Kyiv Jeep Club allows four-wheeling fanatics to get down and dirty
Four-wheeling frenzy has finally come barreling over the rutted, dirt paths of fashion and has made its way to Kyiv.
Nivas and UAZ’s are coming into style and even some Rada deputies are turning in their traditional Mercedes 600s for Explorers and Range Rovers. And the Jeep Cherokee, or ‘Shyrokiy’ as it’s called by some Ukrainian owners, now has the distinction of being the preferred model of local racketeers. Put that in a reklama.
Still no matter how much these jeeps cost or how cool they look, they are still just sport utility vehicles until they are taken off road. Note to New Ukrainians: Dirt is cool. Scratches are a must. And dents – the bigger, the better – are simply krutoi.
Contrary to common belief, you don’t have to have a fat bank account to be a real jeeper. Many members of the Jeep Club who participated in the Summer Off-Road Styling Parade on July 8-9 drove old Soviet Nivas or UAZ’s.
Of course, these are not your average Nivas or UAZ’s. Fully loaded with wheel suspensions and roll bars – front and back – you’d hardly recognize them as the same vehicles that roam Chervonoarmiyska looking for hitchhikers.
‘We have a few really rich people in our club – those who own six or seven cars. They can easily afford to wreck their jeeps and then put it [out of commission] for a couple of weeks to make expensive repairs,’ said Larysa Davydova, one of the organizers of the rally.
However, most of the wealthier jeep owners simply prefer to watch four-wheeler competitions.
The Off-Road Styling Parade is a two-day jeep rally organized by the club several times a year. Each time there is a new course to make it more exciting for the participants.
In the competition earlier this month, the course was at Arkona Polygon in Rozhivka (30 minutes from Kyiv), which proved to be a perfect track for jeeps and motorcycles.
There were some deep sandpits, a few exciting ups and downs as well as a rapid part with unexpected turns.
Participants paid up to $100 for the chance to win $300, some spare tires, motor oil and a basket of alcoholic beverages. Of course, it wasn’t about prizes. It was all about the honor of victory itself.
After the first day of the rally, five vehicles remained out of the original 15. Two Nivas, two UAZ’s and a Nissan Patrol managed to get to the final.
UAZ jeeps were the surprise of the rally. It looked like these old Soviet-manufactured cars had jet engines inside. At least the sound they made while passing by was equivalent to a NASA rocket launch.
All of the cars in the finals were designed especially for rallies and not for a quiet ride to a restaurant with a date. They had a minimal amount of glass and a maximum amount of wire screen. Some cars didn’t have roofs and backseats to reduce the weight.
The drivers, or pilots as they are called in such competitions, who made it to the finals were skillful and a big hit with the crowd which included a handful of traffic cops from DAI. Two of the participants were professional racers.
Although the recent rally started out as more of an innocent amateur gathering with the emphasis on music, beer and shashlyk, it turned into a spirited competition in the end.
‘This time I’ve got him again,’ exclaimed Niva pilot Andriy Dunaisky as his opponent, Leonid Akimenko started the competition with a roar and a cloud of dust. Dunaisky slammd his hand against Akimenko’s jeep in a good-natured competitive gesture to rile his rival.
‘Last time Dyadya Lyonya [Akimenko] was so inflamed that he killed the engine right on the start,’ he said.
Akimenko eventually won the rally and was lifted in victory by his numerous friends and fans in pure champion fashion.
Kyiv Jeep Club
4×4 Off-road Center.
10 Vandy Vasylevskoyi.
Web site: www.4×4.com.ua.
Contact Peter Voronchuk or Larysa Davydova at: 246-68-37, 241-18-00.
Where to ride
Arkona Polyhon in Rozhivka. Turn left from Chernihiv Highway on the entrance to the village of Kalynivka. In Rozhivka turn right from the square near the gastronom.
