Local Innisfail Ice Racers Share their Blue
Paint
(Drivers take
racing to an extreme level)
> By Jennifer Wilson,
Imagine
this. It's a cold winter day. Cars are lined up side by side,
their engines revving, waiting for a race to begin. All of a
sudden
the 30 vehicles take off at once from a standing start. They
rip down
a straightaway and head right into a 90 degree angle turn.
They are
reaching speeds of 70 miles an hour. It is best described as
"well-organized chaos." Sound crazy? Now imagine
all of this done on
ice. Driving in winter conditions can be harrowing at times,
but for
three Innisfail men, ice racing is about as fun as you can
get.
"It's just insane," said driver Rick
Moreau. "You couldn't fathom what
it's like to put a
car in there, most people would freak out."
Moreau, along with his teammates Alistair Loughlin and Sonny
Christensen, compete in an ice racing circuit through the Northern Alberta
Sport Car Club. Ice racing is similar to rally car racing, except it's on an
ice track. The track is created by clearing snow off a frozen lake. It's
configured in Grand Prix style, with curves, straights and 90 degree angle
turns. And as the race goes on, the ice
becomes more and more polished from all the tires spinning over it, which helps
to increase speed.
So what
would possess someone to willingly take part in such an activity?
"You can't get a better thrill,"
said Moreau. "It's the best natural
high." This is his first year
competing in the sport. While he said it was tough at first, as the season
progressed he got better. Moreau used to race
stock cars while living in
ice. His teammate Loughlin has
been racing in the circuit for the past seven
years and got Moreau and Christensen
involved this season. And the guys
have been doing well. Loughlin is
sitting 12th in the standings out of 26
drivers, Christensen is 18th and
Moreau is 21st.
Since the
beginning of January they have been racing every two weeks at
Rob's
over the weekend, for a total of six races a day. The first
is a strictly
Chevette class. Every car uses the same kind of non-studded
tires. The
second class is called non-studded. It's an open class where
you can use
any type of car with non-studded tires. After a successful season, the team has now
qualified for the finals, being held in Lac La Biche
on March 3 and 4. "We're really excited we get to go up to the
finals," said Moreau, adding that he's pleased all three of them will
be going this year.
He said
he's looking forward to that race because the track is twice the
size of what they're used to. Moreau also thinks they'll be
able to reach
even higher speeds on it.
And while the sport may sound dangerous to some, Moreau said the races
are very well organized. Each driver has to have a proper licence
before he or she can compete.
Drivers are trained through the Northern Alberta
Sport Car Club and the races are sanctioned through the association as
well. And Moreau explained that the
driver is safe. Vehicles have race roll cages, a racing seat and a five point
harness to keep the driver securely in the car.
"They're mini tanks, you can
take a good hit," he said. Every corner of the track also has a flag
person to tell drivers if any incidents have occurred up ahead. But Moreau said
the most important thing to do when you're driving is to pay attention to
what's coming up around the next corner. You can't see far ahead of you and the
snow banks are very high. Driver vigilance is key to
running a safe race. "Your concentration is on your sight line,"
he said. "You can't stop these cars.
You have to pay attention and be in control."
