Reposted: Like a Kadett out of hell....

I'll be gone when the morning comes

When the night is over

Like a kadett out of hell I'll be gone gone gone

Like a kadett out of hell I'll be gone when the morning comes

But when the day is done

And the sun goes down

And moonlight's shining through

Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven

I'll come crawling on back to you

I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram

On a silver black phantom bike

When the metal is hot and the engine is hungry

And we're all about to see the light

Nothing ever grows in this rotting old hole

Everything is stunted and lost

And nothing really rocks

And nothing really rolls

And nothing's ever worth the cost

And I know that I'm damned if I never get out And maybe I'm damned if I do

But with every other beat I got left in my heart You know I'd rather be damned with you Well, If I gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned Dancing through the night with you

If I gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned Gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned Gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned Dancing through the night Dancing through the night Dancing through the night with you

Oh Baby, you're the only thing in this whole world That's pure and gold and right

And wherever you are and wherever you go There's always gonna be some light But I gotta get out I gotta break it out now Before the final crack of dawn

So we gotta make the most of our one night together When it's over you know We'll both be so alone

My sister Anka and my Kadett. All Photos are by her, apart from the ones OF her. They are by me. Thanks to Meat Loaf for his lyrics and for placing a catchy tune in my head...

Happy new Year everybody.
I reposted this from last year, because it had disappeared from my Archiv and I think the pictures my sisters took are brilliant.
Having come back from the mountains and a great holiday, I´m ready to attack this year on many fronts, bear with me, race with (or if you must against) me, eat with me and join me on "Drive -it-day".

Thank you everyone for your support, it means a lot!

On the shortest, darkest day of the year, I am

afraid of the darkness.

I'm afraid the darkness will never yield.

I'm afraid that those close to me will get hurt.

I'm afraid to get hurt myself.

  I am afraid of the future when I read the news.

I'm afraid because I dont understand politics quite often.

I am afraid that I will trust people who will betray me.

I'm afraid that I will trust people again who have already betrayed me.

I'm afraid of economic turmoil.

I'm afraid of being unfree.

I'm afraid that sometimes I'm too stupid to understand complex matter.

I'm afraid that other people will find out.

I'm afraid that the demons inside myself are getting the better of me.

I'm afraid of being left alone one day.

I'm afraid of others coming to close.

I'm afraid of sadness.

I'm afraid of cynicism. (No I just detest that).

I'm afraid of the bashing mob. 

I'm afraid of injustice.

I'm afraid of forgetting something important.

I'm afraid of being superficial.

I'm afraid of my heavy heart.

I'm afraid that you will not like this post.

I'm afraid of self pity.

I'm afraid of being a coward.

Yet all that goes away when I go racing.

Racing takes courage. 

Audacity.

The howling and the growling of the engines is terrifying.

The Body language of those around me is intimidating.

The tension in the air is hardly bearable.

There are so many things needing to be organised.

One mistake and the wheel comes off.

On mistake and the car comes off track.

One mistake and you hit somebody else.

One mistake and you hurt somebody else.

One mistake and you hurt yourself.

"Ground control to major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on 

Ground control to major Tom Commencing countdown engines on 

Check ignition and may god's love be with you
 

And when I sit in the car I am totally utterly alone.

I´m in a spacecraft in a different universe.

"Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare "

There is nothing and THERE is everything. 

No more fear. 

No more worries. and there is no more time. It's getting it right or wrong.

All that matters is the next point, the next movement.

All that matters is now.

Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays.

I wish you all the best.

Don't be quicker than me on the track!

Please.

The 1000 km of Dakar. Part two.

Look outside: what do you see?

Around your kitchen: what do you see?

Look at your desk: what do you see now?
And when you look into your fridge?
And when you think about Christmas presents? Finished? Nicely wrapped with lovin labels?
The larder? Stacked with home made delicacies for the holiest of holy nights?

Anybody out there who sees: falling white Snow, sweet smelling full fridge, clutter free desk, nicely stacked larder, shiny, clean kitchen and beautifully wrapped christmas presents for those dear to the heart?

Uff.

I´m sorry,

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED HERE, TODAY.

Anybody else: let‘s go back to warm sunny Africa. Escapism, please.
The hot, sunday part of the race.
The second half.

Oh dear. This threw Marc and Bertrand out of the race on Saturday. But they could still start again Sunday.

Open air bathrooms

Sunday morning half of the team Schtroumphette felt like I do right now: hangover.(grump), because we had celebrated Sarah‘s (Jeff‘s Girlfriend) Birthday and La Schtroumphette‘s temporary third place at night.
When we left the hotel in the morning after breakfast the thermometer was already showing 29 Degrees centigrade, promising a day even hotter than the previous.

