Mazda is the Ice King
Since South Florida is a bit “snow-impaired”, and most of the tropical population’s only encounter with Ice is of the Vanilla variety, perhaps an explanation is in order. Ice racing is just that – using a vehicle to compete against others across frozen rivers or lakes. The vehicles come in many forms – motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATVs all have their own leagues – but one of the most madcap and popular is the traditional car.
As you’d expect, this motorsport is really big in Canada. Canadians of all kinds, perhaps mildly maddened by a nine month winter, turn out in droves to test their icy mettle. It is definitely a sport that requires courage, fortitude and insensitivity to below freezing temperatures, apparently all of which our northern neighbors have in abundance.
Anyway, Mazda caught wind of this distinctly northern sport, and locked their engineers in a room until they designed the most perfect ice racer imaginable – a heavily modified Mazda Miata MX-5. The engine was re-engineered to deal with sub-freezing temperatures. First, they completely removed the radiator and added a “warmer”, as there’s no need for engine cooling devices when it is a consistently single digit temperature on the track. A turbocharger was also added. Hotter cams round this out and can dish out 268 HP in 68 degree weather. A rugged, flexible suspension and 4-wheel drive system finish the package. They are all painted safety orange so they are easier to locate in a collapsed snow bank, and lastly, the best detail of all – they are all topless. That’s right, no roof at all.
51 of these unique Miatas were built just for the league, and Mazda is now the pride and King of Ice Racing, as their engineers have created the only vehicle that can hit 0-60 in 6.3 seconds across a sheet of bare ice.
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