On Friday March 18th we were lucky to experience something utterly unique. On the ice track built on the shores of the Mansikkanokka in front of the city of Kemi, professional drivers tested the electric Tesla car. Kristian Sohlberg and Ville Hasti showed what the Tesla is capable of on the iced surface of the sea. Guests at the premises understood precisely what certain words, among others, drifting and Scandinavian flick, mean. The test drives continued for several days successfully. The Tesla Model S P90D AWD accelerates instantly, smoothly and quietly. The most enthusiastic spectators had a chance to feel the test ride sitting next to the driver, and the most courageous ones took the opportunity to drive the car on the ice track themselves. The intoxication of speed wrapped up many a person. “This is a fantastic high-end product to the city of Kemi, this gives the perfect Wau-effect experience to just anyone,” exalts Jukka-Paco Halonen, the managing director and owner of Viada Ltd.
The city of Kemi is the first place in the whole world to offer an ice track with driving adventures for visitors/spectators, and the testing of the functioning and mounting of this product is under process during this year. Next season the usual product service on offer in Kemi will be increased due to the new product available for ice racing enthusiasts. The product will be available January – February 2017. D1 Ultimate-GT is responsible for the test car driving field operation. Daniel Eden, a highly experienced organizer of motor racing events is the entrepreneur of the product. The Kemi Tourism Ltd has included the product into its program, and the product is available for visitors starting next year. Frozen Innovation, a local company, organizes (partly) the construction of the ice track, the managing director Taavi Heikkilä giving an expert eye to the process due to his long-time experience in building the Kemi SnowCastle.
The race track location will be situated close to the world-renowned SnowCastle, as the Castle will rise to its new location in Kemi Mansikkanokka next year. ”The new SnowCastle location is excellent due to its close situation to the city centre and its vicinity to the sea, the fact providing multiple opportunities for year-round product service development for tourism in the region,” says Noora Barria, the Communications, PR and Marketing responsive of the Kemi Tourism Ltd. “We want to enhance the reputation and fame of the city of Kemi as a multiple opportunity sea-city throughout the year. Our SnowCastle is world-widely the one and only snow-construction built solely from sea-water and the Icebreaker Sampo the most unique Icebreaker in the whole world providing cruises for visitors. The closeness of the sea is our trump card. We want to develop our product service offer with our collaborators and we are also constantly looking for new product service providers in our region,” continues Susanna Koutonen, the Kemi Tourism Ltd CEO/Managing Director at the event organized for the collaborators and media at the Seaside Lodge and Cot at the Mansikkanokka on Friday.
The ice track offers you the chance to observe the ice racing show, or you may even take the opportunity to drive the car yourself, thus experiencing the challenges of driving on arctic and unique conditions due to the location. If you want to experience the ride, without driving yourself, you yet have the chance to sit next to a professional driver, and feel the thrill of ice racing on the sea. As teachers and drivers for this product we provide well-experienced Finnish race car drivers. “We can organize a tailor-made experience entity for each group. Some visitors may want to have a more thorough driving learning experience, at the same time testing different cars on the ice track; others on the other hand are more interested in observing the skilful action of professional drivers on the race track. Whatever you desire!” says Eden, who has been developing Ice Driving- experiences in Finland since 2009. “We have been collaborating plenty especially with English and German representatives, and important destinations are located also in Asia. Eden or the Kemi Tourism Ltd does not want to specify any particular destinations, for the product is suitable for anyone willing to experience the thrill of ice driving. “Where else in the world can you experience anything like this? Ice racing on the iced surface of the sea!” Eden enthuses, adding that both the city of Kemi and the Gulf of Bothnia are excellent locations for providing something utterly unique for visitors. “This year for the test driving we are using the Tesla, and next year some other luxury vehicles as well,” says Daniel Eden. “We want to create never-before-experienced adventures, and so far we have created the Finland Challenges You –event format, where we challenge the visitor to experience something totally new with snow and ice. Controlling the car while driving on snow and ice conditions is probably a strange and new feeling to many a visitor, and through this experience they will gain some understanding why the Finns in fact succeed so well in motor racing,” Eden continues.
Along the development of the Kemi Tourism Ltd program services, the city of Kemi attracts ever new tourism entrepreneurs/businesses to the region. The development in tourism enhances employment in the region as well. Goal is that the race track operation would employ 10-20 employees, the employment effect being visible also in various service areas in the city. “The ice racing product service entity fits well with the general product service offer for the tourism in the Sea Lapland region, at the same time also enhancing the development of the region as a strong centre for tourism,” confirms Tomi Sipola, the Sales Manager of the Kemi Tourism Ltd.