Experience driving over a frozen lake
Haaaaa. Finally, finally.
This day has come.
I left my home in Tokyo early in the morning and arrived at the PA in Sakudaira in Nagano Prefecture around 6am. Today's car is a BMW M3. For this day, I changed the tires of M3 to studless.
After taking a short break at Sakudaira, we continue on to our final destination.
One Porsche in front of me while running. Yeah, the Porsche that runs in the same direction at this time should definitely have the same destination.
As I followed along, the road became more and more covered with snow.
BMW M3 studless tires are Michelin X-ice Snow
The studless tires purchased for the M3 this time are studless Michelin X-ice Snow for BMW G80 M3.
When I ran on a normal road with this studless, even if I increased my speed a little compared to when I was wearing normal tires, I felt like I was going "M3, what's wrong!" It was a studless tire that showed great performance ^ ^
Well, here is the place where I arrived after following the Porsche going forward.
There was no sign or sign at the entrance to the destination, so if Porsche wasn't in front of me, I would have been lost all day without knowing where the entrance was. A big thank you to Porsche who was in front.
So, here is the destination. The weather is perfect! ↓
Yes, this is a lake called Yachiho Lake, and since this lake freezes completely during the winter, we came here to do an "ice run" to try running a car on the ice. .
This is the lake↓
Many people, including those who have been participating in various driving lessons like me before, those who teach them, and even professional racing drivers, have said, "The best way to practice driving is on the ice. You should definitely try it once,” he said.
But, but, I have a strong fear of ``I think I'm going to die'' in strange places, and when I think about this ice, ``No, what if the ice breaks and falls down?'' It's impossible for me to run a heavy car on ice!" I thought.
Even so, every year when I hear that it's good to be on the ice, I'm starting to think, "Well, if I get the chance, I'll definitely try it once." Since I had a chance to go to , I'm already going "yeah" with momentum! ! I decided.
Even so, until I arrived at the site, I was afraid that I would be waiting at the edge of the ice (lake) because it would be scary when I got to the lake.
But, however.
One thing I suddenly noticed when I went to say hello to everyone from the parking lot after guiding the car to Yachiho Lake.
"Huh? Maybe I'm already on the lake? Is the place where I parked my car already on the ice?"
Wow.
Yes, I was already on a frozen lake with my BMW M3. I don't understand too much (laughs).
"Ah, erm, what is it that ice is so normal like the ground?"
Of course, it's actually on the ice, but the image I had was more like, "Hey, this is the ground, and this is the ice."
The snowplow (?) that maintains the ice course is also cute, and I'm a simple person who keeps getting excited. ↓
As a result, when I realized I was already on the ice, my strange fear disappeared.
Seeing is believing. "What is it like on the ice?"
Before I went, I thought that I had to write a suicide note before running, but it was not the situation I was afraid of.
* Of course, there are always dangers on ice, so we will follow the precautions and focus on safety first.
On this day, a 1.4-kilometer mini-course was built on the ice of Yachiho Lake.
The course itself is very easy to understand because only the area where you are driving is covered with ice, and the other areas are covered with snow. The tires are also placed as a mark of the course.
First of all, I was relieved that the person who manages Yachiho Lake kindly and carefully taught me various precautions.
On this day, it was jointly held with Porsche Club Utsunomiya and another group (?), but this time my husband and I participated in the frame of the other group. .
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Drift Master and his friends for putting me in the running frame, and Mr. and Mr. Chairman of Porsche Club Utsunomiya for talking with me. I had a wonderful experience for the first time in my life.
First of all, I was allowed to experience what driving on ice was like driving by Mr. Drifting in the passenger seat, and then my ice experience started.
Before,When I was allowed to experience a thing called PVC driftI had heard that it would be like this on ice, so I had a vague idea of what it would be like, but it was completely different when I was on the real ice (obviously).
I was able to bring the car into a drift state at a really slow speed, and somehow it was already slipping.
If I hit 30km/h on a slightly longer straight without noticing it, I would say, "Oh, it's fast, it's fast."
