Ice racing was a mixed-bag of fun and disappointment, but at least we didn't conduct a re-enactment of the Titanic. The day started with an inspection and registration of our Jeeps. Having never done this before, Toby, Ethan, Shawn were excited but nervous about the event. Our main concern was falling through the ice. At registration, officials were asked whether anyone has ever fallen through. Their response was a resounding "Yes." Needless to say, this information did not calm the contestants' nerves, but were reassured that the 15 inches of ice would support our treasured Jeeps.

With a couple of hours before starting time, we were able to test our vehicles on the ice. Toby's and Shawn's faired much better in testing than Ethan's, due mainly to our large tire size. Poor Ethan spun out of control while Toby yelled, "No Ethan, THIS way!"

Before the racing began, Mike Pritt and his family showed up to lend their support. We had many discussions on how low to take the air pressure in the tires, and on whether or not to run in 4 Lo. The decision was mixed on the tire pressure, but everyone agreed that 4 Lo was a necessity.

And they're off!
Toby went first. With cheers from his fellow CFSJA members, he started off around the course. It was a surprisingly slow trek and difficult to maintain control. Keeping the vehicle within the track cones turned out to be a grueling process for this first-timer. Rounding the last turn, he noticed that he was behind, and gunned it to make up the length. This proved futile because the tires spun so fast that traction was impossible.

Lesson 1: Don't "floor it" on ice.
Shawn was the next to race. With a honk and a wave, he was off. He was fairing much better than Toby, and led the race most of the way. Tragically, he went to the wrong side of the cones at the finish line, which he reached well ahead of his competitor, and was disqualified from his race. From now on Shawn will be known as "Black Flag".

Lesson 2: Always finish on the outside.
It was finally Ethan's turn when Adam and James showed up to add their support. With a mighty blast of a train whistle, he began his run -- the last hope for the CFSJA. Ethan had very good control compared to practice, but in the end, lost by about a car length.

Lesson 3: Mud tires are NOT good on ice.
Even with our losses we kept our shiny sides up and our wheels out of the water. We retreated to the safety of the shoreline, and thanks to "Go Go Gadget" Ethan and his trusty air compressor, aired our tires back up. We headed for the local Dairy King (yes, Dairy King), posed for the mandatory event of drivers in front of their rigs, and talked about the days events over a bite to eat.

The ice racers were a very entertaining event that we can all recommend to anyone. With the knowledge that we now have, the CFSJA will be a force to reckon with at next year's races.