WASILLA, Alaska - RACEceiver Legends Car racers Erika Bills, Kelly Sawyer, Jeff Landrum and Tom Lake can't get their fill of racing in the short Alaskan summer. So when the snow buries their asphalt track, they don cold-weather gear, stud their tires with inch and half metal screws for traction, install screens in the front windows to keep snow out of their face, and mix it up on the ice of Lake Lucille.

Two Saturdays each winter when the ice gets more than 25 inches thick, sufficient to support the 1,300-pound cars, these four dedicated drivers get their thrills by skidding around an 1/8-mile snowplowed track as part of Iditarod Days Festival put on by the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce.

Unlike racing on asphalt, drivers on ice maneuver the cars by throttle racing -driving and steering almost entirely with the gas pedal. They hit the brake only to throw the car into a sideways slide for the turns. Then they steer right - into the direction of the skid - to prevent the car from spinning out, while feathering the throttle just enough to keep the car sliding around the turn. When they hit the short straightaway, the car briefly barrels ahead before sliding into the next turn.

When cars skid too far out or spin, they nose into the soft, three-foot high snow berm mounded up by the plow truck that carved out the ice track for the event. Since the cars are only four feet high, the three-foot berm provides ample protection for both cars and spectators.

Safety is always a concern in racing, but the short 1/8-mile track keeps speeds under 35 mph. Although the track is slower, this year's track promises to be even slicker in than in years past because Benny Cottle of the Wasilla Volunteer Fire Department plans to spray it with water that will refreeze smooth like an ice rink.

What qualities make for a good driver on the ice? Lake credits good driving, whether on ice, asphalt, or dirt, to track presence-knowing what's happening in the next corner, not just in the few feet directly ahead.

"Some drivers have no idea what's happening 100 feet down the track," Lake said. According to Lake, racing on ice is a lot like racing on dirt since a driver needs good car control-knowing know how far to pitch the car sideways in a turn and then knowing how to recover without spinning out or over correcting.
Sawyer also stresses the need for car control and track presence.

"Drivers need the ability to react to sudden changes on the track-ice, asphalt, or dirt-to avoid accidents," Sawyer said. Even with a good sense of car control, accidents still happen.

Although Sawyer says she's missed more crashes than she's had, she's still had her share of spills. Once, on asphalt at North Star Speedway, another car bumped her back left tire which caused that car to flip, slide on its roof, and then flip back up on all four tires. After that, the drivers teased her about being the "inspector of vehicle undercarriages."

Sawyer says your true personality comes out on the track when you have to make split-second decisions. Another of her accidents gives a hint of the true grit of her personality. Her car got hit during one of the early races in the season, resulting in a broken left wrist that required 11 screws. She missed the next race, but raced the following weekend. After the race, her husband found her in tears unable to get out of her car unassisted. When he asked if she was in pain, she moaned, "No, I just want to race."

Thanks to help from other racers and support of the family, she was able to race the rest of the season, albeit first in a cast and then a custom splint, molded to fit the steering wheel. After this one, her family and other drivers told her she was an inspiration to them.

Landrum, who's known for his gentlemanly driving, gives credit for good driving to a well set-up car, patience, and practice. On ice, however, he says, "It's having lots of screws in your tires." He also thinks starting young helps. "But you're never too old," he adds. He should know. He only began racing five years ago and has already won the Pro division track championship twice.

Unfortunately, the 2008 North Star Racing "Legends on Ice" event has been cancelled due to lack of ice. No doubt the drivers will be ready for more ice racing in 2009.

For more information on Iditarod Days Festival, please visit www.iditaroddays.com.