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6th
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Despite being in this crazy world I call “work” for more than 7 years, I'd yet to attend the yearly gathering of Canadian automotive jounalists known as AJAC's Test Fest. This year marked my first attendance; and I have no idea why I waited so long to participate.
Nestled away between vineyards and gloriously winding country roads sits an airport in Ontario's Niagara-on-the-Lake district. A serene, picturesque location with The Falls just a short drive away, the airport serves as a central location where all the cars are kept, as well as our home base for car changes and meals.
As the leaves continued their annual transformation and the backdrop was splashed with autumnal hues, a sea of brand new vehicles in a rainbow of colours stretched before me. Kid in a candy store? You have no idea. After completing my assigned categories and submitting my votes towards AJAC's Canadian Car of the Year, it was time to have a little fun - meaning, I could finally drive cars I'd yet to test throughout the year.
That's the beauty of AJAC's Test Fest: it gives journalists the opportunity to clock wheel time in vehicles they'd probably never get to drive due to scheduling conflicts, lack of press vehicles in their location, etc. And our inability to drive everything hinders our ability to properly evaluate the cars we drive.
And so, I just had to take out a Porsche 911 Carrera S, with Matt in tow behind the wheel of a Corvette 427.
There's something about the openness and freedom that comes with driving along country roads. Flat and winding, they're enticing to a fault and thrilling (if you make them so). With vineyards on either side as far as the eye could see, blue sky above and the temperature hovering in the mid-20s, it was the ideal setting to really experience the vehicles we chose to pilot.
From 911s to Sentrass and everything in between, I was handed key after key to explore random back roads, kick up multicoloured leaves, dodge wild turkeys and stop short to watch two young deer step from a vineyard to stare doe-eyed at me in my Acura ILX.
And it would seem that AJAC's Test Fest is about more than just the cars. This is the only time of year us Canadian auto journalists are together in one place, under one roof -- eating together, driving together, chatting together -- and it gives us all a chance to pick each other's brains, discover our opinions on the year's cars and to really put our evaluations to the test as we choose the Canadian Car of the Year.
From new friendships to new love affairs (it's rather telling that I chose to drive the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 more than once and not the MINI Cooper S Roadster...), my first Test Fest experience was one I'll surely never forget. And really, any event that allows me to cherry pick from a lineup of vehicles that includes a Mercedes-Benz SL550, Camaro ZL1, Fiat 500 Abarth and Ford Focus ST is one I'll not miss again.
Nestled away between vineyards and gloriously winding country roads sits an airport in Ontario's Niagara-on-the-Lake district. A serene, picturesque location with The Falls just a short drive away, the airport serves as a central location where all the cars are kept, as well as our home base for car changes and meals.
As the leaves continued their annual transformation and the backdrop was splashed with autumnal hues, a sea of brand new vehicles in a rainbow of colours stretched before me. Kid in a candy store? You have no idea. After completing my assigned categories and submitting my votes towards AJAC's Canadian Car of the Year, it was time to have a little fun - meaning, I could finally drive cars I'd yet to test throughout the year.
That's the beauty of AJAC's Test Fest: it gives journalists the opportunity to clock wheel time in vehicles they'd probably never get to drive due to scheduling conflicts, lack of press vehicles in their location, etc. And our inability to drive everything hinders our ability to properly evaluate the cars we drive.
And so, I just had to take out a Porsche 911 Carrera S, with Matt in tow behind the wheel of a Corvette 427.
There's something about the openness and freedom that comes with driving along country roads. Flat and winding, they're enticing to a fault and thrilling (if you make them so). With vineyards on either side as far as the eye could see, blue sky above and the temperature hovering in the mid-20s, it was the ideal setting to really experience the vehicles we chose to pilot.
From 911s to Sentrass and everything in between, I was handed key after key to explore random back roads, kick up multicoloured leaves, dodge wild turkeys and stop short to watch two young deer step from a vineyard to stare doe-eyed at me in my Acura ILX.
And it would seem that AJAC's Test Fest is about more than just the cars. This is the only time of year us Canadian auto journalists are together in one place, under one roof -- eating together, driving together, chatting together -- and it gives us all a chance to pick each other's brains, discover our opinions on the year's cars and to really put our evaluations to the test as we choose the Canadian Car of the Year.
From new friendships to new love affairs (it's rather telling that I chose to drive the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 more than once and not the MINI Cooper S Roadster...), my first Test Fest experience was one I'll surely never forget. And really, any event that allows me to cherry pick from a lineup of vehicles that includes a Mercedes-Benz SL550, Camaro ZL1, Fiat 500 Abarth and Ford Focus ST is one I'll not miss again.
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| Photo: Philippe Champoux |