The Cal-look Lounge

In 2015 that is :-(

.

It also seems to be getting a bit 'bug jam' ish..... :(

That's a bit difficult to solve, as they need punters to make a profit, no profit = no show!  but donuts at 5am is a bit much.

To be quite honest I love the show, the evening entertainment you can take or leave depending on you taste.  Choose your camping spot well and i don't see the noise as a problem

The mix of cars and the general atmosphere can't be found anywhere else but To be dealing with a water on the track on the day the show opens is a bit poor, when this could have been sorted well before the show opened.

I personally think the problem was something to do with the timing equipment on that side of the track as the surface looked dry on the way back from the collecting area at the end of the strip

But what do I know !!

 

The problem was not one that could be solved on the weekend, short of calling in the road builders and getting them to dig up the surface, seal off the underground spring and relay the tarmac. That should only take half an hour, right? It was nothing to do with timing equipment...

The trouble was that the spring only came to light when the track was dried off enough to race on Saturday (remember the rain ahead of the event?). The new road surface (remember this is a public road first, road race circuit second and drag strip a distant third) was too coarse to dry simply by sweeping etc – it relied on evaporation, which is not easy with damp air and low temperatures.

Lee Childs, who looked after the track prep, was prepared to overlook a damp section which equated to one tyre revolution in length but the affected area measured over two revolutions long. He has more experience than anyone here and he is the one who wants to stop people (and cars) getting hurt.

Chimay will only ever be a 'fun' track – anyone who expects otherwise is bound to be disappointed.

Bring the show over here , Shakey a great venue
http://www.shakespearecountyraceway.com/
 loads of room for a show camping events etc , not hidden track problems with a proper return road and the guy's there are real helpful .

I was thinking the same, & I stopped going there a long time ago because of the "party crowd"

Last time I went to EBI was number 3 & I felt then it would out grow Chimay

The concept of Euro bug-in is simple, a large venue, multiple activities, a track to do some racing and in a central location to maximise participation.

As much as I agree about he track, it is not the sole purpose of the event.  Moving it to Avon Park will solve the track problem, but it will create another, its location is no longer central and I just don't see 1000's of Europeans travelling all that way,  You also have to remember it is now linked to Bad Camberg and Hessisch, so making a weeks holiday especially for the family is easier to do.  My wife suggested moving it further south therefore improving the weather and no longer having rain as an issue.

I just don't see an easy solution, I will attend the next EBI, why? because despite all its flaws it is still the best all round VW show in Europe.

Thanks for the full story Keith

I understand that Chimay will never be a full blown drag strip and it does amaze me that poeple are prepared to run some of the more powerful cars there. The decision to run the single lane I'm sure was the correct one for the conditions
 
My gripe is with the lack of information on the weekend and with fact that knowing that cars would be running there that weekend there wasn't more interest in making sure it would be possible to do so earlier in the week.

There had obviously been some wet weather in the days before ebi. The crew were trying to sort the track on Friday and this I agree was conpounded by the rain on Friday night but i do know a little about drainage and road building and it is possible to address a ground water problem without cutting up Tarmac where the water exits with minimal work, exquipment and in a surprisingly short period of time.

I like others appreciate the time that kobus and this crew put into getting this event organised, I think they were badly let down by the track owners.

My car is never going to set any records and maybe I'm a lone voice, but please consider this, yes I will probably return, will I take my car to run down the track,, probably not, will there be others like me ? Possibly, there were already less participation from companies and race cars this year.

will this change the special atmosphere of ebi, that you will have to make your own mind up. I hope not

I think it would be a shame to move Ebi away from Chimay - it works well as a venue, I know the Drag strip is nothing anyone is going to break records on but the atmosphere and cameraderie with other racers at this event is second to none. I can imagine that most of the problem with the track this year was down weather in the weeks running up to the event - the whole site was pretty damp underfoot on thursday when we arrived and it seemed they had seen wetter weather than we had in the uk - the last 2 shows at chimay have been very dry and we have been spoiled in a way that we expect it to be 'perfect' sadly this time it was not to be - but thats life !
I feel that moving it to the Uk would kill the event as many of the european visitors would not come over - plus all of the uk camper driving 'Vw festival' crowd would come along - having the channel in the way tends to keep them away from Chimay  ;D

Roll on Ebi 6 - I will be there  :)

We already have a similar show to EBI here in the UK it's called Bug Jam don't see to many Europeans coming over for that.

