Winnipesaukee Forum - Ice Racing in Moultonborough This Week-end

Excerpts From the Laconia Daily Sun 1/29/10

Quote:

Latchkey Cup racing offers ‘Raw intensity’

Great Rotary Fishing Derby isn’t the only fun on ice this weekend

This weekend will see a lot of
people step out onto the ice of a lake or pond for
some recreation and excitement. Most of those will
be participants or spectators of the Great Meredith
Rotary Fishing Derby, but there’s another
way to catch a good time on the ice this weekend
as well, a higher-octane kind of fun.
On Saturday, the Lakes Region Ice Racing
Association will hold the 29th Annual Latchkey
Cup, the biggest event of their racing season and
dubbed the “Daytona of Ice Racing.”
The event will draw upwards of 50 competitors

and features nearly a full day of racing. Devotees
of ice racing enjoy it because the sport’s heroes are
regular people, people like father and son Mark
and Kristopher Jacques, who live in the region and
build, tune and maintain their own vehicles.
There’s no prize money, no promise of fame or
fortune influencing the sport. Instead, it’s racing
for its own sake. And that’s the way they like it.

Ecology is another concern. All cars are required to
use Sierra, an environmentally-friendly anti-freeze.
While the cars aren’t on the track, they are required
to have sleds or carpet underneath them to catch
any dripping fluid. Turbocharges, which are prone to
explosions and resulting oil leaks, are not permitted.

The club races on Lee Pond and Berry Pond, both
in Moultonborough. The Latchkey Cup will be held
on Berry Pond, which is easily visible and accessible
from Route 25, just northeast of the Moultonborough
public safety complex.
Jack Cook, one of the event’s organizers, said
they’re hoping for at least 65 racers this year. Qualifying
races will start at around 10 a.m. There will
be a brief intermission, then feature races will start
around 1 p.m. There will be a food stand for concessions.
The event is planned to be a spectator-friendly
and packed with action.
Spectators will be admitted at a rate of $15 per
car load. The Latchkey Cup is a fundraiser for the
Norris Cotton Cancer Center, and Cook is proud to
report that the event has raised more than $200,000
for the center so far.

Sunset Bob captured some really neat photos of this event last year.
CLICK HERE to view his photos.