NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has revealed the details of both the weekend format and car changes that Team FJ will provide to the teams that participated in next year’s Arctic Ice Race.
The first details of NASCAR’s first event to be held on an icy surface, the NASCAR Arctic Ice Race, has been revealed by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series on 3 December.
Through the official announcement released by the series, Arctic Ice Race will feature a limited number of cars that are invited to the event by series organizers Team FJ with two drivers sharing one car during the event weekend, just like in the regular championship.
Team FJ will provide the teams with a special ice racing kit details that will be installed to their cars for the event. Special rally-style studded tires, shorter rear gear ratio, shock absorbers and cold-protection equipment are among the parts listed by the series to be part of their ice racing kit.
The announcement also revealed the format for the inaugural Arctic Ice Race. It will be held from Friday to Sunday, just like a regular EuroNASCAR race weekend. Unique to the Arctic Ice Race is the inclusion of a Time Attack tournament, a Rallycross-style shootout and different track layouts for each day of the event to increase the level of challenge for the drivers participating.
The weekend will start on Friday, 3 March 2023, with six 30-minute long Free Practice sessions held on a 3.2 kilometer-long track. Saturday’s running will feature the aforementioned Time Attack tournament, which is set to be held on a 2.4 kilometer-long layout of Rovaniemi’s circuit.
That Time Attack tournament will determine the grid for Sunday’s Rallycross shootout, which will be held on a 2.0 kilometer-long track. The shootout itself will feature heat races, semifinals, and finals to determine the winner of EuroNASCAR’s inaugural Arctic Ice Race.
“Since the creation of the series in 2009, we have always explored new territories and pushed the boundaries! So bringing the pure racing of EuroNASCAR on ice makes perfect sense in our strategy to innovate and develop new concepts of racing”, explains EuroNASCAR’s founder, President, and CEO Jerome Galpin in the official announcement.
“This will be a big thing for everybody involved and a great opportunity to mix drivers coming from EuroNASCAR of course, but also other forms of racing: circuit, rally, RX! As I was one of the drivers running the development tests back in 2021, I can testify that driving a EuroNASCAR car on ice is an amazing and unique experience! I can’t wait to hit the ice track on March 3rd for the first practice!”
Disclaimer: Unless noted on the photo, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Patrick Trocelli.