Winter Motorsports: An Oxymoron?

Some may curse the snow and ice for making driving difficult, but I revel in winter's adverse conditions. Long ago I figured if I could master driving in less-than-optimal weather, I would be a better driver when conditions were good. Much of that personal instruction includes understanding the physics of tire traction and car control.

While I take driving seriously, I also enjoy driving for entertainment. Over the years I have had the pleasure of participating in many forms of motorsport, including time-speed-distance (TSD) rallies, stage rallies, road racing, ice racing, autocross, and some long distance events made up of a combination of the above. Here in the snow belt we have the unique opportunity to participate in winter rallies and ice races. The slippery surfaces keep traction to a minimum, making finesse more important than horsepower.

Ice Racing

The Arrowhead Sports Car Club (ASCC) was once a very active part of the racing scene in the region. Many local drivers began by running in rallies and autocrosses, then moved up to ice racing in the winter months and road racing at tracks like Brainerd International Raceway and Road America in the summer. The Minnesota Cup Ice Race was held from the 1960s through the mid 1980s in the Duluth area, usually at the end of Park Point. The International Ice Racing Association (IIRA) was formed to standardize rules and provide an annual championship series. In addition to Duluth, there were races on Lake Phalen in St. Paul, in Eau Claire, Forest Lake, Brainerd, Thunder Bay and Fort Francis. (Reader Publisher Bob Boone was a regular participant in the 1980s.)

A road-type course was plowed on the ice, which had to be at least 18 inches thick for safety. Drivers usually used smaller, more nimble cars, such as Saabs, Volvos, Mini Coopers, Renaults, VWs, Hondas and Datsuns on the ice. With good handling and low HP, they provided plenty of thrills. With the advent of studded tires in the late 1960s, the racers were able to gain some traction, but the number of studs was limited to restrict the amount of traction available. This still allowed cars with good handling and low HP to be competitive.

The IIRA continues to sanction a series of races every January and February in the region, but the number of racers has dwindled from the glory days of the early 1970s and early 1980s. Races are now held in Minnesota at Garrison on Mille Lacs Lake, Chisago City, Centerville, Wisconsin's Balsam Lake and in Thunder Bay, Ontario. IIRA's web site is: www.angelfire.com/mn/icerace/.

A milder form of this sport is Ice Trails, which allows the use of street legal cars. The cars compete against time instead of fender-to-fender. Depending on the event, studded tires may be allowed. Some events allow tires that are spiked with sharpened screws, like those used in motorcycle ice racing.

Winter Rallies

Probably the least expensive of all motorsports, rallying requires only a driver, a navigator and a car. No special trailers, helmets or thermal suits. However, a good set of snow tires is highly recommended and makes the experience much more enjoyable.

The navigator reads the routes and keeps the team on time, while the driver, well, drives. Winter rallies put on by the ASCC and other clubs in this area have courses that are easy to follow. The challenge comes in trying to maintain the given average speed on twisty, slippery roads. One competitor on the recent Wisconsin Winter Rally, held on logging roads near Solon Springs, said he was falling behind on a particularly twisting section of road despite the given average speed of only 36 mph. And he was driving an AWD, turbocharged Subaru WRX!

Carling

With the excitement building about the 2006 Winter Olympics, there has been more focus on the sport of curling. Those familiar with curling know that it is sort of a cross between bowling and shuffleboard, but played on ice.

Not to be left behind, a group of local motorsports enthusiasts (while sipping Leinenkugel's at a local groggery; after all the best ideas occur over beer) have come up with their own version of that sport, called carling. All it takes is a bigger rink and cars instead of granite rocks. Like in curling, the winner is determined by how close you can land your vehicle to the target.

Like any sport, carling has its own terminology.... In curling, the target is called the house, so in carling it is the garage. In curling the object used is called the stone; in carling it is the Buick (pronounced "bwick", like a three-year-old would pronounce "brick", or like "quick"). The team captain in curling is the Skip; in carling it is the Gilligan. Since the driver has some control via steering and brakes, there is no need for Sweeps to polish the ice, but if there were they would probably be called "fools" for standing in the path of a 2-ton mass with little control.

The "Buick" must be a full-sized American car with rear-wheel drive and brakes only on the rear wheels. The tires must have minimal tread, less than the 2/32" that is considered legal for street use. Consequently you're dealing with a heavy object that has little traction. You don't want to get going too fast, otherwise you'll have no control when you get to the garage. And with brakes only on the rear wheels, they are more likely to lock up and send the Buick into oversteer or a spin, especially if the front wheels are turned a little.

Once the Buick comes to a stop, the driver must exit because the next Buick may bump the earlier ones out of the garage, just like in curling. To keep from doing too much damage to the other Buicks, the bumpers must be replaced with full width 2x8s covered with carpeting or tire tread.

Despite the attention to rules and terminology, I don't know of anyone who has actually organized a Carling Bonspiel. Maybe we could plow a large sheet on the ice off Park Point this winter and the READER could sponsor the first ever Carling Competition. Bring the Leinenkugel's and I'll be there!