The world’s coolest car race
This is what happens when rich people can’t choose between skiing and driving
Here’s a whole bunch of rich petrolheads taking the idea of ‘cool’ rather literally. A bit like car racing, a bit like skiing, a lot like an afterparty – welcome to the FAT Ice Race.
It’s the brainchild of Ferdi Porsche, great-grandson of the German firm’s founder and a general cool guy with a celebrity-rivalling Instagram. The Ice Race, backed by transport company FAT International, is inspired by an event first held in 1952 in memory of Ferdinand Porsche himself in Zell am See, Austria, the second home of the Porsche family.
The GP Ice Race, as it used to be called, was originally held on the frozen lake at Zell am See until a snowplough crafting the circuit fell through the ice in the ’70s and the driver died. Races were stopped on the ice permanently as a result.
But it was revived in 2019 and moved to more solid ground at a nearby airfield, where the snow is meticulously treated and preserved to make sure there’s actually some ice for the race. With the snowy mountains south of Salzburg providing a spectacular backdrop, it’s a quite remarkable location for a car-based event, and this year’s running had practically perfect Alpine conditions.
I turn up slightly unsure what to expect, but as soon as I see someone skiing behind a Porsche 959 I know I’m in for a great time.
‘I jump in the passenger seat of the Polestar 2 to be greeted by Swedish racing driver Thed Björk’
The cars are split into four classes: four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive, plus skijoring (ie person on skis being towed by a car) and buggies. As well as the racing there are elements of motor show, with various static displays, and loads of food and drink.
Given Ferdi’s family roots, it’s no surprise that Porsche and the VW Group in general have a prominent presence, but this year Polestar is making a splash as one of the first ‘outsiders’ to attend with a large stand within one of the flugplatz’s hangars. The Swedish company, owned by China’s Geely, has also brought along some show cars to mark the occasion – the recently revealed Arctic Circle collection of one-offs based on its trio of electric cars, the Polestar 2, 3 and 4.
All three get similar modifications, including raised suspension, specially developed Öhlins dampers and ridiculously cool white OZ wheels wrapped in studded tyres – a must for racing on this surface. There are Recaro Pole Position bucket seats too, because why on earth wouldn’t you put them in an electric SUV if you could?
I jump in the passenger seat of the Polestar 2 to be greeted by Swedish racing driver Thed Björk, winner of the World Touring Car Championship in 2017 driving a Polestar, back in the days when Polestar was Volvo’s performance division; that team is now Cyan Racing. He is, I assume, just the sort of person you want to guide you around the track.
‘Have you been here before?’ I ask. ‘No, it’s my first time here and with this car.’ Ah. But it turns out that his inexperience of car and location doesn’t matter when he has such immense skills. We sprint out of the paddock sideways and instantly use the full width of the track.
Initially we’re following a new rear-wheel-drive 911 that’s struggling with limited traction before Björk gets impatient and sneaks past on the last corner. Polestar overtakes Porsche. The headlines write themselves.
It’s a fairly short track that you can walk around in 15 minutes, assuming you’ve bought your ticket (advance sales only) and remembered your chunky boots. There aren’t any roped-off VIP areas. Once you’re in you can walk where you like (within reason), and despite the fact it attracts a wealthy audience, there’s no hint of snootiness to it.
‘If you can afford to race a Ferrari 750 Monza or Porsche 550 Spyder on ice, money probably is not an issue’
But even though the focus is cars, it’s the people that make the FAT Ice Race so interesting. I bump into Alex and Ute Mauz in their matching Meyers Manx jumpers next to their prized dune buggy. They’ve been to every running of the event since it was revived in 2019, making the journey down from Stuttgart.
This year, they’ve also brought their pristine Porsche 356, and their son has joined with his Speed Yellow 996 911. ‘We’re obsessed with Porsche,’ Ute tells me as they offer some hot-off-the-stove German pastries.
It’s a feelgood event like no other I’ve been to. Now, I don’t claim to know much about fashion but there are some wild – and I mean wild – outfits on display, and none of the retro formality of the Goodwood Revival. The man casually dressed in a full Bigfoot costume is my favourite.
The whole event oozes old and new money combined. A quick walk around the car park reveals a large proportion of the entire world’s allocation of Porsche 911 Dakars. It’s great to see them being used as intended, if you don’t worry too much about the car’s origins in desert racing rather than driving on ice and snow. Another brave soul has driven down in their £2.5m Mercedes-AMG One hypercar on winter tyres, straight after collecting it. Utter madness.
As well as its annual European Ice Race, FAT International also held an event near Aspen, Colorado, in 2024 and has plans for more. FAT also has a restaurant on the Grossglockner, Austria’s largest mountain, and in 2024 established a karting league in the UK with former F1 engineer Rob Smedley, aiming to make motorsport open to everyone and ‘break down financial and social barriers’.
There’s a lot of FAT-branded merch, which would be confusing out of context. I see people wearing big blue FAT puffer jackets and fancy one, right up until I see the €550 sticker price. Must work harder.
Breaking down financial barriers? Not the coats. But if you can afford to race a Ford GT40, Ferrari 750 Monza or Porsche 550 Spyder on ice, money probably is not an issue.
The action is all crammed into one day, so if you spend too long browsing the anoraks and you’ll miss something on track. Like skijorgers behind a James Bond-style Lotus Esprit, or a Mitsubishi Evo in spectacular action, and a modified Beetle racing with skiers behind. The next thing I know the Beetle is up on two wheels after colliding with the wall of ice. Up and over it rolls, all at fairly slow speeds.
The driver jumps out, pushes it back the right way up and on his way he goes. It’s this happy-go-lucky approach that is all part of the fun and success of the FAT Ice Race. It feels refreshingly free of red tape, as if you’ve stumbled upon a hypercharged version of a few mates messing about with cars on a Saturday afternoon. Do visit if you can.