Ferd's Ice-Racing Adventures

2001 Western Canadian Ice-Race Championship March 3rd & 4th 2001, at Lac La Biche, Alberta.

The 2001 adventure began the moment I arrived in Edmonton.  To ensure I'd spot him in the crowded airport (there must have been at least twenty people there), Jim Graham made himself conspicuous by waving a "McLaren F1" sign over his head.  And, he was accompanied by a lawyer!

No sooner had greetings and handshakes been exchanged before Jim was waving a "Contract" in my face.  There was a reference to the number of man-hours expended in restoring car #79 to race-worthy condition following last year's misadventures.  The contract obliged me to hand over my Ottawa return air ticket, which would then be held hostage until such time as the aforementioned #79 was safely returned post-race in a "generally rectangular condition".

To her credit, the lawyer advised me not to sign the "Contract" until I'd had a chance to read it over carefully, which I promised to do after a good night's sleep.  But, as always, sleep was in short supply this weekend and I never did get around to signing the contract.  So Jim and his henchmen resorted to Plan-B, which involved a subtle engine modification designed to keep me out of trouble... (more on that later).
 

My race results were somewhat less than stellar this year.  Look for me, Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, in 12th place in the weekend's full Results listed at the Chevettes-on-Ice website for Rounds 6 & 7.  The modest results do not accurately reflect the high level of fun experienced.  Besides, I did manage to achieve one GLORIOUS VICTORY, which unfortunately is not documented in the official results (more on that later too). Most importantly, despite the best efforts of my closest competitors, car #79 was successfully returned to Jim at the end of the weekend in a "generally rectangular condition".

I have lots of stories and video clips to share.  Click on the links listed below.
 

Date Posted:	Stories, Images & Videos Get the latest Windows Media Player. Try this short sample first; test.asf  (51k) ASF format (51k)
May 5, 2001	A spin in the first practice session.
May 9, 2001	The first 3 hits.
May 22, 2001	Paul's Confession.
May 11, 2001	Another near miss.
May 13, 2001	Mark and Jay tangle in the first Rubber Class race.
May 17, 2001	Passed by Jay.
May 17, 2001	Passed by Mark.
May 18, 2001	The next hit.
May 22, 2001	Passing #92.
May 28, 2001	Two more hits in Chevette Race #2.
August 21, 2001	Red Flag on first lap of Chevette Race #3.
August 25, 2001	Awesome Restart for Chevette Race #3.  Video of one complete lap.
August 30, 2001	Passed by three cars in one lap.
September 13, 2001	Passed by Landon, and another near miss.
September 13, 2001	Scrapping with #92.
September 13, 2001	A better passing opportunity.
September 13, 2001	An inevitable collision, and good pass.
October 21, 2001	The GLORIOUS VICTORY!!!
November 21, 2001	The dastardly details of Plan-B revealed.
November 28, 2001	Hate to Lose.
December 5, 2001	Another Wild Start.
December 5, 2001	More Hairpin Shenanigans.
December 12, 2001	First lap collision in the just-for-fun special event Relay Race.
December 12, 2001	Lap 2 of the Relay Race, A Wild Lap.
December 12, 2001	One full lap of Chasing Down #15.
December 12, 2001	Next year's Top Secret Performance Upgrades.