MINI wants you to know it’s the official partner of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012.

If you’ve never heard of the Crashed Ice World Championship, or the sport of Ice Cross Downhill, don’t worry: you’re in good company.

Ice Cross Downhill is a semi-suicidal blend of downhill skating and roller derby that involves shoulder-to-shoulder racing, while navigating chicanes, tight corners, rollers and even the occasional jump. Speeds approach 45 miles per hour, meaning that crashing, even with pads and a helmet on, isn’t encouraged.

Competitors come from various winter sports, including hockey, downhill skiing and speed skating, and all share a love of pain and a stunning lack of sanity. If you want to witness this new and bone-crunching sport, MINI would love to send you and a friend to watch the opening round of the Crashed Ice World Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 14.

Winners get round trip airfare for two, hotel accommodations, meals, a pair of VIP tickets to the event and an invite to the coveted Red Bull Afterparty. To enter, just head on over to MINI USA’s Facebook page (where you’ll also find full contest rules) and sign up; no purchase is necessary, and winners will be chosen at random.

You only have until 4 p.m. EST on January 3 to enter, so you’d best not put it off until after the holidays. If the sport takes off, you can say you were lucky enough to be there in its glory days.