It's the day after my first motorsports race ever. I still have a massive smile plastered across my face. That's not the whole story, though, as I have frostbite on both cheeks, all my fingertips feel like needles are being put in them continuously, and my forearms and shoulders feel absolutely shredded.
I'm heading home after a quick visit to Okoboji, lowa. Yes, the town is as in the middle of nowhere as the name might imply. The landscape is very flat, snowy, and windy. On race day it was negative nine degrees with the wind chill. I was there for the 43rd annual University of Okoboji Winter Games, which includes the Red Bull Ice Scramble UTV race.
Race Morning
On race morning I awoke well before the sun would have even thought about appearing, but it was such an overcast and snowy day that its rays didn't really hit the ground until around noon anyway. My adrenaline was pumping from the moment my eyes snapped open. I had little idea of what I was about to get into, but at the same time super excited to get the opportunity to apply my years of on- and off- road performance driving training to an actual wheel-to-wheel race.
Qualifying
First up was what the event called "practice," but was actually qualifying. I'd get four laps to set my best lap time to seed me into the heat race brackets. I strapped into a Polaris RZR brought in for me by experienced racers Pleasant Cook and David Fisher. As I fired up the machine I tried to take it all in, as I'd never driven on studded tires, on a frozen lake, or tried to qualify for a race. I also hadn't seen the course layout or driven this UTV before.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May/June 2023-Ausgabe von Tread.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May/June 2023-Ausgabe von Tread.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
MAD YETI - A Modern Toyota Sequoia Built to Take on the Great Outdoors
A Modern Toyota Sequoia Built to Take on the Great Outdoors
RUNNING KANECREEK TRAIL WITH SKYJACKER SUSPENSION
Skyjacker Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary at Easter Jeep Safari
DEATH PROUF CRAWLER
A FORTIFIED CUSTOM CRAWLER BUILT FOR THE TOUGHEST ONE-DAY OFF-ROAD RACE IN THE COUNTRY
BAJA KAISER
An Ex-Military Truck Turned Bitchin' Desert Bomber
OVERLAND ON THE FLY
Toyota Transformation Twice
BUMPER UPGRADE
Giving a 4Runner Front End Options
THE FLINDERS RANGES
Wandering the Remote Mountains of South Australia
ZERO DECLINATION
A Crew Cab Diesel That Explores the World
WINSTON
A Custom-Built, Highly Capable Jeep with Hot Rod Style
DIY CAMP CREATIONS
5 EASY PROJECTS TO KEEP THE WHOLE FAMILY BUSY ON ANY CAMPING TRIP