shinysideup Just saying no…to winter! By Ron Davis #111820
IN JANUARY AND February, weekends in the upper Mid- west are often a problem for me. I can only watch rehashes of the last NFL season, clean
my basement or binge-watch myself through old seasons of 24 so many times before I have to get out and do something. My knees are shot, so skiing would probably put me in a wheelchair. Snowshoeing, though I can appreciate the aesthetic attrac- tion, combines two of my least favorite activities, sweat-soaking labor and a glacial rate of speed, and I will forever be mystified over why someone would want to spend an afternoon doing something called “Curling.” So I was basically up for anything when Editor Bill Wiegand asked me if I’d be interested in watch- ing some motorcycle ice racing. On a Sunday in late January, I
gathered my riding buddy Ralph for a road trip to a nearby lake where an official Central Wis- consin Ice Racing Association (CWIRA) event was scheduled. After a drive giving us enough time to dispose of the most important topics of the day ( BMW’s new 350, why no one seems to know how to merge anymore, and yoga pants), we threaded our way through a campground to a parking area next to Partridge Lake in Fremont, Wis. I was immediately greeted by Jim Falke, president of the CWIRA for the last ten years, who was more than happy to show me around, introduce me to some of the racers, and give me some
12 BMW OWNERS NEWS April 2016
background about the sport. Jim, who’s been an ice racer both on two
and four wheels for more than twenty years said, “You know, it’s just a lot of fun, you get caught up in it. Normally the weather is good in the winter for ice racing—usually 20 to 30 degrees is wonderful—it’s just an enjoyable day.”
racing in elbow-to-elbow packs as tight as any I’ve seen at Road America. Without the “wrapped” fenders, Jim felt
that ice racing could be more dangerous than enduro or motocross in the summer. One rider, Mark Muth from Black River Falls who’s been involved in ice racing for 40 years, showed me scars crisscrossing the top of one hand resulting from tipping down in front of another bike before the special fenders were required. Another rider that day, Jack Potter from Tomah, said he thought ice rac- ing was actually less dangerous than summer motocross or enduro, since normally ice racing tracks are level and generally have even traction throughout. “Racing on the ice, the set-up of the bike is more important than anything else,” Jim claimed. “Also, you can have a lot of power and be a good rider, but if you can’t trans- fer your skills to the ice, which is obvi- ously slipperier than sand, mud, or dirt, then you’re not going to do well.” Hondas seemed to be king at this ice race (mostly 650s, 450s, and 250s) though there were a few Husqvarna, Yamaha, Suzuki and KTM bikes around. Riders told me they wear basically all the protection one would use for racing in the dirt, especially knee and elbow pads, and often more because of the cold temps and hard surface. Races are usually held on
Jim pointed out some of the differences
in the bikes used for ice racing, most obvi- ously the tires. Most riders at this race were using tires professionally studded by Larry Strangfele. Called “Strange Tires,” they have strategically placed carbide studs turned in different directions for the best traction. Ice racing bikes are also required to have modi- fied fenders, with front edges that sweep down over the front of the tires to keep the wicked-looking studs away from riders
lakes; however, sometimes the half-mile tracks are created on flooded fairground spaces. The event had all the feel of a rally, with friends swapping stories in each oth- er’s heated trailers, food vendors grilling up brats and burgers, and family groups watch- ing tiny riders earning their stripes in junior motorcycle classes and on peewee quads— it was a party! One racer, Joe Haasl from Wisconsin Rapids, was trying ice racing for the first
the club
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