Throttle up, throttle down, do whatever it takes to get around–that’s the way it goes in Hella, Iceland, where some of the best Formula Offroad action takes place on planet Earth. But then, as the founding nation mixing paddle tires, alcohol, turbochargers, tube chassis’ in the the sport known as Formula Offroad, it’s to be expected that Iceland would produce some truly incredible machines.

The above video is a great sampler for the uninitiated to the Icelandic home motorsport: hill climbs, hydroplaning, tumbles, and more. Even for the familiar, it’s the kind of off-road action that makes us want to see where we can get the cheapest round-trip tickets. Bring a book and an iPod, and those 12 hours will fly by.

Taking place in Hella on the southwest corner of the country, the racing shown in the video is as brutal as it appears. The volcanic gravel covering the landscape is reminiscent of a loose and granular sand dune, and it shows when the Icelanders do hill climbs like the one at the 1:18 mark: a driver carves his way up a banked incline, loses control, and flips his way down, slinging earth as he falls to the bottom.

Mud racing is popular here too. Fans used to the sport here in the States can appreciate the V8-powered thunder from our Icelandic cousins, if not the chilling climate.

Yet it’s the hydroplaning that brings the crowds out of their heated homes to Hella. We ran a recent article about Formula Off Road racer Gudbjørn Grimsson back in June. In it, the madman and his 1600-horsepower rig broke a world record when he cleared over 1,000 feet of water while reaching a top speed of 54 mph, a feat that has yet to be outdone by a challenger.

We don’t know about you, but stuff like this gets our blood pumping. Now, let’s see how many airline miles are on the American Express…