We’re just a month away from our first event and a number of changes were made for this coming season, so we want to make sure everyone has all of the information that they need.
Click “Schedule” at the top of the page to see the 2023 schedule!
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR FIRST WEEKEND
The first race weekend is January 7th and 8th. We will also be bringing back the Sunday Fun Day Track to better serve those who just want the experience of driving on ice without the pressure of competition. Visit the schedule page to register!
Registration will open approximately 1 month before each event. Sign up for our newsletter if you’d like to be notified when registrations opens for each event.
CHANGES FOR 2023
Last year our focus at the Annual Meeting was on clarifying changes that were introduced in the 2021 season, and this year our focus was on putting procedures in place that will allow us to limit the number of vehicles on the ice when necessary and rewarding people who are actively involved in making our events happen. For the sake of clarity, here’s a summary that highlights the main things that you should be aware of:
- All entrants must register and pay online by 5:00pm on the Thursday preceding the event. Cash will not be accepted at the lake and there will be no opportunity to register late or on site.
- The vehicle tech inspection fee is now included with registration. All vehicles must be tech inspected once per season, but there is no longer an additional charge.
- All race competitors are required to help run a class that they are not participating in by flagging corners, helping stage, or any other duties necessary to safely run the event, as others will be volunteering to run YOUR class. If you are not prepared or refuse to help out, you may not be permitted to participate.
- Active Volunteer Discounts will be available to all active volunteers, even if they are not members of the club. In order to be added to the Active Volunteer List, you must be nominated by one of our Committee Heads, so you need to get their attention by volunteering regularly for tasks other than flagging!
- Flagging Points will be awarded each time you help flag a class heat. Awards will be given out at our Awards Ceremony based on flagging points earned throughout the season. When you help flag a heat of races, just make sure that the head of staging records your name so that we can award the flagging points!
Click “Driver Info” at the top of the page, then “2023 Rule Book” to find a summary of all of the changes and the latest copy of the Rule Book!
ENTRY LIMITATIONS BASED ON ICE CONDITION
We had to cancel all of our events during the 2022 season as it would have been unsafe for us to have the 50-60 cars that we normally have registered on Sunday out on the ice at the same time. This season, we will be limiting registrations based on ice conditions so that we can hold the events with fewer vehicles on the lake rather than completely canceling them.
In evaluating the ice conditions, we will be taking into consideration the thickness of the ice, as measured in 6 to 10 spots around the lake in addition to how soon the lake freezes prior to the season and how many freeze/thaw cycles the lake is seeing throughout the season. For ideal conditions, we need the ice to be at least 12 inches thick and for the weather to consistently remain below freezing. In early 2022, Georgetown experienced multiple days in the 40s and even one day above 50 degrees, which is detrimental to ice quality, even when the ice is technically over 12 inches thick.
Based on our observations, we will determine how many vehicles the ice can safely accommodate with proper distancing and we will limit registrations based on these determinations. When the number of vehicles needs to be limited, we will limit registrations in the following order:
- Decrease Sunday Fun Day Track entries
- Cancel the Sunday Fun Day Track event
- Only allow vehicles in the active heat onto the lake
- Reduce class sizes to 12 or 8 participants
- Cancel the Competition Cheater class for ice preservation
When registrations need to be limited, entries will be accepted on a first come, first served basis according to the time that the registration was received. For example, if we need to limit our event to 8 vehicles on the ice and 16 people registered for the Street Bare Rubber class, we will accept the first 8 registrations received and the remainder will be canceled and refunded.
2023 SPONSORS
We are starting to gather sponsors for this year. If you have or know of a business or other organization that you can recruit to sponsor some Our Gang races this season, you can get a free race entry! Please use the link below to access our Sponsorship Letter, which provides all of the details and sponsorship options for potential sponsors to review as well as instructions and contact information needed to get started!