Nowadays, there are rarely chances for drivers in Beijing to fuel their car's torque into a full spin as the city's traffic continues to become even more congested. Driving in Beijing has become a less than desirable activity, forcing drivers to be at their most alert, despite slow moving traffic that constantly grinds to a halt.

Following the once-prevalent interest in motorcade and off-road outings among private car owners after the sudden sky-rocketing car consumption in 2003, various amateur car races are popping up around the city as more and more people are shifting their interest to motor sports they can actually participate in, to prove their driving skills.

Last month, a special amateur circuit car race, entitled the Autokhana Challenge, generated impressive success at the Golden Port Race Circuit where exhilarated participants indulged themselves in a friendly and interesting competition, testing the utmost of both their cars and driving skills.

As a newly introduced car sport, the challenge met great enthusiasm from amateur drivers who were happy to put the pedal to the metal. Over 60 private car owners signed up for the event and showed up at the circuit with hundreds of relatives and friends, making the day a real fiesta of motor sports and fun. "The event was a great success and people showed strong interests in it," said Ni Xiaofeng, manager of the Beijing Wintime Auto Sport Company that staged the event.

All the participating cars were models available on the market and divided into three groups of below 1.6L, above 1.6L, and four-wheel-drive and customization. The racers were actually the owners of the cars. There are no particular requirements on participants as long as one is over 18 years old and carries a legal driving license.

Autokhana entered China last year as a new kind of car competition combining training, competition and entertainment. Although sounding a bit new to locals, Autokhana is actually a popular entry-level car race held internationally.

It was originally a kind of driving skill competition that required participants to swerve traffic cones at high speeds. Organizers nowadays abroad usually designate a particular area in the busy city streets for the competition. A route is then outlined by the display of traffic cones on the appointed area for the participants to complete. Each racer will be given a road chart one day ahead of the competition. The racers are required to swerve or circle particular cones during the race and failure of completing the set route leads to deduction of one's score.

"It is a really a competitive yet fun car sport recognized as an official game by the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA). So it actually requires every participant to possess a racer's driving license, but we had to lower the entrance threshold to people who simply hold a driving license because there are too few people with racer's licenses," said Ni.

Interesting training and competitions about safe driving, changing tyres and four-wheel-drive car racing for children were also held in conjunction with the race. The day reached its climax when a startling performance by professional car stunners was presented to the spectators. After the one-day competition, Niu Ben won first place in the below 1.6L group, Su Xiaolin outraced others in the above 1.6L group and Wang Shengjun finished first in the four-wheel-driving and customization group.

"The event is in its beginning phase and we think it will become more popular as more and more people start owning their own cars. We are confident and thinking about staging another event later this year in other cities around the country," Ni said.

(China Daily 06/24/2005 page9)