RICK @ the RACES  (31 Jan 2010)

31 Jan Tupper Lake NY (AMEC) Ice Races)

The days leading up to last week end were quite frigid in the Cornwall, Ontario area where we endured some of the coldest temperatures I’ve experienced in these parts. It was minus 30 degrees centigrade with the wind chill factor, a feeling of cold I haven’t felt since I was trucking in northern Ontario a few years back.

On the positive side, it looked good for the weekends ice racing.

I was up bright and early on Sunday morning for a visit to Tupper Lake, New York, to see the AMEC ice racers in action. It’s about a two hour drive from Cornwall and it was snowing quite a bit as I crossed the Adirondack Mountains. Luckily by the time I pulled into Tupper Lake the snow had stopped.

The AMEC guys raced at Tupper Lake for the first time last year, it was a big success and went down well with the locals. It was no surprise when I saw it added to this years schedule.

One of the first people I met was my friend Claude Hutchings, the AMEC president.

He took me out for a few laps around the circuit on his plow truck before dropping me off at good spot to take photos. His son Claude Jr was racing, and doing double duty.

Not only was he competing in the Super Modified division but he was in the full fender sedans too , driving a SAAB. There were plenty of cars in attendance and some fierce racing took place, especially with the Super Modifieds.

When I go ice racing, I rarely stay for the full program, as it’s simply too cold to be standing around taking photos for too long. My fingers tend to go numb after a while and the camera batteries don’t like it either !

Once I’d got enough action pictures to satisfy my needs I came off the ice and took a wander round the pits.

I then met up with dirt Modified pilot Matt Delorenzo once again. Matt who is a multi race winner at the Fonda Speedway NY competes with AMEC in the winter.

He’s in the Super Modified division and I first chatted to him at the Lake Algonquin (Wells NY) races a few years back. Once the regular racing season gets under way, he told me he’d be back on his usual patch at Fonda and the Utica Rome Speedways NY.

I then moved on to chat to the ‘two Claude’s’. As well as ice racing, Jr is an accomplished dirt racer, and after taking his SAAB to victory many times at the Brewerton Speedway NY, he’s moved up to DIRT Sportsman. A brand new BICKNELL has been purchased for the 2010 campaign. With a lot more SPORTSMAN races taking place in my area this year I’m hoping to see him action more often.

I left Tupper Lake soon after our chat , and before long was heading back across the mountains towards Cornwall.