Greek pair wins the 17th Camel Trophy

JAKARTA (JP): Miltos Farmakis and Nikos Sotirchos of Greece won the 17th Camel Trophy off-road adventure on Monday. This year the annual expedition ran across Kalimantan, Indonesia's largest island, from April 1 to 22.

The Greek pair won the trophy for the first time in their country's seven years of participation in the event. They also won the Land Rover Award, presented for the first time this year.

The expedition started from Balikpapan, the capital of East Kalimantan. It ended in Pontianak, West Kalimantan's capital, after crossing 1,850 kilometers and passing through more than 50 logging concessions.

Twenty drivers and twenty co-drivers from twenty countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Turkey and South Africa, took part in the event.

The Greeks won the award and were closely followed by the American and French pairs, which finished in second and third place respectively. The United States beat France after a countback in the Team Spirit Award.

The expedition will move to Mongolia next year, according to a statement released by the organizers yesterday. (arf)

Standings: 1. Greece 2. USA 3. France 4. Turkey 5. South Africa