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Ice Racing on Lake George, Article in local paper Posted by Jon [Email]  (#11)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Jon) on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:23:18
In Reply to: Ice Racing on Lake George, NY this weekend, Jon [Profile/Gallery]
, Sat, 24 Feb 2007 06:18:45
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The fun of racing sideways
Sliding around is a fun aspect of ice racing at Lake George carnival
By SARAH SUTTON
ssutton at poststar.com
Published on 2/25/2007
LAKE GEORGE -- Rik Rydant is a car buff. He was a drag racer back in the '50, and always had a thing for vintage cars.
So when he read about ice racing in a vintage car magazine, he thought he might like it.
He went to Ohio and purchased a 1996 Saab 96.
The first time he drove his car onto a frozen lake, he knew he had found a new hobby.
That was two years ago, and the 63-year-old graphic designer hasn't stopped since.
"You wonder what is going to happen when you go around a corner," he said, standing by his pristine white racing car at the Lake George Winter Carnival on Saturday. "And then you go around the corner at full speed, and it feels great."
Unfortunately, Rydant, who lives in High Falls, was unable to participate in this year's race, because something went wrong with his car.
But that didn't stop him from watching as old Volvos, Saabs and Alfa Romeos circled the 3/8-mile track on Lake George, billowing up clouds of snow as they skidded around corners at 40 to 50 mph.
This is the second year the carnival has included Historic Ice Racing as an event, and most of the drivers in these races are an older breed -- car lovers who appreciate the workmanship of their cars and the skill it takes to maneuver them on ice.
They drive slower than the speedier drag-racing types, who are of a younger generation and maneuver their brightly colored cars around the ice at high speeds.
Some of those cars have fins, and if the track is big enough, they can hit 100 mph on the ice.
Some may call it crazy, but ice racers are loyal to their sport.
"I wish we could do it in the summertime," said Bruce Turk of Walden (Orange County), president of the Saab Club of America.
"The lack of traction just makes the whole thing crazy," he said. "You just slide sideways the entire race. You're at a 45-degree angle, looking out the side window instead of the front. I never knew you could go so sideways and still have so much control."
Hiking through the layer of slushy snow that covered the lake, spectators ignored the smell of gas that lingered in the air, ducked when a blanket of snow flew their way and screamed when the drivers got close to the edge of the track.
Many had come to Lake George for the weekend just to see the races, and others entertained ideas of taking up ice racing themselves.
"We're thinking about doing it next year," said 17-year-old Tom Green, who lives in Lake Luzerne and attended the race with some friends from New Jersey. "We've got an old Toyota we're going to fix up."
Georgia Murowski marveled at how different Lake George looks in the winter, especially when cars are streaking across the ice.
"We usually come in the summer," she said. "It is just so opposite. Last year we only saw motorcycles and ATVs. It's so different to see all these cars racing on the lake."
Photos by NATHAN PALLACE - NPALLACE at POSTSTAR.COM
Caption for left photo:
Ice racers in the vintage car category of Saturday's competition round a turn on the course laid out on the frozen surface of Lake George during the Lake George Winter Carnival.
Caption for right photo:
Super modified racers speed into a turn on the frozen surface of Lake George on Saturday morning during a racing competition associated with the Lake George Winter Carnival.
I hope to get some more photos today.
Jon
jon1..
, Sat, 24 Feb 2007 06:18:45, Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:23:08, Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:23:18 <-- Viewing This Message
, Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:10:26, Sat, 24 Feb 2007 16:02:14, Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:23:50, Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:54:41, Sun, 25 Feb 2007 05:48:26
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