2005 World Ice Racing Championship Series

Winters in Ottawa are long and frequently harsh. Temperatures can drop to the minus thirties Celsius (with the wind chill often making it feel far, far worse), and snow drifts can grow large enough to swallow Peterbilts whole. This is all wonderful if you enjoy skating on the world's longest outdoor skating rink ( Rideau Canal ), hitting the trails on a snowmobile or on a pair of skis, or for that matter any other of the many winter sports available in our area. But if you are a motorcycle enthusiast, the annual six month hiatus from our favourite pastime is hardly an easy time.

Consequently, if any motorcycle event comes to the second coldest capital city on this planet (Mongolia has the dubious honor of having the coldest) during the bleak winter period, it is always welcomed as a much needed two-wheel fix for many of us, it was certainly the case for me.

Not a conga line — the racers are introduced to the crowd.

19th February 2005 at the Corel Centre

The event's promotional material boldly proclaimed a "two hour extravaganza of action" in four divisions: the Speedway division (nitro-methane fury and brakeless); Flat Track division; ATV division (rear wheel drive); and the Speedway Karts division (also nitro burning). Past and present high caliber speedway champions such as Charlie "The Edge" Venegas from California and James "Mad Dog" Mann from England got top billing. Tickets would be available for twenty beaver bucks, while another six would be needed for parking at the Corel Centre.

Did It Live Up to the Hype?

This would not be my first time at the ice races hosted in the Corel Centre. I had attended a similar affair a few years earlier, so I basically knew what to expect. The track is small and the opportunity for passing is limited. Races are short and are over in seconds. After all, how long can it take to make four circuits of a hockey rink? This does not mean that it isn't exciting, or that the racing isn't serious. It's just that it seemed to take longer to organize the riders into position than the actual time spent between the start and the checkered flag.

After half dozen or so races, the ice needed to be resurfaced to prevent the studded tires from tearing all the way into the concrete below. Out came the Zamboni to circle its way around the track and slowly transform the granulated ice back into its original form as much as possible. This was a good time to head for the concession stands, the loo, or maybe even take a siesta. The organizers must have thought this necessary operation was too much of a yawn as well because the next time there were two Zambonis chasing each other like they were in a race of their own. Still took too long in my opinion.

The actual races were cool to watch. Even cooler was when speedway division riders lost it and slid their way into the boards. Nobody got hurt as far as I could to tell, but one bike had its front end damaged by the impact. What was less cool was the great divide in skill and equipment between the pros and the amateurs. On such a small track and short race, riders should not be able to lap each other within four laps. With only four riders out at a time, I would have preferred much tighter racing. I'm sure all the racers were talented, but the pros made much of the field look ridiculously slow. It made me imagine that I couldn't do much worse out there myself, though realistically that's just wishful thinking.

The ATV division seemed to have the same scenario going as with the speedway bikes: some really fast guys mixed in with a lot of much slower competitors. Riders did push themselves hard however, and sometimes a pair of four wheelers would end up with wheels locked together after making contact. It was great fun to watch the unlucky racers frantically try to disentangle themselves and get back into the race before it was over.