DDonovan

Links to Past Poker Runs:

• 2010
• 2011

You may need to scroll through the pages to find the pictures but pictures are there !!!

Hope to see you there !!!

DDonovan

What is a Poker Run? Since I have been asked I thought I would basically explain a Poker run and how it works.

A Poker run is a rally that doesn't have anything to do with speed. Everyone starts from the same location and either travels as a group or single and heads to a common ending point (in our case Mt Washington Resort in the Comox Valley). Along the route there are checkpoints that each vehicle must get to. You are supplied with a detailed map but none of the locations are hard to find. For those that know the island they can take off as a single or as a group and head whatever way they wish. Those that don't know the island and want to have more of the scenic tour can go with another group that will have some local owners and we will take the ocean routes to the checkpoints.

At each checkpoint will be a deck of cards. Each car selects a card. If you don't like the card you get, you can pre-purchase "mulligan" tickets which allow you to exchange the card at the checkpoint and return the card you first selected. Mulligan tickets are purchased at the start of the event and you can only purchase 3 tickets. Of course you "draw" a card you don't get to see what it is until after you have it in your hand.

Once you get to the finish you should have 7 cards. From those cards you make the best Poker hand you can and submit it to the event people. We have a nice sit down dinner at Mt Washington Resort (last year was Carved Roast Beef and Chicken Cordon Bleu with a great selection of salads and other nice things). During the dinner you are encouraged to purchase tickets for the silent auction items with all proceeds going to Camp Shawnigan. After dinner we award the silent auction items and we then award prize money to the 1st, and 2nd, and 3rd place card hands.

After that we have the bar and the facilities until midnight.

Most of the participants will stay on the Mountain in various accommodations that are available. Participants of the Poker Run do get a special rate on the Mountain. It is also possible to attend the festivities and still make it down to Nanaimo to catch the ferry to the mainland, should staying overnight not be an option. The next day we normally cruise back to Victoria as a group stopping someplace for lunch. This year it is proposed that we may include a further 'sight seeing' tour further up the island, before making our way back.

Any questions, don't hesitate to PM me or fire me an email at dave.donovan@elocas.com

Thanks and I hope you can make it out to this worthwhile event.

DDonovan

OK all the checkpoints have been confirmed:

Starting Point ==> BC Systems building on corner of Seymor Place and Cloverdale (9:30 start).
ChkPnt #1 ==> Campus Honda (Victoria)
ChkPnt #2 ==> Discovery Honda (Duncan)
ChkPnt #3 ==> Nanaimo Honda (Nanaimo)
ChkPnt #4 ==> Sunrise Ridge Waterfront Resort (Parksville)
ChkPnt #5 ==> French Creek House Resort (Parksville)
ChkPnt #6 ==> Arrowsmith Golf and Country Club (Quallicum Beach)
ChkPnt #7 ==> Island Honda (Courtney)
Finish Point ==> Mt Washington Resort (Alpine Villiage, Comox Valley)

Thanks to all the businesses donating their time to help out with the event.

DDonovan

What is Camp Shawnigan? I have been asked by a few interested people, what is Camp Shawnigan.

Camp Shawnigan is the recipient of all proceeds from the Japanese Import Poker Run. I selected Camp Shawnigan for two reasons

1) The kids
2) The kids parents.

But what is Camp Shawnigan? Well the camp is run by The British Columbia Lions Society under the Easter Seals program. It is one of a few specialized overnight camps for children with Disabilities. Not only does this camp provide some form of normality for the kids that go there, but it also offers the parents a well deserved break. Allowing a disabled child to attend summer camp and putting a smile on the face of that child is what the Poker Run is all about.

On average it takes $2,300.00 to send a disable child to camp for one week. The camp has specialized staff that can address the needs of each child on an individual basis. They schedule activates that are challenging and fun. They allow the kids to be kids and for a brief week in the child’s life, they help make that child smile and make that child experience what so many of us take for advantage.

