Photo Courtesy of Mike Kamm

                 A.M.E.C.'s third annual "Studs on Ice"

Our yearly ice trial event went very well again this year with additional track time highlighting this year's event. For the first time this year, we allowed ALL cars to go out for open track practice sessions in run groups for cars with studded and unstudded tires. Previously, we only allowed the full race cars with Menard and Bolt/Screw type tires to get out and open it up on the course. Everyone told me they loved the morning warmup sessions. This years track was the biggest and widest ever, at 1.6 miles per lap. A.M.E.C. had six plow trucks plow the custom road course the day before. They plowed it extra-wide and it really helped novices stay out of the snowbanks. Everyone got three runs in, which considering the huge 1.6 mile course length, was like getting six laps in at shorter events.

If you would like to see some more pictures taken by Tim Stevens you can just click on this link; http://home.nycap.rr.com/timstevens/StudsOnIce/

This year Constantine Mantopoulas brought out his SCCA Pro Rally Audi 90 Quattro with a 20-valve turbo engine and an Audi-Sport 6-speed close ratio rally gearbox behind it. Costa ran in the 4WD-X-perimental class and ended up setting the Fastest Time of the Day with a 1: 26: 31 sec. run.  he was using Michelin Rally tires with sheet metal screws installed from the inside out. These were the same tires that Alex Erisoty won our inagural event with back in 2001. Alex told me that there are 600 screws per rear tire and 400 in each front tire.

Stan Jackson came over from New Hampshire to run with us again this year and drove very well again this year, placing second in the 4WD –Rubber class.

Eric Pedersen has run at every Studs on Ice event to date with A.M.E.C. and always runs rear wheel drive! This year he hung the tail out of his ’90 BMW 525i on every run!

[Father] Paul and [son] Jan Chadkowski drove their new MINI Cooper S to second and third place finishes in the 2WD-R class on their Michelin Arctic Alpin tires. Great drive guys!

Tim Stevens and Amanda Reed said they had a great time driving Tim's beautiful Subaru Impreza WRX in the 4WD-R class.

 A.M.E.C.'s first ever Deawoo on ice saw Peter Syzmanski's '99 Deawoo Nubira finish in 4th place in the 2WD Rubber class.

Adam White drove his '98 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS up from CT and finished a respectable 7th place in 4WD-Rubber with a 2:44:10.

SCCA Rally driver,  Maciej Przybysz made an impressive debut at A.M.E.C.'s Studs on Ice event winning the 4WD- Rubber class with a stellar 2:16:14 sec. run! Maciej's rare [one year only] '91 Mitsubishi Galant VR4 was originally built by Vermont Sportscar and Ramana Lagemann
was driving it in the late nineties.

Another shot of Maciej in his grippy '91 AWD Mitsubishi Galant VR4.

OK hold on a minute........No, we don't allow trucks or top-heavy SUV's in our event, but we made a special exception for Joe Sell, who trailered his Subaru Legacy to the event with this Grand Cherokee. Then Joe found out he forgot the keys to the car! We let him run his SUV instead and as you can see, he really knew how to drive it! Finished 4th in 4WD-Rubber class.

Craig Pedersen drove his Dad's BMW 2002 to an 8th place finish in the 2WD-Rubber class in that cool looking vintage RWD sedan.

William Washburn drove his 4WD '90 Eagle Talon turbo to a great third place finish in the 4WD-Rubber class. Bill wrote to us after the event with these remarks: "I have done rallycrosses, co-driven in open-class rallycars in international rallies, and done plenty of track days, but this was by far the most fun I have had in a single day, ever.  I thought without studs I would be struggling for grip with my studless Michelin Artic Alpins, but I had plenty with the snow covering and chewed up ice.  Thanks for a great event."