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On the Road in Mont-TremblantThe Jim Russell Racing SchoolBy Mac MorrisonWith college graduation looming, I found myself increasingly obsessed with fulfilling a promise I had made to myself years before: to have a go behind the wheel of a racing car. Every year, I swore the upcoming summer would be the one that saw me make my on-track debut. Every summer, I failed in my quest. 1999 was going to be different. Only one problem: how was I, a flat broke, soon-to-be-holder of a journalism degree (and hence, someone who was not going to be seeing a big paycheck any time soon) going to afford participation in a sport not exactly known for having modest monetary requirements?
The Mechanics Training Program is the most in-depth course offered by Russell. Operating for roughly seven months between April and November, the program educates participants in all aspects of race car maintenance and preparation. Participants work as mechanics for Russell, and in lieu of a paycheck, are awarded seat time in Russell race cars, with the opportunity to participate in the racing courses, lapping days and a six-race series for mechanics only, depending on the length of program participation. When I learned of the program’s existence, I immediately dialed-up the Russell offices for more details. After speaking with Russell Manager Keith Blatz, I fired-off a letter of application and crossed my fingers. A few weeks later, the acceptance came through. Fortunately, I had a few months between graduation and the start of the program, which allowed me to work and save enough money to cover my living expenses in Mont-Tremblant. Soon enough, it was time to go racing.
Due to the ongoing winter, the first month of the Mechanics Training Program was spent in Russell’s small trackside race shop. Under the supervision of Russell’s professional mechanics and along with the twelve other program participants, I turned a wrench on a race car for the first time. As is common practice in racing, the school’s cars had been disassembled at the conclusion of the previous season, meaning we had to piece them back together in the five weeks remaining before the end of winter. Like myself, most other program participants had no prior mechanical experience. Easy projects thus came first. We repaired cracked bodywork, sanded carburetors and installed radiators. We then moved on to assembling chassis’, suspensions and engines. As winter gasped its last breaths, the rag-tag collection of parts previously littering the shop began to resemble complete race cars. Just in time, for my fellow trainees and I were scheduled to be students in the first three-day Techniques of Driving course of the season.
Freshly intimidated, we headed out to Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant’s back straightaway to practice the technique in our Van Diemens. Up and down the straight we went, attempting to avoid the telltale grinding of gears that would inform our instructors we had failed to grasp the concept. Incredibly awkward at first, the dance soon became second nature; a good thing, too, for otherwise I would be unable to downshift for the track’s corners and could easily find myself in the wall. Once everyone was relatively comfortable manipulating their car’s transmissions, we moved on to more introductory exercises, such as tackling isolated sections of the circuit and skidpad training. The skidpad, which was nothing more than an artificially flooded parking lot, proved to be a driver favorite. The instructors had set-up a line of cones for use as a slalom course. Intended to teach car-control skills, the wet pavement and tight slalom allowed us to experience our cars on-limit behavior at relatively low speeds. In what would become a recurring theme, I was the first to push my car far past the available amount of grip, spinning off the course in a cacophony of wheelspin and engine revs. Much hilarity ensued. As entertaining as the introductory exercises were, everyone was eager to get down to the serious business of lapping the full circuit. Before unleashing us, though, there was one more exercise to complete. With the instructors leading the way around the circuit in the school’s Ford Mustang, we obediently followed in single-file formation. After a few laps, the car at the front of the line would drop back, allowing the next car to follow directly behind the pace-car. Once everyone had taken a few laps at the head of the pack, the instructors deemed us ready to tackle the circuit on our own in the first open lapping session of the course.
Roaming the track in their Mustang like some sort of high-performance cops, Philippe and Jean Francois staked out every corner on the circuit, noting each student’s speed and technique through the turns. Their observations, along with printouts of our lap-times, would be invaluable. At the end of each lapping session, the instructors would sit down with each driver to point out mistakes and suggest ways to improve. Always, though, Philippe and Jean Francois kept a positive attitude, encouraging us as much as criticizing. Never did the instructors lose sight of the fact that we were beginners and bound to make mistakes. For me, the biggest mistake came in one of the first lapping sessions of the course. Exiting the final corner, I could see my roommate, Max, ahead of me on the pit straight. I knew I was quicker than him and that I would catch him before we reached the ultra-fast turn one, a changing elevation, fourth-gear right-hander. As I homed in on him, I could only hope he had seen me in his mirrors and would give me enough room to get by. Wanting to leave plenty of room between our cars before moving in front of him, I began looking in my mirrors, just to be sure I didn’t cut him off. Unfortunately, turn one was rapidly approaching and as I finally looked back up the track, I realized I had already arrived at the turn-in point for the corner. I quickly snapped the steering wheel to the right. Big mistake. The car’s back-end instantly kicked to the left. Steering into the slide, I briefly believed I had the car under control. Instead, in a classic display of over-correction, the car snapped viciously to the left. I tried catching it again, but it was too late. The scenery became a blur as I spun down the road, acutely aware of the steel guardrails that