Ice time trial - the answer is...

...what else, Miata!!!

My gf and I went to the Boston BMW CCA Ice Race this past Sunday. Took the Miata, my SW2 (both equipped with studded tires), as well as my gf's 5yo son, who was allowed to ride on course as long as he was properly belted in. We only competed in the Miata (the Saturn's rear brakes were starting to grind a bit), but we got to try both cars around the practice course. I found I was more comfortable and had more control over the Miata than the Saturn, despite the conventional wisdom that FWD is better than RWD in slippery conditions. This isn't surprising for me, since I've been doing various performance driving events in Miatas for several years, but my gf actually agreed with me - and she comes from the world of FWD Hondas. Wow.

And thanks to a few spins I incurred while playing around the practice course, I got to perfect my bootlegger turn technique.

I hate snow. I hate ice. But thay looks like FUNNN!

Agreed, RWD in the snowy stuff for me!

Sounds fun, great car for it too.

i would LOVE to try that !! looks like a good time....and a little crazy too.!

Searching Boston BMWCCA.....

RWD is always better when properly prepared. But the answer became '58 Pontiac last week. Looks like fun for all!

They do this in Pittsfield MA as well. I think this year will be the first in quite some time they've held it, at least as far as I know, and I've been away from the area for a few years. I think it's this Sunday.

When I was running this it was put on by Berkshire Motor Sports Club and called Ice Trials. Now it's MoHud SCCA and called Rallycross. I assume it's the same thing.

I started running in a '77 Civic with uber-studded snows. Then my mother needed snows so we pulled the studs out and she got the tires and I ran on all-season junk, big difference!

Last year I ran it was in my dying CRX Si on worn out summer tires. The plan was to send the car off to the crusher in style. If you could get five drivers in your car, you'd be your own class so we wouldn't have to compete with the other FWD cars on much more suitable tires. So I signed up my dad, a couple friends and one friend's girlfriend. It was going to be epic. But the weather warmed up and we weren't sure if the event was even going to take place. On the morning of the event they said it was but by then my friends had made other plans so it was just me and my dad. We wound up DLF and next to DFL to nobody's surprise.

If I was a little closer to Mass. I'd consider doing this weekend's event with the wife's box stock 93 Miata, even though we don't have anything remotely considering adequate tires for the job.

But I digress.

Claff wrote: They do this in Pittsfield MA as well. I think it's this Sunday.

Thank you!

Awesome! If the ice holds up this week, I'll be competing in my FIRST ice race this weekend with The Central NY Ice Racing Association! My dad, the lucky stiff, snagged a drive racing in a Menard tire equipped spec Miata last weekend. This weekend, our ice racing weapon will finally be back in action after snapping a sitting with a snapped timing belt all year.

The somewhat lesser known answer....

I <3 that answer ^^^^

My bad, I should've included a link: http://www.boston-bmwcca.org/EventDescription/2010/ice-racing.aspx

There will NOT be an event this coming Sunday - they just ran 3 weeks in a row, and there is (was?) an ice fishing derby scheduled this Sunday. After that, it's entirely up to lake conditions - mainly the land/ice transition, which is the weak link.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010100221019

Here is I from this past weekend. Before I punched a hole in the oil pan after straying off course and finding a soccer ball sized hunk of ice in my path. Repaired and running again. Now where's that skid-plate website!?!

Details on this Sunday's Pittsfield MA event are here:

http://www.mohud-scca.org/Solo/2010/20100228RallyCross.html

It might be different than in years past as I read details. I read in the above link that part of the schedule is "Course open for walking". When I ran back in the 80s/90s the course was far too long to walk and we just spent the morning running practice laps, watching the mirrors for faster guys. The front straightaway was long enough for third gear, sometimes fourth if you had a little Honda like I had.

I never broke anything running ice trials but remember having cars so rusty that ice would come in the floor and build up under the carpet to the point where I could feel cold, damp through the drivers seat bottom.

Oh wait, once I knocked the exhaust off a car, but it was probably halfway gone before the day started.

In real ice racing ,rwd sucks. They tend to get in the way of all the fwd cars. www.icerace.com

I have to amend that, in pupose built ice race cars with Menard ice race tires, then rwd will work.

Claff wrote: Details on this Sunday's Pittsfield MA event are here: http://www.mohud-scca.org/Solo/2010/20100228RallyCross.html

I've been trying that link for two days but it never works for me.

Worked for me, but here's a cut & paste of the text.

2010 Onta Lake Ice Rallycross - Current as of Feb. 19, 2010 Date Details Event Type February 28, 2010 Controy Pavilion Onota Lake Lakeway Dr Pittsfield, MA Entry fees: $25 for SCCA members $40 for non-SCCA members (includes $15 3 day temp membership)

Directions: Google maps link Please Note Due to a barrier about half way up Lakeway Drive, you'll need to come into Lakeway Dr from the NORTH end of the lake.

Schedule: Event officials report @ 7:00AM Entrants - follow Solo Event Schedule General registration and timeline information 7:45 am - Registration and Tech open 8:30 am - Course open for walking 9:15 am - Registration closed 9:30 am - Tech closed $10 late fee for late registration 10:00 am - Drivers Meeting 10:30 am - First Car Off

Officials: Event Chairman, Dave Kosla Primary Safety Steward, Scott Beliveau Second Safety Steward, Warren Elliot Registrar, Pete Nixon Timing & Scoring Chief, Russ Burckhard Scoring, Clark Nicholls & Dave Mele Tech Inspector, Jeff Kanetzky Course Designer, Robert Huiest Plow & Tow Detail, Mark Formel Worker Chief, DJ McArdle Waiver Manager, Will Schambach Ice Rallycross For up to the minute information see our message board here. NOTES Sound rules will be in effect at events. We ask you to please keep the cars quiet as possible. FEES
Members

$25 entry fee each day for members.
Non Members

$25 entry fee each day and a $15 temporary membership for the weekend.

Thanks, Marty.

It's still not working for me, but now I have what I need.

Contact info also:

Solo Contacts

solo@mohud-scca.org Solo Chairman

Bruce Kosakoski 59 Hoffay Rd. Averill Park, NY 12018 518-674-8816 (home) bkb@empireone.net

Russell Burckhard 19 Carpenter Dr Schenectady, NY 12309-3303 518-452-8085 russtduck@nycap.rr.com

Dermot J. McArdle 2954 NY 43 Averill Park, NY 12018 518-674-1510 (home) d510@nycap.rr.com