Splattering your way through the forest in mud and swamps on full throttle is not exactly Sunday driving. It's a challenge few would even dare.

But about 40 teams from all over Russia turned up to test themselves and their iron steeds.

“Extreme -  that's what we're expecting to find here! I personally really like it when adrenaline hits the blood!” says Aleksey, rally participant.

There are over 60 checkpoints scattered around an area of about 1,200 square kilometers. The teams have to find them via GPS in any order they want.

If you get  stuck in the mud, sometimes only the helping hand of a fellow competitor can tow you out of trouble.

“Organising such events is always difficult. For this event we had to live in the area for about a month to get every thing ready. We hardly had a chance to sleep or eat,”  affirms Sergey Kuznetsov, organiser.

Getting your 4x4 into the middle of a swamp is also just part of the fun. It could bury you alive, if you're not careful.

A cheap Russian 4x4 can cost about $US 3,000. But for it to compete you  have to invest at least $US 10, 000 into tuning. Just the wheels cost more than a thousand dollars each.

The winning teams get expensive 4x4 equipment and a cash prize. But no one leaves empty handed, they all take home the experience – and a thick coat of mud.