As Mike has said EBI has turned into a week long show, that would be hard to do over here in the UK.

Keep EBI in main land Europe guys.

That is a good idea

Udo

Pahh ! with the right organization of which the ebi crew have in spades a show at shakey could be perfect , Cal look drag day certainly aint no bug jam , with all the other atractions ebi would bring this would be a top venue , all you got to do is say no to pricks with sub station powered PA's till 4am and control the 5am donut drifting brigade and it'll be fine .
  I'm not buying the location bit , its very not a any further from the channel than we have to travel when we arrive into Dunkirk and there's a fair few anglophiles who happily make the pilgrimage to Chimey & if you wanna make a holiday of it for johny foreigner stick it right up next to a show like Peppercorn or Stanford hall .
Sits back to wait for the abuse(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff84/49-rag/eatingpopcorn.gif)

Move EBI in the UK and you'll lost 3/4 of the participant...  :(

And I don't think UK is a better place than Belgium if ou want a good weather...  ::)

quantity doesn't necessarily follow with quality oh and it was 26 degrees today

For the first time in about 4 years LOL  ;D

I remember one idea in the early days of EBI was to have it at Chimay on alternate years then somewhere else floating for the in between years, maybe alternating between Shakey, somewhere in France, a German location etc.
I loved EBI 1, and the only thing stopping me from going again is that it's in term time.

Doesn't stop me!  Getting home at midnight on the sunday before work is a killer, but otherwise its fine.

When we did it our plane back was delayed - at 12.30am we were still at the airport waiting for our flight! :o  It is do-able flying, but I'd like to take a car out there one year.

Nothing wrong with Chimay

Just be nice to have two lanes

Apologies for taking this thread sideways

Neil i drive, not as far as you, but you are only another couple of hours away, could leave a little earlier than me.  I leave EBI at 4.30pm to catch 7pm ferry.

Glenn it would make no difference to you where it was held, you wouldnt be allowed to go anyway. :P

Ron, Glenn

We need to talk !

Russell

Awesome event, its the 4th one me and my wife have attended, this was the first time we have taken a car to race and probably the last. We would do ebi again but without a car.
All day with no rain Friday and still no racing, and then when we did get on the track only half track saturday and then full track the next both days only one lane was a little disappointing when you've dragged your car for eleven hours.

EBI is an awesome show, and the Chimay location just adds to the aura of awesomeness that you just don't get here in the UK (maybe that's because Continental Europe seems so different to the UK) but the track should be viewed as a bonus or exhibition strip. Apart from that, I've lost count of the amount of weekends at the strip I've attended where due to mother nature or other circumstances beyond the organisers control, action on the strip hasn't delivered, and It should be said that water rising from below ground has been an issue at at least one track in the UK.

As for the Bug Jam crowd, the truth is that at any 'show' you're going to get it. One of the reasons we do the Cal Look Drag Day the way we do is to maintain an event which concentrates on the strip action without the distractions of what has come to be known as a VW show these days. We have a lot of fun mind you ;) and agree that Shakey is a fantastic venue! Really enjoyed the move to Shakey with Drag Day this year and we'll be back there in 2014!

EBI 2015? I'm definitely in, especially since preparing for a house move scuppered my chances of going this year!

Hello guys, getting back from chimay and getting everything done and sorted out was quite (another) adventure ... but now i have found this thread on the callook forum that really grabs my attention. I really want to thank everybody who was there, on the 5th edition of the euro bug in. it was a blast for me, seeing all those people getting ready to go dragracing, off road racing, or slalomming, or just detailing their cars to get ready for the show and shine ...

anyway, i read here above that there is some less positively opinions on how the racetrack behaved ... we'll, we're truly sorry, the weather this year really fucked up ... even when not raining there was a wet patch that came back, ... and (read the answer from keith seume above!!!) messed up the racing planning. Lee is a very professional guy in what he does, we pay him good bucks to have a SAFE opinion about the racetrack. and we always believe him.

the main culprit is not us, the timing guys nor Lee keeping you from racing, but the (not so excellent) weather in combination with the track tha is an open road, and not a track like SANTA POD, as there is alot of referring to this track. However, i saw a timing slip from the guys at HOTROD DUISBURG (N/A!) that said 9.475 on the 1/4m that is almost warpspeed in my honest opinion on a track like CHIMAY, and shows there is potential ...