I was able to show and experience how to take it from low speed driving on ice to drifting and how to control the car after that in the passenger seat experience, so I learned a lot.
Whether or not I had this first passenger seat experience, I think my results for the day would have been completely different.
While remembering the feeling you taught me, next we will actually drive on the ice in our own car.
No, this is fun! ! !
In the beginning, I was in a hurry to say "Ooh, it's slipping, slipping", and when it started to slip, I was in a hurry to control the car, saying "Oops!"
It was a start like Awa Odori in the car that even I laughed at how uncool driving was (laughs).
But as you gradually get the hang of it, you'll find that you don't have to jerk the steering wheel at all (when it's done well) to control the car while drifting through corners.
The speed to enter the drift is also slow, and the running while drifting is also slow.
It was a moving experience for me to think, "I can't believe I'm still drifting at such a speed that it seems like I'm going to stop!!" I realized that I was thinking about it.
There were people who were participating in Porsche this time, and I was fascinated by the appearance of Porsche running on the ice ~.
Up until now, I hadn't been able to drift properly even in a stationary circle (on a road surface that wasn't on ice). It is possible.
I was really moved by the experience of driving a car while watching the scenery seen from the windshield flow sideways. I could feel it.
In my own mind, I was unconsciously thinking, "It's impossible to slide the car sideways while driving." That's really big.
Even when I was able to drift about half a lap on a steady circle on a normal road surface, after about half a lap, I thought, "I feel like the car is going in the wrong direction, and I turn the steering wheel strangely." There was a time when I was worried that the drift would end.
But this time on the ice, no, maybe this time is the first time I've learned "what is drifting?"
I didn't really know anything.
No, I'm impressed, I'm impressed.
So, after writing this far, I think that when I return to the normal road surface, I will be like "I can't drift" (laughs).
But at least I can understand that my level of understanding has completely changed from before, and I feel like I was able to know how the car moves more than ever before.
Yeah, in my case, it might just be "I feel like it," so I'd like you to listen to it half-heartedly. No, it's about 10% (laughs).
On the way, one of the participants in the BMW 1 series let me drive the car, saying, "Would you like to try driving? I think you can see the difference from the M3!"
What a substitute, but by all means, please try the M3! On the contrary, I was able to see my car (M3) driving on the ice, which made me very happy.
Thank you for the good experience ^ ^!
As an aside, when I happened to look at the navigation system when I was running on ice, it was obvious that I was on the lake (laughs).
This is a situation that is hard to see ^ ^ ↓
Also, when my husband was driving, I happened to look at the ground (ice surface) from the passenger seat.
Whaaaaaaaat.
Um, are these white lines also cracks in the ice? !
If you look closely, it's actually full of cracks. It was a moment when I suddenly felt fear again (laughs).
Of course, the ice is actually quite thick, so even if there are cracks on the surface, it won't break immediately.
But it might have been better for my mental health not to notice this (laughs).
When running on snow or ice, the snow accumulates on the wheels, but in the case of this GR Yaris…↓
The front wheel had this much snow
The rear wheel was already like, ``Isn't that a Taycan mission E design wheel?'' Can't you see that? ? ↓
Impressed by mutual help on the ice
Then, in fact, there was another very moving experience in my first experience of running on ice.
What that means is "helping each other".
Since the car is slippery on the ice, there are many cases where a momentary mistake in operation can cause the car to be out of control. .
If you can get your car out of the snow on your own, that's fine, but there are times when you can't get out of the snow on your own, even if it looks like you're just riding a little snow.
When that happens, the car directly behind the car stuck in the snow and the people behind it go to rescue the stuck car.
Everyone grabbed a shovel and shoveled the snow around the tires, and in the end everyone pushed the car out. People on the other side also rush to help.
Well, that figure is just like this scene in my eyes. No, really (laughs). cool. ↓
This spirit of helping each other is wonderful, and I was moved when I saw people going to help, and I wanted to help as much as I could.
I may not be able to push the car as much as I am, but I still think that I can help even a little.
It was so nice to see everyone helping each other, and it made me feel very warm in the cold.
