Lunar Chronicles on Ice
SCDA's Winter Car Clinic at LimeRockPark
Photos/Written by: Chris Booth , www.EdgeOfAdhesion.xyz
As the final checkered flag waved goodbye to the racing season in December 2023, I sealed my camera gear, anticipating this tumultuous storm that I call the 2024 Season. Little did I know that SCDA's Winter Car Clinic at LimeRockPark would rip me from hibernation with this force of what I could only describe as a lunar landing gone rogue.
Through the Lens of Winter's Lunar Waltz
Unveiling my cold camera bag, I stepped into a winter wonderland; LimeRockPark transformed into an alien landscape beneath the shadowy silhouette of frost-kissed mountain peaks. The forecast had gifted us with a celestial blanket, a canvas of white promising an ethereal spectacle amidst the dark abyss of surrounding shadowed hills.
The autocross course, a cryptic path somewhere beneath the snow, awaited my lens. SCDA, undeterred by whimsical weather, had orchestrated a ballet of winter mayhem, inviting drivers with their winter beaters and snow-tire'd chariots alike.
Battling the Sub-Zero Symphony
At -9ºF , hand warmers, thick gloves and waterproof boots became my photographic armor against the bitter freeze. The camera, my trusty companion, whined a cold, unfamiliar shutter-click tune. Yet, I plunged into the icy theater, a lunar landscape where cars pirouetted through the snow, kicking up silence.
Rhythms of Roaring Snow and Whispering Engines
Cars became lunar rovers navigating an otherworldly stage. The snow, a muted vocal-booth sound engineer, masked engine roars and exhaust growls, leaving only the rhythmic puft and duft of tire passages, whispering tales of snow, grass, and gravel.
Wheel spoke design patterns etched lunar constellations, and my camera danced to the whine of internal focussing motors, a new and concerning rhythm of technology against winter's breath. The viewfinder fogged, a mystical haze framing the lunar landscape.
The Symbiosis of Cars and Winter's Spell
The snowy canvas revealed a symbiotic dance of power and control. AWD titans conquered turns, flinging powder, gravel, and dirt into the lunar abyss. Meanwhile, nimble RWD machines delicately balanced control and momentum, leaving tire tracks that sketched stories in the silent snow.
Those in thin summertime driving shoes reaped the greatest rewards, as LimeRock's winter autocross series allowed drivers to master each configuration in isolation. With no cone stations to man, drivers cocooned inside warm leather wrapped cabins, shedding bulky gear for the intimacy of summertime driving shoes.
Unveiling the Unexpected: A Barefoot Symphony
Unexpected moments unfolded; a barefoot conductor amid the icy reverie. As I, layered and frozen, suggested to a struggling driver he shed his shoes for a more intimate connection with the lunar landscape - the camaraderie of the event took center stage.
So, as the hibernation blues weigh heavy, fear not. We're halfway through winter, and SCDA's winter events at LimeRockPark beckon. With fresh snow hopefully on the horizon, grab your Pumas and boots. This rare opportunity in the Northeast offers more than a lesson — it's a chance to defy winter's icy grip, a lunar landing gone rogue on the proving grounds, where tire tracks sketch stories in the silent, snow-covered expanse.