Find below a link to the Camp Shawnigan web site and read about all the wonderful work that they do. If we can get together and have some fun and raise money for the great cause, then we all win.

http://www.eastersea.../camp-shawnigan

Thanks for helping me to help the Kids! If you can attend, please do, it truly is a wonderful, fun event with an excellent cruise, great prizes and raffle items, fantastic dinner in a wonderful mountain resort, and some truly great people. I hope to see you there.

Importmeet.com has been helping to sponsor the event and has offered hosting of a registration form for this event. That form will be open on April 14th, for participants to register for the event. I will announce when the form is ready.

Have a great day !
Dave

DDonovan

The registration form is complete and is being hosted with Importmeet.com. They are sponsors of the event and have agreed to host the registration form. Importmeet.com has nothing to do with hosting the event itself or are they part of the organization team, they are just helping out the import meet community by offering me a space to host the registration form,although they will be attending the event this year. Big thanks to Matt at Importmeet.com for all his help.

You can find the registration form here:

Japanese Imports Poker Run Registration Form



Please sign up early ...,

maitre

iTrader: (1)

This looks like a blast! I wish I could somehow be there. Always wanted to do some touring out west, this drive seems like the perfect thing. Maybe some day ...

Is there a place out west that rents RX8s? XD

DDonovan

This is Victoria..., I hear you can rent Lambo's here..., or at least you could, till a father got one for his sons 19th birthday and he smacked it into a wall on the Malahat.

Honestly I don't know if they do or not..., Hope to see you out someday though.

DDonovan

One of the NSX crew that lives up in Courtney has offered his 5 acres of grassy land up to anyone that wished to bring a tent. Most of us stay up on the Mountain on the Saturday night. We do get a deal on the rooms, last year it was between $89.99 and $119.00 depending on the room type. Paris from NSXPrime lives at the bottom of the mountain and as such this is a perfect way to save some cash.

I realize that with a ferry and the event costs that can get expensive, so Paris has offered up his property to anyone that wants to tent it to try and save some money. He also said anyone that wants to bring up a trailer or something like that is welcome to as well. Just thought I would pass that on..., and a big thanks to Paris from NSXPrime.

Contact me and I will put you in touch with Paris.

DDonovan

We have started to firm up some details for the Poker Run this year. All checkpoints have been set (see above posting). We also now have some of the sponsorship items coming in. The Honda Way in Abbotsford has donated a week in Whistler trip. Discovery Honda in Duncan will once again be providing us with a BBQ. Mt Washington will again be providing us with ski and tubeing passes.

I have also contacted Mt Washington administration, and they have once again graciously offered us a discount on accomodations.

Lodge room in Deer for $99 + taxes
Range is $99-$189 (3 bedroom)

"Best to call
250-338-4383 or toll free 1-877-845-4499, and please ask them to be
consistent with who they say they are with - I think last year we had a
few different names floating around. Poker Run participant?"
Our discount code is "POKER".

Many sponsors have signed on but have not provided a list of what they are going to supply. They include Saunders Subaru, Island Honda, Nanaimo Honda, French Creek Resort, Sunrise Ridge Resort, Arrowsmith Golf and Country, WindRestrictor, and some others.

The Registration is going very well. Would like to see more local people signing up and thanks to those of you that have to take a ferry to get here. I realize that certainly adds to the cost and I am doing everything I can to keep costs as low as possible for you.

Obsidian

August 18th is my birthday, but I will be in Portland doing an auto-x.

DDonovan

May 11th Update:

Lordco is now offering us some sponsorship by donating some gift certificates for us to raffle off. As well Island Honda is providing some Tom Tom GPS units and some Honda Apparel. Arrowsmith Golf and Country club have donated 18 holes of golf for four including carts. Discovery Honda in Duncan is once again supplying us with a BBQ at the checkpoint. For those of you coming over on the Friday night, we have been given some gift certificates for The Swiftsure Lounge, so we may just go for a small cruise and end up down in the inner harbor for some drinks.