Make a snow duck with a duck making machine
Then, at the end of the day, there's one more thing that doesn't matter ^^
On this day, I was purely looking forward to being able to "play in the snow" by saying "I will go to a place where there is snow"I was recently able to purchase at the Porsche CenterDuck of the Porsche Museum I was taking 3 dogs with me.
In preparation for this day, we also prepared a "duck making machine" (yellow green one).
This duck-making machine, one of the things that can be made by pinching snowballs in a so-called snowball fight, is one of the things that has changed, and you can make duck-shaped snow by pinching snow.
I wanted to put this snow duck and the Porsche duck side by side~^^! !
Oh, how cute!
Too cute! !
I just enjoyed making snow ducks when I wasn't driving (laughs).
I couldn't get the first few ducks out of the mold well, but after making a few ducks, I got the hang of it, and after that I started making ducks like a craftsman.
A dubious person who earnestly manufactures ducks without thinking (or rather, while thinking “cute”?).
No, it was fun. Satisfied, satisfied.
Let's put a duck on the car and take a picture! When I thought about it, I slipped down and it was cute again and I was laughing out loud by myself.
I wonder what I'm doing on the ice (laughs).
I was able to make ducks, and of course I was able to run on the ice, which was my number one purpose, so it was a very fruitful and fun day.
The temperature was around minus 7 to 14 degrees Celsius, but I was so excited that I didn't feel the cold (but it was cold without a coat ^^).
On the way back, the road was snowy for a while, but after driving for a while, the snow disappeared and the scenery was beautiful.
The experience I had a while ago was like a dream.
After returning to Tokyo, I wanted to remove the snow-melting agent first, so I searched for a gas station that has a car wash machine to wash the underside of the car, and stopped there.
I really wanted to wash the car by hand, but I didn't know if I would have time to wash the car the next day, so I decided to use the automatic car wash.
Do you know how dirty the windshield is before it goes into the car wash?
The car wash machine that I used this time was quite excellent, and it became quite beautiful.
The windshield is also like this ↓
Car experience is getting more and more fulfilling through Porsche
Originally when I was 16 years old when I got my license, I liked cars and liked driving, but even so, after meeting Porsche, I want to enjoy driving more at a completely different level than before, more I have done various things with the desire to know the wonders of Porsche.
And this time, my various car-related experiences have finally been connected to the ice, and I am deeply moved, and I am reminded every day that there is a world that is still unknown to me. is really very happy and fun.
Thank you very much to everyone who made this day a wonderful experience!
It was a lot of fun on the ice, so I would like to go again if I have the chance ^^ (Where's my fear?)
Related article:Do you know PVC drift?
Steady circle practice record at Tsukuba Circuit Gymkhana field (event sponsored by Porsche Club Utsunomiya):
1: September 2021 Drift practice of Porsche 911 at an event hosted by Porsche Club Utsunomiya
2: February 2022(Visit only) I went to Porsche Club Utsunomiya's regular circle turning practice event.
3: June 2022 Participated in the regular circular turning practice event of Porsche Club Utsunomiya (second time)
4: February 2023 2023 Steady circular turn start
5: June 2023 Finally achieved the goal! I was able to do one lap of the drift with the Porsche 911 (crying)
6: September 2023 Steady circular drift in Porsche 911, finally able to do 3 laps ~
7: December 2023 For the first time in a Porsche 911, it is now possible to perform steady circular drifts in fixed 2nd gear! ...and a crazy car wash
8: February 2024 Porsche 911, I was able to drift about 3 laps with 2nd gear fixed ~
9. June 2024 Visit to Tsukuba Circuit to see steady circle practice...
Other:
1: January 2023 First ice driving experience in my life: Driving on Yachiho Lake ice with BMW M3
2: January 2024 Experience driving on ice at Yachiho Lake again
I'm Rika, the author of this article. Ever since Porsche 911 became my favorite car, I've become totally addicted to Porsche, and I can't stop loving Porsche, so I started this blog. My favorite cars are 911 Carrera (991.2), 911 Carrera Cabriolet (992.1), and 911 Carrera T (992.1).
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