Folkrace is a popular, inexpensive, and entry-level form of Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 rallycross

Rallycross

Rallycross is a form of sprint style automobile racing, held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit, with modified production or specially built road cars, similar to the World Rally Cars, although usually with about stronger engines, due to e.g. their 45 mm turbo restrictor plates. It is...

 that originally came from Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, where it was called Jokamiesluokka (Everyone's Class). The sport also exists in Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 and Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, where it is known as Bilcross and Folkerace respectively.

The races are run on special gravel or tarmac tracks, 2400 metres (1.5 mi) in length. The tracks are designed to limit the top speed to 80 kilometre per hour. The competitions are divided into different classes depending on age and gender. Participants can be as young as 15 years of age.

The race is divided into different heats with usually 8 cars. The driver to win a race is awarded seven points, second five points, third 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 price. The races are run in standard cars

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

, but participants are generally free to choose as long as they meet certain minimum safety regulations. Anyone can place a fix-price bid on any car, the buyer is then chosen randomly. The fixed price is 6500 SEK (ca USD 1000). Refusing to sell is grounds for having one's competition license revoked. Not included in the sale is personal equipment such as seat and safety harness. This type of system eliminates the motivation for sinking extensive amounts of work and money into a folkrace car.

Because old road cars are used up in folkrace, retro and antique car

Antique car

In the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...

 enthusiasts talk about "the folkrace death": The folkrace expend many cars that are too old to be considered usable for everyday driving but too new to have reached the status as a "veteran" or "antique".

Folkrace is not the same as demolition derby

Demolition derby

Demolition derby is a motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another...

, though. While collisions do happen and cars take contact with each other, intentional ramming or obstructing a competitor is strictly forbidden, and the safety rules are strict so that even teenagers and drivers without the regular driver's licence may participate.

External links

• Ola's Bilsport Sida
• Eriks folkracesida
• http://www.sbf.se/info/folkrace