Montréalités Racing

Murdoch Racing teaser video and news

2013-04-21T03:36:29Z

Hi everyone!

After a few months on the down low, Murdoch Racing is getting ready for a new and exciting race season. We have released to you a video with some of last year's footage. Also, the engine is put back together, the car is all in one piece and the body work that was damaged last year is coated with fiberglass! All we need is to paint it!

Nathan's Interview

2013-01-07T16:25:35Z

The last time I interviewed Nathan had just won the Quebec Championship for the first time. A year later, Nathan has just won the Quebec Championship for the second time.

]]> How is your season this year?

 This season has been spectacular in every way. I certainly think I hit my limit in formula 1600, and the results from this season show that. At the same time, it was incredibly stressful as well due to my sponsorship situation, not having enough money to complete the season. I was driving very safely all season, but at the same time tried to build enough of a points gap to have enough points to lock up the title before the finale, since I was out of money.

Is it what you expected?  

Not at all! At the start of the season I only had enough for 2 weekends. In fact, the cheque for the Canadian grand prix arrived as we were getting in the car to leave. Fortunately my driving at the Grand prix caught the attention of the right people, and I was able to get 5 of the 6 weekends. But I would have never expected another title at the first of the season for sure!

You had at the beginning of the season that you were only going to do a couple of races. What changed?

 There was several individuals from the Ottawa valley who were at the Grand prix, and they recognized me from the local media around our area, they got in contact with me several weeks later, and wanted to get involved with my 2012 season.

What is the best race of the season so far for you? 

There are so many highlights this season, its hard to pick one out of them all that's the best. I would have to say locking up the title at my home track of Calabogie is my biggest highlight though. I had radio trouble during the race, so even though I knew I won the race, I didn't know I won the title until I was back in the pits. To have my family and friends there to witness it happen, was the best feeling I've had ever

How does it feel attending college and racing?  

It's been quite hard so far, and it has only been the off-season! It's a bit of a different lifestyle being away from home, but I'm adapting well and I'm liking my program. I can only imagine what it's going to be like when the springtime comes, and its time to travel to go racing again!

Is it a big change?

Oh yes. I knew it was going to be a big adjustment, but it's a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. The movies and the media make it look like college is such a fun time, and your going to have a breeze.....no your not, especially if your in a challenging program like I am, mechanical engineering. But I'm enjoying the new life, but not enjoying the bills!

Are you in residence? What is the change from home to college like for you?

 Its nice to have the freedom to go where you want, when you want, but at the same time, I kind of miss home. You really can't just turn a switch and reverse 18 years of growing up and a lifestyle, but it's a good experience though.

Do you have any advice for the readers about residence?

 Its fun and convenient to be close to students, and you will get to know a bunch in residence very well. But remember that your there to learn, and other fun activities come second. It's all part of a balancing act though, because if you spend all your time doing schoolwork, eventually you will go stir crazy. So, a good social/work balance is key I'd say.

How does it feel being the Formula Tour champion again for two years in a row?

 I kind of knew what to expect this season, after winning it last year, but the felling was still really special. It means something different to everyone when they win something in racing, every accomplishment for me in racing is special, because you never no how much longer it could last. So I treat every moment at the track - good or bad - like diamonds, because I would rather have 1000 bad moments in racing, than have none to speak of at all. And when something like winning the series title happens, against some of the toughest f1600 drivers in Canada & at such amazing venues, for me its simply a flood of happiness and pure joy, and since I treat every moment like diamonds, it means that much more to me.

Last but not least, what do you plan on doing with mechanical engineering? Does it relate to racing?

 Yes, that was one of the main reasons I choose the program. In case I can't get a career driving, at least I will be able to stay involved in racing in some way. Hopefully I can keep my racing career going long enough so that I don't have to use it, but I will have that in my back pocket if the worst-case

The Most Painful Grand Prix

2013-01-07T00:08:02Z

As mentioned in another entry, the Grand Prix is the biggest and most hectic race in the season. I think I used the term "dreaded" to describe this particular event. This is because of what happened in 2010. This event would go down in history with the members of our race team and the people that were around us during that time. It also brought us closer together.

]]> The trouble started on the Friday as we were towing the car to the pit prior to qualifying. Corey was on the bicycle just beside Duncan. He was on the phone. As Duncan describes it, "I looked over and thought this wasn't going to end well. Then I looked again and he wasn't there!" Corey dodged Duncan's tires and fell onto the side of the rowing basin! Luckily, he didn't end up in the water. Although, it would have been very unbelievably entertaining!

Saturday was when most of the actions happened. During the day, Miro was trying to take a shortcut to the Johnny on the spot by ducking underneath another competitor's trailer. He bent over but smacked his head! For some reason, Duncan made up a rumor that he smacked his head trying to go to the bathroom underneath that ramp...technically correct.

The worst came next. We were all going down the false grid, hearing the Formula 1 cars drive by during their qualifying. I was quite excited to see if I could catch a glimpse of some of the racers when we got into the pits. Our cars were starting to advance as we neared the gate. Qualifying ended and all our racers were ready to drive into the pits. Duncan's car stalled. Jim, Miro, Corey and my father were pushing to bump start the car. Jim was between the front and back wheels on the left side. Duncan managed to get into gear. As the car started, the back wheel snagged Jim's shoe and he fell down between the wheels. The back wheel then drove up his leg and then spun on his hip. I remember jumping off the golf cart and running down the pit lane, yelling Jim's name. He lay on the ground for a little bit, but then he got up on his own. He got back on the golf cart and we drove into the pits. That is when things started to go downhill.

