Snow-X

We've had a dismal winter with hardly any snow in Ottawa. Our Motorsport Club has struggled valiantly to maintain our winter driving school facility, but it's been hopeless.

Usually the track, plowed out in a big parking lot, has many different configurations possible. But this year we've given on up on most of it and concentrated on saving just one big loop. That loop has been watered down to build a solid ice base: [www.youtube.com]

Whoa baby, did that ever work well!!!

Wednesday night we held a timed "Snow-X" event and man-oh-man was it ever slick.

Run 1: [www.youtube.com]
Run 2: [www.youtube.com]
Run 3: [www.youtube.com]
Run 4: [www.youtube.com]

Ferd...you just made me miss the iX a whole lot; thanks

Until you've driven one, you just can't know how sure footed they are on the ice

That's not a "snow-x", that's ice racing! Very cool.

Watching you slide around out there so painfully made me think: I really love my studded tires.

That's sort of what we do around here on frozen lakes. We had an event last year where the lake was hockey-rink smooth, with not a snowbank in sight, and driving without studs was sort of like that.

With our events we let the cars with bolt tires go first. They chew up the ice nicely, which then lets the street-studded cars get better grip, and finally the unstudded cars go last. By that time they ice is usually bumpy enough that there's a bit of a purchase for the tires.

We're having our first ice time trial of the season this Sunday on Lake Champlain. I'll try to get some video.

__________
Dave
'91 325iX

We take turns marshalling, checking to make sure no one goes off course, gets stuck, or knocks over pylons etc. Each time after completing your run you're supposed to report for marshalling duty and you get assigned to a different corner each time until relieved by someone else when it's time for your next run.

This time though we had to do it differently. We got split into two separate run groups. Everyone in the first group got assigned to a particular marshalling post and stayed there for the duration while everyone in the second group got to run twice. Then we switched over, the first group driving while the second group did marshalling.

The reason for that -- the ice was so friggin' slippery we figured it was just way too dangerous to have people constantly walking out and back from marshalling posts. Sure, driving on that slippery ice was tricky. But try walking on it, that was actually deadly dangerous!!

We don't allow studded tires. Usually it's just a compacted snow cover on this parking lot over mostly gravel and some paved sections. The ice surface wasn't thick enough and studded tires would quickly chew through it. Now it's glass smooth and ridiculously slippery.

Tomorrow is our next winter driving school session. Our students are in for a treat.

Quote
Ferdinand
We've had a dismal winter with hardly any snow in Ottawa. Our Motorsport Club has struggled valiantly to maintain our winter driving school facility, but it's been hopeless.

Usually the track, plowed out in a big parking lot, has many different configurations possible. But this year we've given on up on most of it and concentrated on saving just one big loop. That loop has been watered down to build a solid ice base: [www.youtube.com]

Whoa baby, did that ever work well!!!

Wednesday night we held a timed "Snow-X" event and man-oh-man was it ever slick.

Run 1: [www.youtube.com]
Run 2: [www.youtube.com]
Run 3: [www.youtube.com]
Run 4: [www.youtube.com]

Dancing in the dark That's weird, you guys having little snow this year. Every week we had a good snow for awhile there. I like winter just as much as the next guy but my poor back was starting to give out!

I wish we could have events here, on the Island. We used to!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2011 02:00PM by Dave_G.