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With a lineage that goes all the best way again to the Fifties, one in all Austria’s latest however already greatest motorsport occasions performed out within the Austrian Alps this previous weekend.
Hundreds of individuals as soon as traveled to Zell am See to look at and participate in its annual ice racing escapades, however it all got here to an finish in 1974 after a snowplow fell by the ice, sadly claiming the lifetime of its driver. The occasion was completely cancelled, and it stayed that means for 45 years, till being resurrected in 2019 by Ferdinand ‘Ferdi’ Porsche – son of Dr. Wolfgang Porsche and nephew of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche – because the GP Ice Race.
For the primary comeback yr it was a personal occasion on the airport runway location, however in 2020 the GP Ice Race was opened to the general public and located speedy success. Ben even went that yr… form of.
The 2021 and 2022 occasions have been low-key affairs with Covid pandemic restrictions in place, and 2023 couldn’t catch a break with hotter than anticipated temperatures forcing its cancellation. Circumstances weren’t very best for the 2024 working both, however the present – now rebranded because the F.A.T. Ice Race – went on. It was my first time on the occasion, and I couldn’t wait to expertise every little thing it needed to provide.
The F.A.T. title needs to be conversant in any diehard Porsche racing followers. ‘F.A.T. Worldwide’ was a logistics firm that backed the Porsche crew at Le Mans in 1994, which was the yr a Dauer-Porsche 962 received. Ferdi and his colleagues secured the rights to the F.A.T. title and unique emblem, and are actually utilizing it as an umbrella model for all their future occasions and extra.
As you may anticipate, there’s a robust Porsche connection to the F.A.T. Ice Race, and the German automaker is a significant occasion accomplice alongside Mobil 1. However all of the VAG manufacturers have been nicely represented on Saturday.
Fourteen-time Austrian nationwide rally champion Raimund Baumschlager was setting lap data within the Crimson Bull Škoda Fabia, whereas VW made an look with their yet-to-be-revealed 2025 Mk8.5 Golf R. As the brand new all-wheel-drive mannequin’s official launch continues to be a couple of months away, nobody was stunned to see it carrying a full camouflage wrap.
Because the F.A.T. Ice Race is – like its title suggests – a correct race occasion, their ought to have been qualifying periods adopted by racing throughout quite a few lessons, however the heat situations noticed the unique timetable swapped for a full day of demo runs.
Sadly, there was no skijoring both. For individuals who don’t know, that’s the title of the winter sport the place an individual on skis is pulled alongside by a horse. Effectively, that’s how they used to do it way back to the Twenties on the frozen lake at Zell am See, however in newer occasions, horses have been traded for vehicles and the speeds have elevated exponentially.
Nonetheless, many drivers gave it their all within the slushy situations, particularly these within the 4WD class. I was immediately reminded why I love rallying.
My favourite F.A.T. Ice Race class was the Traditional. It’s the place I discovered the largest number of competing autos, and true ardour for automobile tradition. The homeowners of those vehicles don’t come to win; they’re right here for the love of motorsport, the ambiance and the camaraderie.
If I needed to decide one favourite second from the occasion, it must be when a Baja Bug overtook the 1,400hp Audi S1 Hoonitron with Olympic and World Cup ski champion Marcel Hirscher behind the wheel. The expression on the VW driver’s face was pure elation.
F.A.T. Worldwide’s imaginative and prescient is to convey fanatic and personalities collectively for a cultural expertise. There have been many well-known faces within the paddock, from former System 1 drivers together with Valtteri Bottas and Mark Webber, to different motorsport icons together with Group B rally legend Walter Röhrl, and Hans-Joachim Caught, who received the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1986 and 1987 with Derek Bell and Al Holbert from behind the wheel of a Rothmans Porsche 962C.
Jeff Zwart was one other acquainted face I noticed. In a way, Jeff is a veteren Speedhunter, having been a celebrated director, photographer, and creator through the automobile journal period. And he’s nonetheless creating right now.
After I noticed Jeff, he was testing one of many largest gatherings of Porsche 550 Spyders ever assembled. Solely round 100 of those open-top two-seaters have been ever constructed, so to have 10 of them on the 2024 F.A.T. Ice Race was fairly particular.
For the reason that Ice Race’s 2019 resurrection, the Ruf household have been common attendees. Moreover, Ruf additionally sponsors the occasion. I didn’t handle to satisfy Mr. Alois Ruf himself, however I used to be fortunate sufficient to talk together with his daughter Aloisa, who confirmed me across the autos they delivered to this yr’s occasion, together with a pair of Ruf SCRs – one in yellow and the opposite in inexperienced.
Of specific curiosity although, was Mr. Ruf’s private automobile and dream construct – the Ruf R56.11, which encompasses a 356 physique coupled with 911-sourced transmission, suspension, brakes and steering. Its 2.4L air-cooled flat-four engine with twin overhead camshafts produces 170hp, offering the light-weight coupe with a 225km/h high pace. In these slushy situations the R56.11 was working a little slower than that, however it nonetheless regarded like an enormous quantity of enjoyable was being had.
The parking space was crammed with infinite rows of German equipment, with quite a few new Porsche 911 Dakars and GT3 RSs popping up right here and there. When you actually need to stand out although, it’s essential to take a leaf out of race automobile driver Freddy Quick’s ebook. He turned up with lifted bus named Raumschiff, which fittingly interprets to spacecraft.
Throughout my time on the 2024 F.A.T. Ice Race, I acquired to see the various sides of this occasion and the neighborhood it’s constructed round. I can solely hope that it continues to develop, and maybe in the end turns into a winter model of the Goodwood Competition of Velocity.
The excellent news is, anybody within the USA received’t even must journey to Austria to expertise the F.A.T. Ice Race, as a result of in lower than two weeks’ time, the winter sports activities paradise of Aspen, Colorado will turn out to be F.A.T. Metropolis for the very first time.
Vladimir Ljadov
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