My excursion to watch some ice racing

[mettisse]

Just returned from Italy in the Bruiser. Two reasons, one my first solo ( me and the Bruiser) road trip, and two, to watch some ice racing, cars and bikes. Long way to go, used loadsadieselcash, but I had great fun.
It started when a chum of mine was telling me about his son building a flat- track racing bike, clever young fellow built his own single shock frame from T 45, mounted a 500 twin port Yamaha lump etc, and has done very well with it, my appetite was whetted,
Drove down through France to nearly Milan then into the mountains to the purpose built, groomed, ice race track. It's at a town called Riva Valdobbia, Easy to find good hotels, I paid 50€ per night for a very clean warm hotel. Lots of snow but the roads were clear ( I took snow chains) . The cars didn't really race as I saw it, but did a time/ lap thing, only four cars, Renault Alpine ( 85) studded tyres etc, WS Subaru ( very quick) and two hatchbacks of hard to tell origin, the bikes were an assorted bunch of dedicated flat trackers moto crossers and tasty roadsters, a number of interesting machines some quite rare ( Catalina Gold Star, Steve MacQeens own Husquarna moto crosser ) a great fun class for ridiculous and non appropriate machines, Vespa scooters, a moped, mini bikes monkey bikes all I the name of fun, it was like a great party event, all with studded spikes on the tyres.
The event was rounded off by the sponsors inviting all in attendance ( 200 persons approx) to buffet party at their Restuarant in Milan ( 2 hour drive and change of hotels) the sponsors have a randomly unique business model in that their Restuarant is attached to a bar/ cafe which is attached to a very trendy motorbike shop, you've got to see it, it is truly a random experience, and jam packed with all sorts of people, all of it, the name Deus, I loved it, oh and my chums son, Tom, came 4th overall, to whom,? to 3 ex champion bike riders, so we are rightly proud of him, and the rest of the Brit riders who went from the UK. next year? Who knows? I would want to, that's for sure, regards to all, Bill Westley

 

[clivehorridge]

A great outing by the sound of it Bill.

I remember watching cars ice racing on an oval track some years ago and enjoying it. They always seemed to be at right angles to the direction of travel which was interesting, narrow tyres, studs and fast IIRC.

 

[mettisse]

Hi, the Volvo Sugga 4x4 is a fake, it's a Defender 110 with altered body work, it was for the PA system, it belonged to the disc jockey, a mobile dj unit for outdoor events, it had everything built in, been better to use a real Sugga.
In the car park where there were a number of very nice cars and vans, I was brewing up a cuppa and several fellas wandered over and exclaimed that the Bruiser 80 was their favourite 4x4 and that you don't see many in Italy, it seems Land Rover reigns in Italy, I'm surprised.
It was also good to see a number of expedition ready Toyotas on their way south on the French autoroute, don't know if they had been north to the artic or were on their way south to sunny Africa, either way I wanted to go,
Best regards to all, Bill Westley