Folk racing or folkrace (; ; ; ; ) is a popular, inexpensive, and entry-level form of Nordic

rallycross Rallycross is a form of sprint style motorsport held on a mixed-surface circuit (racing), racing circuit using modified production touring automobile, cars or prototype racing cars. It began in the 1960s as a cross between rallying and autocross ...

that originally comes from

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, where it is also called ''jokkis'' or ''Jokamiehenluokka'' (everyman's class).

About

The races are run on special gravel or tarmac tracks, in length. The tracks are designed to limit the top speed to , but on most of the tracks speeds of over can be reached. The competitions are divided into different classes depending on age and gender. Participants can be as young as 14 years of age. The race is divided into different heats in which 6 cars usually compete. The driver who wins a race is awarded seven points; the runner-up receives five points; the driver who finished third gets four points, and so on. When all the heats have been driven, the total score is calculated and the top six drivers get to race in the A final, the next six in the B final, and so on. The winner of the A final wins the event. To maintain its inexpensive nature, there is a rule on car costs. The races are run in standard cars which must meet certain minimum safety regulations. In Finland, cars must not be

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

and cannot be powered by

diesel engines The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the die ...

; they must also be family cars with a minimum of 4 seats, and no

mid-engine In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle. History The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout ...

layout. Anyone can place a fixed-price bid on any car, and the buyer is then chosen by draw. The fixed price in Finland is €2,000 (≈US$2,200) or 8,000 SEK (≈US$800) in Sweden. Refusing to sell is grounds for having one's competition licence revoked; however, participants with handicaps can get an exemption if they require special equipment in their cars. Personal equipment such as the seat and safety harness are not included in the sale. This type of system eliminates the motivation for sinking extensive amounts of work and money into a folk racing car. Folk racing is a full-contact sport like

banger racing Banger racing is a type of motorsport event in which Car, automobiles, traditionally derelict or totalled classic cars from scrapyards, are Auto racing, raced on Oval track racing, oval, tri-oval, or Figure 8 racing, figure-eight race tracks o ...

. While collisions do happen, and cars make contact with each other, intentionally ramming or obstructing a competitor is forbidden, and the safety rules are strict, so that teenagers (14 to 17 years old) and drivers without a regular driver's licence may participate.

In popular culture

* In series 12, episode 3 of ''

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...

'' (2008),

James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...

competes in a Finnish folkrace after receiving training from

Mika Häkkinen Mika Pauli Häkkinen (; born 28 September 1968) is a Finnish former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Finn", Häkkinen won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with M ...

. * The 2018 video game ''

Wreckfest ''Wreckfest'' is a racing video game developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by THQ Nordic. ''Wreckfest'' is described as the spiritual successor to the ''FlatOut (series), FlatOut'' series, which was created by Bugbear, and takes furth ...

'' features folk racing among its variety of

demolition derby Demolition derby is a type of motorsport, usually presented at county fairs and national events. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their v ...

events. * The 2020 video game '' Teardown'' features a DLC called Folkrace in which the player competes in folkraces.

References

External links

Bilcross.no - norwegian bilcross

Ola's Bilsport Sida

Eriks folkracesida
* https://web.archive.org/web/20060112183055/http://www.sbf.se/info/folkrace
FIA Finland Folk Racing

Photo gallery

Folkrace in Latvia

Resources

{{commonscat, Folkrace
2017 AKK official rules for Finland

Contest Rules of SBF for Sweden
Auto racing by type Motorsport in Finland Motorsport in Sweden Rallycross

About

In popular culture

See also

References

External links

Resources