the racing experience

i’d like to take driving lessons again – this time „sports driving lessons“, racing lessons. i’ve done this before, and it was great fun – on the saxony circuit, not one of germany’s fastest, but one of its most difficult racing tracks. btw, i’m the one with the helmet on, standing in front of the blonde one, and i’m in the silver car just behind the red one.

this time i'm thinking about muehlhausen near erfurt, and i wish i was already there… although i won’t take my baby. i’m gonna take my beemer (a 316i compact) since i’m afraid i(t) might crash. and i really don’t like imagining a life without my corvette – at least not at the moment!

cars on the pics: opel speedster (built on the same frame as the lotus elise). the upper picture was taken in front of the pit area, the lower one at the so-called "saxony turn". in the beginning of 2007, the course of the race track has been changed, since it is used now for motobike races only.

serenity

i’m sitting in front of the tv in a state of complete serenity, watching dave on the german telly.
well, that i feel that way is not only due to the fact that the presentation of my project today went extremely well, but also to the glass of 16-years-old dark bronze lagavulin with its distinctive taste of burnt rubber, heather and peat.

and as the movie goes on, i feel that we do have a lot in common, dave kovic and me – we both are not the bold ones, we’re more the shy types, gentle, polite and terribly old-fashioned, always a little bit anxious, feeling like we’re pretending although we meet or even exceed the expectations of those around us.
makes me think about it, but i can’t help it – i’m just the way i am. an old dog doesn’t change its spots.
or maybe i just should get rid of the lagavulin…

schleichwerbung!

der sommer naht...
mit entsetzen habe ich die unmengen staub und pollen auf dem feuerroten lack meines guten stückes zur kenntnis genommen. hmm – dabei sollte mein baby doch sauber sein und glänzen! deshalb geht es demnächst der vette an die dreckige pelle:


solcherart ausgerüstet, habe ich für die kommenden wochenenden wohl eigentlich keine ausrede mehr...! und ob die mittelchen etwas taugen, werde ich hier berichten und nötigenfalls auch mit fotos dokumentieren.

nachdenkliche grüße von eurem ollen stickers...

another ride

this time, i had company – rainer (the aforementioned beemer freak) and his BMW 325 eta youngtimer*. the “eta” in the model name is not the E.T.A, but stands for “energy efficiency” – and with a consumption of 8 to 9 litres per 100 km and a good acceleration (for a beemer, he he), this little old lady really earns that name. just some info:

• 2.7 liter 6 cylinder engine
• 122 horsepower
• 298530 km (!)
• built in 1986

unfortunately, the eta model series was cancelled by the end of the 80ies.

the picture left was taken at a parking lot ahead of “bad camberg”, a little town in the taunus range (“bad” is german for “spa”, they’ve got mineral water sources there), and the right one at one of the stops we made.

*in germany, “oldtimers” have to be at least 30 years old, “youngtimers” start at 20 years of age. this distinction was made for tax reasons.