacina, SVTOA’s Lead Driving Instructor, and SVTOA Canadian Regional Director and event organizer, Laura Querin. Everyone was welcomed and given a detailed itinerary of the weekend events. The advanced and intermediate drivers then flew down the stairs, strapped on their helmets, and quickly proceeded to the Fabi Circuit. Minutes later you could soon hear the wonderful whines of superchargers as vehicles flew down the straightaway and danced in the tight corners.
Back in the classroom, the beginner group hit the books in ground school, which included such topics as apexing and vehicle balance. These excited rookies then hopped into their vehicles and onto the Nelson Circuit to practice braking and steering exercises that can easily be used in any driving situation. To better grasp these concepts, we had the assistance of many volunteer instructors, including many of the Track Dawgs, other US SVTOA Chapter Directors, and past instructors who joined us at our previous events.
Time quickly passed and the lunch bell sounded. After a hearty lunch, everyone participated in low-speed parade laps with family and friends. It was then time to continue the learning and fun. Drivers donned their helmets for an afternoon of challenging track sessions, thanks to numerous track configuration changes.
It was soon time to call it the day and everyone headed back to the Ramada Inn on the Bay for the Saturday night banquet. The sun set as our participants traded stories and experiences over some cool beverages and the barbeque dinner. SVTOA-Toronto’s Dealer Advisor, Ted Hogan, also had an opportunity to thank everyone for attending and share his agricultural experience for the day. Participants then began reaching into their pockets for their raffle tickets. Many of them walked home with prizes provided by our event sponsors. Cory Silver will soon sport a set of stainless steel brake lines on his 2003 10th Anniversary Cobra from SVTOA National sponsor KVR Performance Brakes. An auction ended off the evening for the Powered By SVT book, written by Jim Campisano and signed by many of its contributing authors. SVTOA-Toronto Assistant Chapter Director Iain Reid managed to outbid his rival, Nigel Grinsteed, and it now resides on his home bookshelf. The evening ended early enough for people to take a leisurely walk around the Bay of Quinte before getting some well-deserved rest.
The sun rose in the clear blue sky on Sunday morning as everyone began trickling through the track gates. To make things a bit more interesting, we changed the track configuration once again. Once on track, the lessons learned from Saturday could be seen in the drivers. One by one, drivers began to increase their speeds and showed more confidence in the turns. Grins on faces began to grow into gigantic white smiles – perfect for our group picture with Rob Tanner’s brand-new 2007 Mustang GT.
After several hours on track, we could see the sun gradually setting lower by the hour. It was time to pack up our gear and return to the daily grind in our corners of the continent. Our hope is that the skills learned from the weekend will make it easier to deal with the stresses and hazards associated with everyday driving. Also, the friends and experiences made during this weekend will last in the hearts and minds of everyone involved.
The SVTOA Canadian Region would like to thank all the participants for coming out to our event. We would also like to give special thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors who helped make this event possible:
- Jeff Lacina, Lead Track Instructor, and his entire team of instructors
- Our event sponsors: CG Lock Canada , Classic Design Concepts LLC, Colormark Ltd., DaSilva Racing, Dixie Ford, KVR Performance Brakes, Steelcase Tires 'N' Mags, and The Detailing Shop
- SVTOA sponsoring chapters: SVTOA - Toronto , and SVTOA - Eastern Ontario
- The Dealer Sponsor of the SVTOA-Toronto chapter: Dixie Ford Sales
- The staff at Shannonville Motorsport Park
- All the Track marshals
- Flair Photo for their trackside photography (sample images shown in Pit Row)
- Ramada Inn on the Bay for our accomodations and hosting our Saturday night banquet
- All our spouses, children and close friends who helped a hand during our event
- Last, but certainly not least, all the organizers of the SVTOA Canadian Regional On Track Planning Committee for their efforts in putting the Redline Rendezvous together
We certainly hope you will rendezvous with us in Canada for 2007. Until then, Drive Safe and Have Fun!