January 25, 2005
International Bike Riders Race on Ice at BSSA
by Brandon Woolum
Huntington News Network Sportswriter
Huntington (HNN) — As the snow fell to the ground Saturday night, roads became icy and automobile drivers struggled to keep their cars from sliding. However, inside the Big Sandy Superstore Arena the ice was welcomed as Xtreme International Ice Racing invaded the Arena.
For the first time ever the Superstore Arena hosted a motorsports event that wasn’t hosted on dirt, but instead a solid sheet of ice.
Bikes and quads raced up to 60 mph around the oval shaped track made of nothing but smooth, slick ice. With no brakes and only metal studs in the tires providing the riders with any traction at all, the unique event kept fans on the edge of their seats.
The madness featured 21 total races over about a 2 hour span, each one counting for the XiiR Championship Series. The riders from all over the world are visiting 16 cities, racking up points, which will determine the 2005 XiiR Champion.
The points leaders proved themselves during Saturady night’s event. Quad points leader, Louis “Taz Man” Smith, took the first place spot in the quad main event, while 3-time world champ Anthony “British Bulldog” Barlow edged 2004 XiiR champion, Kenny Olsen for the bike main event.
Smith’s quad dominated the competition with his 4-wheeled monster that features a Harley Davidson motor.
Unlike other indoor motorsports events, these bikes and quads run on nitro methanol, which limits the fumes put off by the ATV’s when they race. Slinging ice into the corners as they turned, these 4-stroke, 4-valve ice machines entertained fans of all ages.
Local riders also got their chance to shine as they were allowed to register in the quad division. Coal Grove native, Jeremy Duncan came out of the amateur main event with the victory. Duncan is employed with Benjy’s Harley Davison.
According to Big Sandy Superstore Arena Director of Marketing, Heath Brown, the Arena began preparing for the event following the bridal show last Sunday. Brown said the ice took the majority of the week to become solid enough for the racing action, and wasn’t completely ready until Friday evening.
With the bike tires tearing into the ice, it forces the event to use a thicker version of ice than both hockey and figure skating. Hockey and figure skating are both performed on an inch thick sheet of ice. Saturady night’s event took place on a 2 1/8 inch slab of solid ice.
