Ice capades | racing cars on sub-zero tracks

Driving a convertible in Siberia in sub-zero temperatures -- with the top down -- may not be everyone's idea of fun. But that's where Mazda decided to host a test drive to remind us that the MX-5 is still the world's most popular roadster, with almost 1 million sold.

An all-new Mazda MX-5 -- to be jointly developed with Alfa Romeo -- is still at least two years away, so in the meantime Mazda is keen for the world to know the current model is still young at heart even though it is getting on a bit in car terms. Which is why we are standing on an ice lake near Yekaterinburg, about 400km north of the Kazakhstan border.

Mazda invited two dozen motoring writers from nine countries to defend their nation's honour by having a hack at an ice lake instead of a keyboard. This is the fifth such event in as many years and the stakes are high -- in the minds of those behind the wheel.

Day one and the boys are in a huddle discussing strategy in military detail. Who's going to do what, and what the others are likely to do at every point in the race. It would have been a little easier to take seriously if we weren't still in Mascot. The plane hasn't even pushed back yet. Competitive? Much?

Day two and we've ducked into Moscow between flights (the domestic and international terminals are at opposite sides of the city) standing in a big red square with lots of walls, statues and a building called the Kremlin.

Surrounded by this almost magical yet historical place, the emotion is overwhelming: word has come through that those Cheating Rusky Bastards have practiced driving on snow. "What, you mean apart from their entire driving lives," I offer. The group goes silent, the guide says something about the old buildings with the shiny bulbs on top.

But we're still in a huddle as if it's half time in a State of Origin that NSW has a chance to win. History can wait. We were about to make our own, apparently, it was only a matter of choosing the theme tune: "Eye of the Tiger" or "Simply the Best"?

Day three we finally get to inspect the pitch. WTF? They've included Mazda3 hatchbacks in the event for the first time, as well as the MX-5s.

The thought of driving a car that people actually buy (the Mazda3 was Australia's top-selling car for two of the past three years and finished second last year) in order to qualify for the MX-5 race horrifies some of the group.

One of our team starts sledging one of the Poms and says something about cricket. I don't watch cricket but the last significant Australia-versus-England sporting moment I can remember involved a football, a man called Jonny Wilkinson, and his left foot.

After the first practice session it became apparent that the three Russian teams have professional race drivers masquerading as motoring writers (as opposed to us motoring writers masquerading as race drivers).

At this point, to confirm everyone's bonafides, I quietly suggest that the organisers force all competitors to write a road test, to see who can torture the most cliches like they're running out of fashion.

Alas, my heart sank when I saw our Russian rivals doing work on their laptop computers between practice sessions. They were hacks just like us, dammit.

After qualifying third out of nine cars our only hope for a victory was to do a Bradbury: drive at eight-tenths and hope they stick it into a snow bank.

After some daring first lap driving from the first of our four drivers, and an ability to make the MX-5 much wider than it really is for several laps thereafter, we had somehow found ourselves in the lead.

After a friendly nudge from one of the gun Russian drivers we slipped to second, but managed to regain first place after a slick pit-stop. Soon after, we learned to be careful what you wish for, because a Mazda did indeed end up in a snow bank. But it was ours.

Truth be known, it was a miracle it didn't happen to all of us on every single corner. The ice was so slippery we could barely stand on it without breaking a hip, two wrists and a collar bone. After our car was plucked from the snow by a tractor we made another pit-stop and got going again.

It was then my turn to add to our team's misery. The safety car came out in front of me even though we were not in the lead (in fact, we were in the opposite of the lead).

So although it is protocol for safety cars to drive slowly in front of the lead car and let the rest of the field pass, we got to trundle around behind a Mazda CX-5 with flashing lights to avoid a collision we never got to see -- and lost so much time we may as well have been in a different zone.

So I was delighted when it was time to hand the car over to a colleague for the final fling. The only thing that could possibly brighten our day is if we could beat the other Australian car being shared by two journos and two Mazda executives.

After some daring driving from our man on a mission and some gentlemanly driving from the Mazda suit behind the wheel of the other MX-5, we ended up in front of the Other Aussie Team despite our significant setbacks.

By the end of the two-hour race, the Russians deservedly scored a one-two-three clean-sweep, something the organisers may have suspected for they pre-ordered trophies for fourth, fifth and sixth positions under the guise of a "Nation's Cup".

Although we ranked fifth -- or second, depending on how you measure it -- finishing in the middle the field never felt so good. If only the sweet taste of our 'victory' didn't taste like yellow snow. Russian champagne really is an acquired taste. Especially when it's in your eyes.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling