Tomcat takes first and second place in the ICCR 2009

The first Iceland Cross Country Rally was held on the 12th of September. The revised route took the competitors in land to a region closed of by the great glacier Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe on the east side and one of the largest lakes, Þórisvatn on the west side. The track was divides into three Selective Sections ranging from 31 km to 39 km. The first section took the competitors from the end of the Þóristindur mountain ridge up and into the desert landscape of the Drekahraun lava field which is mostly covered by sand, pumice and lava. The second selective section started north of Þórisvatn in the vast lava field Veiðivatnahraun and ended near the Vatnajökull glacier at Jökulheimar (the mountain hut of the Iceland Glaciological Society) Taking the competitors through the flats of the sand desert and ancient mud-flats of the great glacier river Tungnaá. The third selective section brought the crews back to the end of the Þóristindur volcanic mountain ridge driving through different types of terrain like sand, pumice, tephra, gravel and lava in a landscape that is all black and burned reminding of the catastrophic events of the last episode of volcanic activity. Although stopping along the route to gaze and perhaps get a closer look at some of the interesting sites must have been tempting the crews did not have any time to stop and enjoy the magnificent view at that time.

The wining crew of Einar Sigurðson and Ísak Guðjónsson driving a Tomcat TVR took the lead from the very start increasing their lead gradually throughout the whole event. Winning by a impressive seven minutes and fifty eight seconds making them the first winners of the ICCR. Einar and Ísak are well known in the world of motorsports in Iceland. Einar has been competing with great success in Moto Cross and Ísak is no stranger to the Moto Cross and Enduro biking but is perhaps best known for his results as a co driver in stage rallying both in Iceland and more recently in the UK. Winning many titles including the Icelandic Championship title. Running up were the crew of another Tomcat TVR Aðalsteinn G Jóhannsson and Heimir Jónsson The team of Aðalsteinn and Heimir usually pair up as a crew in stage rallying in their MMC Evo XI with good results. Taking third place were Jón Þór Jónsson and Árni Þór Hlynsson in their Jeep Cherokee JX. The crew of Baldur Jerzorski Franzsen and Elias Ilya Karevskiy in a Jeep Cherokee took a impressive second best time both in SS1 and SS2 but did not start SS3 due to a hole in the engine sump beyond repair. The third Tomcat of the team of three did not finish (DNF) due to engine failure. The crew of the third Tomcat the young McKinstry brothers - both Icelandic championship winners - came in third after the first selective section but only to retire in the second stage.

An interesting trivia for those interested is that the Tomcat TVR which won the event is the same car that was featured in the BBC Top Gear - Engine Powered Canoe vs Hammond in The Tomcat, race at the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón in south-east Iceland see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O562VTz7YnU
The same Tomcat won the Iceland championship title Cross Country Class 2009 by Guðmundur Orri McKinstry and Hörður Darri McKinstry and also the same title in 2006 driven by Þorsteinn Svavar McKinstry and Þórður Andri McKinstry.

The first ICCR was originally planned to take place in late August and the original program took the competitors from east to west and north to south across the island in five days. Due to the economy crisis and the fact that almost all the foreign crews and half the local crews cancelled their registration the organizers decided to run the event on a smaller scale. Taking it from five days and 1200 km down to one day and 104 km selective stages. Despite of this the event was a great success and a welcome practice run for the organizers.

The idea now is to build on this experience in smaller steps and let the financial environment recover gradually expanding the event in the few next years as we go along. In the year 2010 the organizers will run two one day events similar to the one just completed. Hopefully this will help the local crews to adjust and at the same time build interest amongst the sponsors whose support is vital for the teams. Sizing the events down will of course mean less cost for everyone involved and keep things more manageable for both organizers and teams alike. The organizers will try and plan the event so that the many foreign crews coming for the Rally Reykjavik can participate in both or even three events without having to ship their vehicles back and fourth for both events. Any thought on this from potential international competitors would be appreciated through email please. There is even a chance of planning the events so the crews can actually send there vehicle over and show up for the actual events by flight and stay only for the weekend or a long weekend with keeping the cost down in mind. Some garages with experience in motorsport service and preparation are ready to take care of the teams vehicles from arrival to departure and can provide service to the crews during events. For further informations and contacts with specialized garages contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it