We do what we do…
I have been running around for years taking pictures at car shows and races, this spring I responded to a listing as a freelance photojournalist for a Norwegian car magazine, i sent my PF and they gave me a positive response back on my PF and gave me a chance to do some work for them.
And it is with some pride I can say that i have been published in a glossy page magazine 🙂
So this is my first one : 
How do you make an entire weekend disappear? Keep reading.
The Guzzi build is starting to become the a textbook reference to the famous cliché “Tumbling down the rabbit hole” !
I am still hoping that Mr.Williams will accept my wish to have him build my tank and seat, but in the case he doesn’t want to play, I need to find other ways to get the bike finished.
So… what if I did it?
After some time sat hunched over a long calling list at my kitchen table, listening to each en every one I called explaining me the complexity and difficulties of my design i came across a few guys that gave me complete opposite opinions, just go for it! – The only thing that can happen is that you fail!, at least you tried!
Stopping by my local tool and car DIY shop I ranted away about the DIY option, the guy behind the counter gave me a flyer with the heading “Sheet metal – Beginners class”
I gave the guy on the flyer a call, firstly to see if he could do the project for me.. but instead I ended up getting a “worth it`s wheight in gold” conversation about doing this myself – what kind of tools to buy, construction know how etc. This was back in june – his classes was to start-up again in the autumn. i booked mine in October
We were 6 guys on the class, both age and background was different on all of us so it was a intresting group to hang out with.
The instructor used some time talking about tools I have seen and used for years, but not in the way he described – and that is the biggest difference between YouTube learing and doing a hands on class.. you are right in the middle of the information highway, the amount of Youtube video’s you must watch to get he same ammount of learning you get from 20 minutes just watching the instructor and others is enormous…
The first object we were assigned to make out of a perfectly flat piece of aluminium was a bowl, how deep and what kind of curves was up you yours truly!
Belive me.. there are some hours and a sore shoulder between those images!
Raw shaping was done pounding the hell out of that sheet of aluminium against a concave shape in a wooden block.
Then a few hours in the English wheel followed, the finish out of the EW is quite shiny, only reason for mine being matte is that I scotch brited it a bit to get rid of the last imperfections.
Starting to get my hopes up here – I shaped this from a flat plate to a bowl – by deforming it badly and then bringing the surface structure back to a smooth finish…
Firstly – sorry about the image, but it was the only one i had – my shutter was a bit off 🙂
Our instructor for the weekend was Karl Fredrik Skjæggestad, he runs a Restoration/Training class/ special tools shop on this family farm, being an auto repair technician for many years he knows a thing or two about how sheet metal can be manipulated. I must tank mim for his patients and perseverance, even if we were six guys I never felt i didn’t get my questions answered or the help i needed, and belive me – help was needed 😉
The layout of his shop was very efficient, and I never felt i had to wait for anything, there were plenty of tools to go around and he gave us the possibility to work on machines in all price classes, one of my main goals by doing this class was to find out what i need to spend money on – whats important – whats not ! he knows.
Not all of the equipment used during the class was off the shelf items, some, like this wheel set on the EW was self constructed by Karl Fredrik.
Day two mostly consisted of making a wheel arch, including tipping of edges and panel straightening.
Making patterns and templates for mirroring designs and duplicating also had a central role in day two curriculum, very useful info!
I must say that the headline was true – the weekend just despaired !
Many Thanks to Karl Fredrik for his efforts to give me a very nice introduction to this and i will be coming back for more.
I am supplying the link for signing up to the class, this being a Norwegian business its kind of irrelevant for people in the 40+ country’s that follow this blog but for the wondering Norwegians , here its is:
As my plans move forward and I need too start seeing how my drawings can look like in real life, to do so i have been experimenting with different types of material to make shapes from and i have landed on high density foam.
But I don’t want my shop to look like it`s been snowing inside and i don`t want the dust from grinding – to the rescue – The hot wire cutter !
For another side project concerning electroplating I bought a big direct current (DC) generator from a workshop , it has 3 channels – where 2 of them are adjustable from 0-30 Volts and 0-5 Amps, they can also be run in parallel giving me a total of 0-60 volts and 0-10 Amps. and the best, it was dead cheap!
