These are the cars and drivers competing in CNYIRA's 2003 season:

This collection of photos is by no means complete. Keep sending 'em in, and we'll get as many cars and drivers posted here as possible. In the works: The CNYIRA Fantasy League. Stay tuned!

Street Tire:

Tom Proko


Tom's photo here
Tom's Ford Fiesta
Driver Bio:
 At one time Fiestas were numerous at CNYIRA events. Tom is the lone Fiesta holdout.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:




Jim Phillips


Jim "UNIX Geek" Phillips
924
Driver Bio:

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:


Just your average tranny in the tub

This car for sale






Roy Hopkins


Roy "Mr. Sideways" Hopkins

Rochester NY Ronald McDonald House
"Clifford"
Driver Bio:
 Roy competes in the One Lap of America every year to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Rochester, NY. Oh, and to have a little fun too. The best way to keep in practice for the One Lap is to ice race in Central New York during the winter. After all, the One Lap is only a few months away!

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The Ol' 2002
How to drive your tow vehicle


One Lap 330i (2001)
One Lap M5 (2002)




Jim Ritter


Jim Ritter

Jim is sponsored by:

Select Transportation
Specialists in VW and Audi Sales and Service
Jim's #39 VW Fox


In the photo left to right

Tim Ritter - Team Manager
Claire Noonen - Communications
David Noonen - Hired Gun #38 Metro
Jim Ritter - Owner
Dave Sharman - Free Agent #62 Honda
Missing from Photo:
Chris Ritter - Driver #38 Metro Open Street Legal
Cullen Noonen - Driver in Waiting
Team Geneva
Driver Bio:
 Jim hails from Geneva, NY. Jim is that rarest of rare ice racers: the Team Owner. His Team Geneva stable includes the #39 Fox and the #38 Mighty Geo Metro. Any other toys or former race cars, it is reported, are either broken or confiscated.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:


The Mighty Metro




Bill Lass


Bill Lass
This year's car: the Mighty Honda
Driver Bio:
 Bill has been competing with the CNYIRA for quite some time now (since 1977), and hasn't gotten tired of it yet. In recent years Bill has usually been seen in SAABs, which may explain the emblem on the nose of his Honda.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

Red SAAB (do you suppose he shrunk it to Honda size?)




Dave Noonen


Dave Noonen
Team Geneva "Hired Gun"
The #38 Mighty Metro
Driver Bio:
 David Noonen, being from Geneva NY, is a member of Team Geneva. Dave's past experience includes scaring the heck out of anyone that would ride on the back of the bike, in the Dodge, or the Datsun. Dave mentions his father Lester Noonen as an inspiration: "He got me hooked on speed, and was the best father a kid could have had, he owned and worked on many dirt cars back in the day." Some of Dave's former toys were a 280Z, Kawaski H2 750 ("holy mackerel was that bike fast"), Dodge 880 custom, and a Datsun 710. These days, he drives a Saab 900, and "the big Olds."

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:




Dave Sharman


David "Big Dave" Sharman
Team Geneva's Free Agent
Dave's #62 Honda
Driver Bio:
 David "Big Dave" Sharman is a resident of Geneva, NY, and strangely enough, also a member of Team Geneva. Dave is the pilot of the #62 Honda Accord. Dave came to ice racing with experience as the Geneva Ice Rink Zamboni driver, which means he probably has as much ice driving time as Nick Julian and Bill Lass. Dave has also driven lots of golf carts, and one really trashed Toyota MR2. In Dave's first ice race he got the "bump and run" from a Ford Fiesta, but it doesn't seem to have damped his enthusiam any.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:




Bill Scott


Bill's photo here
Bill's Ford Focus
Driver Bio:
 Bill Scott autocrosses in the summer time. In a display of great bravery, he ran his autocross car in the Street Legal class with CNYIRA.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:




Pete Deierlein


Pete's photo here
This week's car: the red Honda CRX
Driver Bio:
 Pete drives cars on ice for fun, plays with radios for fun, and occasionally flies airplanes for fun. He has been known to fly to AMEC events, and is responsible for the aerial footage seen on Mike Kamm's video of the 2002 AMEC ice racing season.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

