Nitrocross drivers are descending on Calgary this weekend, set to battle one another on the ice monitor at GMC Stadium.
Though unseasonably heat climate delayed race day to Sunday, Nitrocross GM Chip Pankow says the preparation for this occasion occurs weeks forward of time. Initially, two race days had been slated for Friday and Saturday.
“A pair weeks in the past, our workforce was up right here constructing ice out on the monitor,” mentioned Pankow. “Fortunately, that allowed us to get a really thick base out on the monitor.”
The daytime temperature forecast for Sunday is round -2 C, which Pankow says is good for racing situations.
The Calgary cease of Nitrocross — the one one in Canada this yr and the one monitor to characteristic ice — is the eighth of 10 on the season schedule, which winds up with rounds 9 and 10 in Las Vegas in March, when champions are topped.
Swedish racer Kevin Eriksson gained the Calgary cease in 2023, and is at the moment sitting in second place. He’s 12 factors behind, and says Calgary is his likelihood to catch competitor Robin Larsson.
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“I grew up racing on ice so I’ve that have,” mentioned Eriksson. “You need to be extra aggressive, and carry extra pace into the corners. That’s what provides you grip.”
That grip is made potential by specialised studded tires on the Nitrocross race automobiles. The metallic studs are 12 mm lengthy and had been designed particularly for the ice monitor, which additionally options enormous jumps and banked turns, together with snow limitations.
Eighteen-year-old VMV driver Viktor Vranckx shall be on the monitor alongside Eriksson. That is his first time in Canada and he can simply be noticed by his vibrant orange automotive, impressed by his favorite present, The Simpsons.
“I began speaking to individuals about Calgary and everyone mentioned it was probably the most superb followers on the market,” mentioned Vranckx. “I’m trying ahead to Sunday and listening to them scream and hopefully we will placed on a great present.”
Nitrocross Fan Fest will permit followers to rise up shut and private with the drivers and do a paddock walkabout on the Nutrien Western Occasion Centre from 3-5 pm. Gates open for racing motion on Sunday at 3 pm at GMC Stadium.
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