Authentic Early S "Ricer"

[cegerer]

Or should I say "icer". This is the 1967 911S CanAm Ice Racing Champion from 1971-74. Who says Californians have all the fun? Check this out!

Great pictures! Is there a background story?

[cegerer]

Mikkel, as far as I know, this was a race series held in the upper midwest of the US. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and, apparently, some Canadian races as well. Ice racing is still fairly popular today and is held on frozen lakes - although I'm having difficulty imaging someone taking their 996TT out on the ice!

Here's one more, a 1968 that was a daily driver on weekdays - bolt the wing on and go ice racing on weekends!

[cegerer]

Also, anybody notice something interesting in that photo of the Saab leading the Porsche??? Both going around the same corner, at the same speed, but something very different happening with the steering!! -- Curt

[65-911]

It looks like the Saab is front wheel drive...

Pulling it into the turn, the 911 is turning into the slide???

Bruce

[GeorgeK]

Understter vs. oversteer.

[cegerer]

Bingo. Front wheel drive vs. rear wheel drive. A pretty good illustration.

[Todd Simpson]

...and why doesn´t the Saab have a big wing over the back? :-)

[jluetjen]

Thanks Curt;
I was about to congratulate you on the most graphic illustration of the difference between understeer and oversteer that I have ever seen. But others got there ahead of me. The little Saab reminds me of this earlier thread with a couple of Saabs having fun on ice.

Can you imagine trying to manage the "peaky" early S engine on ice???

[cegerer]

I'd love to try! A wide-open sheet of ice, nothing to crash into, studded snow tires and an early S - doesn't get much more fun than that!

[iamchappy]

Wow great pictures, got anymore I see the 911 has Carousel written on it, Carousel Porsche is a dealership in Minneapolis as is Morries a Saab dealership just down the street from them, could be the annual winter carnival ice races. During that era a Saab sonnet driven by Jerry Hanson dominated all events.

[cegerer]

Yup, Winter Carnival - Lake Phalen? That's all I know and all the photos I've got.

[iamchappy]

Thanks for sharing, Brings back memories of my Mini cooper ice racer.

[Porsche_monkey]

I don't beliie those tires are studded. On the Canadian ice races they run sheet metal screws through the tire from the inside and use a tube. Yes, they are running on screws!

[sammyg2]

Wow, check out that wing.

Looks like Jack Olson and widebody have some catching up to do. Do I hear a challenge?

[JCR]

Great stuff Curt!

You make me want to pull the car out of storage and take her out on the small lake in front of my house! Nothing quite as exciting as rear engine, RWD, limited traction driving. But, maybe I should test the ice first?

[Tim Polzin]

Originally posted by PBH
I don't beliie those tires are studded. On the Canadian ice races they run sheet metal screws through the tire from the inside and use a tube. Yes, they are running on screws!

Actually they use bolts with washers and nuts. On an unlimited class, the bolts add something like 35 pounds per tire. This pdf outlines the rules for studs.

http://www.nascc.ab.ca/pdfs/IceRacingRules.pdf

[cegerer]

Hey Jared, if you do, I will. How thick's the ice? We could maybe setup a slalom course between the ice shanties ......

[john70t]

Sir, put the keys down slowly and back away!
Actually this sounds like a blast, but those guys were nuts to race in formation like that. With the up and down weather wait untill the end of January at least.

[iamchappy]

The cars suffer, you wouldnt want to do it in anything you really care about. Guys get bumped into the snow banks alot.
They have a series up here that most run anything they can pick up cheap and is disposable, front wheel drive or 4 a must if you want to compete, I think an old Subbie would work great.