lined each side of the circuit. By the grace of the racing gods, I never so much as kissed those guardrails, instead coming to a stop on the grass a few feet away. Russell policy dictates that you pit immediately after such an incident, so once my heart rate had returned to normal, I hightailed it back around the circuit, parked my car and climbed out. The session was almost over and I needed to regroup. The looks on Philippe and Jean Francois’s faces when they realized what I had done were priceless. I was not as amused, as writing-off a car would have meant failing the course and going back to square one. As we broke for lunch, I had a short conversation with myself and returned in the afternoon, determined to pass the course. Pass I did. The remaining lapping sessions elapsed without incident, and the elation I felt when Philippe handed me my signed graduation certificate remains as one of my most vivid memories of the summer. A few weeks later, I also passed the Advanced Racing Course, driving in the rain for two days, of all things. While I only participated in the Mechanics Training Program throughout the summer, I can unequivocally state that driving racing cars was the most challenging thing I have ever done. The skills I developed in my time at the Jim Russell Racing School serve me to this day- I can think of at least three near-incidents I have since had on public roads that almost certainly would have resulted in very different outcomes, were it not for what I learned one summer in Mont-Tremblant. NOTE: The Jim Russell Racing School has moved to the Autodrome St. Eustache in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Now run under the name “Autosport Basi Racing School”, the instructors, cars and curriculum are virtually identical to those referred to in this article. CONTACT:Autosport Basi Racing School Mont-Tremblant, Quebec Canada-Reservations: |
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Enter the Jim
Russell Racing School in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. As at many other
racing schools now operating in North America, anyone, regardless of
experience, can plunk down their cash, arrive and drive. Aside from running
a full-scale racing series and lapping days for advanced drivers, Russell
offers the novice racer a three-day introductory course, a two-day advanced
course and a five-day course combining the other two into a nearly week-long
immersion in race-driving. The introductory course utilizes Van Diemen
Formula Ford 1600 single-seaters, while students in the advanced course,
lapping days and race series are let loose in more powerful, wing-equipped
Basi Formula 2000 racing cars. School graduates are eligible to apply for
ASN Canada FIA and Sports Car Club of America regional racing licenses or
higher, depending on the courses completed. However, with the three-day
introductory course costing $2,499 and the two-day advanced course $2,199
(Canadian funds), I wasn’t going to be strapping into Russell’s cars anytime
soon. Or so I thought. One night, while perusing the Russell website for the
umpteenth time, I noticed a different course for the first time: the
Mechanics Training Program. 
Upon arrival in
Mont-Tremblant, I was immediately blown away by the outrageous natural
beauty of my new home. Located approximately 85 miles North of Montreal, the
town essentially consists of Mont-Tremblant, at 3,001 feet the highest of
the Laurentian Mountains and a thriving ski-resort, and the surrounding
village. With over 90 marked ski runs, I quickly understood how the resort
had garnered the nickname “the Aspen of the East.” 
Activities
aren’t limited to skiing, though. Summer vacationers may spend days
traversing the countless hiking and biking trails through some of the
regions most beautiful natural terrain. Those with an aversion to wooded
areas may enjoy swimming in and boating on Lac Tremblant, or possibly
tackling Le Diable or other surrounding golf courses. Regardless of the
activity, the scenery in Mont-Tremblant has to be seen to be believed. 
As enticing as
the town was, my first priority was to get over to Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant
for a look at the racetrack where I would be receiving my motorsport
education. Not easy, considering the Quebec Winter was still going strong.
While the track was covered in snow, I could easily make out the swooping
elevation changes that had in part given the circuit its reputation as one
of the most difficult in the world.
The Techniques
of Driving course is designed to introduce beginners to the basics of
racecar driving. As I quickly learned, driving on the road has little, if
anything, in common with race driving. Skills easily mastered in a road car,
such as shifting gears, must be completely relearned. In fact, the first
order of business in the Techniques of Driving course was a lecture from our
instructors, professional drivers Philippe Letourneau and Jean Francois
Dumoulin, on heel-toe downshifting. A sort of race driver’s dance, it goes
like this: while approaching a corner requiring braking, the driver applies
pressure to the brake pedal with the ball of the right foot. The clutch is
depressed with the left foot, while the driver moves the gear lever to the
neutral position. Now it gets tricky. While still applying pressure to the
brake pedal, the driver rolls his ankle over to the right and blips the
throttle. As the engine revs rise, the lower gear is selected via the gear
lever. Once the gear is in, the clutch is released, the driver continues
braking for the corner, jumps back on the power and drives through the
curve. The process is repeated however many times is necessary to arrive at
the proper gear for a given corner, and accounts for the “brap-brap-brap”
heard in braking zones throughout the world. 
Open lapping
makes up the majority of the Techniques of Driving Course. Drivers are sent
out on the circuit one at a time, with enough of a gap between them that
traffic rarely becomes a problem. The instructors place great emphasis on
putting the lessons learned in the earlier exercises to use on the full
circuit. Racing against other students is most definitely frowned upon. To
this end, drivers are instructed to let faster cars by, rather than fighting
for track position. Adhering to this policy is made easy by the knowledge
that the instructors are always watching.