I am continuing to receive donation offers from sponsors, which means again this year we are going to end up with a lot of stuff..., Never a bad thing.

Last years prize money for the highest hand was $500.00 won by nightzone who borrowed mecton2003's S2000 while he was off in Libia for 6 months. Nightzone graciously donated $200 back to the charity. Second place won $300.00, and that prize went to Murray, an S2000 owner from Peachville. Third prize went to ssthrd from Parksville. That was a nice $200.00 and again went to an S2000 owner from our very own S2Ki. I expect that the prizes will be in the same denomination this year (depending of course on participation numbers).

I hope to have the menu posted soon, we are still working out the details around that.

Register Here: http://www.importmeet.com/2012-vanco...and-poker-run/

DDonovan

May 22nd Update

The schedule for the Poker Run is as follows:

Friday August 17th - Meet at the Poker Run Starting location (4000 Seymour Place) around 7:30pm. We will get together and I can hand out the maps and paper work to those that are here on the island already. After that perhaps a small cruise and we have been invited down to the Swiftsure Lounge afterwards, which is right in the inner harbour. We can have some appies and drinks.

Saturday August 18th - Arrive at the starting location for 9:00, Please don't be any later so I can get any paperwork off and we can have any announcements that need to happen. I want to send out the first crew no later than 9:30 and the second crew about 15 minutes later, again depending on how many participants we have by then. The event will last all day with a dinner and awards evening. We have the chalet until midnight so you are welcome to sit with us or you can go out and enjoy the Mountain. Dinner is normally around 7:00pm and is always excellent fair.

Sunday August 19th - Gather at chalet for 11:00. Last year one group continued on up island to Gold River, while the others headed back on a slow cruise back to Victoria stopping at one of the checkpoints for lunch.

If you are coming over from the mainland you can indeed make it back on the Saturday night. The Nanaimo last ferry leaves at 11:45 giving you time for dinner without a problem.

DDonovan

June 3rd Update

The menu is set. I have been working with the caterers up at Mt Washington resort to come up with a menu for the Poker Run and I think we have something that everyone is going to love.


Chef Attended Carved Roast Beef Au Jus
Breaded Alpine Schnitzel - tender breaded pork cutlets with hunter mushroom sauce
Garden Greens & Dressings
Spicy Thai Noodle Salad
Asian Sesame Ginger Slaw
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Wild Rice Pilaf
Steamed Seasonal Vegetables
Assorted Desserts

I also want to re-iterate that this event started out as a Honda/Acura event. Last year we invited out all Japanese Imports, this year the event is open to any car enthusiasts out there, exotics, European Imports, and tuner cars. You don't have to have a super modified car either. There will be some cars there that are completely stock.

Also if you can't attend but would like to donate in any way, please contact me. Lastly if you can't make the Poker Run but can come up for dinner with us, you can do that as well. The price would be $50.00 per person which includes a $22.00 donation to the charity.

Thanks to those that have registered for the event! I can't do this without you.

DDonovan

June 10th Update:

The top three donated items that will be up for raffle this year so far are:
1) One week in Whistler - donated by The Honda Way in Abbotsford.
2) One evening stay free at the Sunrise Ridge Resort on Vancouver Island (value $175.00).
3) Round of golf for 4 including carts - donated by Arrowsmith Golf and Country Club.

This is only 3 items, we have many, many more.

Monkey Nutz racing in Vancouver has also added sponsorship in the form of a donation of 2 motul 300v gift certificates worth approximately 200 each. Mt Washington has offered up some free Ski passes and Tubing passed for the upcoming season. Items continue to come in. Saunders Subaru will also be donating items again this year. We have also been offered as a donated raffle item, a gift certificate worth $50,000 yen towards a JDM imported car from Pacific Coast JDM in Japan.

Just a reminder that you MUST per-register for this event. I need to have rough numbers for ordering food, letting sponsors know about how many freebie items to provide, as well as to align arrival and departure times at each checkpoint so we can finish up in time for dinner at Mt Washington. When registering you have the option to select if you are 100%, more than 50%, or less than 50% committed to attending. Please if you are seriously thinking of attending, register early to help me out.

