It's been a few years since Chris Fox last took a metal-studded dirt bike for some high-speed laps on a frozen lake.
But when the call went out to recruit local riders for the dirt bike racing class as part of Sunday's Cycle North Xtreme International Ice Racing extravaganza on the arena ice at CN Centre, Fox didn't hesitate to put up his hand.
Fox is an unabashed daredevil when it comes to motorbikes. You might have seen him one day popping a wheelie at highway speed on the road to insanity. Until he sold his bike about a year ago, he rode it constantly, even in the cold-weather months when Prince George turn to ice.
"From a dirt biking standpoint, winter is a shutdown, so why not put screws in your tires and go riding," said Fox, 32. "I never raced motocross, I cam close, but injuries denied me.
"I've done bit of lake racing with a few buddies. There was one year we didn't get the snow and Nukko Lake was froze up nice and we went and tore it up. It was awesome, nothing like you'd think. You'd think riding on ice is dangerous but you've actually got more traction than riding on dirt."
Prince George is the first stop of the season for the Xtreme International Ice Racing circuit, which features racing two amateur dirt bike classes -- 450 flat track and pit bike shootout -- and the professional quad and speedway class.
Fox, who works as a technician at Cycle North, will have at least two riders he knows competing against him on 250cc bikes in the 450 flat bike class. Co-workers, Derek Hudson and Mitch Loreth, have also signed up for Sunday's races and all bets are off.
"We're all fighting over it and I'll do what I can to not let these guys win or anyone around me, you just have to want it, and give 'er all you've got," said Fox. "This one is new to me. I hope we get a little practice time. If guys like [Prince George motocross veterans] Todd Minnie and Steve Taylor show up, I'm going to have a helluva competition on my hands."
Xtreme series owner and speedway racer Anthony Barlow, a 42-year-old native of Southport, England who now lives in Missouri, is a three-time speedway ice racing world champion. Sponsored by Red Bull, Barlow says he will keep racing as long as he keeps his sponsors and until he's no longer competitive.
Barlow wears a Kevlar suit helmet, gloves and motocross boots, but no other protective equipment. Bikes are not equipped with brakes and the spiked tires can be deadly if a sliding rider gets run over. Wipeouts are inevitable and injuries sometimes happen, but Barlow tries not to think about the dangers of the sport.
"Obviously on a bike that goes from 0-60 in three seconds, if something goes wrong in such a confined space you can get seriously hurt," said Barlow, who started ice racing in 1998. "I've been doing it for so long it's just like eating food so it doesn't really matter to me. But for someone who's never done it before that gets on it, it's a pretty exciting sport. I haven't been on the bike since last February, you just jump on and it is what it is."
Race fans can expect between 20 and 25 heat races in Sunday's show. Each heat will consist of four riders racing four laps. The top six riders advance to the final round,a six-lap race. Sean Venables of Prince George is among the expected field of 12 ice racers entered in the speedway class.
"The show usually lasts two or 2 1/2 hours, depending on the crashes," said Barlow.
CN Centre maintenance crews have built up an extra inch of ice on the rink to eliminate the risk of the studded tires chewing up the ice for hockey and other users. The corners will be padded with hay bales to take some of the impact of out-of-control riders sliding after they wipe out. Crashes are inevitable, especially in the speedway class, where riders on four-stroke 500cc bikes accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. Four-stroke engines are preferred in arena ice racing because they produce less exhaust fumes.
The speedway bikes are essentially mountain bikes with high-compression engines that run on nitro methanol. Each bikes weighs only about 180 pounds. To avoid chewing up the ice too much with their spiked tires, the laps are gradually increased in size at every intermission by moving the carpets out closer to the boards, which results in faster racing and less room for error. Any rider who touches the carpet during a race is disqualified.
Speedway racing is more commonly contested outdoors on a short oval dirt track. The Xtreme ice racing series also includes stops in Everett, Wash., St. Charles, Mo., and Danville, Ill.
Tickets, not including service charges, are $24.99 for adults and $14.99 for youth and kids aged 3-17. VIP Pit Passes are also available enabling fans to meet the riders and inspect the bikes starting at 12:30 p.m. Racing starts at 2 p.m.
Barlow is still looking for local riders to enter Sunday's races. To register, he can be reached at 1-636-795-4773.
