POLAND: MOTOR RACING - Old cars allowed to breathe last breath at wreck rally in Katowice

Record ID: 214110

  • Title: POLAND: MOTOR RACING - Old cars allowed to breathe last breath at wreck rally in Katowice
  • Date: 27th November 2013
  • Summary: KATOWICE, POLAND (NOVEMBER 24, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS WRECK RALLY STARTING CAR WITH BROKEN-OFF BUMPER CAR BEING LIFTED FOR REPAIRS CARS RACING ORGANIZER MARCIN KLUKOWSKI AT FINISHING LINE CAR CROSSING FINISH LINE (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) RACE ORGANIZER, MARCIN KLUKOWSKI, SAYING: "These are people here who generally love the adrenaline. They cannot afford to participate in professional sports, which are very expensive. Here they have the opportunity to drive and have fun." CARS ON TRACK SPECTATORS VARIOUS CAR ON FIRE FANS FIREFIGHTER EXTINGUISHING FIRE MORE RACE TEAM FROM KEDZIERZYN KOZLE ON TRACK (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) PARTICIPANT FROM KEDZIERZYN KOZLE, MICHAL PODCERKIEW, SAYING: "This is my first wreck. But we won't stop trying. We will fix our Ford Fiesta and we will show what we can do it. We will rock." VARIOUS OF CARS RACING AROUND TRACK
  • Embargoed: 12th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Poland
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: General,Quirky,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAEXDMC8V6H11RMZ0MP2ONQ0LYU
  • Story Text: Owners of cars valued less than 250 euros don't have to have pay for having them scrapped; instead they can be finished off by car racing enthusiasts, who can't afford professional-grade vehicles.
    The race in Katowice, the heart of Poland's mining region, lasts 30 minutes, during which participants are allowed to use every means to reach the finish line first. The winner is the car that has completed the highest number of laps. Not all make it to the end of the race in one piece.
    Close to 80 cars competed on Sunday (November 24) from the Silesia region alone, as motor sports is a popular sport in Poland.
    "These are people here who generally love the adrenaline. They cannot afford to participate in professional sports, which are very expensive. Here they have the opportunity to drive and have fun," said the rally's organizer Marcin Klukowski.
    Most of the cars in the rally are over 20 years old and some breath their last breath on the track.
    Michal Podcerkiew, a first-time participant from Kedzierzyn Kozle, is determined to continue the race despite having difficulties with his car.
    "This is my first wreck. But we won't stop trying. We will fix our Ford Fiesta and we will show what we can do it. We will rock," he said.
    Most of the cars are scrapped after the rally, but this doesn't discourage participants, whose numbers are growing every year.
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