Ice racers will once again roar across the surface of Sandy Lake this weekend, but they won't be doing so as part of the world's longest, coldest ice race.
The Pembina Dirt Riders Association (PDRA) is hosting a four-hour endurance ice race at Sandy Beach this weekend. The event challenges riders to drive motorcycles and side-by-sides across sheer ice for hours on end.
The race is a low-key replacement to the Numb Bum 24, which is usually held at the lake at this time of year.
Last year's Numb Bum came to a tragic end when racer Troy Ritchie was seriously injured by his bike's screw-studded tire. He died in hospital from his injuries.
"It definitely a reminder that we need to think about what we're doing and give our equipment a lot of respect," said PDRA spokesperson Jeremy Caissie.
The Alberta Endurance Ice Racing Association now requires all ice racers to have rear wheel guards on their bikes to protect them from the screw-studded tires used in ice racing. Caissie said this weekend's event also requires front wheel guards.
The PDRA is holding a smaller event this year instead of the Numb Bum to give racers time to adapt to the new rules, Caissie said.
"The plan is to come back next year."
Guard problems
St. Albert ice racer Ryan Dixon said the new rules mean he might not be able to participate in this weekend's race. He and many other racers are struggling to find wheel guards, especially rear ones, which can withstand the intense vibrations caused by multi-hour ice races.
"Everyone has front guards from oval (track) racing, but nobody uses rear guards on these things, so everybody's trying to figure out a way to rig something up," he said.
"You can't go unless you have a guard, but you can't find guards."
The guards are an added cost to an expensive sport, said racer Luke Sydor, who works with Dixon at Edmonton's Argyll Motorsports. He's concerned by the lack of regulations around the new rules, as he's seen some racers using homemade guards of dubious quality.
"It's a new rule, but it needs to be fine-tuned a lot."
Guards help, but there's still risk whenever you go out on the ice and race, Sydor said. Racers have to practise good sportsmanship and ride within their limits.
"There's nothing really safe about going fast on a motorcycle."
New twists
This year's Sandy Beach race will feature about 60 riders on two 10 km tracks, Caissie said. It's been a pretty warm winter, but January's cold gave Sandy Lake the ice and snow it needs for a proper course, and crews have not had any issues with water on the track.
"Everything's looking great for this weekend."
One track will feature a standard four-hour motorcycle race where riders will try to complete the most laps possible, Caissie said. The other will have side-by-sides (off-road buggies) doing two shorter races – one with screw tires and one without.
"Not having studded tires does add an additional challenge," he said, and makes it more like the old car-based ice races.
This year's race will also feature what's likely the first electric bike to ever participate in an Alberta ice race – a 2013 Zero MX electric motorcycle driven by Calgary's Ryan Biffard.
Biffard works for the California-based Zero Motorcycles and designed the bike's powertrain. He said he's ridden it in two Canadian winters and raced it on ice previously.
"It's a fully electric motor," he said of the bike, which means it's quiet and has few moving parts. That could give it an advantage over gas bikes, the many components of which often break under the harsh conditions of winter racing. There are also no gears to shift, which should make it faster in the corners.
Biffard said his team wants to race this bike on ice to prove it can stand harsh winter conditions. The biggest challenge will be the batteries, which don't perform as well in the cold. They can swap them out in 30 seconds, but they'll have to do at least one swap every 40 minutes – that's at least five pit stops in a race where most gas riders would make two.
"We need to make sure our pit stops are flawless."
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Feb. 21 at Sandy Beach. Admission is $5, with all proceeds going to support the Sandy Beach Community League.
Visit pdramx.com for details.
