YOU would have thought that the worst winter in almost 50 years would have prepared me for slippery conditions.
But driving the iconic Mazda MX-5 sports car on a frozen lake in northern Sweden in temperatures of -30C was an experience I’ll never forget.
Mazda had invited 120 drivers from 26 countries from as far afield as Australia to take part in the Ice Race 2011 event, on Sweden’s Lake Kallsjon, which at this time of year is covered in ice around 12 inches thick.
More than 900,000 MX-5s have been produced since production began 21 years ago, and it is the world’s biggest selling sports car by far, with no sign of it losing its huge popularity.
However, the machines the two UK teams were driving were no ordinary motors.
They were prepared to international race standards with almost every extraneous piece of kit removed and replace with special suspensions, engine management systems, brakes, full racing roll cages and tyres with 200 studs to add grip.
Power had been upped to 160 bhp on the two-litre engines and the six-speed manual gearbox had been tweaked to give the best performance to the rear wheel drive Japanese legend.
Despite the studded tyres, grip on the ice and powdered snow was extremely difficult on the 2.8-mile which had been created with no fewer than 43 sharp bends and very few straights.
The difficulty was evident on the practice day prior to the main race event when the MX-5s left the track on 60 occasions, ploughing into snow banks lining the circuit before being towed back into service.
No major damage was done, but with the extreme cold some of the fibre bodywork became extremely brittle and shattered on impact.
Driving mainly in second gear, with the occasional spurt in third, for two hours non-stop would test most engines but the Mazdas coped with the strain.
Which is more than can be said for the drivers - even the young guns admitted the effort involved was something they had never experienced.
A momentary lapse of concentration while wrestling with the steering and you would be off into the white stuff in an instant.
Added to the difficulty of the ice track was the visibility problem. Following the faster racers in front you could only guess whether the next bend was right or left due to the powered snow and ice particles being thrown up in front.
The main race comprising two, two-hour stints, was highly competitive and after the first session the UK’s A-team was well placed in the top five with the B-team, including me, holding our own lower down.
The main battle for victory on the final foray was between Russia and Australia with the Russians edging it on the last couple of laps.
Regardless of the results the real winner had to be the MX-5 itself.
Not only has the little sports car given pleasure to a vast number of drivers around the world, it still retains its original attraction – it is fun to drive whatever the conditions.
Admittedly Mazda over the years has added the odd bit of luxury and modern equipment but it still retains the main ingredient that made it popular. And that is driver involvement.
The MX-5 is the longest-running model in Mazda’s global line-up and it appears it will continue in production for some time yet.
The MX-5 experience is one of the best in motoring - but I think I'd prefer it in slightly warmer climes!