Jim didn't even get up off the golf cart. He was just lying there. I knew something was wrong so I ran up to one of the doctors who was on scene in the pits and asked him for help. Unfortunately, he had to call in and ask if he could step onto the pit lane. During all this time, Duncan was sitting on the track in his car. It was so hot outside. The race finally started. Duncan had managed to do one lap before someone crashed into him. Shortly after, Duncan returned to the pits, quite surprised at what had happened in his absence. Jim's running shoes were shredded and his toes were bleeding. The doctor came down and Jim, the doctor and I whisked off to the track hospital.

Once there, Jim was immediately put onto a bed next to a poor chap who was suffering from dehydration. He was a flagger. When we saw him in the track hospital, he had an IV in each arm and cold compresses all over his body. A few doctors were looking at Jim and I had to leave. We were all very worried about him.

That was not it for the injuries that day. As we packed up the truck to take us home, Miro told us he was going to take his bicycle over the bridge. He is quite an athletic person. He left before we did. A few minutes later, we headed out. We were going up the hill on Ile Notre Dame that leads to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. That's when we saw Miro. He jumped into the truck with his bicycle and that is when we all noticed his right calf was bleeding. Apparently, he was behind a car going up the hill and the car stopped. He promptly fell over and his bicycle spokes stabbed him in the leg!

The next day was my turn for injury. We arrived at the track early in the morning (around 6 a.m. actually) and unpacked the trailer. Duncan had decided to buy a golf cart the week of the Grand Prix, which he calls the "World's Coolest Golf Cart." A few others and I at the track have very different titles for it. Anyway, the golf cart refused to work on Friday and barely towed Duncan to the track on Saturday. On the Sunday, it seemed to be working well. I decided I should learn how to drive the thing.

Very bad idea.

As I was backing into our spot, underneath the tent, the gas pedal decided to stick. My left foot was hanging off the side. As I was propelled backwards, my foot got stuck between the pole and the pole and, as a result, I tore a few tendons in my foot. It didn't really hurt much at first. Right after this accident, the team (minus Jim) towed Duncan to the race at eight o'clock in the morning. It was in the pits that my foot started to swell. My ankle was so swollen! I decided to go see the paramedics after the race just to make sure I didn't break anything or sprain my ankle.

So in conclusion, our first Grand Prix was a disaster. Corey fell in the basin, Duncan crashed, Miro bashed his head and nearly impaled himself and I stupidly tore the tendons in my foot. Oh, and as for Jim, he had broken a few toes and his foot in two places! The driver was unscathed... it appears the safest place is in the cockpit of the car.

The Racing Calendar

2013-01-01T18:37:28Z

Today marks a new year and that means the beginning of a new race year. The Formula 1600 teams have been on "summer break" since the end of September. However, the break entails some very hard work. Racers rebuilt their engines and cars from the ground up to make sure they are the best they can be for the new season that starts at the end of May. The end of the Formula 1600 season officially ends when Formula 1 does. It's official that there is no more racing and the rebuilding has to start.

]]> A couple of months ago, at the beginning of November, there was a Formula 1600 gala to commemorate the racers and their teams for their efforts during the season. Our MC was none other than Didier Schraenen, who races with us all. He was quite entertaining. Duncan won an award for the Most Improved Driver. As a team, we were very proud of him, despite all the things we went through. Although we were lucky we didn't have a huge rebuild to do during the year as a result of an accident, Duncan was still getting used to the car and the two new tracks, Trois Rivieres and Calabogie.

This year definitely promises a lot of change. Unfortunately, one of us won't be coming back for the new season. Races are supposed to extend into the United States. The team is even going to set up a Twitter account to let everyone know what we are up to when racing. It's the year of change!

Race Officials

2012-11-21T20:13:40Z

Through attending the races for three seasons, I have always noticed the presence of the officials. They patrol the area in between races, are always around if you need something for your team, and have always been pleasant and diplomatic to my team and me. They stay late at night, are there early in the morning with a smile and help racers and teams with dedication. I decided this year to interview the officials and get the scoop on what they do during the race season. In this entry, I was able to get in touch with Caroline Biron, who is the administrative manager of the Formula 1600 tour.

]]> Me: What are some of the mandatory steps that go in to the race weekend?

Caroline: In my task, first, it is to reunite all the inscriptions that we have received. Then, I have to make an envelope for each racer with the following items:

- Passes for the site (one for the driver, four for the crews)

- Waivers : a renunciation document which is a release of liability, waiver of claims, assumption of risks and indemnity agreement. By signing this document, the racer will waive certain legal rights, including the right to sue.

Then, a day or two before the event, I proceed to the registration of all racers, I make sure that all of them are in good standing to be a competitor (prove of a their license). During the event, I'm the assistant of the series director, the Chief-steward and the Chief-technical inspector.

Me: What is your job?

Caroline: Technically, I'm the assistant of the manager of the series and my task is all about administration support.

Me: What happens after the weekend ends?

Caroline: From my part, it's to be sure that the Chief-steward and the series' director have all the results and the documents they need if they have to take a decision. It's also to respond to the needs of the teams and the racers.

Me: What happens when you encounter a difficult person/team? How do the officials deal with them?

Caroline: I leave this to Érick and Alain.

Me: What is the ideal race weekend?

Caroline: For me, the ideal race is a race where everyone have fun, no mechanical problem and no accident!

The Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres

2012-10-13T22:08:13Z

The Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres, one of the busiest races of the year, provides an assortment of car classes that we, the folks in Duncan'gs pit, are not accustomed to including the Canadian Tire Nascar series with which we had shared paddocks with during a Napa 200 event, the Canadian Touring Car, Firestone Indy Car Light, Star Mazda, Sportsman, Super Car and our Formula 1600 and other autos in canada. The weekend was a good one, but as far as racing goes, it was a bit of a disappointment.

