NEW Arctic Midnight Sun Rally set to voyage into the land of Myth and Light
*14 days of the best roads and sights Scandinavia can offer, starting in Gothenburg
*New Rally to the ‘Land where the Sun Never Sets’ is first for HERO-ERA
*American Muscle cars amongst entry will be a great sight for Scandinavian automobile fans
The brand-new HERO-ERA Arctic Midnight Sun Rally promises to be a mythical voyage through the startling extended days of light in Scandinavia, starting on the 30th June. 14 days venturing across the timeless areas of Sweden and Norway, this rally adventure will start in Gothenburg (Sweden) and finish in Oslo (Norway) after 5,200 kms over the best roads the territories can offer.
For many of the international entries it will be a journey of discovery. Crews from the USA, Australia, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, UK, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden and Slovenia will primarily enjoy a great adventure experience, and secondly some competition on this intermediate event with 40 regularities and six tests.
A fascinating entry includes two fabulous American muscle cars which will delight any Scandinavian automotive fans who may see them as they pass by. It is understood that there are more fifties and sixties US cars in Scandinavia than in in the USA! 2019 Peking to Paris veterans, Marco and Claudia Halter (CH) will be in their thunderous 1963 Ford Falcon Coupe, whilst Karl Eisleben and Joan McCabe-Eisleben (US) will drive an equally evocative Ford Shelby American GT 350H Mustang, whose noise alone will draw Swedish and Norwegian auto fans, known for their love of Detroit muscle.
Peter and Louise Morton (GB), Classic class podium sitters on the Badawi Trail to the Last Oasis 2023, were then in their Rover P6, but here they have entered their BMW 2002. They are amongst the favourites for victory along with Julia and Steve Roberston (GB) in their 1955 British sports car, the Triumph TR3. Julia and Steve’s most recent victory was on the 2023 RAC Rally of the Tests LITE. The hot favourites, however, are Belgians Ann Gillis and Filip Engelen in their New Zealand Classic Rally and Lima Cape Horn winning Porsche 911 Targa. They were also winners of the 2023 Classic class of the Badawi Trial to the Last Oasis, another new HERO-ERA rally which made a triumphant debut across the Middle East.
Local crews are represented by Swedes Johan and Janine Sjöblom in their Mercedes W123 230E and Jan and Hannes Malmgren also in a Mercedes, but the 350 SL 107 model. Norwegians Erik Osland and Einar Øren Osland are entered in their Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1300. There is even a seventies SAAB of Ivan and Tisa Pusnik (SL), which they will be taking back to its spiritual home in Sweden when the rally visits the world-famous SAAB Museum at Trollhättan early on in the rally!
They will all be on an adventure competition through Sweden and Norway, beginning in Gothenburg and ending in Oslo, for a mesmerising exploration of these two Nordic nations. The rally will push as far north as Narvik, via Lapland, within the Arctic Circle itself, where sunrise and sunset collide, and they should experience the true ‘Arctic Midnight Sun.’ These are the lands of myth and light after all.
Crossing the Arctic Circle where sunrise and sunset collide is a natural phenomenon of the summer months within the Arctic Circle, when the sun remains visible at midnight, and remote gravel roads stay bathed in light, day and night.
But this rally is about more than this natural phenomenon, these two countries have tremendous gravel and paved roads running through their sparsely populated lands, with World Rally Championship history to match. The pinnacle of the sport, the WRC, will play its part as rally territory will be driven early on when classic Rally Sweden roads are encountered.
In many parts, the route follows the contours of other-worldly landscapes, especially once in Norway where there is a dramatic change of scenery. Vast archipelagos stand resolute against the ocean, there are even sinuous mountain passes watched over by Trolls! Myth goes with the territory as the Trollstigen (Trolls Path) will have a dizzying affect as it is a high twisty mountain path with a multitude of hairpins to test any car and the crew’s resistance to vertigo – all under the watchful eye of the mythical Trolls!
There are intriguing names such as Jokkmokk, which is inside the Arctic Circle and as quirky as the name suggests. The rally halts briefly at Mo i Rana after a mesmerising day across endless fjords sandwiched between mountains. Trondheim is also a name famous for its stunning scenery as the evocative Scandinavian names indicate the mystique that has sparked the intrigue of the entrants.
The remote gravel roads, the mountain passes or even the infamous Atlantic Highway which links an archipelago with some amazing tunnels and bridges, are all part of the intoxicating Nordic mix. When you add the Fjords, ferries crossings and the World Heritage sites such as the towns of Røros and Bergen, you have a cocktail called the ‘Scandinavian Phenomenon.’
Nick Reeves, Clerk of the course for The Arctic Midnight Sun Rally summarised the experience awaiting the crews. “Crews will have a great adventure visiting out of the way places using roads less travelled to experience these two fantastic countries. We have worked hard to produce a great route that mixes no nonsense regularity rallying with sight-seeing experiences. The schedule is such that everyone should have the chance to understand Scandinavian culture, while appreciating their classic car and doing what they enjoy."