Register here:
http://www.importmee...sland-poker-run

There is only 2 months left and I have to cut off registration two weeks before the event so food orders can be put in. I will only be able to allow a handful of entries beyond that date. Payments will be required two weeks before the event as well.

Thanks in advance.

DDonovan

Registrations continue to trickle in, thanks to everyone that has registered, and to those that have already paid. We need to have 60 people attend the event to break even on the dinners. To get the deal that we do on dinners we have to commit to 60 people and we have hit that this week, assuming everyone on the list below attends. We just hit 34 cars which is great two months out. I am hoping to hit 40 cars this year but 50 would be very nice.

I am continuing to receive raffle items and adding to our sponsorship list. Closer to the date I will post up all of the raffle items that we have received so you have a good idea what will be offered.

I have started to compile the maps for this year as well. There are a few changes but all positive ones. Again I am making every effort to stay off the highways where we can, so we can enjoy the coast and it's abundance of twisties. Being as we have added two new CheckPoints, obviously there will be changes. It is challenging coming up with the map routes and keeping in mind the time it takes to do the route..., I can only say it will be BETTER than last year (as hard as that was to beat).

Please if anyone knows of anyone that might be interested in taking part in the event, or in helping out with some sponsorship, either get them in contact with me or you contact me and I will contact them. The event again is open to all Sports, Exotics, Tuner, and Import vehicles this year, either stock or not. For those that might be interested in sponsorship, we are looking for nice items to raffle off, some freebie stuff for participation gifts, or, of course, cash donations. I can offer a tax receipt for any cash donations if you request one. Sponsors are also welcome to put in a car as a participant. I only advertise this event on car forums so please help me get the word out. Q-FM will be doing a bit of advertising for the event for us and Saunders will be posting it up on their business sign shortly.

Thanks again everyone for helping me to make this an ongoing success!!!

Adam Michelson

Im in! (Tentatively) as I am going to SEMA again this year I have to be certain of my finances, so I will let you know by end of July!

DDonovan

Do you mind filling out the registration form? It is located on the importmeet.com site here:

http://www.importmeet.com/2012-vanco...and-poker-run/

On that form you can indicate what percentage you are confirmed ie 100%, less than 50%, more than 50%. You can then confirm your attendance in July. Thanks in advance.

DDonovan

Registration recieved ajmichelson, Thanks! You should get a recipt in the mail with all the information. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

DDonovan

June 23rd Update

5252 Motorsport in Victoria has donated one baseline Dyno, valued at $100.00, an oil change and fluid check voucher worth $140.00, and some t-shirts, plus some freebie participation goodies. If your at all interested in coming out please register for this fun and worth while event. If you have already registered, don't forget to contact the Mountain to reserve your rooms...,

Register Here:
http://www.importmee...sland-poker-run

DDonovan

June 28th Update

Good news! Mt Washington has modified their donation to a 2 night mid week accommodations in a one bedroom suite including two free ski passes. Thanks to Mt Washington management for adding in accommodations to their already generous donation.

We also have a new sponsor on board for this year. I would like to welcome and thank JJH INTERNATIONAL TRADING CO. INC. Authorized distributor for the BlackBox high end dashboard video camera for vehicles. They will be donating 3 different models of Dashboard cameras to the poker run as raffle items AND will be registering a demo car to the event. Thanks to Alex Jang, founder and president.

Registration has hit 40 cars. I am so pleased. We have a month and a half still to go so would like to see at least 10 more registrations bringing the total participation to 50 cars. Thanks to all those that have per-registered, its time to start thinking about payment for those of you that have not yet paid. Also don't forget to get your accommodations arranged via Mt Washington using our special discount code "Poker" or just mention you are part of the Poker Run.