We all arrived in Trois Riveres to register for the event on Thursday night. I had never been at this particular race, so I was excited. On Friday, we had two events lined up for the Formula 1600. The first event was the practice at eleven o'clock in the morning. We decided to be first in the line up so Duncan could have a lot of room. The practice didn't really count for anything except for the drivers to get accustomed to the track. I decided to take lap times so I could get used to the dynamics of the track. During practice, Duncan drove by for tire temperatures, which is routine. Duncan was doing very well, even though it was hot outside and the cars were slipping all over the track. There was a red flag in lap 2, so the cars had to return to the pits and remain there until the stalled car was removed. I decided to view this optimistically, at least we got the feel of the pits!

]]> After practice, we returned to the trailer and completed maintenance on the car. Races took place throughout the day and we were right next to the track. It was annoying to be wearing earplugs throughout the day. We did a bit of maintenance on the car and waited for six hours until qualifying. A few of us decided to take a nap because the wait was long and we didn't have much to do. It was so hot outside we had no choice but to stay in the shade. One of the professional photographers came by and told us that it was going to be hot on Saturday but a huge storm was headed towards us on Sunday. In all the races this year, we had never raced in wet weather.

At five thirty, Duncan suited up, and we towed the car to the false grid. It was a bit cooler, so everyone was comfortable; however, the sun was low in the sky and in the racers' eyes. During qualifying, one racer was so uncomfortable, he had to come in and get some sunglasses from one of his pit crew members.

I recorded the lap times for our team, so we knew where Duncan was running with respect to the others. We were lucky to have a screen with the live action and the standings on it. I knew exactly what position Duncan was in when the qualifying ended. I told Duncan personally. It wasn't the best qualifying position, but we had done worse.

We ended up coming in seventh in the race. I told him, "Well, we weren't last... and we didn't crash". He wasn't very happy when I revealed where we stood. After the qualifying, we rested for a while before we did some work on the car. We finished normal maintenance around 10 o'clock at night. I had been handing gear grease, which basically looks like green sludge and went back to the hotel to clean up and watch the Olympics before heading to bed. By this time, it was midnight.

The race on Saturday started at ten in the morning. We had to get up at six o'clock in the morning to get at the track. We always like to be early rather than late. We warmed up the car and got everything together to prepare for the line up. During the race, we ended up just outside the top ten. Duncan wasn't happy, but, again, at least we didn't crash. The day was warm and humid and it seemed everyone was having trouble. After the race, we did some maintenance on the car and relaxed.

The race on Sunday was at nine in the morning and we had to get up at five-thirty. We were all so exhausted and looking forward to the end of the weekend. Because Duncan had gotten some great lap times the day before, he was eleventh in the line up for the race. It was still warm outside, however, dark clouds were looming in the distance on the horizon. The race was actually well executed. Duncan was taunting us a little bit. He dropped down a couple of places and then he sped up gained a few! During the second to last lap, the yellow flag went out and the pace car came out. We managed to place in the top ten! I was so happy. Although we didn't win, the car came out in one piece and everyone was safe. We got back to the paddock, weighed in and then packed things up. There was a storm heading towards us. Corey ended up leaving early and just in time. While we were loading up the truck, he called and told us that he was driving in the storm and he couldn't see five feet in front of the car.

We took down the tent as fast as we could and we put everything away before the rain started to came down. Duncan, Miro, my father and I ran into the trailer for shelter, unfolding some of the chairs, we all decided we would watch things unfold. Within an hour, the parking lot was flooded and the water was beginning to creep onto our ramp. People were outside bathing themselves in the water. We looked out of the trailer and saw that the water was up to the bottom of a pickup truck. This was the best part of the weekend. We were all smiles and couldn't stop laughing. A few golf carts and trucks came by once in a while and we could see the waves rushing towards us. It seemed the rain would never let up. It was so intense!

The storm dissipated an hour later. We all poked our heads out and surveyed the damage. There were people swimming around, having fun. Other people who had taken refuge in the arena were starting to come out and they could see how flooded our side of the paddock was. Apparently, this wasn't the only place. About ten minutes later, my father and I had to walk back to the car. On the way, we passed through the Nascar and Indycar paddock. The water was up to the knees! There was no other way through. I sighed, pulled up my pant legs to my thighs and then trudged through it. I couldn't believe it! But this was a good end to the weekend.

Tremblant Autumn Classic

2012-10-09T21:51:52Z

We woke up to a chill and rainy Friday morning, unable to view the top of Mont-Tremblant due to heavy fog. I couldn't believe what the weather forecast was projecting for the weekend: rain fevery day! Friday was a practice day, but I think it was one of the most intense days of the race season. The relentless rain made it almost pointless to take down lap times. In the morning session, a red flag waved, but it turned out someone was just stalled. In the afternoon session, the red flag returned for something much worse. I knew it wasn't for Duncan because he was coming into the pits just as the flag was being given. The scary part was that the ambulance was deployed onto the track with the lights flashing.

Jim and I decided to wait around and see the car that merited a red flag. When we saw the tow-truck come along with the car suspended just behind the bed, we were shocked. The car had three corners knocked off after crashing into the wall. We weren't shocked that this happened but we couldn't fathom how the team could fix it for the next day's races. There is so much work going into fixing one corner of a car, let alone three! We went back to the condo around 5:30, which is actually a record. I felt bad for the team that had to rebuild half the car. However that team had not had a crash for over three years, which is very impressive.

The next day was still rainy and unbelievably cold. If you looked around, it seemed everyone gained at least twenty pounds from all the layers. Just before qualifying, it began to pour. The Formula 1600 racers had to qualify in a downpour.

We ended up qualifying thirteenth. The track was completely soaked. Duncan went from thirteenth to tenth, then took a spin and returned to his original position. As his lap times became slower, Jim noticed that there was something wrong with the car. An electrical problem stripped the car of some of its' power. Duncan fixed it in thirty minutes, when it could have taken hours! We were very lucky.