I took a piece of tubing, 10mm in diameter and bent it into a U shape, took a standard 0,8 mm Stainless steel string and attached it tho the ends.. and cranked up the amps until it started so sink into the styrofoam – and then I gave it some more juice just to get the cutting speed up a bit.. 
Works like a charm, next addition to this is to make a cutting table to be able to make pieces with a bit more precision.
After a log day shooting pictures at a car show for a car magazine in Norway, I was driving my “rental” a 1951 Ford Custom home –
past the Union Chopper Fest exhibition, and my hand just found neutral on the column shifter and left the Fleathead V8 idling while I found my way back to the gloves department.. and just did it, I’ve been trying them on for size earlier that day so i knew they where a fit, actually they will fit – after a trip in the rain..
Even if I was already decided I got some quick fashion tips from two ladies present during the transaction and ended up with these : MotoStuka Shanks
I got to try them earlier this spring, driving from San Fransisco to San Diego we had a stroll in the town of Ventura,CA – already leaving the store without them, I knew i would be suffering and regretting not buying them.. not this time.
Compared to my other riding gloves they are a whole lot easier to get in end out of, and just love the feel and the quality..
Entering the design pase..
More details under the project page
This place has been basically abandoned for about 2 years, some long work projects abroad has limited the possibility to do this to a bare minimum, so I have been back in Norway for about one year now, leaving Singapore in june 2016.
Got myself setup in a new workshop and been spending time there to get the infrastructure of the shop to be as good as it can be… now only the fun stuff remains
So drop by every now and then..
This has been on my “to do” list for years, but every time i have been in South East Asia during this event I either had to leave just before, or i was occupied during it..But NOW, Finally!
After relocating to Singapore this spring, Kuala Lumpur is just a stone throw away, so i packed my bag, yes!
I flew up on Saturday morning to see the Q1 and Q2 for MotoGP, even if the racing is much more aggressive and sometimes more fun to watch in both Moto2 and Moto3 – i still consider MotoGP as the main attraction, but this time i got there so early that i used Moto2/3 to get my camera set up correct, and got to see some good racing!
Ok, a little backtrack – Sepang International is a massive racing compound about 1 hour south of Kuala Lumpur
How to get there:
– From the airport you use a taxi, you can go to the official taxi counter to get a fixed rate or you can try your luck in the arrival hall, i suggest you get your transport sorted by the official channels and not the guys outside, if there is miles of que by the counters you can be better off going to the lads outside – but as everything that allows you to jump the que; A; it costs money – or B; you are VIP, in this case it is more likely that you need to proceed with A and cough up the dough, the guys driving the taxis does not earn a lot anyway and this is their chance to get some extra cash.. they have families too!!
Metered taxi from Airport(KLIA) to the track will cost you 50 Ringgit(USD 12) for a premium taxi and 40 Ringgit(USD 9,5) for a standard one.
“Facilitated” taxi will cost you 60 Ringgit during slow hours and 70-80 possibly 100 during the rush hour.
Anyway, This was early in the day but there was already a good buzz by the gate, little did i know about the madness waiting beyond the gates!
As alway were the big brands represented well and half way down the “shopping street” i got that feeling of well being , the sound level, the shouting from over energised energy-drink vendors, most likely high on their own product combined with the last factor: The Heat, All of this filled me with the feeling of this not being an ordinary day, and one should feel like that, nothing less!
Some racing..
Lorenzo had a breaking problem during the FP and Qualifying ending in a crash at turn 15, he got up and ran to the marshals who got him quickly back to the paddock,
And here he is: The Doc! MR #46… the one and only Valentino Rossi!!
There is a massive difference between the 3 top riders and the rest when it comes to riding style and confidence in to the corners, when VR enters the corner there is so much confidence and the consistency is almost scary, the bike also sounds less strained – in lack of a better word that is how i can describe it..
Day 2 – Race day!
I stayed in Kuala Lumpur to see the city while i was there.. apart from the haze the city is very nice, i felt safe walking around by myself, for some shopping visit the base level at the Petronas towers.. i got some consumer electronics and the prices and service was excellent.
