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We were delighted to welcome former EVO magazine hero and now DriveTribe content creator, Henry Catchpole, and his video crew to our Below Zero Ice Driving campus in Sweden earlier this month. The video from their trip has just been released and you can watch it below.
Our previous time working with Henry was on a very interesting EVO magazine feature, in which he drove Stig Blomqvist’s 2015 East African Safari Classic Rally-winning Tuthill Porsche 911 as part of a group test of several off road performance machines. On that occasion, Henry began to explore the three-stage cornering methodology we use in our Swedish driving school, which helps drivers to maintain momentum and corner speed and make optimum use of the Porsche’s supreme traction on exit.
As the test stage was through the Welsh forests and therefore not the safest environment in which to explore the full speed of a Porsche, the obvious next step was to come to the frozen lakes of Sweden.
In the superb DriveTribe video, Henry follows the same training routine as any new arrival would. Below Zero initiates its drivers on short “button” studs, which offer increased grip on the ice compared to normal winter tyres, but not all of the grip possible with full studs. This training is carried out at relatively low speed on a shorter ice circuit, allowing drivers to practice the three-step system and giving time to establish the appropriate physical muscle memory and hand-eye coordination.
While the first stage of training is immense fun and of course very exciting, with the flat-six soundtrack throughout, the second stage is where things get really challenging. Here, we switch drivers onto full studs for maximim grip and let them loose on the extended course, with much higher average speeds possible.
Extreme concentration is required to get the most from this section, but, with endless-run off available and nothing to hit but snow, drivers can focus on learning the process without the distraction of perceived danger. This is one of the reasons Henry and so many more of our customers – top flight racing drivers and private individuals alike – call Below Zero Ice Driving “the ultimate driving school”.
We hope you enjoy the video. We still have days left for the 2017 Below Zero season, which finishes in early March. Email info@belowzeroicedriving.com to enquire.
