IDA-VIRUMAA, Estonia, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- With roaring engines and collision sounds, a motorsport spectacle of aging cars were staged on a mining waste hill in northeastern Estonia on Saturday.
Known locally as "romuralli", literally "scrap-car rally", the event combined banger racing with stunt entertainment.
On a 600-meter racing circuit on the mining waste hill, old cars battled wheel to wheel at Estonia Elamuspark, an adventure park whose Estonian name means "experience park".
The race cars had to be stripped of lights, mirrors and most glass. Extra reinforcement of the body and running gear was prohibited while functioning brakes, seat belts and a fire extinguisher were mandatory.
It was so popular that all 60 entry slots were filled and organizers had to add 10 more slots before the race.
For some drivers, the aim was to complete as many laps as possible. For the others, the appeal lay in the collisions themselves.
"I ram. I'm not interested in laps," said Artur Smirnov who participated in the race.
His approach captured the rough-and-tumble spirit of the event where contact between cars was part of the show.
Meanwhile, keeping a battered car running was just as challenging as finding a way past the competition.
All the cars still fit to run could enter the final. The final standings were determined by the number of laps completed, with elapsed time used to break ties between drivers who completed the same number of laps.
The spectacle extended beyond the track. A car was sent rolling down the hill which the organizers called "car bowling".
The event transformed the hill into an arena for racing and stunts, giving aging cars one more chance to shine before a crowd. ■