Xtreme International Ice Racing
Mullins Center
Amherst
Tonight
$6-$15
The usual audience at the Mullins Center is no stranger to loud and boisterous sounds. At athletic events it’s the Public Address announcer, the puck hitting the boards or the rowdy students who yell obnoxious chants. At the concerts that come through the University of Massachusetts campus, the music blaring out of the speakers can at times be rough on the eardrums.
However tonight in the Bill, the decibel level could reach an all-time high when the roar of 500 CC, 4-valve engines zoom around the arena ice.
Controlling those roars will be the members of “Xtreme International Ice Racing” – a group of professional ice-racing speedway bike and quad-racer riders touring the United States, competing for the ultimate title – a cash prize at the end of the season. The road to the money continues tonight in Amherst, Mass.
“This is as real as it gets, it’s not just a show, it’s not like the WWF,” “XIIR” co-director and three-time Speedway Bike Ice Racing World Champion Anthony “British Bulldog” Barlow said. “We are going to have 12 serious races on the bikes and 12 serious races on the all-fours. It’s extremely competitive.”
The bikes and four-wheelers being driven in tonight’s event are not the average machines you see on the X-Games. The vehicles lack brakes for easy sliding around the rink and have over 500 razor sharp steel studs on each wheel for some traction. The vehicles have incredible speed on the ice as they can go from 0-60 mph in three seconds.
The giant Mullins Center rink that normally holds 12 Herculean hockey players comfortably will suddenly look miniscule when three quads or four bikes are on the ice racing side by side, making extremely tight turns.
“I have driven on both dirt and ice and I have to say the ice is a lot more exciting,” three-time quad World Champion and co-director Louis “Taz Man” Smith said. “It’s a real challenge having no brakes riding on the ice.”
“XIIR” is comprised of 15 riders (four quad and 11 speed bike) coming from all around Europe and America. Some are as young as 19 years old like Joe “Kamikaze Kid” Garrison or as old as 39-year-old Eddie “Ice Man” Kelley.
The tour made its debut last month in Cincinnati, Ohio at the US Bank Arena and has continued along on its eight-stop route.
“The crowds have been great and I think it’s a real amazing sight watching these riders do their stuff,” Barlow said. “We had about 9,000 fans when we were in Tampa [Fla.] last week.”
“This is our only New England stop and I promise people will not be disappointed if they come to check us out,” he added.
“XIIR” starts tonight the Mullins Center at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $6-$12 and there is a $2 discount for students with proper ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Mullins Center Box Office or by Ticketmaster.