RICK @ the RACES ( 25 Jan 2009 )

Sun 25 Jan            Ice Racing Beauharnois, Quebec

If we could turn back the clock to 1970 , you’d find me in my final year at the Millvale Secondary School in Dunstable ( Bedfordshire, UK) .

One of my chosen subjects was Geography and I can remember, my teacher , Mr Ferris telling us about the great St Lawrence Seaway that linked the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. It allowed access to ships from all over the world to reach the industrial centers of Detroit and Chicago. I recall one of my home work projects was to draw a map of it’s path from the Atlantic Ocean, through Montreal to Lake Ontario. At that time, I had no idea I’d end up living within walking distance of that famous stretch of water, or that on a Sunday afternoon in January I’d be standing in the middle of it !

Well, during the winter it’s not uncommon for temperatures to drop to minus 25 centigrade and as a result the Seaway freezes over . For a few months each year the shipping traffic comes to a halt and the race car drivers come out to play.

One of the longest running venues for ice racing is at Beauharnois, close to Montreal (Que). It’s about an hours drive from my place in Long Sault (Ont) and it was the first place I witnessed ice racing back in 2003.

I usually try to get back there at least once each year and that was my destination this past weekend. Each year the tracks actual location seams to change slightly and this time it was further out from the shore. In the past It’s been possible to see the racing from a small park close to the band stand on ‘land’ . I’m not keen to drive my car on the ice unless I really have to, but in order to get a better view I had no choice. I joined the many other spectators who watched the action from the warmth of their cars parked around the track.

The oval is about 3/8 of a mile and the race cars are separated from the spectators by man-made snow banks. Their are two divisions for cars (4 and 8 cylinders) which were joined this year by quad-bikes.

Beauharnois was not my in my original plans for this week, as I’d hoped to claim a new track (ice) at Black Lake, close to Watertown, New York. The event was on the 2009 schedule for the CNYIRA (Central New York Ice Racing Association), but due to insurance issues they had to pull the plug on it. This weekend I’m hoping for better luck when the AMEC ( Adirondack Motor Enthusiasts Club) make their debut on at Tupper Lake , near to the US Olympic resort of Lake Placid.  Check out their website. www.icerace.com