2009 Risdall North American Tour Brings Ice Racing to
Minnesota
St.
Paul Winter Carnival to host ice racing competition Jan. 31 and
Feb. 1 on Lake Phalen
NEW BRIGHTON, MINN. (Jan. 20, 2009) – Minnesotans are used to
extreme temperatures during the winter, but now an extreme winter sport
is coming to town – ice racing.
Ice racing as a sport has been around for more than 100 years,
but now is being brought to a closed-course oval track. Ice racing
involves “sailing” across the ice in ice boats outfitted with steel
blades at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. The high-performance
12-foot-long DN class ice boats are sailed like a boat on water, but
trickier to handle when it comes to turning and stopping because of the
speed and lack of friction of the steel blades on ice.
“Ice racing is breathtaking – the ice boats move like fire on
ice,” said John Risdall, chairman and CEO of Risdall Marketing Group
(RMG), which is the title sponsor of the 2009 Risdall North American
Tour through the World Ice Racing Circuit (WIRC). “We are thrilled to
partner with one of the hottest events at this year’s St. Paul Winter
Carnival.”
Two drivers from Great Clips Racing, NASCAR Nationwide Series
driver Jason Leffler and ARCA/ReMax Series driver Gabi DiCarlo, will be
appearing at the event on Jan. 31. Great Clips is the primary sponsor of
the WIRC “Fire on Ice” competition, an official event of the St. Paul
Winter Carnival.
The races, featuring skippers from around the world and across
North America, will take place on Lake Phalen on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. The
series of races, with multiple heats in each series, are at 10 a.m.,
noon, and 2 p.m. on both days. In each heat, four to six boats will race
around a 400-yard closed course oval track, executing “hairpin” turns
around points located 200 yards apart at speeds approaching up to 60
miles per hour. At a minute per lap, these five lap races will be
intense and action packed, starting about every 10 minutes.
The series winners with the best times will be declared at the
end of the 2 p.m. race on Feb. 1 to determine the 2009 champion.
This is the second event in the Risdall North American Tour. The
first event, the Great Western Challenge Regatta, took place in December
in Osakis, Minn. Another event for the 2009 Risdall North American Tour
will take place in March at a location to be determined.
About Risdall Marketing Group
Founded in 1972, Risdall
Marketing Group has annual capitalized billings of $190 million in
2008 and over 80 employees. Headquartered in New Brighton, Minn.,
Risdall is heralded as one of the oldest and most successful agencies in
the Twin Cities market and is recognized nationally for its
leading-edge interactive marketing capabilities. The full-service agency
embraces an integrated approach offering marketing, advertising, public
relations, promotion and collateral development, traditional and
interactive media, research and fundraising capabilities. According to
the 2008 Twin Cities Business Annual Business Information Guide,
RMG is ranked as the largest Web developer, fifth largest PR agency and
the seventh largest advertising agency in Minnesota. For more
information, visit www.risdall.com.
About World Ice Racing Circuit
Ice boat racing has been around for over 100 years. WIRC is the
organizer, event manager and sanctioning body for this unique new way to
ice race on closed courses with hairpin turns. Its mission is to
create, host and broadcast ice racing events featuring world-class sail
racers, bringing the excitement to a global audience as the hottest new
made-for-TV extreme sport.
To learn more about the racers and the incredible sport of ice
racing, go to www.worldiceracingcircuit.com.
John Risdall
Risdall Marketing Group
651.286.6702
john@risdall.com
Lisa Grimm
Risdall McKinney Public Relations
651.286.6761
lisa@risdall.com
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