Ice racers may have to cool their engines as warmer temperatures threaten to delay the club’s season.
Thunder Bay Autosport Club vice-president John Kelly said the local ice track on Mission Bay is still being prepared for a Jan. 14 season start, but the ice right now isn’t thick enough.
“As it looks right now we may have to postpone it by one weekend,” Kelly said. “Of course it’s all weather permitting.”
But a week’s delay isn’t bad for a season that typically ends during the first week of March.
The club, started in 1959, has had to cancel seasons entirely due to weather before. Kelly doesn’t believe that will happen this year.
The track, which can be up to more than two kilometres, is plowed onto Lake Superior near the end of City Road.
Right now, the ice on the track is 16 to 18 inches thick. The club wants 20 inches of ice as a safety precaution for its 75 members.
“Safety is our priority,” Kelly said.
Racers also compete in Northern Minnesota where clubs are having the same issues due to warmer weather.
