Photography: Rosario Liberti
In the early 1950s, a group of thrill-seekers in Zell am See, Austria, transformed their frozen lake into a playground of horsepower and daring. The inaugural Professor Ferdinand Porsche Memorial Race in 1952 saw skiers clinging to motorcycles, skijoring at breakneck speeds over the ice. This audacious blend of motorsport and winter sport marked the birth of a tradition that would see Porsche 356s and 550 Spyders sliding gracefully across the glistening surface, captivating thousands of spectators annually. The races continued until 1974, when a tragic accident halted the event, casting a shadow over the icy spectacle.
Fast forward to 2019, and the frozen silence was broken by the roar of engines once more. Ferdi Porsche, great-grandson of the legendary Ferdinand Porsche, alongside his college friend Vinzenz Greger, resurrected the ice race, rebranding it under the F.A.T. International banner. This revival not only honored the legacy of the original races but also injected a modern flair, attracting a new generation of motorsport enthusiasts to the icy tracks of Zell am See.
To explore the history, evolution, and future of the F.A.T. Ice Race, as well as its impact on the automotive world, we sat down with Ferdi Porsche. In this conversation, he shares insights on reviving the event, Porsche’s enduring family spirit, the role of design in his vision, and his thoughts on the next generation of motorsport talent.
Ferdi on F.A.T. and its Future
Petrolicious: Tell us a little bit about the FAT Ice race, and why its back?
Ferdi Porsche: The ice race started in Selamsee in the 50s, and I honestly think it was an enthusiast event or race, basically. I think they saw that they had a frozen lake and decided to drive some cars around. I found out about it because my dad bought a car that used to race on the frozen lake and it came with the spike tires and it still had the super long studs in there and I asked him what what it was because it was kind of forgotten already, the ice racing. I had the idea of bringing it back when I was in my architecture studies. I was looking for something fun to do by the side and so this came at a perfect time.
In 2019, we had the first ice race in Zell again. Then we did it twice before COVID. And when COVID hit, I was thinking, Okay, how do I, how do I take this to the next level? And how do I expand it from just one event? And that’s when I found F.A.T. International and decided to revive the brand.
Petrolicious: What does F.A.T. Stand for?
F.A.T. used to stand for Francais Allemand Transit. It was a French German logistics company. And now it just stands for FAT It just literally describes the energy and the vibe of everything that we do basically. Funnily enough the first ice race kind of introduced that without the brand FAT being there.
Petrolicious: What are the stars of this years F.A.T. Race?
Ferdi: The stars of the show of the 25 Ice Race are probably the F.A.T. cars. Since F.A.T. was a sponsor in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s for all the great cars, Ferraris, Porsches, Mercedes, everything, they naturally take center stage. We brought this tradition back and are now sponsoring cars again. We have the 963 that raced at Le Mans last year here. Sadly, it is not driving because it is not high up enough, but we also have the Dakar cars, the ones that work better on the ice.
We have a bunch of WRC cars, so we really have an amazing array of cars this year. That was always the idea of Ice Race, being open to any brand and any manufacturer. I think this year we have 22 different car brands in the race.
Petrolicious: What is your favorite Porsche model on the ice this year?
Ferdi: That’s a difficult question. There’s so many different, there’s so many cool Porsches that I can’t really decide for one. It changes over time. Sometimes I’m more towards the super old stuff, 550s obviously, also because of the history and the connection to ice racing. But obviously I love the Dakar, a sick car, and just the vibe also matches that somehow. It’s hard to decide.
Petrolicious: What are your long term plans for F.A.T.
Ferdi: With F.A.T., we do a bunch of things. We’re a young team, and the idea is to do stuff that we like, stuff that we enjoy, because we believe that when we like it, other people will like it too.
Obviously, we have the event side of things. Last year, we brought it to Aspen, and I’m looking at where I can bring it next apart from Zell. But we’re also looking into the summer. We have our “Hot on Top” at Großglockner with Mankei, where we do car meets every month during the summer.
