When motorcycle racing gets in someone’s blood it usually heats them to a frenzy; however, with this next bunch of racers they have found a way to stay cool under the heat and intense competition—they’re racing on ice! Recently, Brian Jackson and the Corbin’s Ride On crew took to the frozen tundra of Northern Michigan to attend The 2003 AMA Amateur Ice Racing Nationals in Albright Shores, Michigan. Even though the temperatures were cold, the bikes were hot and the enthusiasm for this type of racing was even hotter!

Brian spoke with Event Coordinator, Bob Scott and asked him just how this type of racing came into existence. Bob told him that it actually, “came out of boredom, originally.” Well, if boredom can inspire this type of excitement, perhaps we need more of it! Just as in motocross racing, there are different classes in ice racing. There are divisions for both rubber tires and studded tires with speeds for the rubber tire category reaching speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour while in the studded tire class they can reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour—and remember, this racing is all on ice! Doug Neubauer, Director of AMA Sports told us that this event was being run on a man made ice track and that most of the bikes here fall somewhere between the 200 cc and 600 cc engine size. There was also another interesting category to witness—a sidecar class! The outrider, referred to as a hackman, assists the driver by helping with both balance and traction during the race. This class was a sight to behold as teams were racing across the ice at seemingly ridiculous speeds!

Brian also had the opportunity to talk to one rider about the modifications to his own bike (a Harley-Davidson Sportster no less) and he told us that there were really few adjustments to get the bike “ice ready.” First, he removed the lights, and then replaced the traditional shock with struts. Other than that, there was little left to do except stud the tires! As far as the participants, their enthusiasm and passion was incredible. Another remarkable aspect of the event was the diversity of the racers themselves. Brian talked to one fifteen-year-old participant who said that she loved the thrill of the racing—heck, Brian even spotted Santa getting ready for a race!

The 2003 AMA Amateur Ice Racing Nationals was a great event and offers a unique perspective of what is really “cool” in motorcycle racing—hats off to these “glacier gladiators!”

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