Drivers gearing up for unique track at Calgary Nitro Rallycross event
Though the Calgary Stampede grounds are often associated with chuckwagons, it's a different kind of racing that will be taking place there this weekend.
Calgary is hosting a Nitro Rallycross event at Stampede Park’s GMC Stadium on Feb. 4 and 5, featuring a track that organizers say is "unprecedented."
Calgary competitors will face an array of winterized obstacles, including jumps and snow barriers, all set on an ice surface.
"There's some of the best drivers in the world," said Chip Pankow, Nitro Rallycross GM.
"We get drivers coming in from Formula One, we get drivers coming in from NASCAR, you get drivers coming in from Indy-car. They mix it up, they like to come in because it's so much fun to drive."
Pankow says rallycross is typically driven on dirt or asphalt and this is only the second time in it's history that it's been raced on ice.
Crews have spent weeks freezing the entire half-mile, and unlike other forms of racing, rallycross is fast paced.
"Rather than being a two or three-hour race, we have a race every 10 minutes, and the races are six minutes," Pankow said. "So there's battles, there's winners and losers, the winners advance.
"We always try to give the losers a second chance so there's a road to redemption and you can follow your driver throughout the day and see how they did – and that's what people really enjoy about it."
Calgary is hosting a Nitro Rallycross event at Stampede Park’s GMC Stadium. on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, 2023. (Supplied) Robin Larsson is from Sweden and drives for RX Cartel JC.
He says he enjoys the challenge of racing on different tracks because track conditions are constantly changing.
The cars use spiked tires to help drivers gain traction.
Larsson is one of the first ones on the new track, which looks much like fresh ice at a hockey rink, but as more drivers make laps the ice will get chewed up.
"In the finals its going to be a completely different track from what we try now," he said. "So now you get the best conditions, so that's one of the challenge I really liked – that you … don't know what the next corner is going to be like."
Larsson drives an electric vehicle capable of going from 0-60 in just 1.4 seconds.
"The FC 1x was developed for this championship by First Quarter," said Pankow. "It's 1070 horsepower, it's got four electric motors, it's a full EV vehicle.
"We think it's the fastest electric race car in the world."
Jim Laurendeau, the Calgary Stampede's vice president of Park Development and Operations, says he's hopeful the two-day event is a success and Nitro Rallycross can return in the future.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek echoes that sentiment.
She went out on track for a ride along with one of the drivers, hitting speeds of 140 km/h, and even took to the air over a jump constructed in the rodeo infield.
"That was amazing," Gondek said.
"I told them they have to come back every year, and I think they said 'yes,' but I couldn't hear anything over my squealing."
The Nitro Rallycross championship finale will be held in Los Angeles, Calif. from March 17-19.
To learn more, you can visit the Nitro Rallycross website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.