The idea is to do stuff that we think is fun. So you can expect F.A.T. to be all around the world many times.
Petrolicious: So not just ice?
Ferdi: I think F.A.T. works on every terrain. Basically, it got famous through Le Mans. Proper racing on tarmac is where it was kind of born, and it’s still happening today with the 963 that we have in Le Mans, but also with the karting league for the kids. So F.A.T. works on every terrain, but its spirit is kind of born from ice racing because it’s somewhat more about fun than speed.
Petrolicious: As an Architect, how does your design sensibilities influence what you do?
Ferdi: I think studying architecture kind of gives you a great opportunity to look at a blank piece of paper and then come up with stuff. So I think that obviously plays into F.A.T.
I know what I can and what I can’t do. I’m not a graphic designer, but I like paying attention to all of that stuff. And I think the devil and the beauty is in the detail. So that’s why everything that we do with F.A.T. is always very detail focused.
Obviously, it’s sometimes festival and wild, and you can never fully plan an event that happens on a frozen airfield. Everything just is a bit wabi-sabi sometimes, but I think that’s also kind of the beauty of it.
Petrolicious: Where do you place yourself in within Porsche today? Are you involved with the brand at all in decision making?
Ferdi: I think Porsche still has this kind of family business vibe, even though it’s obviously a big company now. We build a lot of cars these days, and so many people work for Porsche, but it still has this energy of being a family brand.
Obviously, I have a lot of love for the brand and want to see it thrive. Whenever I can give my two cents on something, I do, but I’m not involved in the day-to-day business.
Petrolicious: What advice would you give to a young person with limited resources who wants to get into ice racing or racing in general?
Ferdi: It depends on how young you are, but I think you should start in the F.A.T. Karting League. It’s the most meritocratic and a cheaper way to get into racing without losing any of the skill-building opportunities.
I would advise any young person to start there and see if they have talent. From there, you can work your way through our completely meritocratic system and fight your way into F4 with us.
And if you’re looking to buy a car, I think what’s cool about the car world is that it’s very open. It doesn’t really matter if you buy a $20,000 car, a $10,000 car, if you have no car at all, or a $10 million car. In the end, everybody sits together, has a burger, and is the same because they all share the same passion for cars.
Petrolicious: Please tell us more about the karting school.
Ferdi: Coming from what we do with F.A.T. and the energy we wanted to bring, it was inspired by all the car events I went to as a kid, many of which felt somewhat stuck up and catered to an older crowd. I wanted to do something a bit more rebellious in that space.
When I met [Renowned Formula 1 engineer] Rob Smedley and heard about the karting league and what he has done, building these karts that try to change the whole system by making it more approachable for everybody, it felt like the perfect match. That is why we teamed up and are now bringing it to the whole world.
This year, we are bringing it to the U.S. for the first time. In the coming years, we are expanding to Asia and the Middle East. The goal is really to create a platform for everybody to start racing. Obviously, it still comes at a certain price, so it is not yet for everybody, but that is how democratization works. You start at some point and then you try to push it down and down.
Petrolicious: So you’re on the hunt for a Formula 1 driver then?
Ferdi: Yes, we’re looking for the first female F1 driver.
Petrolicious: Mind if I give you a few rapid fire this or that questions?
Ferdi: Lets do it.
Petrolicious: Lewis at Ferrari or Mercedes?
Ferdi: Lewis at Mercedes.
Petrolicious: Stuttgart or Maranello?
Ferdi: Stuttgart.
Petrolicious: Racing in the desert or racing on the ice?
Ferdi: Racing on the ice.
Petrolicious: 962 or 917?
Ferdi: 962.
Petrolicious: Turbo or naturally aspirated?
Ferdi: Naturally aspirated.
Petrolicious: ST or GT3 Touring?
Ferdi: ST.
Petrolicious: Gravel or tarmac?
Ferdi: Gravel.
Many thanks to Ferdi Porsche for sitting down with us for a chat. We’ll follow up soon on the noble efforts at F.A.T. Karting with a full story.