We woke up Sunday morning to sun! However, we stepped outside and it was about nine degrees. We tuned up the car a little bit, but we were ready to go for qualifying. The results from qualifying were absolutely incredible. We qualified twelfth, but all the racers from third place to thirteenth all within 1 second in the 1 minute 47 seconds. The pack was so close!

We decided to take a chance for the final race of the season. While some changed their set up for wet weather conditions, we decided to have a dry set up. We were a little anxious during the race because the radar showed rain would hit. Duncan did spin out in the first lap and he fell back to eighteenth place. However, he quickly moved up the ranks. He made it to ninth place when there was an incident and a full course yellow. The pace car came out and all the cars were forced to regroup. When the pace car drove off the track after three laps, the race started again. Duncan promptly rose up and finished in sixth place!

We also finished the Formula Tour 1600 Championship in fifth place!

Calabogie Race

2012-10-09T21:42:31Z

Packing a trailer and sending your team off to a race you can't attend is strange. That's what happened. For the Calabogie race, my father and I could not make the race, which was actually kind of sad. Nonetheless, we loaded the trailer and truck in record time and sent Duncan and the team on their way!

The curse of Trois Riveres seemed to have carried over to Calabogie. Calabogie is about one hour west of Ottawa. A long complex circuit with 22 turns that poses a big challenge to unfamiliar drivers; it's incredibly frustrating. Duncan had qualified thirteenth for the first race; however, during the race, Duncan spun off track when he hit an oil spill from a blown engine. He had been four in a train, in ninth place. He hit the brakes as he spun and the others just made it by. When I heard about this, I reminded him that he still had four corners on the car! It could have been worse. He finished thirteenth in the race.

On Sunday, Duncan's knowledge of the track improved and so were his lap times. He qualified thirteenth and managed to finish ninth in the race on Sunday, which is actually quite good, considering the layout! The good news was that we were fourth in the Quebec Championship after that race!

A Pit Girl's Role

2012-08-20T14:03:12Z

Everyone has a role in pit crew. Some are specific, while others overlap. My role in the crew is a bit all over the place. To set the record straight, I do not wear those super tight dresses and walk around the pit lane in high heels. I do not wear low cut tops and booty shorts either. In the pits, I wear long pants and a t-shirt, just like everyone else. When working on the car, I wear the same thing, unless it's very warm outside and I decide to wear modest shorts. Wearing those tight clothes during the races and when working on the car would be counterproductive. You can burn your legs on hot parts of the car or hot oil.

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After the races, I usually pick up the time sheets and fix the car. I bleed the brakes with Jim and Corey, replace the brake pads and fix the corner of the car if there's been an accident. I also do the dirty jobs that no one else really wants to do, besides Duncan. As far as the dirty jobs go, I sometimes have to deal with the dreaded gearbox oil. This oil is a dirty, olive green and is thick. During the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres, I had to pour the used gearbox oil into two empty plastic bottles and find the proper location for waste oil disposal. I also had to clean the pans. That stuff smells horrible! During the Grand Prix of Montreal, I had to clean off the fire extinguisher powder, which had stuck to the hot exhaust pipes. We took the pipes off and I tried everything to get this material off. I doused them in Varsol, water, and brake cleaner. I scrubbed the stuff off with metal brushes, scouring pads and a lot of paper towels. After two hours, I finally managed to get everything off. It was not a pretty job.

I have also become a kind of medic to our team. I finally bought a first aid kit just in case something happens. I also have an epi-pen handy at all times. When Jim was run over by Duncan at the Montreal Grand Prix a couple of years ago, I was trying hard to get doctors to get off the pit wall and help him. I stayed with him in the track hospital. I also drove Corey all around St-Jovite at the Tremblant summer race so he could seek medical attention for his foot, which had been, coincidentally, run over by Jim. Now, I am hell-bent on making sure no accidents or injuries happen during the race weekends. It's more fun when everyone is at their best!

Catching Up with Duncan

2012-07-12T14:07:24Z

After missing the first race at Tremblant, I contacted Duncan for an interview after the The Grand Prix to discuss what has been going and what is to come!

Duncan: Our podium at Tremblant was very satisfying because we worked very hard at refining all the small little things we knew were wrong with the car. We also found a few other little things to improve. So our performance was a combination of attention to detail, and all the work we did over the wintertime, optimizing everything to the greatest extent. We also did a couple of test days before the beginning of the season. It didn't appear that anyone else was there. We did our homework and things worked out very well. It shows that the hard work pays off with good results. I felt that over the past two seasons, we could do very well but it took longer than I expected.

]]> Me: What is your technique or routine when you prepare the engine and the car during the summer. Where do you do it, how and how much time do you devote to it?

Duncan: Generally, for the engine, I rebuilt it during the winter, mostly by myself but with a little help from friends that are in the crew. The engine is in my best friend's garage and when I need a hand, the helping hand is always there. I mostly like to concentrate on it by myself and pay a lot of attention to detail. The chassis I keep at home. Other crew members come over a couple of times a week and we basically take everything apart, clean it, put it back together and make sure the alignment is close to perfect as possible. We did an upgrade last year but the setup was not to the level of perfection that we would have liked. This winter, we concentrated on the things that we had done wrong. We hadn't paid enough attention to detail and we corrected that. The result was the podium performance at Tremblant.

Me: How did you feel about going to Tremblant with these new upgrades? Were you excited or afraid it might not work out or be disappointed? How did that affect your weekend? I was pretty confident the car was the best it could be and from the moment I got in the car at our test days it seemed very good. When you are on the track by yourself testing you don't have any basis of comparison, so you don't really know for sure, but I was confident we would do well. Me: How did it feel qualifying second?

Duncan: It was great.

