Pouya Lucky

A Day of Speed and Slides at Lempäälä

Hello there fellow car enthusiast. I’m back with another adventure to share that took me all the way to the frozen lakes of Lempäälä, Finland. What could go wrong when you combine speed, ice, and snow packed barrier ? Nothing … Or so I thought …

Capture the Moment

I drove towards this lake in Lempäälä on a super chilling day at -19° c about half an hour away from my home which was not fully frozen and represented a solid but slipperay surface. I tried to capture all the excitement to share with you and later I compiled the video and the best scenes, carefully selected the music to match the mood, and tried to highlight the funniest and most exciting moments.

The edit took around a hundred hours if not more of small and large editing sessions spanning over a period of 4 months after my daily work and in between photography, sim racing, and rest time. I strongly recommend you to read the rest of the story before watching the video as it will make a more complete experience for you but if you are too eager, just go and watch it now.

It’s not about going super fast, but just about car control; learning the limits, understanding risks, and the pure joy of mastering a vehicle in the most challenging environments.

The Cars

After arriving and being marveled by the insanely gorgous scanaries, a misty frozen lake, and the sound of tuned engines revving up and going sideways…

I started to look at the cars indivually. Seems that while there were a few track prepped cars handled with care and love…

There were also cars that looked like they were made of your typical soda can and handcrafted by a hammer and two very angry men !

Then I noticed quite a few differenet RWD beemers, some dinged up more than others … There were station wagons, coupes, two new M2 Beemers and a few other fun toys. The conclusion was that no matter what you drove, you had fun and that is exactly what I intented to do. But I would think it takes a lot of skill to enjoy drifting these beemers in these conditions with a dry set of pants.

An Sideways Start

I started by first hopping in a sweet Cupra Formentor VZ3 that belonged to Joao, who had some previous experience on ice tracks. Now this car already has some impressive specs in stock form: A responsive 2.0 Tubro (TSI) engine with 310HP stock power, 4Drive AWD system, adaptive chasis control (DCC) suspension, Brembo breaks and 19″ rims. But Joao improved things even more with even bigger Brembo upgraded brakes from an RSQ3, to a Racing Line R600 air intake system and many others mods to list, It was nothing short of spectacular to go on this ride , especially that the Forminator can go sideways like nobody’s business. Joao managed to make his car dance across the ice, pulling off clean drifts, that I am happy I captured from many angles.

Joao offered me insights into the fine art of ice drifting—techniques that I got to try out myself in my own Formentor 190TSI, of which I totally forgot the moment I started my own lap! In fact, I was so much into this experience that I didn’t notice the can of my RedBull being thrown from one side to the next in every corner ! It didn’t seem to exist to me from the looks of it.

Testing My Limits

Now it was time to go driving on ice … Kind of like learning to dance with nature’s most slippery and unpredictable and uncontrollable surface, at least with non-studded tires. I tested my Formentor in 3 main driving stints, and each time around 10 to 12 mins. This was in between setting up cameras, shooting action shots, taking some time to enjoy the cars, and running around with the DJI Osmo Pocket in my hand ! My aim was to learn and I was only going speeds of 30 km/h, I found myself confronting the unforgiving ice wall—head-on and sideways but luckily the car behind me was much further and I also didn’t crash into the icy snow barrier! Each encounter was a crash course in physics and pure giggly sensations, turning my car around in a dramatic 180-degree spin on one occasion.

But it was a great experience and I learned a lot about myself and my ride. I think the combo of 190hp and this type of surface was far more enjoyable for me as my goal is having fun rather than pure adrenaline and near crashes.

Tesla on Ice

Next, Pertti who already took me for a ride earlier in the summer to Daytona Akaa track showcased what his Tesla Model 3 Performance could do with rally-inspired studded tires and brake mods. I’m no fan of evs in general, as I love the old school ICE too much still but this Tesla is really hard not to like. It handles every situation like a champ …

It clung to the ice, accelerating through corners like nobody’s business, reaching speeds of 90 km/h and executing drifts with spectacular drift. I call this car Silent but Violent for a damn good reason. Oh, and the car had 60/40 balance so a bit more back end action can happen !

Photo Gallery

The photo gallery from this day is packed with frozen moments of pure automotive joy, edited to taste and reflecting the chill of our surroundings. Each image is a story— Frozen fingers, ears, and a brain that struggles to understand composition and planning at -19 meant this was a bit more challenging than usual.

As always, I share these moments in hopes that you’ll feel the same rush and admiration for these incredible drivers did. Feel free to browse the images, and remember, if you decide to share them, kindly keep the composition and my signature intact to help more people discover and appreciate this content.

Thank you for tuning in, and remember, whether it’s ice or asphalt, keep driving, be safe and enjoy every moment of life.

Pouya Lucky.