Jeepers! Off road race blazes trail in Norway

30 July, 2008, 17:04

Drivers from across Europe have been competing for glory at the off road Jeep trials in Norway. 140 drivers from 11 countries, including Russia, flocked to the Norwegian countryside to try and steer their vehicles through the challenging wilderness.

The organisers could have hardly picked a better place to put the contenders to the test.

The drivers contested five different categories, the range starting with cars you can buy from an ordinary factory. Surprisingly enough, Russian-made Niva proved to be a worthy rival for world-renowned Suzuki and Mercedes.

The most elite class was vehicles built from scratch in the Proto category, where Russian constructors took their first humble steps.

Some of the cars here are given some fine names, like Green Goblin, Viking or Russia’s Protozavr.

In the three-day championship, Sweden landed wins in two categories, Norway, Hungary and Germany were also victorious while Russia kept a low profile, hoping to make progress in the years to come.