Tell me about Winter Ice Racing.

[spoonie]

is this door to door, or like solo2? can i do it in my daily driver, or will it get destroyed?

i'm kinda interested, but kinda terrified at the same time.

~spoonie

[soloZ]

Well it happens in the winter, and it isn't anything like solo2, and I don't think you would want to use your daily driver because there is a great potention for some good damage.

[ice/solo racer]

Well Spoonie,you have classes based on running with studded tires and non studded tires,after that the non studded class are broken down into 2 fwd class based on wheelbase and rwd and awd-none can have an engine larger than 3.0ltrs.You can do pretty much anything you like as far as performance mods short of forced induction on a car wasn't offered that way from the factory(factory turbo/supercharged are allowed).
Stud tire class are simply fwd,rwd(allowed unlimited engine size)and awd.
You will NOT want to use a car you don't want banged all to hell after even just weekend as the races are standing start with everyone in your class at once for 12 laps of a nearly 1 km track.
Oh and there is another set of classes for a second driver so you could share the fun(and car prep)with a buddy or drive both classes yourself for the seat time.
Ideally if you could find a smaller fwd car for about $100 that runs and has brakes you could have yourself an ice racer,might not be a front runner but you will have a blast and there's always someone to race with on track.Don't worry about HP in a car as even 60hp can do very well,my brother ran a old dodge colt last year and I don't think it even has 60hp.First race out of the box started dead last and worked thru the field to get a a top five!.(that was his first ice race in 2 seasons)
Yes ice racing can be a little intimidating at times,stud class especially(try hitting an apex at 70mph in a blizzard of snow and ice chips with 5 other cars within inches!!)non studded gets a little crazy on the starts as its usually 3-4 wide into turn 1 on the starts.
I'd go and check out some races this winter before you commit to building one,pretty much everyone there is willing to help a new guy in the right direction,poke around in the pits and ask questions.

[JGraves]

The MCO has a winter Solo 2 series near Ottawa as well as winter driving schools. Here is the info from our web site (www.mco.org), Look under Ice Racing then click the Slush & Slide link. It has not yet been updated to reflect the 2004 season.

Jeff

MCO Slush 'n Slide Series:
The MCO Winter Slush 'n Slide Series is a four (4) event series held in January and February every year. The events are held in the parking lot of Capital City Speedway. We plow a complex course in the lot, and groom the track to ensure a good surface for the competition. This is also the same facility which we use for our winter driving schools - if the students taking one of our classes wants to participate in the competition, we give the student free entrance to their first Slush 'n Slide event.

The series is governed by set of regulations, the Winter Solo II Rules. All competitors should have read and understood the rulebook prior to the competition. Helmets are required by all competitors and passengers - helmets must meet current CASC-OR Solo II regulations. Check for the current regulations at the CASC-OR Solo Ontario website.

Check the schedule for date and times of upcoming events.

Events are held on Sundays, it is recommended that one arrives early for technical inspectioon if you are participating. Racing usually starts between 9:00 and 10:00am. Entry fees are $20 for club members and $25 for non-members per event.

Also, it is very important to call the club hotline at (613) 788-0525 prior to every event as it is updated on the status of the event if it is being held or not.

Want to see what it's like? View a Windows Media Clip of some cars in action at our Winter Solo II events.

For more information, contact the Club's Executive

[Logan]

I ran one of the MCO events last year when my new car was 3 days old.
It was a lot of fun, I plan on going back this year.