Amateur petrolheads bump and roll in Sweden's wild 'Folkrace'

STOCKHOLM: They don't always succeed, as driver Emelie Bergbom found out only seconds into her race, organised recently by the Fjaras Motor Club in southern Sweden.

Heading into the first turn, where most accidents happen, her beat-up red and black classic Saab rolled over and landed upside down.

Since each heat starts with six cars lined up just inches from one another, the first corner is always very crowded.

"I'm not hurt, so that's the most important," said the 30-year-old.

Participants, who can start competing from the age of 15, are not allowed to play dirty or deliberately ram each other off the track, but collisions and bumps are par for the course.

Bergbom admitted to being scared as it was her first time rolling over, but laughed and smiled, saying she could now "check" another box in her Folkrace career.

"I'm born into this," the 15-year-veteran said, explaining that both her parents had also taken part in Folkraces.

Started in Finland in the 1970s, the sport has spread across the Nordic countries, gaining popularity as a race for ordinary people — "folk" in Swedish — owing to its focus on keeping the cars budget-friendly.

Teams are discouraged from investing in their cars with an unusual rule: after the race, all of the vehicles automatically go up for sale for the set price of 11,000 kronor (RM4,873), and owners cannot refuse an offer.

Cars also have to be sold in the condition they were driven in, though some personal equipment such as chairs can be removed.

A safety inspection is also conducted on the roll cage and parts crucial to the structural integrity of the vehicle.

The right to buy a car costs 400 kronor (RM178). If several potential buyers are interested in the same car, a lottery is held.

For Bergbom, her bad luck followed her off the track: she had to sell her car and didn't win the lottery to buy a replacement.

"They didn't pick my name so here I am without a car," she said.

Swedish cars like Volvos and Saabs are most common at Folkraces, reflecting the Nordic roots of the sport.

Some drivers even try to make their cars undesirable so there will be no bidders after the race.

"That's the advantage of driving an unusual car, because then no one wants to buy it," 25-year-old Alexander Gustavsson said, standing next to his beat-up yellow Peugot with mismatched rims.

"If you drive a Saab, everyone wants it, if you drive a Peugeot like this one, no one wants it."