I hope that you guys had a good weekend otherwise, and had good fun, and i think so, because i saw alot of smiley faces ... and that's why we do it !

I read the complete thread, and we will surely try to get things better, but we have or limitations on the open road as-is in CHIMAY ... We do cater for some more hard core racing as described above in Bitburg ... the DAS DRAG DAY will cater for the most of you if you are 100% racing. We try not to have tradestands, and loud music (we shut the music at 01.00AM) nor people doing burnouts and donuts at 5 am ...

now i surely want to thank Russel for being over at CHIMAY. even when i did see and talked to him like two nanoseconds on the weekend, i hope Russel knows we are appreciating ALOT coming over, and SURELY the OFF racing team and ALOT of other BRITS who are coming over (spank me if i'm forgetting somebody !)

please do not hesitate to contact us on info@europeanbugin.com for more info, feedback, or input ! A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU !

PS i'd really get to know who was doing those donuts at 5 am in the morning ? can anybody inform me about this ???

Good thing you only had a short way to go then.

I love Bug in honest I do , even dragged my sorry old nail out there once .
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Just putting my two cent's out there  :)

Cal look drag day is non profit. It's all about the racing and the people who attend.
No VIP areas. No idiots. And a free t shirt and welcome pack and breakfast for all racers.
Amazing venue.
Problem solved.
See you all there next year

Oh and I will be back at EBI 6 as I always enjoy it in every way.

But EBI is not just about drag racing you forget it... This is why it's so good, because all the style are present ! If you just want a "VW dragster week end", go to DDD !!  ::)

Nothing wrong with only drag racing , I attend DDD every year, but as said above EBI is more.
It's about drag, nostalgia, show and shine, parts, meeting people, cal-look and so much more.
What won't means some things can be done better, but what show is perfect?
And the biggest problem this year, nobody had in hand : RAIN. Just to say ,
I just spend a big amount on holidays together with my family, and guess what : I had rain 3 of the 7 days.
So, certainly I will be at EBI 6!! No matter what wheather.
And i agree no profit : no show.

An outsider's point of view-
All VW events in the US are for only one day. If you're racing, you don't have time to waste cruising the swap or chatting with your buddies in the show area. If you're swapping, you can't be bothered with racing or show cars (gotta find that deal!). You either race, or swap, or hang out with your buddies in the show. The impression I get from EBI (and some other European events) is that with 2-3 days you get to do a bit of everything, and I absolutely love that. So what if the track can't hold a 7 second car? Like Goodwood, the joy is seeing and hearing these old relics (cars AND drivers ;)) under their own power. If you're after a time slip, EBI might not be the place for you. But if you're a die hard Cal Look guy and into having a damn good time, I can't fathom anything better.

Back on topic... At one time or another I believe I've said that I would be attending all previous EBI's ::) I know enough now to say that #6 isn't going to be in the cards, but #7 is a legitimate possibility.

Roll on Bug-In!

You missed out SLOW "sorry old slow nail"

EBI really rekindled my love for VW Shows.

Everything about it took me back to the Good Old Days and I had a buzz from attending that lasted for days afterwards. :D

I love the different things on offer all around the site and that you can pick and choose exactly what you fancy and in what quantity ;D

Couldn't make it this year and have vowed to get my current project ready for the next EBI in 2015.

The first few shows were perfect and I didn't want to change a thing about it. I'm not involved with the racing side, so wouldn't dare to offer any comments about the track.

For me the show ticks far more 'Happy Boxes' than Negatives and I can't wait for the next EBI.

We (the wife and myself) have been to EBI 3,4 & now 5.
EBI 3 was in terms of people ,cars and entertainment fantastic.EBI 4 was mental,not in a good way,way to busy and the camping plus people turning up was crazy.We ended up camping through the stone pillars across the road right down at the bottom.I appreciate money has to be made. I am not daft but we said we would give it another shot as we make a full  holiday of it.
This time we turned up nice and early,plenty of pitches all roped out as per the campsite at H/O was,or so we thought.I think we must have been moved 4 or 5 times as it turned out that the camping was not the same as H/O.These spots were in fact 'reserved'.Would be nice if there were signs saying so.Trying to keep positive as we move to yet another spot sure wipes the shine off quickly.

This thread is not to be forgotten...countdown is running for next year´s EBI6!

