F.A.T. Ice Racing in 2024 starts on 27 January in Zell am See (formerly GP ICE RACE). Debuting on 8-10 February 2024, Ice Race Aspen Driven by Mobil 1 will take place in Colorado, organizer/promoter F.A.T. said today. The winter-fest of speed goes back to the 1950s when it was run on a frozen Austrian lake; now it’s on a frozen track. In the events both amateur and professional will compete across multitude of classes running on ice.

At Zell am See, there are Touring 4-wheel-drive and 2-wheel -drive cars, Buggys, Skijöring,* Skijöring Elektro, Side-cars and Classic cars. With about 100 competitors, entries are now closed. Event sponsors, Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen, Red Bull and SIXT will provide supporting programs, including the Red Bull Flying Bulls air show. MotoGP star Dani Pedrosa will also be making his debut on the ice.

Ticket holders can see a diverse starting line-up comprised of vehicles from 22 different manufacturers, eight different buggies, as well as 30 teams of two in the legendary skijoring event, which sees daredevil skiers being dragged across the ice by the vehicles. From a 75-horsepower Porsche 356 built in 1956 and classics such as a Lancia Delta HF Integrale, a Subaru Impreza 555 – Colin McRae won the 1994 Rally New Zealand in it – and the 600-horsepower Audi S1 WRX through contemporary super sports cars, some with more than 1000 horsepower, there is a lot of racing action planned. Alongside the competitive races, show drives along the 600 meter-long ice track, will see vehicles such as the colorful and agile Meyers Manx dune buggies refitted with studded tires playing on the ice.

Newer technology in these global warming times (AutoInformed: Global Warming – GP ICE RACE 2023 Cancelled in Melting Alps) appears via QR codes affixed to the vehicles to provide insights and highlights into each vehicle’s history.

*Skijoring: Skijoring is an ancient sport, where a person on skis is pulled with high speed over snow. From 1928 on, horses without a rider were used. Soon after, motorsport enthusiasts followed. In 1938, for the first time the skiers were pulled by motorized vehicles. Ice races for motorbikes and cars then followed.