PAGE A2, WH1TY FREE PRES, The Auto Section, MAROH 28,1990 Hot season of bce racing for Comor By Mike Kowaldd This past winter season proved te bef highly successful for the ice racing team from Comor Enterprises. Cbore owner Martin Sissons and bis talented team of drivers and mnechanic finished either farst or second in the two tire categories allowed in ice racing. Driver Ken Graves took top honors in the «rubber to ice7 category while Rob Virtue was second in the overal studded tire class. As its naine ixuplies, ice racing is car racing on ice. Every weekend during Janu- ar and February, Sissons' crew and others like it, travel to the Minden Fairground for two days A typical weekend will draw about 120 drivers and more than 500 spectators to this central Ontario conimunity two hours northeast of Wh'tb 30rcsi There are sý:;30rcsi six différent classes run over the two days. Races are held on a 20-ft. wide, one-kilomnetre track containingfive separate turns. According to Sissons, the sport originated years ago when «ýrace car drivers who were idie in the winter and couldm't stand it, started driving on frozen lakes.-" Due to environmental con- cerns, the sport moved off the lakes and on to miamipade tracks. The one in Minden for example, reurs250,000 ga;lons of water adodternperatures. "The rubber clans can be run in sl*htly thawing conditions,» saidMsso WTh"e studded las needs good hard ice in order to do it.1 As Sissons explained, racing on ice, with and without studded tires, produces two different dxiv- ing sles and requires two vastlydifferent vehicles. «Studded cars are fast and the control is good. With rubber cars there is more sliding and the speeds are lower.» As a result, rubber cars tend te be "$100 junkers because y'ou're obviously going to get bit," said Sissons. But for the studded category, more turne and effort is spent preparing the vehicle. MMTIN SISSONS (left), gives the ail- place finish in the overail standings clear sign to driver Rob Vfrtue, behind for the studded tire category of ice the wheel of a modified 1987 Honda racmng. (Jivic. Virtue drove the car to a second- UN'LY 7(RVAILABLI! The pride andjo of Cornor PICKYOUS FIST!Enterprises, an Osbawa-based bLw ieg ï Fct onda automobile service centre, carssomewithairis a 1987 Honda Civie. extr seedeaJr~~To prepare it for the track, for dtail *~. Sissons and designer Allan Mark 4111M Iligbtened the body and lowered it three inches. 14 1-980The body rides on a heavy- duty suspension and is powered by a twin-carburetor 1500 ce KENR MOT RS 99 Kngson R. M CEtX motor caeable of producing kering135 horsepower at 8000 rpm. -SUZ KI 4 8-7 3,9 ic Itfs basically a GT3 road racer for ice,» said Sissons. "It's defiiy mot your typical stock Giet a complete rINCLUDES LUBE OIL & FILTER f..~Up To 5Litres ___ 011 Ail GM ......iight duty trucks up to 1/2 ton. OUR 32 POINT INSPECTION AND LUBE, OUL AND FILTER IS A GREAT INVESTNMENT Your vehicie is checked and serviced by GM factory trained technicians foiiowed by a wnitten report. We use only Genuine GM p arts. ..Offr expires Apri 301h, 1990 MAT Trhe expert choice. GUS BROWN PONTIAC BUICK 1201 DUNDAS ST. EAST, WHITBY For Appoirltment Cail 668-8871 or 668-8858 Toronto 686-1566 car.» The studs used in the tires are racing screws with slotted heads. There are rigid standards that control the number of studs per tire. A typical tire contains about 150 studs and costs about $200 to prepare. Xlthoug Virtue and Graves, both professional racin instruc- tors,, do rnost of te driving, Sissons also competes in the rub- ber class. "I do it mostly for fun but Pmr usually emong tbe tep five Describing bis sport as «doing 80 miles per bour in tbe worst ice storm you've ever driven in Sissons said «It bas te truly b seen to be believed. "After you've done it for awbile the idea of being sideways a lot of the time becomes second nature.» Thfe races are held under relçu- lations speciffied by the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs. Drivers wbo engage in exces- sive contact are penalized and if violations continue, ordered off the track. Safety features sucb as bel- mets, racing harneâs and rol bars frte studded cars are mandateôry. "I cam't recaîl anyone being injured, tbe speeds are relatively low,» said Sissons.. -As in traditional* road racina, Sissons notes -that womèn dri- vers are miaking tbemselves noti- ced on tbe ice. «About 20 per cent are women, they do very well, tbey seem te, bave a patience for this kind of racing.» Sissons welcomes cails fromn anyone interested in learming more about the sport.. For tbose considering ventur- ing to Minden next winter te, watch the fun, Sissons offers Bornesage advice.*' «Dress warmn, it gets pretty cold up tbere.» Increase your visibility Frcm safaty Upat4 peripheral and central vision A- commzon complaint heard perception of oncoming traffic from mnotorista involved in and tbat motorists tend te colisions is tbat they did not see preve that a car with running the oncoming vebicle until it was lihsis doser tban a car with ne too late. lights on. One of the* keys to avi ding Vehicle Conspicuity, by Nare multiple vebicle crasbes is to Rumar, was presented at tbe increase the vislity of vebicles l2th International Tecbncal se that other drvescan readily Conference on Experimental spot and react in time te avert a Safety Vehicles, heldin Sweden collision, says a researcher from astyear. Sweden7s Road anmd Traiffic Ina aeraalxngte eor ontest wunner of daytime ru 14nghgts ma crash avodace measure, the researcher ' ays studies The Ziebart Service Centre at consistently show benefits. A 1501 HoIcinsSt., Whitby, owned 1981 Swedish study found a by Jixn Vanderter recently won reouirement of daytime runrnng a sales contestfor a six-day trip lights or low-level beras i that te, Hawaii thissring, accoedimg country since 1977 bas reduced te Zieb)art Caaa dayjm crashes m*volving other Over 400 North American vefiicles by 13 per cent. Head-on Ziebart dealers Vied for 36 collisions were lowered by 10 per Hawaiian trips. The winners bad cent, angular crashes b~y nine per te achieve. specifie sales goals i cent, and rear-end impataby rder te b. éligible. lhe winning two per cent. The =ags elf t, dealers wiil visit the islamds of however, was for car collisions Oahu and Maui in April. with bicycists and pedestrians: Ziebart,, known as «'The Car crashes with bicycists were Iznprovement Specialists,' bas reduced by 17 per cent and been ixnproving cars, trucks and car/pedestrian collisions by 21 par vans for nearly three decades. cent. A U.S. study by the Ziebart Service Centres now offer inýsue Institute for Higbway a wide range of products, services Safety found a seven par cent and accessories for vehicles that reduction in relevant multiple enhance their looks' extend their vehicle daytime crashes. life and increase their value. The Studies; showthat -the lighta-on ..cxnpn. n ,ow. bas over,. 1,0001 policy'has unprovèd iijdt&à , loctnsofdie 1 SERVICE