NEW BRIGHTON, MINN. (Jan. 20, 2009) – Minnesotans are used to extreme temperatures during the winter, but now an extreme winter sport is coming to town – ice racing.

Ice racing as a sport has been around for more than 100 years, but now is being brought to a closed-course oval track. Ice racing involves “sailing” across the ice in ice boats outfitted with steel blades at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. The high-performance 12-foot-long DN class ice boats are sailed like a boat on water, but trickier to handle when it comes to turning and stopping because of the speed and lack of friction of the steel blades on ice.

“Ice racing is breathtaking – the ice boats move like fire on ice,” said John Risdall, chairman and CEO of Risdall Marketing Group (RMG), which is the title sponsor of the 2009 Risdall North American Tour through the World Ice Racing Circuit (WIRC). “We are thrilled to partner with one of the hottest events at this year’s St. Paul Winter Carnival.”

Two drivers from Great Clips Racing, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jason Leffler and ARCA/ReMax Series driver Gabi DiCarlo, will be appearing at the event on Jan. 31. Great Clips is the primary sponsor of the WIRC “Fire on Ice” competition, an official event of the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

The races, featuring skippers from around the world and across North America, will take place on Lake Phalen on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. The series of races, with multiple heats in each series, are at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. on both days. In each heat, four to six boats will race around a 400-yard closed course oval track, executing “hairpin” turns around points located 200 yards apart at speeds approaching up to 60 miles per hour. At a minute per lap, these five lap races will be intense and action packed, starting about every 10 minutes.

The series winners with the best times will be declared at the end of the 2 p.m. race on Feb. 1 to determine the 2009 champion.

This is the second event in the Risdall North American Tour. The first event, the Great Western Challenge Regatta, took place in December in Osakis, Minn. Another event for the 2009 Risdall North American Tour will take place in March at a location to be determined.

About Risdall Marketing Group
Founded in 1972, Risdall Marketing Group has annual capitalized billings of $190 million in 2008 and over 80 employees. Headquartered in New Brighton, Minn., Risdall is heralded as one of the oldest and most successful agencies in the Twin Cities market and is recognized nationally for its leading-edge interactive marketing capabilities. The full-service agency embraces an integrated approach offering marketing, advertising, public relations, promotion and collateral development, traditional and interactive media, research and fundraising capabilities. According to the 2008 Twin Cities Business Annual Business Information Guide, RMG is ranked as the largest Web developer, fifth largest PR agency and the seventh largest advertising agency in Minnesota. For more information, visit www.risdall.com.

About World Ice Racing Circuit
Ice boat racing has been around for over 100 years. WIRC is the organizer, event manager and sanctioning body for this unique new way to ice race on closed courses with hairpin turns. Its mission is to create, host and broadcast ice racing events featuring world-class sail racers, bringing the excitement to a global audience as the hottest new made-for-TV extreme sport.

To learn more about the racers and the incredible sport of ice racing, go to www.worldiceracingcircuit.com.

John Risdall
Risdall Marketing Group
651.286.6702

Lisa Grimm
Risdall McKinney Public Relations
651.286.6761