What I did on my weekend

We don't get that much snow here. But we're setting a few records and such, and we've had a serious cold snap that started with about a 6" snowfall. On Tuesday I got a call from our local track asking if I'd like to set up a snow day. They offered a cut-rate price on the track fee.

Well, duh.

We got about a dozen cars out. There were the Inevitable Subarus, an A4, a couple of Miatas, an F350 and an SVT Raptor. Oh, and I grabbed a set of decade-old Hakks and brought this little guy out.

A huge amount of fun was had by all. The temperatures were around 20F with a perfectly clear sky, and the track was prepped with a blade and nothing else. The Raptor was being driven in full-on dorifto style and certainly helped clean the track off as well as widen it out, so the track changed quickly over the course of the day as the soft snow turned to polished ice with clear patches. We didn't have timing going, we were just having a good time. Mission accomplished.

Here's a little home video you might enjoy. 3:20 or so of snownanigans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZccEHN8QelI

I saw it on FB, looks like a pile of fun. Anyone got footage of the Raptor?

I have some roof cam of the Raptor. He was trying to drift so much that he was slow as molasses and spinning on about every second corner when the camera was on the roof. It's actually not that compelling IIRC.

I'll be putting together a video of other cars at the event if I can get footage from other folks.

There's something very special about flying around on ice. X2 if you swam or canoed there a few months ago!

I slammed my 2wd Ranger into a snow bank on the edges of our "race course" and couldn't move. My friend in his F150 4x4 hooked his strap to my rear bumper a d pulled my out. Thing was, he didnt stop! He dragged me backward in circles for the next several minutes and there wasn't a THING I could do but watch out my back window!

Sorry to derail the thread!

<-----jealous. I can't see the video from my office, but the description sounds awesome. I'd love to try something like that. Hooning a car on a snow covered race track would be teh bomb

If you can't see YouTube, the video's also on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152166426293623

Snow + locost = win.

Fantastic!

YouTube has blocked the video

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Looks like someone needs a rally driving school certificate in their stocking next week...

Man, I'd love to do that- drives my wife crazy when I drive like that on open roads.

I just looked up Grand Junction Motorspeedway on Googlymooglymaps and it's a snow pic!!

This interests me more than a standard track day.

Keith, sounds like this is what you actually needed:

http://moonlaser.com/iceracer.html

ebonyandivory wrote: There's something very special about flying around on ice. X2 if you swam or canoed there a few months ago! I slammed my 2wd Ranger into a snow bank on the edges of our "race course" and couldn't move. My friend in his F150 4x4 hooked his strap to my rear bumper a d pulled my out. Thing was, he didnt stop! He dragged me backward in circles for the next several minutes and there wasn't a THING I could do but watch out my back window! Sorry to derail the thread!

We all need friends like that.

I've taken a rally school. The one I took wasn't that much use from a driving standpoint, it was mostly about how all the paperwork works. Although we did finish with the world's muddiest rallycross. On an unrelated topic, I don't recommend buying used rental cars. Specifically Hyundais that were rented out of Las Vegas.

This is awesome. I wish more groups did this, there is no reason we should shut down in the winter, snow only makes it more fun

That is awesome. I've been meaning to try this for the past few winters - it looks like a blast.

How did the car do in the deeper stuff?

alfadriver wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: Looks like someone needs a rally driving school certificate in their stocking next week... Man, I'd love to do that- drives my wife crazy when I drive like that on open roads.

Lol, looks like he's just messing around on what looks like sheer ice under the snow in a Locost, and on really old Hakk's. He seems to run a bit faster/harder thru Targa Newfoundland in a V8 Miata.

Video still works for me (thank goodness, because I just posted it...)

"snownanigans"

Why has this term not been coined before? Well played. claps

Glad you liked it

Just messing around sums up the day pretty nicely. I mean, how serious can you be when you're doing something like that?

Here's an 8-year-old video of the same car on the same track in the summer.
http://www.cheapsportscar.net/videos.php?no=13

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Man that looked like fun

this reminds me: i need to get out onto the small (10 acre or so) lake in the middle of the farm and drill a few test holes to see how thick the ice is... figured i'd use that as a test track before taking the Neon out to a "real" ice race..

That looks like a real hoot. It makes me wonder what your car has for a heater, though.

Heater? It's got an engine.

Mr_Estrotica wrote: That looks like a real hoot. It makes me wonder what your car has for a heater, though.

what kind of a Bob Costas are you?