Go and do

WHAT: Ice racing

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Androscoggin Bank Colisee

TICKETS: $28 for “extreme VIP seating” (lower half of sections 11-14, 28-31); $16 for adults; $8 for ages 12 and under

‘It’s all about traction’ Motorcycles, other machines with studded tires will compete in World Championship ICE Racing at Colisee

LEWISTON – Fast and furious motorcycle ice racing will come to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee Friday, Jan. 11 – and some local competitors are expected to challenge the pro bike riders on the frozen oval.

Last year’s ice-racing event at the Colisee was the first foray of the World Championship ICE Racing Series into northern New England, according to Gary Densford, ICE (International Championship Events) president and a founder of the motorsport some 30 years ago.

The ice-racing tour will be coming to Maine after a Jan. 5 appearance at Bloomington, Ill.

Last year’s winner, Tom “Freight Train” McGrain of Honeybrook, Penn., is expected to be on the Colisee ice. McGrain, who is in just his third year of ice racing competition, is currently in second place in World Championship point standings of the Manufacturers World Cup Bike Division.

Where does the “Freight Train” nickname come from?

“McGrain is a good-sized guy. He could be on the defensive line for a football team,” explained Densford.

Last year, a lot of local hopefuls “came to watch and see what it was all about,” Densford said. This year, he expects to see some enthusiastic local participants on the ice.

One of the Maine competitors will be 15-year-old James Poole of South Berwick.

Poole “is likely to be the next big name,” Densford said, noting Poole has already gained considerable experience as a dirt track motorcycle racer.

“I started ice racing as training in the off-season,” Poole said. “We live in Maine. We’ve got the ice. Why not ride?”

Poole has raced in arenas before, and his sister is also a racer.

“Dirt track racing is pretty aggressive. There’s lots of pushing and shoving,” Poole said, adding that he enjoys similar challenges on ice.

Holly Williams of Durham is another local rider who will race in the amateur ATV competition.

Williams is receptionist for Central Maine Powersports in Lewiston, the event sponsor. She has been a moto-cross racer for two or three years and has been riding ATVs for about five years.

She has been practicing on a frozen pond, and this will be her first race on indoor ice. She pointed out that tire studs are limited to 100 for the indoor rink to keep the speeds down.

“I think I’m going to do pretty well,” she said.

Another local racer under the local firm’s sponsorship will be Troy Couillard of Greene.

“It’s relatively easy for local racers to set up their machines,” Densford said. It’s all about traction. In the early days of ice racing, sheet metal screws from the hardware store were used, but now there are mandatory specially designed tire studs. The new studs can be tuned by racers to deliver “side bite” and “forward drive,” and they have cut seconds from lap times in recent years.

Kelly Morris, event and marketing manager at the Colisee, said an extra inch-and-a-half of ice will be added to the arena’s surface. That protects the paint on the hockey ice from the punishment of the studded motorcycle tires.

Several specialty races are also on the entertaining and action-filled Colisee program.

The evening’s 20-plus races will include the popular ICE Nitro X-Karts. There also will be bar stool races featuring go-carts with a steering wheel and stool atop a six-horsepower engine. A couple of local police officers have been recruited to take those machines for a spin (or two, or three) around the ice.

“The crowd will love it,” Morris said.

Anyone interested in racing at the event should call the Androscoggin Bank Colisee (783-2009) or Central Maine Powersports (689-2345) for information about race registration and requirements for motorcycles, ATVs and tire studs.

The first-ever indoor speedway ice race was organized and promoted by a motorcycle dealer in Huntsville, Ala., in 1975. The next was held in New York state and the third was held in Ohio the following summer. It was there that a friend invited Densford to give ice racing a try. That ignited an enthusiasm that led to Densford and Bob Hetrick to start what is now the World Championship ICE Racing Series.

Recently, Densford’s son Brent has joined his father in managing events from their base in South Carolina. “We have made some changes in recent years that have positioned us to take the next step upward,” Densford said, adding that could mean some mainstream TV coverage on significant cable networks.