Last week's car: the Audi
The previous week's Honda




Greg Gonya


Greg's photo here
The AWD Honda
Driver Bio:
 Greg Gonya is a long-time ice racer. His previous ride was a 2WD Honda Civic. This year he is campaigning a 4WD Honda.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:




Randy Zimmer


Randy "Occasional Seen Driving A Subie" Zimmer

Randy is sponsored by:

Redline Oil and Strate Welding Supply

And check out randyzimmer.com
The rally car on ice, ready to race
Driver Bio:
 Randy has a bit of racing experience. A bit in SSC, SSB, SSA, FC, CSR, ASR, GP, GT5, GT4, GT2, Rabbit-Bilstein, Firehawk, Longest Day, Can-Am U2 and O2, CAT-Indycar, and ITB, that is. Oh, and he's been rallying too (in, oddly enough, a Subaru.) So how does he find time to ice race?

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

Rally Subie
Ice Race Subie
Not Randy's rally co-driver
Not Randy's rally Subie




"Little Nicky" Julian


Nick's photo here
"Little Nicky" Julian's Golf - killer of Bambi and CV joints
Driver Bio:
 When he's not driving the "Venison Express", Nick doesn't mind a little ice racing. Like most VW drivers, Nick likes to keep a couple spares around. Spare cars, that is.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:




Adrienne Hughes


Adrienne "Lift? Why Would I Lift?" Hughes
325ix "Winter Beater"
Driver Bio:
 Adrienne is a shy, retiring racer, who tries to limit herself to competing in ice races, autocrosses, and hillclimbs, and the occasional drive around a race track. She is a regular competitor in the One Lap of America, which results in the occasional drive around the country in search of race tracks.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

"Spot"
'73 2002

Clifford the Big Red Dog
One Lap 330i
One Lap M5
Team Koko




Gary Thomas


Gary's photo here
Gary's 4WD
Driver Bio:
 Gary Thomas can be found racing his venerable Colt on Menard ice tires, or more recently his AWD street ride.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The Colt





Street Tire Open:

MaryAnne Broda


MaryAnne Broda
The gray 924 (oddly, the same color as
the other two 924s that race with CNYIRA)
Driver Bio:
 MaryAnne regularly drives the 924 in the Open Street Tire class, but is not above letting her arm be twisted to drive a Rabbit in the Menard Open class.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:


Second in the Open class:
Will the regular driver lose his seat?




Nick Julian


Nick Julian
The Bambi Killer Golf
Driver Bio:
 Nick likes to avoid working on transportation. Race cars he has no problem with. Nick has been known to have the odd SAAB lying around, and perhaps a Volvo or two. Nick is usually found manning the start/finish at CNYIRA races. It's rumored that he is willing to stand in the cold all day in order to have the best view in the house of the peculiar antics of the CNYIRA racers.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The Ol' 96




Chris Ritter


Chris Ritter
Chris co-drives the Mighty Metro
Driver Bio:
 Chris Ritter, of Geneva, NY, co-drives the #38 Mighty Metro for Team Geneva in the Open Street Tire class. At 16 years young, Chris has gained driving experience while impressing the neighbors with the go-cart, and driving around the infield at Watkins Glen.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:





Class B:

 Kurt Thiel


Kurt's photo here
Kurt's ITA road racing/Class B ice racing Golf
Driver Bio:
 Kurt Thiel is a long-time ice racer. He has spent a quite a bit of time behind the wheel of an SCCA PRORally car, and now road races in SCCA's Improved Touring A class. Kurt won overall at the very first race at Adirondack International Speedway, the "Beaver Mug 100", which was a joint CNYIRA/AMEC event. Kurt's secret to being a successful driver on slippery surfaces: "You have to be willing to keep your foot in it when other drivers won't."

