Finland is a land of forests and seemingly endless countryside. Although it's inhabited
by more than 5 million people, more than a million
of them live in the country's capital and largest city,
Helsinki. Helsinki is a unique and modern city characterized by its artistry and its
world famous designs, as even the most functional buildings
double as monuments to Finland's rich, architectural history. It's an enchanting
and other-worldly place and its beauty is striking.
But I didn't travel for over 24 hours just to see what has to be the most stunning corner
of the continent. I came to drift Bentleys on ice.
Eight years ago, Bentley began its Power on Ice event— an outrageous excursion held
near the Arctic Circle where Bentley owners meet with
skilled instructors and learn to power slide Bentleys on an enormous frozen lake.
The lake is divided into different handling tracks and the drivers get seat time in a
range of Bentley Models, including the Continental
Supersports, Continental GT W12, Continental GT
V8, and Continental Flying Spur Speed.
The objective is to learn how to get the best performance from a Bentley in the toughest
of natural driving conditions and to learn how
to effectively execute controlled power slides in one
of the most exotic locations in the world.
My first ice-drifting lesson began with Kristian Sohlberg, a Finnish Rally Driver who has scored
three World Rally Championship points during his career. As he demonstrated what it takes
to execute a power-slide in this environment,
it became immediately obvious that drifting on ice is
much different than drifting on a high-friction asphalt road surface. On ice, the car begs to
oversteer and the driver's job is to patiently wait for the back end to lose grip and spin
out before gently applying throttle and counter-steer
to complete
the turn. Too much throttle and you'll spin out or find yourself pointed perpendicularly
to the course. Too little throttle and you won't make
it through the turn.
It's a controlled yet frenzied dance that relies on your awareness of the vehicle's
weight transfer, your ability to correctly place the car in
the corners, and your overall intuition. While instructors
can provide a great deal of information to support your success, there's an intangible
element that can't be taught— the art of listening
to how the car feels, understanding its tendencies, and
being able to anticipate its behavior on a surface that offers absolutely no traction.
It's a complex skill to say the least, but when performed correctly, drifting on ice
is possibly the most exhilarating thrill you'll ever experience
in your car.
Throughout the day I had the opportunity to work with different rally drivers, like Mark Higgins,
a three-time British Rally Champion who served as a stunt driver in the James Bond films
Quantum of Solace and Sky Fall.
I also spent time with Kris Meeke, a professional rally driver and Intercontinental Rally
Challenge Champion, who recently put a Continental GT Speed through its paces at the WRC
Rally GB on BBC Top Gear.
Each helped me better understand the complexities of ice-driving and gave me the chance to see
the different ways professional drivers' conceptualize this maneuver.
My afternoon concluded in the best possible of ways, with Hot Laps with a Finnish rally
star who's a four-time World Rally champion,
modern-day Bentley Boy, and World Ice Speed Record breaker, Juha Kankkunen.
After spending a truly surreal afternoon on the lake, we headed back to the cabins to
prepare for our evening adventure/outing which began with
a husky safari dog sledding ride. I spent the
whole ride wondering if this was really happening, and when we arrived at a reindeer farm,
things became even more dreamlike.
The reindeer farm was home to the Sami, a distinct culture in Finland with a population
between 6 and 8 thousand people who speak different
dialects of the Sami language and who traditionally herd reindeer. There, a man and his daughter
taught us about Sami culture and introduced us to
their prized president reindeer. Then, it was off to dinner, where we dined on Sami
foods and reveled in the extraordinary experience we'd
had on the ice.
This event was one I will never forget. From the majestic beauty of the countryside to
the sheer thrill of drifting on ice and doing it in
one of the world's most exquisite vehicles, this trip is by
far one of the most gratifying and memorable experiences I've ever had. I learned more
than I can yet describe, met so many amazing people,
and had the best time imaginable. And I did it all
in temperatures that averaged 20 degrees below zero.