Three crazy guys, three robust ATVs, insane amount of gear and plenty of experience. These were the main ingredients to ATVpalsta.com Challenge – a 24 hour long journey through Finland totalling to a massive 1000 miles.

The route was carefully planned, safety naturally being the main priority. The men would drive a series of two hour stints followed by a fifteen minute break. That would be just enough to keep up with the schedule while still staying alert. In the case of lagging behind any kind of major catching up would be extremely difficult, keeping in mind that in Finland the maximum power of ATVs in road use is only 15 kW.

On the 9^th of October 6.19 p.m. Juha Vola, Olli Kokkola and Juha Peltola revved the engines and started their heroic trip from Tampere. Enthusiasm was in the air but two concerns were on drivers´ minds: the dreaded black ice and the fuel situation. One of the ATVs had only a 15,5 litre tank and when you run out of gas in the northern part of the country, the petrol station isn´t necessarily around the next bend.

23 hours and 56 minutes later they were back – tired, hungry and yearning for a sauna. The challenge was over and drivers deservedly pleased with their efforts. And which part of the body ached the most? The thumb, of course.

 -    “When you press the throttle lever 24 hours non-stop you´ll know you have truly pressed”, Olli Kokkola said.

The temperature on the journey varied between plus seven to minus five degrees in celcius and that wasn´t left unnoticed by the drivers. Except for Juha Vola who tested a                   new Thermoflash heated thermal underwear and mainly laughed at the complaints of his shivering fellow motorists.

The route with short descriptions

13 stops, average speed 42 miles per hour.

From Tampere to Jyväskylä: Freight trucks going past in the twilight, the pain of overtaking is apparent.

From Jyväskylä to Varkaus: Darkness creates an illusion of greater speed.

From Varkaus to Joensuu: Sleet starts falling down.

From Joensuu to Nurmes: And keeps coming and coming.

From Nurmes to Kuhmo: Black ice.

From Kuhmo to Kontiomäki: New asphalt and occasional patches of black ice.

From Kontiomäki to Suomussalmi: The night is dark but the ATVs are purring.

From Suomussalmi to Kuusamo: A tough one: snow, ice, hailstones, and one of the ATVs runs out of gas.

From Kuusamo to Pudasjärvi: Enjoying the morning sun. The same ATV runs out of gas again.

From Pudasjärvi to Oulu: Up to five centimetres of snow on the ground.

From Oulu to Kärsämäki: The convoy moves inevitably towards its destination.

From Kärsämäki to Viitasaari: The fastest gas break of the trip, a true pit stop.

From Viitasaari to Korpilahti: Through Jyväskylä without any problems.

From Korpilahti to Tampere: High fives and a blast from the exhaust pipe honoring one thousand miles! One of the ATVs took its last chance to run out of gas.

 
Check out the pictures in the Finnish version of the story.