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The car that won the Beaver Mug 100 at Adirondack Int'l




Ben Gregory


Ben's photo here
Ben's Synchro
Driver Bio:
 Ben Gregory spends most of his time restoring and modifying fine old American Iron, so it's perfectly obvious why he's racing a VW Quantum Synchro that he made into a pickup.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:




Ed Tucker


Ed Tucker
The Miata
The SAAB 997
Driver Bio:
 Ed was CNYIRA Driver of the Month for August 2002. When he is in the mood for street tires he drives the Miata, and when he's in the mood for ice racing tires he drives the SAAB.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:


Admit it, Ed, you once drove a VW





Class C:
Casey Creamer


Casey Creamer

Casey is sponsored by:

Seneca Saw Works, Inc.
And she lets Casey sit in the Z8?
"Yellow Snow" - The Ford Escort That Could
Driver Bio:
 Casey Creamer is involved in cutting edge technologies. He has been racing with CNYIRA for quite some time, and seems to enjoy it. When there isn't enough ice to race on, Casey enjoys spending quality time with various English cars, which is a good thing to enjoy if one owns English cars.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

"Barney"
The "Ice Box"
"Bernie"
Sprite
Mini
Alfa
Biker




Chris Wightman


Chris "Speed Racer" Wightman
This isn't your mother's Sentra
Driver Bio:
 Chris Wightman started ice racing in somebody else's car, which isn't a bad way to do it. He is a charter member of Team Koko, which not many people can claim, or would admit.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

Somebody else's BMW
The Mach 5
Team Koko
The '70 2002
The former ice racer
Track car
Spyder




Tom LeSage


Tom LeSage
Tom LeSage's quick red Bunny
Driver Bio:

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:





Class D:
Jef Franklin


Jef's photo here
The world-famous Scirocco
Driver Bio:
 Jef Franklin is one of the movers and shakers behind the CNYIRA. He brings one of the plow trucks, and the pylons, and still manages to find time to drive his Scirocco. The Scirocco is equipped with a "wide" button which makes it very difficult to pass on occasion.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The Rent-a-racer Altima




Mike Mollura


Mike Mollura
The dreaded black Golf
Driver Bio:
 Mike autocrosses and road races with SCCA, and plays on the ice in the winter. Mike races with CNYIRA, and occasionally makes it to an AMEC event, especially when it's time to replace the glass in the race car.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

Disk failure




Karl Hughes


Karl "Racer X" Hughes

Karl is sponsored by

The Salt City Moving Company Dance Studio
"Sputnik"
Driver Bio:

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The first Team Koko rally car
"Spot"
The Shooting Star
Team Koko
The original ice racer




Carl Van Kesteren


Carl Van Kesteren
Montezuma's Rabbit
Driver Bio:
 Carl works on some really fun cars. Plus, he gets to drive them.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

Oops
Montezuma's Ferrari?
962
A race fan lying around
The One Lap Rover





Open:
Paul Schelling


Paul's photo here
What to drive when the clutch isn't back in the Suzuki yet
Driver Bio:
 Paul has ice raced a variety of fine automobiles, including a Honda known as "Rivet", and a Rabbit painted John Deere green. His current ride is a Suzuki Swift in the Street Tire class, when he's not piloting the Sentra.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

John Deere (with innocent bystander)




Al Adkins


"Uncle Al" Adkins
Al's Ride, when he can pry it away from Jef
Driver Bio:
 Al Adkins is reputed to be a CNYIRA Member At Large. The ramifications for the club are not clear, however Al is invaluable in helping to put on the events. Al owns several English cars, and even an English truck. He makes up for this by driving a Chevy Suburban occasionally, and Jef Franklin's Scirocco when the lakes are frozen.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The Mighty Altima
Endurance kart racing
2000 Open Class champ




Rex Franklin


Rex "Have I Got A Wartburg For You" Franklin

The Wartburg Page
When Rex's Synchro isn't running, he borrows Ben's
Driver Bio:
 Rex Franklin is no relation to Jef Franklin. At least, if there is any relation, neither will admit it, and you really can't blame them for that. Rex is rumored to be the CNYIRA president, which means the rest of the club ganged up on him during the annual elections. He can be found driving any car that happens to be sitting in the pits with the keys in it, and the owner not paying close attention.

Other Toys, Former Race Cars, Whatever:

The other Synchro
The Midget
The Mighty Altima