Event
Porsche ice racing at Zell am See runs back to 1952, when the original competition used the frozen lake as its circuit. That series ended in 1974. F.A.T. Ice Race, founded by Ferdinand Porsche's grandson Ferdi alongside Vinzenz Greger, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Richard Lietz, revived the format at the town's airport, which offers a controlled surface and enough space to run a proper circuit layout without the logistical complications of the lake itself.
Three competition classes run on the day. FAT Competition covers buggies and four-wheel-drive machinery built specifically for ice. FAT Performance focuses on classic cars and two-wheel-drive vehicles – Porsches, rally cars, GT racers – where grip is limited and car control becomes the distinguishing factor. The Spirit of the Ice Race keeps skijoring on the programme: skiers tethered to cars and pulled across the ice at speed, which is a Norwegian tradition that has no obvious equivalent anywhere else in European motorsport.
Paddock access is open throughout, which means you can walk between cars while mechanics fit studded tyres and drivers talk through the circuit. A Warm Up Party in Zell am See town square runs the Friday evening before the main event. The event ticket covers free public transport across the Pinzgau region on the race day, which simplifies the logistics considerably.
Zell am See sits in the Salzburg state between the Hohe Tauern and the Kitzbühel Alps, at the northern end of the Grossglockner approach road. The town is small and the event fills it, so accommodation books out well in advance. The surrounding roads in January are worth the winter tyres.