Me: How did it feel coming in third? Did you know you were in third or were you focused on finishing the race and the car? Were you excited to know that you would be on the podium?

Duncan: Well, yes I did know I was in third. We had lost touch, I was fighting with another racer at the time and I had spun. I knew I had dropped a bit from the leaders and I knew I wouldn't be able to catch them, but Nathan spun off. I knew another racer was ahead of me. I wasn't able to challenge for second at that point because there was too much of a gap, so third was it.

Me: When you were on the podium, did you get sprayed with champagne? What is your podium etiquette regarding champagne?

Duncan: Well, by that point it was a Sunday podium ceremony and I was in my street clothes, so I was conservative in the spraying of the champagne. Showers were not available and we had the long ride home. There was a truce between the three of us to spray into the air and then we shared the champagne from the cup with our pit crews.

Me: You just did the Grand Prix and it was a very exciting time, especially with the fire. Can you tell us a little bit about how you felt when you came into the pits? Did you think you had a penalty?

Duncan: I had thought, because I had hit a racer lightly from the back with the nose of the car, which didn't affect anyone in the race. I thought the signal that I had a mechanical failure was due to damage to the front nose, which you can't see when you are sitting in the car. I was surprised to find out that it was the result of a fire. I was very happy with what we had done in the race so far. I'm happier with the Saturday performance because we were so competitive. It's very promising going into Tremblant which is a track that I feel is more suited to my style of driving. We'll see what happens!

Tremblant's Summer Classic

2012-07-12T13:39:52Z

Figure 1: Duncan's car

Source: Meghan Denison

The race weekend started off on a very...interesting note. On Thursday night, I had gotten a phone call from Duncan that I had to bring my grandfather's old walking cane. When I dared to ask why he needed it, he went on to explain that it was for Corey, one of the guys on our pit crew. Duncan told me that there was a bear near the RV where they were staying and Corey kicked it and that is how he hurt his ankle. When I asked what the real reason was, Duncan just laughed.

The next morning, my father and I made our way to the Mont-Tremblant racetrack. As we were pulling into the grounds, there was an ambulance coming out, lights flashing, and three other vehicles were following it. When an ambulance is coming out like that, it's never a good sign.

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When I was getting into the car, Eric (one of Duncan's old race buddies) was telling me that another golf cart related accident had happened to the team just across from us. There were two racecars parked behind each other and a golf car a couple of meters away. A man was working on the last car. A tire had accidentally fallen on the accelerator and the golf cart lurched forwards. He was caught between the car and the cart, which caused him to break both his legs. One of his femur bones broke through his skin! Fortunately, one of the racers came over and was taking care of him, making sure he was calm and did not succumb to shock. The race was stopped and the medical team came down to our paddock. Apparently, they were phenomenal. He was taken into surgery and he will be fine.

Saturday was an unbelievably hot day. It was 34 degrees and on pavement, it feels much hotter. Imagine also being in the pits wearing long pants and a t-shirt. Duncan qualified 13th in the morning's qualifying. It was a very hot and sticky morning and I'm sure I speak for all racers when I say that everyone was uncomfortable in the heat. The track was also apparently very slippery. Duncan made up for the 13th place in the first race. Eric and Jim were standing just behind the pit wall with the pit board. I was taking lap times. While I was writing them down, I could see Duncan's position lower from thirteenth to ninth. He stayed there until the second to last lap. All of a sudden as he was driving into the straight, he passed four cars at once! He was in fifth place and he managed to finish that way. It was a great race with no crashes.

On Sunday, Duncan qualified 11th. The good news was that his lap times were consistent and were actually getting better. The race was a tough one, but Duncan finished in ninth place. He actually had a fantastic lap time, which we were very proud of! Duncan says that in the closing laps, he missed two shifts, which caused him to drop back from 5th place to 9th. It was also one of the closest races he had ever been in and one of the cleanest with "clean wheel to wheel, three wide action". There were only two drivers who had to retire from the race because of their cars, but there were no red flags and no crashes. It was a very good and productive weekend for everyone and we are all looking forward to racing at Trois Riveres at the beginning of August.

Beat the clock and play our Race for Answers

2012-07-10T15:51:07Z

By: Meghan M.D.

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The Game: Liam Harkin is a racer from Montreal who is competing in the Montreal Grand Prix. He is driving into the pits and all four tyres come off the car! You have to answer eight questions correctly to get Liam back in the race. You are his only hope!

First Question

The Other Side of the Montreal Grand Prix

2012-06-12T19:07:04Z

Figure 1: Duncan coming into the pits.

The Grand Prix is an event Montreal looks forward to every year. On sunny days, girls walk around in their shorts and skimpy tank tops, which is just another reason men go to the event, besides seeing the cars. For the pit crews and racers in the support races, it is actually the most stressful event of the entire season, not to mention the most dreaded. For my team, the Grand Prix is dreaded. The first year we enrolled in the Grand Prix, Jim was run over by Duncan, a trailer door hit Miro on the head and he also had bicycle spokes stuck in his leg, Duncan crashed the race car and I accidentally injured myself with the golf cart we use to tow the car. Two years later, the excitement continued. This year, it was probably the best Grand Prix event we had. The qualifying on Friday went very well, but we were a couple of seconds behind the leaders. However, we were competing with the best Formula Ford racers in North America. After finishing on the podium two weeks ago, our team was eager to continue demonstrating how efficient the car was.

