Wednesday 13th February 2013

Chris Harris video: ice driving

Harris does a serious, educational video - with skidding and giggling

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First, I have to declare that the bloke who owns the ice driving school featured in this video is a friend of mine. We share the type of infantile friendship which means it is beholden upon me to try and make life difficult for him, so I will now say that there are many other ice driving experiences you can buy, and many of them are very good. Seek them out of you can.

This one uses proper rally cars and studded tyres though, and for me, that's the only way to go ice driving.

What a fairly ordinary 3.2 Carrera motor running 250hp can do on studs, on a frozen lake remains one of the more uplifting automotive constants. Every time I do this, I come away wanting more. The skills you can learn, re-learn and hone on the ice are limitless - anyone who enjoys driving to an expert level and wants to take the next step in car control needs to go and do something like this.

Intermediates will benefit hugely too because teaching the human mind to respond to a wildly oversteering motor car with calm steering and throttle inputs, as opposed to that dreadful pang of fear that shoots down the spine is best done between soft(ish) snow banks.

This course also helps deflate those who deride the 911 as physically wrong for decent handling. That rear engine gives added pendulum effect into turns and through transitions, and all the while you have that traction to fall back on.

Spending cash on driving experiences is a notoriously shady activity - but in my opinion, if you like the feeling of a car moving around underneath you - if you're one of those always being told off on trackdays for cutting the occasional drift - then ice driving is the best thing you can do in a car for cash.

Hopefully this is last video we'll shoot for some time that contains snow.

Enjoy the vid.

 

[Mermaid]

[sandman77]

Chris in a Porsche? Now that's something new!

[Prawo Jazdy]

Can I be friends with Richard Tuthill please? It gives a new meaning to 'friends with benefits'.

[sandman77]

sandman77 said:

Chris in a Porsche? Now that's something new!

I maybe should also have mentioned how much fun that looks.

[spad78]

Great ideo and great timing, I'm going this Friday and I'm as giddy as a kipper

[davepoth]

sandman77 said:

Chris in a Porsche? Now that's something new!

Doing massive skids as well. This is utterly unprecedented.

[JayT]

I really enjoyed that, and those 911's appear to be right at home there.

[McWigglebum3rd]

Why weren't they using slicks?

[Mermaid]

davepoth said:

Doing massive skids as well.

And also educational.

[booones]

Those are quite some driving skills from CH....I've just completed half a day in a variety of Imprezas at the Flaine Circuit de Glace in the French Alps. No studded tyres, but even so the amount of grip they have is quite astounding on simple winter tyres. As the man says, completing your first transition and getting that pendulum going really is the best feeling in a car. I can only dream about getting round that many corners sideways without even a little bit of help from a four-wheel drive system - although I bet there are some cracking out-takes!

[squirejo]

Dear Chris. I am going here in 3 weeks....thats good. Please edit out the bit about wives and children going for the benefit of other viewers. I am now in the st having viewed the video With my wife. It will not be a happy valentines.

[Jerry Can]

seventeenhundredandfiftypounds per day exc accommodation and flights. I think this is aimed at your more discerning clientele. An option for my 40th maybe?

[BevR]

Jerry Can said:

seventeenhundredandfiftypounds per day exc accommodation and flights. I think this is aimed at your more discerning clientele. An option for my 40th maybe?

After the video I thought I would satisfy my curiosity by checking the website. After seeing the 1750 i went to the PalmerSport site and the prices didnt seem to bad (no flights and accomodation involved), even spotted the 'Dads and Lads' deal

[Oz83]

At this time of the year all of the lakes in Sweden are frozen and you are able to drive on them. Last week I went hooning around on Hjälmaren all afternoon and all it cost me was a tank of fuel. Granted, I wasn't in a rally prepped Porsche accompanied by expert tuition, but it was huge fun and a great learning experience.

In hindsight, taking my daily driver on the ice probably wasn't a good idea. There were a bunch of locals there in all manner of cars, from Imprezas/Evos to Audi estates and the obligatory old Volvos. Some of the guys trailored the cars there, whilst other purchase a cheap rear wheel drive car just for this purpose. It's good cheap fun.

So, having viewed the website and seen the rates, I can say that it's not for me, or aimed at me for that matter. I'm off to search Blocket.se for a rwd isbil.

[CraigyMc]

BevR said:

Jerry Can said:

seventeenhundredandfiftypounds per day exc accommodation and flights. I think this is aimed at your more discerning clientele. An option for my 40th maybe?

After the video I thought I would satisfy my curiosity by checking the website. After seeing the 1750 i went to the PalmerSport site and the prices didnt seem to bad (no flights and accomodation involved), even spotted the 'Dads and Lads' deal

There's a deal on for PH members at the moment at Palmersport - look in the Track Days forum if interested.

C

[joema]

Jerry Can said:

seventeenhundredandfiftypounds per day exc accommodation and flights. I think this is aimed at your more discerning clientele. An option for my 40th maybe?

Well that answers that then. Damn!

[roystinho]

Some great noises coming out of those Porkers

[Mike Holmes]

The classics are the best , i just love em

Nice one Mr Harris

[DanielSan]

joema said:

Jerry Can said:

seventeenhundredandfiftypounds per day exc accommodation and flights. I think this is aimed at your more discerning clientele. An option for my 40th maybe?

Well that answers that then. Damn!

I'd use the words 'laughably expensive'

[0a]

Sorry, there's only so long I can look at a Porsche going sideways on ice with rubbish sound - though i'm sure it was really fun if you were there.