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Ladoga Trophy - 26th May - 3rd June 2012
If you know what the Ladoga Trophy is you’ve probably seen the images of submerged vehicles winching out of
impossible bogs … heard the stories of how it is one of the most challenging car and spirit breaking competitions
you could possibly enter … well, in the harder classes this is exactly what it is, but now there’s a new element
to Ladoga, a new class called Grand Tourism … and it’s perfect for those wanting to drive their vehicle
back in one piece and want to know what Ladoga is about without having to build a vehicle for stages they’ve never
even seen before. It’s also the only class you can do without needing support (Tourist class is actually what I
would called an extreme 8 day winch challenge!!)
In Grand Tourism class you’ll get the full experience of the Ladoga Trophy, staying in the same camps as the other competitors every night, but the off-roading is much easier … much more similar to what we know as greenlaning … although make no mistake hard greenlaning … there will still be a lot of mud, tight trees, precarious bridges and deep water crossings in the Russian forests, so a good winch and a good set of tyres is still mandatory requirements.
The overall format is a little similar to a GPS Treasure Hunt. You get a set of co-ordinates to overlay on your
maps and every morning you’ll get a legend with questions relating to something you’ll find at those points, eg:
‘How many wheels are left on the broken tank?’ Whereas the rest of the competition will be slowly winching through
the bogs, you’ll be driving around the Russian countryside uncovering hidden cultural gems that no tourist would
ever find as Alexandr Ignatyuk (Class director) makes interesting and challenging routes that even the Russian competitors love.
You’ll need to try hard to find all of the points because at the end of the competition you’ll get the formula
to work out the co-ordinates of the finish … first one there wins! You’ll also get to take part in the famous Beach and Dune races.
And because Grand Tourism is the only class that's not against the clock, unlike the Sports classes where
you’ll be thrown in the endless forests and bogs to fend for yourselves, camaraderie is almost guaranteed... while still being part
of the Ladoga experience.
For the official Ladoga website CLICK HERE
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