DDonovan

July 7th Update

For those of you that are not familiar with a Poker Run below is an image of the ranking of Poker Hands. You will have 7 cards at the end of the rally and with those 7 cards you make your best 5 card hand. Not to worry though as the organizers will verify each hand. At the beginning of the rally each driver will have an opportunity to purchase a 'mulligan' ticket. This ticket will allow the user to exchange a card should they get one that does not go with their hand. You can only use a mulligan ticket once per checkpoint and you MUST be exchanging a card that you just received. Mulligan tickets will be on sale at the start of the rally and are $10 each or 3 for $25.

Maps have been completed and I will post them up next week so you can familiarize yourself with the route. I suggest that if anyone has a GPS to bring it. Each driver will receive a number of detailed maps to each checkpoint so it isn't necessary but a good thing to have just in case.

DDonovan

Thanks for the registration Drick.

DDonovan

July 16th Update

Well the Poker Run is just one month away. If you have registered it is time to start thinking about paying for the event, and a big thanks to those of you that have already paid me.

I have been told by a number of people that have registered that they have a bunch of friends interested in attending and will probably come along. If you are interested in attending please fill out the registration form locate here: http://www.importmee...sland-poker-run . For me to sort out starting times and how long we can stay at each checkpoint and the dinner times, as well as the dinner numbers themselves, I need to have people register in advance of the event. While I can add a handful of people say in the last week, I really need to have the numbers firmed up two weeks in advance of the event date. So fill out that registration form please.

Here is the route. For those of you that attended last year, the route has changed a bit. We have a few new Checkpoints this year in French Creek Resort and Sunshine Ridge Resort. Tigh-Na-Mara had other commitments and this year Mt Washington will only be the end point, it will not be a checkpoint. Again I have made every effort to show off our beautiful island and stay off the main highways. All roads have been checked to ensure they are good for our lowered cars.

Checkpoint #1 - #2 - From Campus Honda to Discovery Honda
Checkpoint #2 - #3 - From Discovery Honda to Nanaimo Honda
Checkpoint #3 - #4 - From Nanaimo Honda to Sunrise Ridge Resort
Checkpoint #4 - #5 - From Sunrise Ridge Resort to French Creek House Resort
Checkpoint #5 - #6 - From French Creek House Resort to Arrowsmith Golf and Country Club
Checkpoint #6 - #7 - From Arrowsmith Golf and Country Club to Island Honda
Checkpoint #7 - End - From Island Honda to Mt Washington Resort (Alpine Lodge)

Click on the links above to get a Google Map of the route. There is a checkbox that says "include large map", make sure that is selected to view the map. I will be supplying printed maps to all participants so you won't need to print these off. Really looking forward to seeing some of the previous participants and in meeting some of you new ones. Thanks again for helping me to help send these kids to summer camp!

DDonovan

July 23rd Update

3 weeks left till the event. Please start purchasing your tickets if you have not already done so. If you were not confirmed as attending, please let me know your status as it is time for me to start working on the event timing and ordering of supplies. If you are on the list below and know that you cannot attend please fire me an email and let me know. If you can't send me all the registration money, then contact me and we can arrange something.

Bear Mountain Gof and Country Spa have come onboard with a donation of two complimentary golf passes valued at $300.00. Derek Weldon, President of Pacific Coast Auto has mailed in his donated items as well..., these are coming from Japan so I hope they arrive in time. Below is a picture of what Derek has sent us to raffle off.



That is it for now. Again please if you can, contact me to arrange for payment for the event.

DDonovan

If your on the island this event is a pretty good deal. You get lunch, and dinner, some freebie stuff from sponsors, some really great raffle items (pretty much everyone went home with something last year), and a chance to win up to $500.00, a great ride and meet some nice people, all for $100.00. Now that is a deal! Raffle items include a week in Whistler, two days accomodations and lift passes to Mt Washington, free golf with carts, and much much more. Not to mention all the money goes to help send disabled children to summer camp.

Register Today:
2012 Vancouver Island Poker Run | Import Meet