Event Coverage: Kobus on Ice

Can we call @kobus a correspondent-at-large? He certainly manages to get around, and has covered (and participated in) events from Southern California to South Africa. Last month, he joined up with the Northeast Cyclekarts club for their annual New England ice race, and was kind enough to share his account of the proceedings. Words below are courtesy of kobus, with photos by kobus and Jonathan Lust.

February 21st, 2026—Little Squam Lake, Ashland, New Hampshire

It’s been a long and cold winter in the Northeast, and what better way to lean into it than by racing on ice?

The fourth edition of the Northeast Cyclekarts (club) ice races, now called “The IceCKapades,” had been in cyclekarters’ dreams for months—it had been that long since our last farm outing in the fall of 2024. One would imagine that winter offers the opportunity to repair and fine-tune our cyclekarts, but it never works out that way. For almost everyone, it was a last-minute rush to get ready.

My cyclekarting journey began as a COVID project, when John Corey convinced me to build mine based on the Fiat S76 “Beast of Turin.” Most of the karts in the field are patterned after prewar racers—the weirder, the better. The Baby Beast is now nicely patinated, and needed a lot of work to prepare for our outing. The week prior had proved hectic, and without a heated garage I worked in freezing temperatures, replacing broken springs and rivets, switching to stubby tires, adding hundreds of studs, bleeding brakes, lubricating everything, and taking it for a last-minute test drive. Of course it died 100 yards out—fortunately it was just an empty fuel tank.

Here’s the little Beastie loaded behind my tow vehicle and taped up to protect against the expected eight inches of snow.

The Squam Trail Busters Snow Mobile Club has been our host for four years now, and they did a stupendous job preparing the track, starting two weeks prior to our arrival! They barbecued out on the ice and jumped in for a drive whenever the opportunity presented itself. Photo by Jonathan Lust.

The Trail Busters also provided frequently-required towing service on the 15” of ice.

We had a record turnout of 13 cyclekarts—one latecomer missing from this photo.

About 200 spectators showed up, including Vanessa, our friendly and super-efficient waitress at the Common Man, where we celebrated both Friday and Saturday evenings.

My day started with a frozen throttle cable, fortunately stuck in the closed position. A run to a local shop got it unstuck, and to prevent further freezing, I parked it near the fire pit in between runs.

We ran several five-lap sprints, followed by a 20-lap main event.

David Ekeren from Rome, NY, brought his second build, a beautiful 1920 Frontenac, and finished close behind me in the main event.

Here is Pat Curren, a local who regularly opens up his amazing barns filled with cool classic cars, navigating his 1935 Bugatti Type 35.

Scott Rheaume’s expertly crafted 1920s Miller won the beauty contest for sure.

Rookie Tim Simpson came with his 1920s GN JAP, rendered beautifully in fiberglass. Tim seems to be totally hooked already.

Here’s the guy I blame for dragging me into this rabbit hole, John Corey, in his aging Salmson GP. He has been building an all-aluminum Alfa, and it’s “almost” ready to get dirty. It’s been in the works for about five years, and we keep hearing its coming-out party is imminent.

Two youngsters joined us—up top, Chris Butler in his 1921 GN Cyclecar, and below him Mark Boss Jr., who shared his dad’s Alfa Romeo 6C.

Here’s another rookie: Peter Yerxa in his Honda GX200-powered 1927 Amilcar C6.

The guy to beat was Nick Walters, who has amassed a shelf full of little trophies over the years. He’s always tinkering with the carb, and seems to be ever able to wrangle just a little more performance out of his 1928 Bugatti type 37A—fashioned after Jay Leno’s car. He comfortably won this year’s main event in style, starting from the back and passing us all.

We did have a new ringer, though. Paul Butler’s 1935 Bugatti Type 59 wore massive tires that sprouted bolts in place of the Kold Kutter studs used by the rest of the field. An engine builder by trade, Paul had a tricked-out Harbor Freight 212, but it didn’t last the length. Went out in a puff of smoke in the main event. Like they say: you have to finish to win.

For many, the Squam Lake IceCKapades are a must-do event. Justin Sebakijje drove eight hours from Baltimore, MD, and as in the past, he was joined by his daughter Lily.

Here’s Mark Boss after a snowbank encounter in his Alfa Romeo 6C.

And here’s a short video showing how much fun we had (hint: it was a lot).

Interested in cyclekarts? Come join us! Or at least check out these two groups on Facebook: CycleKarts North America and Northeast Cyclekarts. We’d love to hear from you!