]]> We qualified fourteenth out of thirty-five cars for Saturday's race. Saturday morning was tense. We always hope that the car is going to run well and Duncan will be happy with his performance. We got him on the track without anyone getting run over or injured. The minute he passed the starting line, he made up for Friday. He was coming closer and closer to the pack and he had some very good times, which was putting him in the top ten. Everything was great... until I felt someone touch my arm. I turned around and one of the officials was mumbling to me. I took off one of my earphones so I could hear him better. He started telling me that Duncan needed to come into the pits and it had to be now. I was a bit shocked. Duncan had never been black flagged, which meant he had a penalty. I was trying to figure out what had he done to deserve a penalty. Did he drive someone off the track? Dangerous driving? It didn't sound like him! I continued to stare at the official, not quite understanding. He was speaking to someone through his headset and then he returned his attention back to me.

Then it came out, "Duncan's car is on fire. He needs to get into the pits now. I'm going to get to the firefighters". The first thing I did was run to Jim, our race engineer and tell him to call in to Duncan through the radio and tell him he had to get Duncan in the pits. I then spoke to the fire fighters and grabbed the small extinguisher from our golf cart. The problem was, Jim couldn't get a hold of Duncan through the radio. It was actually quite scary. When we finally got Duncan's attention by showing him the pit board, it was the longest two minutes of my life. We were all waiting in the pit lane for him. I was holding my little extinguisher, standing next to a couple of fire fighters and pit lane officials. Then we caught sight of Duncan coming into the pits. He stopped the car and by the way he was slowly taking off his seat belts, he had no idea what was going on. There was smoke coming through. My father and I grabbed him and threw him out of the car and then we got the cover off the back of the car. We couldn't see a fire. The officials and I stared at each other, confused. I was afraid it had been a big mistake that cost Duncan the race. I was wrong. Suddenly, two mechanics from the BMW Sauber Formula 1 team were yelling at us, pointing to the underneath of the car. They came out of their garage and helped us. Miro took the side pod off of the car and we immediately saw the problem. The side pod had touched the exhaust pipe and had caught fire! The firemen quickly extinguished the fire.

I was so grateful the officials and fire crew spotted this and saved us so much damage. We managed to tow the car back to our paddock and we selflessly worked until eleven o'clock at night to fix the nose of the car and the side pod. I tried to clean the exhaust pipe and other parts that had been encrusted with fire extinguisher fluid. Do you have any idea what happens when fluid hits hot metal? It sticks and is nearly impossible to clean off. WD 40, water, scraping, brake fluid, varsol and an SOS pad later, it came off.

Figure 2: Us working on the car at 9 at night.

On Sunday, we found out that Duncan qualified seventh for the second race because of his great lap times. He managed to stay in the top ten, but did not make the podium. Looking back on the weekend, Duncan is very proud because of the level of competition he was racing with. If he had finished in Saturday's race, he probably would have been fifth. When we asked him how he felt about the fire incident, he said, "It was better to have a DNF (Did Not Finish) with honor than wallow in mid pack". I think he was just happy the car was in good shape and his lap times were consistent. We did the best we could and it really paid off in the end. It was a great weekend and we are looking forward to the race at Tremblant in July!

Figure 3: Duncan on Sunday.

The Man behind Murdoch Racing

2012-04-22T22:38:37Z

Duncan waiting in the car lineup

When you see racers on television, do you ever wonder what they are thinking just before a race? Or afterwards? How to they feel when they lose? Win? I do. My dad's best friend, Duncan Murdoch, is a racer for Formula Ford 1600.

Duncan grew up in St-Lamber where attending drag races with his mother and racing slot cars as a kid led to a fascination with racing. After attending the University of Waterloo, Duncan started racing in 1978 and joined Jim Russell School at Tremblant. In 1984, Duncan won the Grand Prix race in the 1600 class.

The following years, 1984 and 1985, Duncan was the Vice Champion of Quebec and learned to be meticulous and perfect his racing competencies. His motto, "if something is worth doing, you do it right", has led him forward. Just take a look in Duncan's trailer during a race weekend and you'll see just how meticulous he can be. Everything is labeled and in boxes, and our team tool box is probably the most organized one in the paddock. Sadly for his fans, Duncan put his racing career on hold and started a career at Pratt and Whitney. Due to the exertions of travel, he took a twenty year hiatus from his passion of racing.

However, in 2010, Duncan retired from Pratt and Whitney as a manager after many years of devotion to his job and began racing again with a four-man and one woman team. This year, Duncan is looking forward to racing at the Grand Prix, Tremblant (which is his favorite track), Trois Rivieres and possibly Mosport. This year will a new chapter is being written. I caught up with Duncan and asked him if I could tell us about his past and future in racing. He gladly accepted and it is featured here!

]]> At what age did you first drive a race car?

I was in my early twenties.

How did you get into racing?

I was fascinated by all types of car racing from childhood. A life long obsession. I saw the Formula 1600 support race for the Canadian Grand Prix in 1976 at Mosport when I was at school in Waterloo. I had to try it and went to the Jim Russell School at Mont-Tremblant the next summer.

What is the most memorable crash you've been in?

Many years ago at Mosport I touched wheels with a Formula V and it flew right over me. Just saw the bottom of the car and that was it. Then it was gone!

Do you have any pre-race rituals?

No.

What do you do during a race weekend?

Sit around and watch my crew at work...just kidding!! I am very active in the car preparation. I tow the car to the track, set up with the crew. Watch my diet. Make sure I'm well hydrated. Eat a lot of bananas because I'm not that hungry. It's brain food. Try and make sure everything is ready ahead of time so there aren't any panics. Be punctual.

Where do you see yourself after Formula 1600?

Good question. At some point I would like to try sedans or sports cars if the opportunity were to arise. I race for enjoyment and very much enjoy the technical side of racing, Longer term I could see myself in the car preparation business.

If you could be in Formula One, what team would you like to be on and who would you have as your partner? Why?

Formula One is not a realistic goal. I believe McLaren and Ayrton Senna to be the best of Formula 1.

What are the expectations for next year?

I expect we will be running very close to the front, in the lead group.

