In March, we received a message from Petter Stenklev a passionate Lotus fan like us. He told us that for the second time he was planning a fantastic road trip through the beautiful roads of Norway. Road trips? That's something every automotive enthusiast loves! Naturally, we were hugely interested in Petter's plan and the routes he was going to take. Now that this year's edition has finished we talked to Petter about how it went and what the participants thought of it.
The road
This year's route was a whopping 1,438 kilometres. These were split into five stages of roughly 300 kilometres, allowing participants to enjoy 6 driving hours each day.
The trip mainly focused on the road than on sightseeing. Of course, stops will be made at the main sites, but there is no intention to stop at all the sites along the route as a group. That said, everyone has GPS maps available, and if they want to stop at a particular site, they can do so and catch up with the group during the day.
Organising a genuine road trip like this takes a lot of work and time so we asked Petter how it all started and how much preparation he had to put into this.
Petter: "I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes some years ago, and I needed a project to take my mind off things. I’ve always loved midship sports cars, so I bought an MR2 mk2 project car back in 2016. I did a road trip with my wife in 2017 just after the car was back on the road, and was in love with the scenery, the roads, and the experience itself. I wanted to share that experience, so about a month after we got home, I went out again, and started taking pictures and video from the sites I visited. I started spreading the word on Facebook and promoted a new road trip in international MR2 groups.
The response was overwhelming, and shorty after I had more than 100 followers on my Facebook page interested in the road trip. At the time of writing, we are 468 members. The natural progression of people buying and selling cars, made us deviate from MR2’s, and it’s now open for all types of sports/super cars. Though most cars in the group are Lotus, and it’s only natural as I drive a Lotus Elise S1 myself and focus all promotion on Lotus forums."
How long did you spend organising the event?
Petter: "I usually start planning 9-10 months ahead of each event. When there are major changes to the route, I make sure that it’s been tried and tested before I bring people with me. So that could bring it up to more than 100 hours. Route 1 has been tested and tried for more than 6 years now, so I’ve spent a few more hours in total there.
With that said, route 1 could be set up for a smaller group in a matter of hours (1-2 days) outside of high season."
How do you make sure the event runs perfectly?
Petter: "Years of experience, I guess. Adjusting the stages after every road trip, there is always a bottleneck. And by paying attention to the groups feedback. Route timing has also been a huge factor. Making sure that there is room for resting by planning at least one day with a shorter stage. It’s been loads of preparations with the hotels, lunch breaks, making sure that they have suitable capacity, prepped food, and petrol stations near our planned stops."
Petter brought the route this year with 16 participants spread across 11 cars. He likes to keep it small and exclusive, as smaller groups tend to be more inclusive of each other. Growing can easily split the group, and for the less social among us it tends to fall out on the sidelines, making it a lesser experience for them. The participants, meanwhile, do come from far outside Norway. This year, as many as 60% of the participants were from other countries. They came from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain and Switzerland. In 2018, there was even a participant from Australia competing in a swedish car. So some participants had already had huge road trips behind them before entering the event itself.
The best comment Petter got on this was the following quote:
"When I was entering the ferry to Norway, it struck me… What on earth have I done?!? I’m more than doubling the milage on my Lotus, and I’m not even there yet… And now, four days later, I’m so happy I did! It’s the right car for those roads, and It’s been awesome! I have no regrets whatsoever, and I’m wondering when I can return for more! -Adrien Salgado, Lotus Exige V6, Switzerland.
About the trip itself, there was nothing but positive feedback. All participants had a great experience this year. Petter told us that this was as much due to the group as to the event itself. It clicked incredibly well, and he had the impression that everyone felt included in the group. Even now, more than a month after the event, participants are still sharing videos and pictures from their experience. The feedback was overwhelming, and it inspires him to keep going.
The event also welcomed some talented photographers!
What will the future bring?
Petter: "As you would expect, I’m already working towards new road trips for 2023 and 2024. Nothing is official yet, but I have a few ideas going. My ambition might seem humble, but it’s to drive with likeminded enthusiasts on some of the best/scenic roads in Norway. The main goal is to create something people would want to experience again, and we already have many repeat participants."
Anything extra you would like to add/tell about this edition?
Petter: "This year, we filled the entire booking in less than 24 hours after announcing it!
I’m just about to invite a handful of experienced drivers to participate in a closed event in early 2023 to experience the roads at its most magnificent splendor with snow covered mountains, and several meter tall plow edges. With the high contrasts from the warm fjords, apple trees blooming, to full winter in high altitude mountain passes. This is well outside of the tourist high season, and hardly any other cars on the roads. Showcasing one of the best seasons to visit Norway for those who seek that little extra thrill of seeing what Norwegian nature has to offer.
I’ve built a very good relationship with the hotel owners over the years, and it’s now grown into a “When can we expect your next group?”, rather than “Did you like it here?”. The relationship with Lærdalsøren Motor Hotel is particularly good, and a major factor in the in the future of Epic roads of Norway. The hospitality and service are impeccable, they have been able to adjust just about everything on short notice, the local knowledge of routes and food stops have proven to be invaluable in my planning. I’m using the hotel as my primary base during planning and testing of new routes. The hotel owner, Johannes Einemo, is also a petrol head, with a long history including Lotus, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche and loads other sports and super cars. It was the only hotel in Norway where you could rent the Lotus Elise S2 for daytrips up until recently."
Above are some more snapshots the participants took.