Kuusamo -Lapland, Finland

With a population of just 15,500 sparsely scattered across a vast expanse of 5,800 km2, Kuusamo draws many nature loving tourists in summertime, especially hikers and people looking for a space of deep quiet. And thanks to the countless rivers and lakes, 14% of the surface area of Kuusamo is water, which with freezing temperatures in winter becomes the expansive playground for our Ice Adventure.

With an average yearly temperature of exactly 0°C Kuusamo experiences an icy winter and a moderate summer. During the Ice Adventure, make special use of the particularly cold season. With temperatures between -20°C and -30°C, the lakes and rivers freeze so solidly in winter that the 60-70cmlayer of ice is capable of holding 3 tons/m2.

Knowing that, it’s not a big surprise that everything from taxis to huge Valtra-Tractors are regularly seen sliding over the frozen lakes of the area –Especially in Northern Finland, drifting on ice is a cultural pastime!

And in addition to the areas history and propensity for drifting, Kuusamo is also known as THE Ski-location in all of Finland. Thanks to easy accessibility with around 4 flights a day arriving from Helsinki, enthusiastic skiers from all over Finland enjoy the moun-tains of Kuusamo beyond the few who are lucky enough to call the place home.

The design and maintenance of the track we use is managed by no other than 4-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen. Together with his co-driver from their championship winning days, the decision was made to have Kuusamo be the home base for the Juha Kankkunen Driving Experience.

Juha Kankkunen, who celebrated his 60th birthday in April of 2019, is still among the fastest drivers out there on snow and ice. With 23 rally wins to his name, and 4 championship titles with 3 different manufacturers in the WRC, he still holds a record that no one is yet to beat. Due to this accomplishment, Juha is widely recognized as a legend of the sport, much like Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier.

In his early years, the Finn first learned car control on snow and ice, and it wasn’t long before he was confidently drifting any and every contraption with 4 wheels and an engine. If at some point while on the driving dynamics skid pad you see a tractor drifting behind you in the rear view mirror, know that it’s Juha giving a rather particular interpretation and demonstration of his incredible driving skills!

And taxi-rides with the World Champion give you a new experience and appreciation for the limits on ice, and also provide a chance to look around and fully enjoy the surrounding, snow-covered scenery.

The Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport Type 981 is a genuine factory prepared racecar that feels just as comfortable on the many tarmac circuits around Europe as it does on snow and ice. With 385 HP on offer from the 3.8L Boxer engine, and a Porsche Double-Clutch-Transmission (PDK) seamlessly delivering that power to the rear wheels, a ridiculous amount of driving fun is guaranteed..

The model of Cayman we use comes from a limited production just 421 cars, and guarantees a true motorsports feeling, one that every ambitious driver can learn to control quickly.

With an FIA Certified Roll-Cage, Bucket racing seats, a complete braking system by PFC with 380mm brake discs, integrated hydraulic jacks, Racing-ABS and ESP … the list goes on and on, and it’s clear why this well balanced mid-engine racecar stands for pure driving enjoyment.

Our Lappi-Tyres training spikes help us find the necessary grip with 450 monster studs per tire, and a reinforced metal skid-plate beneath the car helps prevent dam-age from any unwanted trips off of the circuits and into the snow banks.

And if you’re not already warming up to the idea of getting in these cars, know that you can also turn on the heater in the car, which can raise the temperature inside the car up to 40°C above the ambient temperature outside. 

Scandic Rukahovi 4-Star

Three nights in a 4-star hotel „Scandic Rukahovi“ including the breakfast buffet

The “Scandic Rukahovi” hotel lies directly in the Ruka skiresort and is not far from the training facilities. In addition to it’s own restaurant, the hotel also has a bar and a small shop, for any small things that might have been forgotten at home.

The Superior Best View rooms offer an beautiful view of the 493m Fjell Rukatunturi and the many ski runs on the mountain.

And for those looking for even more to do after a full day of Ice Adventures can have their pick between the large Sauna and Spa area, or the in-house Nightclub with Aprés-Ski festivities.

And in walking distance from the hotel numerous restaurants, winter sports shops, souvenir shops, and super markets can be found.

Ruka Peak 5-Star Boutique Hotel (optional and plus surcharge)

Three nights in a 5-Star Boutique Hotel „Ruka Peak“ including the breakfast buffet

The optional hotel upgrade available “Ruka Peak” stands at the summit of the Fjell Rukatunturi and impresses with breathtaking Sunrises and Sunsets.

A further unique feature is the amount of loving detail that has gone into each of the rooms of this family-owned Hotel that overlooks the connected ski-resort.

Reindeer Safari (Approx. 1,5hrs)

Reindeer belong to Finland just as much as rally driving, snow and ice, and saunas.

Only a limited number of Reindeer are allowed in each district of Finland. While the animals are allowed to move freely in summer, most spend their winters in specialized farms where they are bred, cared for, and trained –Usually such farms are family run operations, that come from a long tradition of working with Reindeer.

We offer the opportunity the visit and a traditional family-run farm as described above. During such a visit we get to enjoy a 1.5km long sleigh ride, experiencing the strength and speed of the animals live and in person. We also get to spend some relaxed time feeding the younger Reindeer, where there is plenty of time to take pictures with the friendly forest-dwellers, as well as hearing about the breeding process.

And in the end, the participants can expect a tasting experience of home-made Reindeer Sausage cooked over a campfire, while listening to fascinating stories from the operation of a Reindeer farm.

Snowmobile Tour (Approx. 2hrs)

For those who think the Reindeer-Safari sounds a bit too slow, or for those who after 2 days behind the wheel of the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport still haven’t had enough adrenaline pumping through their veins, a snowmobile tour might be the perfect choice.

For this trip, steely girls and guys are sought after as this trip is everything but slow and relaxed. As it’s organized from a professional snowmobile racing team, you can be sure that you won’t receive the standard tourist tour.

Uneven forest paths, small jumps, and lots of speed everything is here on this tour. The 130HP snowmobiles more than enough power for every situation, and definitely won’t leave anyone disappointed.

The following services are included in the per-person price for the tolimit Ice Adventure:

• Organization, implementation, management, and postprocessing of the event through the competent tolimit motorsport-insiders
• Rental of a track created by 4-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen
• Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport Racecar, Including Fuel, Including Insurance (max deductible of €5000 in the case of a big accident)
• Head coaching by the experienced Porsche instructor and test driver Guido Heesen
• Additional coaching by active racing drivers
• Rental Helmets, racing suits, balaclavas, and radios
• Rally taxi-rides with one of the most successful rally drivers in the history of the sport, Juha Kankkunen
• 3-night stay in the Scandic Rukahovi 4-Star hotel, including breakfast
• Dinner on the 1stand 2nd event evenings in the Hotel Buffet, and again on the 3rd evening in an external location
• Traditional finnish lunch options on both of the driving days
• Shuttle-Service for all program activities including travel to and from the airport
• Multimedia documentation of the event
• Preparation, and maintenance of the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport fleet by Porsche Motorsport Team Project 1, who actively competes in the FIA WEC, ELMS, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup Germany