How do you feel you've grown as a race car driver?

I have always been open to learning more to improve the competitiveness of the car and driver package. This is a constant and never ending process.

What is your next step in your racing?

I am enjoying my racing now more than ever before. As I mentioned earlier I would like to try sedans or sports cars at some point.

What was the best highlight of this year?

At the Tremblant summer classic, getting the car repaired after a qualifying crash. The crew fixed the damaged car in about 2 hours, fixing some major problems and we went from 21st place to 7th.

What would you like to work on?

We are currently competitive, but I believe we can make some improvements to the car over the winter. From a driving point of view, I would like to make better use of the onboard data system for car setup, and for analysis of where I can find additional time in my driving.

If you could meet any racecar driver, who would it be and what would you like to learn from them?

There are always things to learn from other drivers, but there are none in particular that I would prefer to meet.

What work have you been doing with the rest of your team?

We work regularly during the week on preparing the car. I watch videos on my racing and to see where I can improve.

What sports or activities do you do outside of racing?

Skiing, going to the gym, rollerblading.

What is your most memorable racing experience?

Winning the Formula 1600 support race for the Montreal Grand Prix in 1984.

Tell us a little bit about your pit crew. How do you find they help with your racing?

My pit crew is a group of long time friends, family and people I used to work with. We do almost everything ourselves. They help in sharing the workload so that I can concentrate on the most important elements of racing.

Figure 2: 3 out of the 5 pit crew members: Corey, Jack and Meghan.

18. How do you feel about your pit crew? They are a big contributors and I would not be able race without their help. Perhaps more importantly we have fun and lots of laughs together.

19. What kind of jobs do they have? Psychological advisor, mechanics, skilled technical assistants etc. They all share the car preparation, repairs after an accident and everything from food to pit exercises. They change tires (even the only girl on the race team), do timing, prepare food, do emergency repairs, maintain the worlds coolest golf cart, adjust tire pressures. Basically, they do whatever it takes!

20. Do you have any memorable moments with them? Of course, many memorable ones. Eating out together at a terrace on a beautiful spring evening in Mt. Tremblant...with too many beers. A team member unable to exit the bathroom due to "finger trouble" with the lock. A memorable weekend was one of our first last year, at the Canadian GP. Everyone on the team except the driver injured themselves in some way...not so funny at the time, but the fodder for many jokes since...and a work safety initiative! They still came back!

21. Does it get tense with your pit crew? Not very often, we usually have a lot of fun.

22. How do you find your team differs from all the others? We have more fun, even though someone on the team thinks we are too serious.

Canada's next Formula 1 Champion

2012-01-28T05:59:28Z

Meghan Denison

During the summer months, between May and September, I work as a pit crewmember for my uncle. It's a lot of fun and I have the opportunity to meet a lot of people. Everyone is nice and all of the racers bond as a family. I decided to interview the coolest racecar driver I know: Nathan Blok.

Nathan got his start racing at an early age. At the age of six years old, actually two days past his birthday, his ten-year-old cousin decided to take him go-karting and enrolled him in a local race. Nathan won!

Eighteen year old Nathan Blok is currently racing in Formula 1600 with my uncle. This year he came first in the Formula 1600 Quebec championship. He also finished on the podium at almost every single race, coming in first, second or third. I've hung out with him on multiple occasions at the races and he always has a smile on his face.

]]> He officially started racing go-karts when he was nine years old. He also became the youngest racer to win the Quebec Formula 1600 Championship. Among his accomplishments are the following: youngest driver to a race at the Trois Rivieres Grand Prix, Pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix with a track record. Won nine top 5 qualifying positions, was a finalist of the Team Canada Scholarship and was the youngest driver to break the track record at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

Nathan races for Clubine Racing, owned by David Clubine and he has a personal trainer to guide him through races. Last year, after a horrible crash in qualifying that left the car disabled, Nathan managed to go from last place to 4th. With that very impressive feat it was clear to the rest of the racers that Nathan was indeed someone to contend with. When Nathan crashed during that qualifying, he came to the paddock a bit shaken up but with a smile on his face. Most racers would be running around, trying to get the car fixed in time for the race two hours away, but he was unusually calm.

When Nathan is not racing for pole positions, which acquired nine of, he works hard in school, is an honor student, and he practices Karate (he is a 1st degree black belt). When he's at the racetrack, he zooms around on a bicycle or scooter. He also threatens my uncle because his golf-cart is too loud. It is true; you can hear that thing from across the racetrack. During those race weekends, he tries to be very serious and dedicated to his race. When I asked him what he does during the 2 day race weekends, Nathan replied with, "I mostly hang around with my team at tour trailer, go over data, and various aspects of my driving where I can improve for the next session, race strategies, and so on. Once all the business is taken care of, I like to socialize around the paddock.

The best part of the interview was when I asked Nathan what his most memorable racing experience was. During race weekends, racers usually have to sleep over night because there are two races during the weekend. Despite all the stress, Nathan said "I've had lots of fun and funny moments for sure but the single most memorable experience I had was, I think, one year at Mosport, when I was karting. It had snowed and everyone in the paddock got into this huge snowball fight".

Interviewing Nathan was the most interesting thing I could have done for a profile. He is a great teenager who is very well rounded. Not only does he have a racing career, which he is doing so well in, but he is also a fantastic student. Not only that, he is teaching karate! Although he still has many steps to go through before getting to the top at Formula 1, he has so many career goals during the way. Even though the odds for being in Formula 1 are slim, he is still happy knowing he could one-day race the 24 hours at LeMans, which is a 24-hour race in France. I look forward to cheering him on at that event while he is competing against other fantastic racers, like Marc Webber or Sebastian Vettel. He is definitely someone to keep your eye on!

