The Daytona 500 Sunday, Feb. 17, may have started the NASCAR season, but race fans in Maine can find all the action they want Friday, Feb. 22 at Point Sebago during the Hardwater Challenge at Maine Winterfest and Chevrolet Derby.
For Martin Krauter of Raymond, the ice races on Sebago Lake are just six miles from home, a more convenient trip for him than for many of his fellow members of the New Meadows Ice Racing Club.
Krauter started ice racing as a young man in 1968, and has continued, off and on, for 40 years, unintimidated by the high speeds and slick conditions he faces in his two-seater Honda CRX.
“Obviously, it’s a hell of a lot of fun,” said Krauter.
But Krauter is not reckless. All ice race participants are required to wear a race belt, a helmet, and carry a fire extinguisher.
Though Krauter’s 1987 Honda, bought on the Internet for $127, is not equipped with a roll cage, he has only rolled his car one time on the ice, and walked away without injury.
“I realized I was going to do it about two seconds before,” said Krauter. “I was having so much fun, and passing people, and all of the sudden, I realized ‘whoa, you can’t go that fast.'”
Krauter said the worst part was wiping out in front a group of relatives who were in Maine for a visit.
Krauter’s wife, Lucinda, said she still worries about her husband, even though he has years of ice racing experience. She usually stays home when her husband is on the ice. But Krauter’s son, Ben, took an interest in ice racing years ago, which regenerated his father’s enthusiasm.
The younger Krauter, a law student at the University of Southern Maine, said he might participate in this year’s ice race, if his school schedule allows.
Ben Krauter said ice races in the last two years have taken place on bitterly cold evenings, and he is hoping for more mild weather this year, describing ideal weather conditions as “somewhere below freezing, snow on the lake, plenty of ice under the snow for safety, and no wind.”
“I hate ice racing in the wind. It makes it miserable for the spectators as well as the drivers,” said Ben Krauter.
From the motorcycle class, the defending champion Andrew Hayes, a Gray resident, is looking forward to racing his younger brother in this year. Hayes won first place for the professional class last year, after taking up ice racing just a few months before.
Hayes brushes off suggestions that racing motocycles is more risky than racing inside a vehicle. He said being on the ice, you are already close to the ground when navigating turns, and if he does crash, he will just slide.
“I guess if you get out front, you don’t really have to worry about anybody running you over,” joked Hayes.
As far as Martin Krauter is concerned, spectators add an element of excitement to ice racing. Krauter and his son are members of the New Meadows Ice Racing club and most races do not draw a crowd. That is why it is a thrill to see onlookers watch with enthusiasm at the WinterFest races.
“It’s almost like a carnival atmosphere,” said Martin Krauter.
Brad Woodbury of Sebago Chevrolet is an organizer for this year’s WinterFest and derby. Woodbury said ice race winners will receive different prizes, with a total purse of $500 for the car races. Motorcycle race winners will receive trophies. But Woodbury said these prizes are just an afterthought, as fundraising is the primary goal of the races, as well as other WinterFest events.
“It’s a demonstration. It’s for fun, and it isn’t for the money. (The races) are meant to raise money for the charities,” said Woodbury. Some of the biggest beneficiaries are the Maine Children’s Cancer Fund and Camp Sunshine.
Because ice racing depends on the weather, Woodbury said there will be a few unknown details about the race right up until Feb. 22. Ice needs to be about 10 to 12 inches thick to be safe, and the larger the area of safe ice, the larger the racetrack will be.
Fortunately, Woodbury feels confident that they will be able to hold the races on a quarter-mile track at Point Sebago as planned, with a larger section for spectators outside than in years past, as well as a spot indoors with live televised broadcasts.
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