European championship
of Volvo enthusiasm 
By Svante Hansson 

V ROM offered a really fun rally this year. The participants came from many different clubs and countries and the selection of vehicles was impressing. No wonder the exhibition was successful.

The Göta River divides shortly before its outlet. Between the two torrents and the sea is the island Hisingen. Here we find among many other things the Säve Airport and the Volvo Torslanda plant. The island has a very beautiful coastline facing the Kattegatt but big areas are used as industrial areas and grotesque harbors.
The VROM was this year held on the Hisingen. The rally started by the Volvo hall in Torslanda.
Saturday August 12. The parking lot by the start area showed many well polished vehicles. The skies provided a safe protection against sun and heat. The cloud cover lifted a little later during the day and we are all glad it did not rain.
The event gathered almost 200 vehicles and many more participants. They came from seven countries in Europe and competed in seven different classes. All the Volvo clubs participated but PV/Duett followed by Amazon dominated.
Morning gathering with coffee and sandwich in the Volvo hall, some easy talk on the parking lot and then out on the road. By 10 AM all cars had started and they had some 80 kilometers to drive during three to four hours. The journey included a lot of the scenic Hisingen but to the dismay of some, also gray concrete buildings.
Along the road there were questions of different difficulty. Coffee was served near the Volvo plant in Lundby followed by a short stop on the Ramberget hill with a beautiful view over Gothenburg City. Then there was a trip towards Säve and then back to Torslanda.
There were games that could give the last points in the competition for the desirable prizes. The tasks were to throw balls into a bucket, carry water on top of the head and other things that grown up people like to do.
In addition there was a decision question where the participants had to guess the number of candies in a bottle.
Now it is three o'clock in this story. Most of us have had lunch and our foreign Volvo friends have introduced their clubs and activities. The longed-for secret boxes have been auctioned and it is time for the prize ceremony. There were many glad smiles among both winners and non-winners. There were no real losers though among the participants.
Three prizes were given in the different classes except for class early and class heavy, where only first prize was given. Also the year-to-year prize for winners of the VROM rally changed owners.
One of the visitors from Switzerland received the long distance award cup. Furthermore there were children's prizes in the different classes. They could also participate in a drawing competition.
Most participants seemed very content with this year's rally. Some were complaining, mostly for the sake of complaining, because the rally roads sometimes were boring and "not at all like last year". Otherwise thee was mostly only praise, joy and human warmth. Contacts were made between Volvo enthusiasts from all of Europe. So the conclusion is that it was a very successful arrangement.

From the PV-Entusiasten # 3 2000 page 4. Page updated on November 13 2000

© Svenska Volvo PV-klubben 2000