From the city to the track there is several options in regards to transport..
What can be said…?
The fact is that Rossi pushed Marc away.. that is the hard cold facts!! I’m a die hard Rossi fan, but why did he do it.. for all the people who support him.. why?
My personal opinion is that the whole situation was just unnatural, we have seen #93 fighting before and he has never done it like that – he normally opens a gap one way or the other!
My opinion, after seeing the footage is that Rossi did “correctly” forcing #93 to take a wider line , then is you look closely – you can see #93 leaning into Rossi and that is when Rossi pushes him away.. Right???
The aftermath is just tragic, i went home from the track feeling a bit sad about the whole thing – this makes good headlines and generally is “good” PR for the MotoGP series ,ref. Hamilton vs. Rosberg in F1 or even more famous – Senna vs. Prost.
Politics aside – this is how it ended…
Anyway.. There is only one King.. #46 #Vale #ValentinoRossi #TheDoctor
Being down here in Civitanova Marche the entire week i am again making my way north towards Milano and are planning on flying out from Milano Linate (LIN) now on Friday if the conditions further north in Europe allows it…
Going north on the A1 ( Italian Autostrada) i got a bit bored just North of Parma, i had booked a rural hotel in Travo , 35 minutes away form where i was going for work, staying in the big cities is good for a lot of things but not to enjoy the beauty of Italy!
And getting go the Autostrada was the best thing i did all week.. before setting off in to the countryside i only had one concern, will by car hold up? A small Alfa Romeo Mito or a Fiat Panda would have been perfect for the job, what i had at disposal was rented with long 500km plus hauls on the Autostrada in mind.. A Mercedes Benz 250 CLS Shooting Brake, not exactly a mountain goat !
Thanks to Hertz who had no idea where their premium car has been…
I mapped out the route for people to easier see what i am on about, this is just one option in this area, there are plenty of roads to try you just have to ignore all the waring signs your brain is feeding you – what if i have a flat tyre – what if..what if! , just don’t ignore road signs and cautions placed there for your safety..
TIP: Before starting your adventure onto the Italian backroads – FILL HER UP !! finding fuel out here can be more than adventurous at times..
If you are low on fuel there is a unmanned petrol station in Morfaso, unless you have an Italian debit or credit card you will need cash!
The roads are quite course so i would not recommend this trip with cars with issues with ride height nor sport bikes, unless you really are looking for this kind of scenery, this roads are absolutely amazing, i did not have to hold the stearing wheel straight for more than a few seconds at the time, the turns just kept coming, the big and heavy Merc did really impress me!
Up and down mountainsides, some places the road surface was perfect..
I have always said that Flappy paddle gear shifters on a “normal” road car is the same as throwing your money off a bridge on a windy day.. you are never going to get use of them!! But sometimes you are wrong.. So..So Wrong!
The Relais Colombia Spa & Welness – Travo
This is what i have booked for the night, and in the off season is beats the prices in the big cites by miles.. to be honest it has been long since i have had this kind of service for this kind of money, the staff was amazing both at check in – during the stay and at check out.
It was late when i got there so dinner in the hotel restaurant was kind of out of the question, but for Italian quinine i am as sturdy as a house of cards in a gale! I went for a light meal concisting of duck breast and sparkling red wine!
Arriving at your destination after dark often give you some amazing surprises the following morning, and walking out to the car with the bags this morning as a pretty good way of starting the day.
This will be one of the roads i will be revisiting during my OSLO – ROME 2018 Vespa tour..
Enjoy!
#Italy,#Travo,#Relais, #RuralItaly #Roads,#ItalianRoads, #ItalianFood,# Driving Italy
Returning to the Milan area i managed to finish early enough to have sufficient daylight to visit Venice, i have long been planning to go there and this time it seemed like it could be done!
After driving for a few hours i arrived in Venice at about 15:00 in the afternoon, giving me plenty of daylight to do a express tour!
Driving across the bridge connecting the islands to the mainland you could start seeing the online of the city, and expectations was building rapidly , but first you need to get rid of your car.. and that was not exactly cheap! I went into a garage that had a minimum charge of 23 Euros for 12 hours, others have a system where you pay for 2 and 2 hours, not knowing how long this would take i took the 12 hour option.
