A ride in an off-road formula car?

Cars Insane and Zombie, driving with UFC fighter Conan McGregor …

Cars Insane and Zombie, driving with UFC fighter Conan McGregor and his team Photo: Sóley Björk Guðmundsdóttir

Sóley Björk Guðmundsdóttir

mbl.is
Sóley Björk Guðmundsdóttir

An 1100 hp car racing up a vertical slope may seem like something out of a movie but is in fact a popular sport in Iceland. The formula off-road competition is held over the summer, where custom-built cars with very powerful engines compete on muddy tracks, not only driving but jumping up steep hills.

The off-road formula cars are not only used for competing, a father-and-son racing duo have started the company Offroad Iceland, offering tours in their competition cars. The ride is not, however, for the faint-hearted.

One of the craziest things Conan McGregor has ever done

“This is one of the craziest things I have ever done!” says UFC fighter Conan McGregor after a ride in a formula off-road. “It was great, so much fun and a bit scary.” McGregor’s ride was on a track in Jósepsdalur, a small valley in the middle of a lava field.

Between 850 and 1100 hp

The cars have been built up from the chassis by the owners, customising them to their own taste. The car Insane, owned by the father Svanur Örn Tómasson, is 850 hp. The other car is called Zombie and is 1100 hp, and it belongs to his son, Aron Ingi Svansson. The horsepower only tells a part of the story, as the cars are built up in an entirely different manner, and when competing one does not seem to have an edge over the other. The owners never seem to tire of bickering over which car is better, though.

McGregor entering through the window, as the cars don't have …

McGregor entering through the window, as the cars don't have doors Photo: Sóley Björk Guðmundsdóttir

Building and maintaining cars that compete under such intense circumstances is no easy task. “When I bought the car, I was told that behind each hour of driving there were around 100 hours working on the car. I just laughed, but now I believe there might be more!” says Tómasson. He does not however seem to grudge the time spent on the cars. Offroad Iceland is a family company, most of the mechanics and car enthusiasts helping out are a part of the family. This is their hobby.

The Offroad Iceland team

The Offroad Iceland team

Competing in USA

The off-road formula competition celebrated its 50 th anniversary in 2015 and has been an annual part of the Icelandic television schedule for decades. As popular as it is in Iceland, it is not a widespread sport. According to Tómasson the only countries where competitions of this sort can be found are the other Nordic countries and the United States. There has not been much collaboration between the countries, until this year. A group of Icelandic drivers are heading with their cars to the USA to show them off and see how they measure up with their American counterparts. Tómasson and Svansson are of course a part of that group.

Photo: Sóley Björk Guðmundsdóttir

Photo: Sóley Björk Guðmundsdóttir

Weather

Clear sky

Today

-2 °C

Partly cloudy

Later today

4 °C

Cloudy

Tomorrow

1 °C