Into the Great Unknown

Thirty five hours of travel and three plane rides later, I’ve made it into Europe. It wasn't without its moments - while the Thair airways flight to Bangkok was bloody good in all aspects, the twelve hours I spent on Lufthansa en route to Frankfurt was like pulling teeth in all facets of the word.

Even so, now that I've seen my destination, I realise it's well worth the effort.

I was picked up from the airport early this morning by Walter Lechner who was kind enough to spend the morning showing me the sights of the local region and the many comparisons it had to the landscape back home in NZ. I've have settled in to a quaint little room at a local B&B, near the village of Fuschl am See in the mountains of Austria.

This place is absolutely beautiful. Even on a rainy day like today, it radiates all that’s attractive about the Queenstown/Wanaka region back home in New Zealand, however the architecture is classic, and all the local banks, service stations, cafes and restaurants are run out of little village houses of all shades of blue, yellow and pink.

Today is an R&R day, so after taking a look around the Lechner Racing HQ I’ve come back to my room to freshen up after the long journey, had a feed and went out for a jog in the misty rain encapsulated within the mountains surrounding me. There’s lakes and streams running alongside the little country lanes that make up local ‘highway’, with friendly brown cows perfectly willing to wander up for a pat on the head.

Walter assures me that on a sunny day it’s the best time to take photos, so I’ll wait until then to upload a few.

Tomorrow morning I’m off on the 600km journey to the Hungaroring Grand Prix circuit in Budapest, Hungary, where the team will set up for its two test days on Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll be lucky enough to have the presence of regular Porsche Supercup drivers Damien Faulkner and Stefan Rosina to learn from, as I will with Walter, who has raced there many times also.

Other than the inevitable dose of jetlag that comes with crossing half the world, I feel in pretty good nick heading into the test, and it’s a perfect opportunity to gauge the international motorsport environment in comparison to at home in New Zealand.

I think I’m in for a bit of a shock, but it’s pretty exciting nonetheless.

I’ll have another update for you in the next day or two. Until then, wish me luck!

Jono

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