A Mismatched Training of Supercars and Snow/Ice

Mid-ship sports cars and driving on snow or ice. It's hard to imagine a more incongruous combination.

The ultra-wide rear tires, designed to generate immense grip on paved roads, are utterly useless on snow and ice. The boasted high power simply spins the tires without being transmitted to the road. Furthermore, super sports cars have extremely low ground clearance, making them prone to becoming snowplows (an old analogy?) with their front spoilers, and it's hard to imagine anyone taking such a reckless gamble with a car that costs as much as a property. In essence, they are like oil and water, or chalk and cheese.

Yet, there is one brand that has embraced this seemingly incompatible pairing with its entire corporate might. That brand is none other than Lamborghini.

It's a little-known fact that Lamborghini, perhaps the most extreme of super sports cars, seemingly unconcerned with off-road capabilities, regularly conducts driving training on snow and ice under the banner of "Winter Accademia."

However, I had already experienced this surprisingly harmonious combination four years ago at a Lamborghini Winter Accademia held in Inner Mongolia, China.

Lamborghini Winter Accademia

Learn Snow and Ice Driving Techniques with Lamborghini (2)

A Specialty of Lamborghini's Mid-ship 4WD

The primary reason for this compatibility lies in the fact that Lamborghini is almost the only supercar brand today that actively produces mid-ship 4WD models. This allows for efficient power delivery to the road, even on snow and ice.

Without this, it would be merely frustrating, making it nearly impossible to understand the delicate relationship between throttle control and handling.

Another stroke of luck for Lamborghini is that many of the tires fitted to their vehicles are supplied by Pirelli.

As you know, Pirelli offers a tire called "Winter Sottozero," which can also be fitted to super sports cars. Unlike Japanese studless tires that prioritize ice performance, this tire is designed for a slightly higher speed range. However, when combined with Lamborghini's 4WD system, it allows for confident driving on snow and even provides some forward momentum on ice.

Without this tire, the Lamborghini Winter Accademia likely wouldn't have been possible; it plays such a crucial role.

Lamborghini Winter Accademia

Learn Snow and Ice Driving Techniques with Lamborghini (3)

The Key Difference Between Ice and Snow Driving

While the preamble has been lengthy, there's one more point to add before diving into the main topic. I've been discussing "snow and ice" separately. It's crucial to deeply understand that these two surfaces, commonly encountered in winter, are as different as night and day.

For instance, a 4WD model equipped with winter tires should be able to drive on snow with near-foolproof reliability, unless facing extremely steep slopes or deep fresh snow.

However, this is not the case on ice. Unless the steering is handled with extreme care, the car will only understeer, making it impossible to change direction. Braking is almost non-existent. Even with 4WD, power cannot be transmitted to the road, and simply moving forward becomes a challenge on ice.

The venue for this Winter Accademia, Lake Megami, is known for its course primarily on the ice covering the lake's surface. This is entirely different from driving on flat, packed snow. The choice of such a location hints at Lamborghini's confidence in their winter performance capabilities.

Now, let me introduce the Winter Accademia I attended.

Lamborghini Winter Accademia

Learn Snow and Ice Driving Techniques with Lamborghini (4)

An Exclusive Small-Group Session of Only 16 Participants Per Day

The test cars were the latest "Huracán LP610-4" and the flagship model "Aventador LP700-4." Both are, of course, 4WD and equipped with Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 tires.

While one Aventador and three Huracáns were lined up on the course, it seemed several more Huracáns were available as backups. Although the organizers didn't explicitly state it, the ample resources suggested their wish for participants to "drive to their heart's content without holding back, given this precious opportunity."

The instructors included Chief Instructor Peter Müller from Italy, supported by four local instructors: Yasutaka Hii, Kei Cozzolino, Akira Banba, and Yuya Sakamoto. These instructors led four teams, with four participants assigned to each team.

This means a maximum of only 16 participants can attend per day. While media representatives like myself were present, the schedule also included customers from Japan and other Asian countries. The event spanned six days in total, but even if all slots were filled, it would only accommodate 96 people.

Furthermore, this season's Winter Accademia is being held at only three locations worldwide, including this one at Lake Megami. Consequently, fewer than 300 people globally will have the opportunity to participate in the Winter Accademia this year.

For your reference, the general participation fee is around 400,000 yen. Considering the opportunity to drive Lamborghinis to their limits on snow and ice and receive guidance from top instructors, this can be considered a very reasonable price.

Although there are waiting times as participants share one Lamborghini per group of four, the extensive driving time throughout the day makes it highly rewarding. In fact, one of my acquaintances from the industry, who also participated, expressed his satisfaction by midday, highlighting the event's fulfilling nature.

To be continued