So we sent out an email to everyone on the AONE hotlist Friday, and packed up and headed out on Saturday for a weekend on the Maine coast. It’s a great place to be this time of year—no crowds or traffic, yet just as scenic as during the summer months. After poking around Maine’s rock-strewn coastline, we settled into a quaint B&B in the cozy seacoast village of Damariscotta. Went to dinner at a recommended local restaurant (where the cioppino was excellent!) and were startled to run into AONE’s John Darack (that beautiful black ’58 Giulietta) and his wife Marilyn! They own a summer home not far away.

Arose Sunday and wandered up to Sabattus Pond, not far from Lewiston, where the New Meadows Ice Racing Association was already plowing a course on the ice and practice laps were under way. The course varies from week to week, but this one had a long front straight, a shorter back one, and lots of turns in between. We met up with Paul and observed the drivers’ meeting, and then the racing began. Paul competes in the only rear wheel drive car in the group—his mighty, if cosmetically challenged, GTV6.

There were 12 racers this day, and the grid positions are drawn by lots. Paul drew #12, and we watched him line up at the back of the pack. Not to be deterred, we watched wide-eyed as he flew past half of the other cars as soon as the flag was dropped (a RWD ice racer has to be good for something). Alas, it was a fleeting moment of glory, since he got off the track and ended up stuck in the snowbank before the very first turn. DOH!!! The plow truck came and extricated him, but not before he lost several laps (and laps are what matter in ice racing rules). When asked about it later, Paul said that the mishap was the result of a deliberate (albeit split-second) choice between the snowbank and body contact.

The day improved dramatically from there, however. The GTV6 was faster than most of the cars out there, and Paul likes it because it’s so well balanced. The driving technique and "line" are quite different from the FWD cars, as you might imagine, and Paul’s skills (he’s been ice racing for 27 years!) in finessing(?) it around the corners make him one of the top competitors. After the first race (of four), a change to a different type of tire to compensate for the somewhat slushy conditions also made an improvement. It was fun to watch Paul passing and, in some cases, lapping other cars to gain some of those laps back.

Speaking of conditions, what a fabulous day it was! It was sunny and the temperature was well up into the 50s—we were walking around in our shirts! To be on a pond with two feet of ice at an ice racing event in weather so mild and pleasant is a rare phenomenon indeed.

Shortly after the races began, we were joined by AONE members Dottie and John Farrar, who live up in north coastal Maine. Although John is more of a vintage John Deere tractor man, Dottie has him putting the finishing touches on their ’79 Niki Lauda Spider. We hung out all day, and it was great to finally meet them!

After the last race, Paul came back in, tossed me a helmet, and said, "Let’s go for a ride." Since I had no time to think about it, I hopped in and Paul took me out for a few hot laps. What a hoot! We spent more time sliding sideways than moving straight ahead. I would have sworn that we were going all the way around a couple of times, but Paul always reined it in. And it makes no sense that you can brake so late for a turn on ice after doing upwards of 100MPH on the straight. I was grinning ear-to-ear the whole time—thanks, Paul!

Next season, you should really come up down to Maine and check out what fun this is. Maybe, if you’ve got a spare Alfa around (and who doesn’t?), you might get the itch to take up the sport yourself!