Figure 1: a Mazda 2000 race

Source: Richard Crawford Photography (Flickr.com)

1. At what age did you first drive a car?

Well, that's a bit of a long story. To make it short, I was in an invitational karting race at ICAR when I was 14, & the winner would have a chance to test drive a race ready Ford Mustang & a Formula Euro Series car. I won the race, but I touched a cone early on & was demoted to 2nd. However my performance improved the judges enough to open up another seat to allow me to have the test session.

2: How did you get into racing?

I think what got me into racing was one weekend when I was about 4, I went to the Grand Prix of Mosport with my parents. That Christmas, my dad got me a used go kart & i did some driving on the backyard track that was originally used for my pedal bike. The next spring, I did my first race the day after my sixth birthday.

3: What is the worst crash you've been in?

I've been very lucky to have stayed away from my fair share of accidents in racing. My worst one was this season when I ran into my teammate who lost control, and instead of running into the grass and hit the wall, I slowed down & hoped I would miss, but I didn't. I took two corners off the car, but we were both uninjured.

4: Do you have any pre-race rituals?

No, I've never really been one to do that kind of stuff. The only thing I really do, is i always exit the car from the opposite side I enter.

5: What do you do during a race weekend?
Well, I mostly hang around with my team at tour trailer, go over data, and various aspects of my driving where I can improve for the next session, race strategies, and so on. Once all the business is taken care of, I like to socialize around the paddock. One thing about racing is the family is very small, so at a track, there's very few people who you haven't seen or heard of before, which is really nice.

6: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In 10 years, I would like to see myself in Formula 1, but I would be happy to race in Indycar, grand am, ALMS, or any other major professional racing series. In today's super competitive environment, and economic state, its getting harder and harder to find sponsorships, and contracts. Ultimately my lifelong goal is Formula 1, but i could make a professional career at any point along the way, its as good as a dream come true.

7: Where would you like to be?

Ultimately, I would want to be Canada's next Formula 1 champion, but I really want to win the triple crown of motorsports (Monaco GP, Indy 500, 24 hours of Le Mans). Even to just win one of the three, I would be over the moon to join the legends that have won there in the past.

8: If you could be in Formula One, what team would you like to be on and who would you have as your partner? Why?

I would want to race at Ferrari for sure. Red Bull is having some great success with Vettel recently, but Ferrari has decades of experience to back them up, and they've almost always been competitive for 60 years.

Who I would want as my teammate, that's a really tough question. If I could pick any driver from History, i would take Ayrton Senna in a heartbeat, but if I had to choose from today's active drivers, I would take Sebastian Vettel.

9: What are the expectations for next year?

For 2012, there's lots of different pathways I could take, and everything's still up in the air. I'm leaving all my options open, but I'm leaning towards racing in the USF2000 series. It would make a nice stepping-stone in my career, and put me in with some really fast competitors.

10: How do you feel you've grown as a racecar driver?

I feel I've grown lots, especially this season. In go-karts, for the longest time I was having some technical issues, and I was a back marker for the longest time. It was really difficult at the time, and was really tough on me, especially at that age to everything I could on track, and still come out almost empty handed. But it's made me stronger, and its shaped me to be the driver I am today, and I don't think I would be the driver I am now without my childhood karting experience.

11: What is your next step in your racing?
My next step is to race in the American Based USF2000 series, but right now, all possibilities are still on the table. The cost of racing in the series is very great, but the reward for victory is also very big (scholarship to race in Star Mazda).

12: What was the best highlight of this year?

Well, there's been so many highlights this season, its hard to choose between any of them. I would say winning the Trois Rivieres Grand Prix is certainly the one closest to my heart. In 2009, I wasn't able to compete at all, and in 2010, I had some mechanical difficulties, and I never even finished as much as a practice session. To finally come though, and win the second oldest street race in the world, the longest running race in Canada, after all the trouble I went though in the two years before was such a relief.

13: What would you like to work on?

As a driver, I've found you never stop learning. I would like to improve on my initial race pace, and qualifying times though. It usually takes me several laps to get up to race pace, and I can rip off many consistently fast times, buy not so many "one, and done" laps I call them

14: If you could meet any racecar driver, who would it be and what would you like to learn from them?

If I had a time machine, I would go back to meet Ayrton Senna. He may not have been the most successful driver in the world, but the stuff he could do with a car, his tactics, precision, and outright speed has never been matched by anyone before. I haven't had the pleasure of watching the documentary yet, but I have seen clips from the Internet, and it's unreal what he could do with a car.

15: You did a test with a Mazda 2000 a few weeks ago. How did that feel?

I was really surprised with the speed, and grip of the Formula 2000, even on a slow, cold, wet track. It was unreal, never driving a car with lots of down force before. When I got in the Star Mazda, it blew everything the F2000 had to offer right out of the water. The outright speed, acceleration, and grip of the car is indescribable, and I enjoyed every moment I could.

16: What work have you been doing with the rest of your team?
Well, most of my work is spent trying to raise the money to race. I offer lots of promotional opportunities to my sponsors, and they are all really satisfied with what I can offer them. As for the team, I'm constantly trying to learn how each aspect of the car works, and learn from the team how to I can go faster.

17: What sports or activities do you do outside of racing?

Outside of racing, I do lots of other activities. I'm a first-degree black belt in martial arts, and I'm an honor student in school. I'm beginning to take on the role of instructing now as part of my training in Martial arts, and it's better helping me communicate with people. A lot of my time is spent trying to acquire partners in my racing career, but I still find some time here and there to hang out with my friends.

18. What is your most memorable racing experience?
I've had lots of fun and funny moments for sure but the single most memorable experience I had was, I think, one year at Mosport, when I was karting. It had snowed and everyone in the paddock got into this huge snowball fight.

http://www.nathanblok.com/bio.php