Entering the city is done by Boat – Bus or by foot.. i chose the last one!
I knew where is wanted to end up witch was the Piazza San Marco, but how i was going to get there was not decided yet, a quick search on google earth established that i was roughly 3-4 km away. OK, lets try!
Taking Photos in Venice turned out to be quite difficult, at lest for an amateur with limitations in regards to equipment and knowledge.. capturing the light you actually see on camera is quite difficult, and without the proper gear or technique you will end up with either underexposed architecture or burnt out skies !
The Shops:
The shops in venice offers plenty of venecian artwork and souvenirs, especially glass and carnival masks.
My personal opinion is that cities like Venice should be spared for the numerous shops that sell folding knives – lighters and other rubbish, That does not represent the cultural heritage of the city.
I also went into a Camera Store right in the middle of the city to try to find some ND filters but they were prepared for desperate tourists and had turned up prices so much that the only customers they had were desperate tourists with broken kits!
To be honest i had to check where i was going several times, just walking along with no particular route to follow other that the signs to the Piazza i got lost and walked in circles sometimes but that only adds to the experience. The amount of people around me also gave me and indication if i was moving in the right direction.
And as out of the fog it was there!
Unfortunatly there was some ongoing restoration work on the facade of the St Mark`s church so the picture was a bit amputated.. sorry about that!
I was lucky enough to visit Venice in beautiful sunshine and 20 degrees so the Piazza was humming like a beehive with tourists, but there was one more thing i had planned for my express tour of the famous city in the Adriatic sea…
In the film “The Tourist” from 2010 starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp they used the Hotel Danieli as a backdrop for the film, and about 300 meter from the Piazza i found it, and decided to go in and have a look.. inside there was a porter and i asked him if i could have a look and to my surprise i said yes.. the actual conversation went like this : ” M: Is this the famous Hotel Danieli – the one used the film? Porter: Si!, it is the famous hotel – and I am the famous Porter.
View from the Harbor, the boat back to where i parked the car.
Also here i was the victim of ongoing restoration work.. i wanted to capture the famous stairs used in the film but it was partially covered up by sheets of canvas.
Since it was getting a bit late and i still had about 300km to drive to my hotel i took the boat back to where i parked the car, first i qued to get on the fastest route, then i changed my mind and went on the one with the most stops.. the city skyline going back up the Grande Canal was nothing less of marvelous!
#HotelDanieli,#TheTourist#Venice,#Venezia, #StMarcusSquare,#Italy
Last week i covered somewhat 1450km in the north of Italy, between Milan – Parma – Monza – Venice and Trieste..Puh!..Right? NO.. i love driving, i can sometimes just go out and drive just for the sake of driving..
Being here for work, it kind of dictates my ability to go and see what i want to see.. it has to fit in with my work itinerary but this week it seems like I’ve hit the jackpot…
Landing in Milan late Monday evening i drove down to Parma, having been here before i did not bother just coming in to the hotel late in the evening and driving off early.. Parma is beautiful city and well worth visiting.. one of my favorites is a morning run in the city as the sun is starting to rise..
Off to Monza.. after completing the tasks for the day i had my bearings set towards Trieste, but before leaving Monza – and what better place to that than a race track! Arriving at the track, witch is almost in the city centre by the way got a nice surprise – a Ferrari semi truck was parked outside one of the pit garages… ohh!!
First! the basics.. Espresso!..
After consuming my lunch with consisted of, well to be honest i did not have time to get something to eat.. i wanted to have a look at the Ferrari team unpacking.
I thought that since i was lugging around a big camera with a big scary lens on ti i would be just turned away and asked to leave.. but no! As i approached the pit box a man came out and looked at me.. i said Hello,and asked if i could have a look.. Yes!, of course he replied… the KasperSkyLab Ferrari Challenge Team was just unpacking and the on the pit box floor there was standing 3 Ferrari 458 challenge. 
The two main cars was in front of this one but of courtesy i did not take any pictures..
On my way back to the car i stumbled over a other quite famous character :
The rest of the day i spent driving from Monza to Trieste…
L`acceleratore 