Eat before you race. Otherwise the race eats you.

Enrique and I are discussing how to avoid running out of fuel, and how much difference in consumption my pace car laps yesterday made and how many laps we think we can do without dying of heat. Do I look worried? You bet! These matters decide a race more often than they should.

With our starting order being the same as the day before and the start of the of the race this day at eleven, my turn would be at around 1.30, in the full blaring heat of the day. I‘m not particularly heat proof, so I was worried. In fact Jeff, having taken the start again was significantly slower that the day before and not only because he was tired but the heat also made it much harder for the cars to go fast.
In fact quite a few cars didn‘t make it through to the end.

Suddenly: Bushfire!

This is to call in Enrique after 66 Laps. Long. Hot. Tiring. Not surprising he's on the limit when he gets out of the car.

Drivers change, my turn.

An amazing car. She's running and running.

Unlike this car, which is not running anymore.

This quick Lotus is perhaps the coolest car, as long as it runs...

They are back in the race, Bertrand and Marc

and catching up, lap by lap, moving closer and closer to ...us. Our third place, and I have no idea of the danger!

When I get into the car and start to drive, she feels incredibly fresh. No sign of wear, no fading of breaks, she´s in the flow, this african queen we immediately flow together. I fact I manage to repeat our fastest lap from the day before twice! Then the pace car comes out again and it's a good opportunity to drink which is difficult with my closed helmet, I usually loose time fiddling with the tubes on normal laps. Here I gulp down 2 litres in minutes! When the pace car leaves it takes only two laps to find concentration again, but the heat is soon really getting to me, I feel the blood thickening.Talking to myself,wondering how it is possible to endure such tremendous heat.Perhaps that's a sign of cracking, maybe it´s a sign of feminine stress management, yet when the concentration is noticebly fading the flag comes on and the race is OVER.

I'm super super happy not only for having been very regular and as quick as the day before but also about having been level headed about my heat racing capability. (Poor Enrique had to do three more laps, so I could three less..).

When I come into the box my adorable team mates inform me that Marc and Bertrand in their quick catch up chase have taken the third place from US. The impertinence!
Grrrrr... and some expressions impossible to put down here. Enrique and I go back to the workshops to change, when suddenly Bertrand comes running: We´re called up onto the Podium!

Jeff on his own on the podium... yet.

WE have come THIRD! TEAM STROUMPHETTE IS UP THERE! WE HAVE DONE IT.
With the oldest car in the race too! We are heroes. We are victorious racers! We have fought, we have suffered, we have endured. Third Place. World hear!

WEEEEE ARRREE THE CHAMPIONS!

Thank you Jeff, for letting me participate in this race yet again, with YOUR beautiful Stroumphette, it not only soo much fun to be in a team with you and Enrique, it has also given me the moment up there. It makes a difference! It really does! Really really really.

Here is a bit of Sarah, who took all these beautiful photographs during the race:

this one two. Merci beaucoup, Sarah!

Hey, did YOU think we could do it?

What a wonderful ending of 2011. This race has proven I can do it, even my foul “Schweinehund" has to give in. (Here in Germany you will encounter the weirdest of superstition: people believe they have a "pigdog" sitting on their shoulder, preventing them from doing basically anything which does them good. Just weird.) A great note to finish 2011 and a very promising one for the next season!

Writing this, remembering these moments has given me strength to face kitchen,wrapping, tidying, pre-x-mas duties.

Thank you.

Related Article: The 1000km of Dakar. Part one.

Vorsprung durch Technik. Auf Deutsch. Achtung.

To my english speaking readers, you´re not missing out, this is just the german version of: drive-it-day-finally-comes-true

“Mathilde, es ist KUNST!“

Stellen sie sich vor sie gehen in ein Museum, diesen Tempel der Erfurcht und erhöhtem Sein, in dem es röhrt und gurgelt.
In dem es nach heissem Öl riecht.
In dem das Museum der Betrachter ist und staunt.
In dem ein Neuling das Kunstwerk fühlen, sehen, riechen und spüren kann, ohne sich wie ein Ignorant vorzukommen.
In dem der Kunstbegriff demokratisch ist.
In der man Kölsch trinken und Torte essen darf.
In der man auch als Laie ungescholten über den Kunstbegriff heiss debattieren darf. Gemeinsam mit anderen Passionierten, selbst ernannten Experten, und echten Spezialisten.

