words: William McLauchlan, photos: Abi Taneja
Editor’s note: The photos were taken by Abi Taneja; the original article credited William McLauchlan.
As much as I enjoy attending car meets and shows, nothing gets me more excited than going for a ride. It could be taking the long way home after a long day at work or an early Sunday morning drive with no destination in mind. For me it’s therapeutic, and I need it.
With the end of the season quickly approaching, Jacques Landry and I knew that organizing a ride would be a great way to bring together Audi enthusiasts from the Club. We decided to have the departure point somewhere centralized to give a chance for people from both the Montreal and Ottawa regions to join in the fun. Seeing as how the ride would be done in Quebec, it was important that we do a test run. First to calculate the time but most importantly to check the road conditions. Anyone who has driven in Québec knows exactly what I’m talking about (poor road conditions).
The trial run consisted of 6 cars and I had a pretty good idea of where we were going before we set out. Having grown up in the Laurentians, I knew pretty much every backroad and nice stretch of highway there was. It was a beautiful sunny day and we hit the road; I was excited to see everyone’s reaction to the route I had chosen. We were quite lucky that there wasn’t too much traffic to slow us down and we could keep a good pace. After a few stops for coffee and a couple impromptu photo shoots the day was done, and everyone agreed that the route was solid.
We sent out an open invite on Audi Club North America Eastern Canada, Kapital Klasse, Ottawa Audi & Dub Club, and Le Club Audi Quebec. We limited the ride to 15 cars and waited for replies…it wasn’t long before the list was full, and I was very happy to see the enthusiasm from all who wanted to participate.
The day of the ride was another gorgeous sunny day and we all met early to grab coffee, bagels, and gas…everything you need for a successful ride. After everyone chitchatted and checked out each other’s cars, the time had come to hit the road. The first section was secondary highway leading north from the Ottawa River up into farm country which provided nice sweeping turns and spectacular views leading us towards the mountains in the Mont Tremblant region. As the lead car, I kept staring in my rear-view mirror admiring all the gorgeous Audis. There were multiple B7, B8, B8.5 S4, B8 S5, RS7, an RS 3, A6, and TT RS. Such a great and varied lineup. A real showcase of Audi evolution over the years.
Our first stop was at the Tremblant Casino where we parked to stretch our legs and get to know one another better. Everyone had their phones, Go Pros, and cameras out snapping pictures from every possible angle you could imagine. The next section was a twisty bit of backroads that followed a river leading us southwards. I let everyone know it was my favourite piece of road and it was time for some spirited driving. This brought smiles to everyone’s faces and it wasn’t long before we were all back in our cars and putting them through the paces. A series of rolling hills and tight turns where you could really enjoy what these cars were designed and engineered to do.
The third section was a nice roller coaster type of highway which in my opinion provided some of the most picturesque views of the day. The mountains, lakes, and autumn colours appeared and disappeared as we headed south. After a quick stop for coffee and gas, we were on the road again. The double lane highway allowed for tons of amazing rolling shots which you can never get enough of! We then hit the Laurentian Autoroute back north for late lunch.
We all shared our thoughts of the day so far over some good food and drinks. The day was winding to an end and as we left for the last portion of the ride, I knew that we must do it again next year. Our final stop was in Saint Sauveur and I couldn’t believe how fast the day had passed. The feedback from everyone was amazing, so we said our goodbyes before heading our separate ways. Many new friends were made that day and catching up with old ones was just as fun as the actual ride itself. I’m so pleased and proud of the event that we organized. Thank you to all who came from far and wide to make this day incredible in so many ways. We are a Four Ring Family.
