Quick trip to Germany

Booked cheap flights for a quick trip to Metzingen - Stuttgart - Hockenheim. The trip turned out in the end little bit different than we planned, but good trip like most of trips are, and lot of fun anyway :)


Our hotel in Stuttgart was located on the old race track called Solitude. The whole track is a public road which local motorcyclists have taken a liking. That track tower was really cool sight, sadly that kind of a preserved motorsport heritage is missing from Finland.


Cheapest available rental car, had luck with the weather for top down driving.


As the flights got canceled due to the volcano in Iceland we had to figure out plan-B for return. I could have worked from Germany but there was too much uncertainty about when the flights would start to take place and where. Call to Lufthansa's hotline showed only how clueless/unprepared they were so decided act quickly. Trains or other means of public transportation didn't really appeal with all the transfers with luggage and traveling through night etc, and they probably would have been fully booked anyway. Browsed quickly few different type of options of buying a car and driving it home and selling it or finding a keeper, decided that it's too risky on a short notice..

Luckily Hertz at Frankfurt airport had a Norwegian rental car that could be returned to Sweden, so 1600 kilometers to Stockholm and off we went. I've driven similar route a few times but never had a deadline, like the 24h rental agreement, so felt little like the guy in Vanishing Point. But speaking about Vanishing Point, don't do drugs, didn't have a cool car, didn't crash in the end, so what's left.. not much.


20+ degrees didn't really suit the studless winter tyres on the car, not even after checking the tyre pressure which were totally messed up to start with, anything beyond 140km/h was scary, just like a Beetle with lowered front without caster shims :) That "start of the price list" type of Merc behaved like a Beetle or Type II in the winds too. During the drive North the temperature dropped and the car/tyres started to behave. I had really hoped to cover some mileage on the open speeds in Germany but no luck.


The Mr K's Fiat returned to haunt us!


Forgot to reset the trip-speedo when we picked the car up, so don't exactly know the mileage but pretty good drive starting in Frankfurt just before noon with normal stops for food/coffee/gasoline.


Return "flight" from last hotel in Heidelberg with changing cars in Frankfurt.

Porsche Museum revisited

After visiting the new Porsche museum around an year ago revisit was in plans. Still an awesome place and cannot get enough of these cars :)

Some shots of the cars not present an year ago..








P�l Rui's Pre-A.






Stunning architecture.


The best view from any cafe in the world..


Front yard was invaded by French 914 club.

Misc California Photos

Just what the doctor ordered in the middle of Nordic Winter.


LA Kings vs Anaheim Mighty Ducks in Staples Arena, made a trade with my wife about hockey vs. Winternationals, got to see drag racing if I went to see hockey with her. I guess life could be worse, huh? :)


Fast and Furious display at Universal Studios, entertaining.


Bump cars at Disneyland, I guess this is where most immigrants take their driving lessons? Well based on some of their behaviour on freeways.


That's something I don't have to take lessons nor read a book :)


Cool Ford panel van near Hermosa Beach, looked like someone practically lived in it. Saw few really cool vintage driver cars.


Like from the movie "The Duel".


Now I can reuse line from "Beavis&Butthead do America"; "is this the god damn?" Pretty awesome scenery. The build in 1930's is an unbelievable effort (along with the new bypass bridge seen in Discovery Channel documentaries).


So if you're dog on foot and after dark?

Driving Shots
I love the South West desert, unbelievable rugged terrain, awesome colors (even through dirty windshield). I like how much it changed during the drive. I am a big fan of Travel Channel's World's Greatest Motorcycle Rides program (the US episodes) and it was pretty cool to see some of the scenery presented in the series.
















One of the 3 Cal Look Volkswagens we saw in traffic outside the DKP Cruise or shops.

2010 Winternationals

Managed to squeeze in a day in Winternationals for our holiday. I haven't followed any sort of drag racing for years but got huge kicks from the nostalgia display and Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying.

Nostalgia Display











One of my all-time favourite race cars. I remember how in mid 80's I bought huge pile of discount auto books from mail order book shop (Roadster in Sein�joki if I remember correctly) with money from summer job at construction site, among the books was Petersen's History of Drag Racing and I kept coming back to the black&white picture of this car again and again. Luckily it didn't materialize as me buying a Mopar :)










Picture for you know who :)
















My favourite gasser along with Mooneyham&Sharp coupe but I like this one more in the later blue disquise.





Pits











White Fords for Alhoracing..



Racing Shots

The snow-topped mountains in background are just surreal considering it was over +20C at the track.


That elderly gentleman acting as a starter just oozed authority :)




Garlits' dragster a moment later..