Stellen sie sich vor sie haben ein altes geliebtes Auto in der Garage, an dem sie die langen, eisigen, nassen Wintermonate stundenlang mit klammen Fingern geschraubt haben.
Für welches sie sich wochenlang im Büro den Buckel krumm gemacht haben um die Restaurierung zu bezahlen.
Stellen sie sich vor wir haben einen Winter wie den letzten: ein endloser Tunnel aus Frost und Dunkelheit.
Stellen sie sich vor es wird endlich April, die Sonne bricht hervor, das Eis und das ätzende Salz verschwindet von den Strassen und sie dürfen endlich wieder einen Vergaser im Rücken spüren, altes Leder riechen, ein hölzernen Lenkrad stricheln, fühlen wie ein Motor sich erwärmt, Heizungsdüfte riechen, die durch den Innenraum streichen, gemischt mit köstlichstem Motorenöl.

Es ist Sonntag, der 29. April 2012.

Die Schwiegermutter kommt zum Abendessen.

Einen halben Tag haben sie um sich ihrer wahren Liebe zu widmen, einen winzig kleinen halben Tag, nur ein paar Stündchen wirklich, um endlich wieder fahren zu dürfen. Nach all den ewigen Monaten der Finsternis und Kälte.

Raus, nur raus, heisst es da.
Aber wohin?
Wo lungern sie herum die Gleichgesinnten der fernen goldenen Tage?

Ach, die glücklichen Frankfurter, Rheinländer, Ruhrgebietler, Sauerländer und Eifler.
Also fast die Hälfte der Republik.
Können sie doch zu ihrer Frau rufen: „Mathilde! Ich fahre ins MUSEUM!“
Welche Frau (oder Ehegatte) sperrt da nicht den Mund auf angesichts solcher Kulturbeflissenheit. Was kann man denn schon dagegen sagen? Erst recht wenn der Kulturbeflissene nach Hause kommt und zu Ihr sagt: „Mathilde höre: mein geliebter Panda, dein Schrotthaufen, ist eine Design Ikone. Entworfen von Giorgetto Giugiaro, dem größten Autogestalter des letzten Jahrhunderts. Kein anderes Produkt hat unsere Gesellschaft mehr bewegt als das AUTOMOBIL.“
Stellen sie sich das alles vor.
Fänden sie das nicht herrlich?

Ich fände das wundervoll.

All dies ermöglicht das Museum für angewandte Kunst, Köln (MAKK) mit seinem ersten „Drive it Day“.
Mit dem Aufruf“ Bringt sie auf die Strasse“ lädt es alle Besitzer klassischer Automobile (H Kennzeichen) ein, eine Ausstellung für einen Tag zu bilden.

Das Museum, in unmittelbarer Nähe des Domes, bildet den Mittelpunkt eines Carrés, umgeben vom Parkplätzen welche als Ausstellungs- und Parkfläche ausschliesslich für Fahrzeuge mit H - Kennzeichen an diesem Tag reserviert werden.
Die Autos können um das Museum cruisen und die Zuschauer mit ihrem Klang erfreuen.
Ferner wird es Taxifahrten (in einigen unserer eigenen Autos) geben um Neulingen ein Fahr-Erlebnis in einem Oldtimer zu bieten.
Innerhalb des Gebäudes (Das Museum selbst beherbergt zwei Ikonen der deutschen Automobilgeschichte) werden Autofilme gezeigt, die Besitzer der Autos können sich zum Design Ihrer Fahrzeuge informieren (damit sie Mathilde auch was erzählen können), es wird Stammtische einzelner Automarken geben (damit man schneller herausfindet wem der wunderschöne Opel Kadett Rallye da draussen gehört (mir)), eine Tombola stattfinden und ein Kuchenbuffet. (Wünsche? Bitte rechtzeitig an die zuständigen Behörden. Also mich.)
Unser Zielpublikum ist Jedermann.

Gutes Design ist klassenlos, ja oft sind die interessantesten Autos von der Strasse fast verschwunden weil es sie millionenfach gab.
Was es oft gibt ist, nicht selten und was nicht selten ist, ist meistens auch nicht „wertvoll“.
Und was nicht so wertvoll ist, wird oft auch nicht erhalten, denn die Kosten für Lagerung, Pflege oder gar Restaurierung übertreffen denn Wert oft um vielfaches. Mit der Folge, dass gerade diese Autos heute oft rarer sind als die „Wertvollen“.
Erlebtes, gelebtes Kulturgut, eine lebendige Ausstellung ist das Ziel des ersten Drive it day´s.

Kommen sie zu uns mit ihren Autos.
Bringen wir sie zusammen auf die Strasse.

29.April 2012

MAKK,

Museum für angewandte Kunst,

An der Rechtschule
50667 Köln

Weitere Details folgen.