Hello,

We are prepping 3-4 cars (-66 panel, -68 Westfalia, -71 Westfalia Riviera and -67 Kemperink) to EBI6 from North Finland (near Artic Circle) for EuroTour2015..
Long drive but doesn't matter, World best meeting is MUST.. see You at Pat and after that at EBI6.

Well I will be there in 2015... Just like I have EVERY YEAR since 2007 ;)

I only missed ONE YEAR in my own vw and that year I was in my Ex's Bus..........

I know a few friends who won't be there, They also quoted "Its too much like bug jam" But I don't really "Get" this  :-\

What its become too successfull?? Yes there will always be Families, Dogs, Idiots with Radio flyers etc etc etc but its US that make this event and if WE don't make the effort others will drift away too  :-\

I will also agree that if your expect a "Proper Race Track" then your gonna be disapointed, Its just for FUN!!!!

I remember a certain Yellow Cabrio "Havin Fun" a few years ago hehehehehe ;)

Hello Lee,

Hopefully nobody compare EBI to BugJam.. those are totally different, how it can be like BugJam? totally insane..
I don't know where You are coming but we will have to drive frist almost 600km until we are out of Finland then by ferry to Germany and from there to PAT and EBI..
So enough driving.. Luckily we can rest our ass at ferry. It takes almost 30 hours..

Hey dude :)

You guys "Get It"  ;)

Its about "Making the effort" and the "Road-Trip" and hanging out and getting slightly drunk on weird european Beers & spirits with Great European friends..... And if there is a few Fast VW's having fun out on the "Track" then all the better  :)

If you REALLY want to race then why not make the effort and head up to SCC at the fastest track in europe ;)
http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,23865.0.html

Come on.... lets make 2015 a good one!!!  :)

Lee,

I know what You mean ;-)

SCC has been put on my time schedule.. hopefully all will went like I have planned after BCS at Stocholm..
I have planned to leave -71 Westfalia Riviera at friend's at Helsinki so I don't have to drive between North and South all time.. I will just take plane and then back it again to Helsinki and then to SCC

Pete

I will be there. Ordered my ticket already

The demise of VW Gasser Garage is something with big impact on EBI racing atmosphere :-(

Don't think like that dude....

We'll all still be there ;) :)

Well, a lot of gassers are on "private" hands in Europe today so I don´t think this is a coffin nail for the event.
For me, it´s always been about the great people you meet at events like EBI.

And I´m really looking forward to hopefully seeing two-lane racing again this year!

I'm in , just like every previous edition

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babababahh baBAAAAHHHHHHHH...!!!!   Hi ALL, Well its that time once again for some fun in Chimay. I am going to try my best to navigate the entire grounds this time in an effort to reach those not in touch with the full scope of the event. My question to YOU ALL is how can I personally make this a better show for those attending..? I stay on the drag course for a while and try my best to get around, but to be quite honest, it is quite a task to cover Everything throughout the hectic weekend of excitement. I welcome new ideas from those of you that either have attended before or for those of you attending for the ffirst time in an effort to bridge the gap of the many different styles and types of people and their cars. There will be Many VW people from the States as well as other countries coming over once again and a host of new attendees as well and want everything to go as Smooth as posssible. The staff has done a brilliant job in handling certain things and if I can take the heat off of their stress then I will have accomplished my goal. So.. positive input is most welcome at this time and I will do my part in providing what I am able to to make your stay more enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing ALL of YOU once again..!!  EBI 6 coming to Chimay SOON.  Thank You, Dyno Don Chamberlin  ps, dont wait until the last minute for reservations or anything else as we only have a few months left on the calendar.  ENJOY the Weekend..!!

got my ticket yesterday  , so i'm ready to see you my friend  ;) , but before i will see you at bug in 40

My ticket arrived today :)

Don, you need one of these for the weekend: http://www.segway.com/

Only come on sunday....

The Segway is  so cool...But...Im still "Old School" in just about everything I do / LOL...         

Yay! Happy that I started this thread many moons ago! My tickets arrived today!

Tic...Tic...Tic...   Just a week away and droolin' at the chops. Hope to see everyone soon and lets hope for some good Cali weather to follow me to CHIMAY..!!  Peace Out, Dyno Don

Can't wait!
See you there!

Cheers

Roberto (Italy)

Just washed the car and started to get my shit together.  Who else is going.  Seems like a few people are dropping out.

i going like i did every year all ready.
seems like the forecast is getting better as well.
so might wash my car as well this year.

henk!!!

I'll be there  8) 8)