Akrapovič Magazine vol. 18

NOVEMBER 2015 ISSUE 18

THE SUZUKI – AKRAPOVIČ LINK

BRIVIO: “WE WERE LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE PARTNER”

Bjana Brut Rosé has been judged by the world’s best wine professionals in the most comprehensive and authoritative wine competition in the world, and was found to be the best example of its type within its region.

Bjana Brut Rosé wurde von den besten Weinexperten beim größten und renommiertesten Weinwettbewerb der Welt bewertet und als bestes Produkt seiner Art in der Region ausgezeichnet.

ST E VEN SPU RRIE R, Ch ai rman o f D e ca nte r Wo r l d Win e Awa rd s

Photo / Foto: Marijan Močivnik (marijanmocivnik.com), bottles / Flaschen: Bottleshooters (www.bottleshooters.eu). Design / Gestaltung: Studio Ajd (studio-ajd.si).

Pamperings Verwöhnungen

Stunning landscape.

Luxury accommodations.

Oldest wine cellar far and wide.

Award-winning sparkling wines.

Family hospitality.

Herrliche Landschaft.

Luxusunterbringung.

Der älteste Weinkeller weit und breit.

Die besten Schaumweine.

Gastfreundschaft mit Herz und Seele.

BrdaBrda • Slovenia / Slowenien • www.bjana.si • Slovenia / Slowenien • www.bjana.si

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Contents

Contents

AKRAPOVIČ Akrapovič Lifestyle Magazine Issue 18, November 2015 Akrapovič d.d.

Malo Hudo 8a SI-1295 Ivančna Gorica Slovenia www.akrapovic.com Editor in Chief: Miran Ališič Publisher: Korpmedia d.o.o.

Tomšičeva 1, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia www.korpmedia.si Managing Director: Mateja Kos ID No.: 2272237000 VAT No.: SI14601737 Photo editor: Saša Prelesnik Special Adviser: Bor Dobrin Client Coordinator: Primož Jurman Art directors: Neja Engelsberger, Saša Kerkoš Cover design: Zdenko Bračevac Contributors: Alenka Birk, Volker Hirth, Matevž Hribar, Primož Jurman, Gaber Keržišnik, Matjaž Korošak, Jaka Lucu, Toby Moody, Mitja Reven, Tina Torelli, Karin Sturm.

Contributing Photographers: Aleš Rosa, Alex Štokelj, Bor Dobrin, Maya Nightingale Translation: Matjaž Horvat Lectorship: Michael Manske On the cover: Slip-On Line (Titanium) exhaust system for the Ducati Scrambler Printing: Nanoti d.o.o., Goriška c. 34, 5270 Ajdovščina, Slovenia

05 letter

06 akrapovic news

14 ULTRA LIGHT

20 CELEBRATION

24 ADVENTURE

30 visit with us

40 INTERVIEW

46 FANTASTIC

48 DRIVE WITH US

54 CHAMPION

58 ON TRACK

66 CRAZY STUFF

68 TRAVEL WITH US

72 ORIGINAL

78 HIGH GEAR

// Si

Copyright notice

NOTE All the longer articles in the Akrapovič magazine

This magazine and its entire textual and pictorial content are subject to copyright. Any reproduction thereof without prior written consent of the copyright holder is prohibited. The articles contained herein do not necesseraly correspond with the opinions of Akrapovič d.d. the publishers of the editors. Not for sale. Printed in Slovenia in November 2015 in 6.000 copies.

include a text that will be marked with the // Si sign and placed in a special frame. The Akrapovič company is based in Slovenia and this is why we decided to keep this part of the text in Slovenian as well.

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Letter

photo: Bor Dobrin

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1, 2, 3, … 99 and 1OO Imagine counting from 1 to 100. It takes you approximately 2 minutes. But how long does it take you to count from the irst world championship title to the one-hundredth? And how long does it take to become a world champion?

Going back to the past, all the way to the company’s birth, it took nine years until the irst title in 2000, won by Colin Edwards and Honda in WSBK. And then the counting of world championship titles had begun. And we have been counting for ifteen years to the 100th title, this one in MotoGP with Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha. Titles were won with riders of racing teams, our partners in different series in motorcycle and car racing and all that goes to show the level of dedication and diversity with which we have to deal on a regular basis. And of course in racing is everything always fast, precise and extreme. As are usually the timelines and constant new requests and wishes from our partners. The racing environment is always pushing the limits, always exploring new things, unconventional ideas that might come to life in mass production or stay forever written in history as a technical adventure. But where is the border between racing and serial products? In many cases, the differences between serial products and their racing counterparts are enormous.

But when I look at our products I see something different.

The amount of dedication, effort, knowledge, technology is the same for all our products, regardless of whether we are speaking about racetrack or road use. The materials that we are using are the same, and as racing development and in-

Warning

Because of the world-wide distribution of Akrapovič d.d. products, neither Akrapovič d.d. nor any subsidiaries make any representation that the products comply with the air and/or noise emissions laws, or labeling laws, of any jurisdiction. The purchasers are entirely responsible for informing themselves of the applicable laws where the products are to be used and to comply with those law.

Warning / USA

Various U.S. states and the U.S. federal government have individual laws regulating the use of aftermarket exhaust parts and systems, es-

novation helps serial products, the technology used in mass production enables us to explore the limits and complex shapes for high-end race applications.

Coming back to champions…Some months ago I was invited to a conference about people development to speak about winning mentality and I received the question: “What does it take to become a champion and how we can raise champions?” There does not exist a single answer, and it is not something you can write in a book…The answer is written in the minds, but even more in the hearts. All champions have there mindsets devoted and dedicated to achieving the highest goal, to constantly improve their knowledge, behaviour, and results. The important thing is that they are driven by their hearts and this level of devotion is only possible if you really love what you do and dedicate your life to it each second of your existence. But is this something we can teach? We can provide the right environment and the right motivation to cultivate the winning mindset for our children and for our teams. When someone asked me: “Where are the limits for your company?” I stood quiet for a few seconds, and answered: “There are no boundaries, when you reach a boundary you must push past it and constantly improve yourself. This is the only recipe for success…

Uroš Rosa CEO

pecially as those parts and systems modify, remove, or replace original equipment catalysts. Please consult the appropriate laws in your area before installing any aftermarket part or system on your vehicle to ensure compliance with all applicable laws. Neither Akrapovič d.d. nor any subsidiaries or the sellers of the parts or systems make any representation that any of their parts or systems comply with any such laws.

Warning / California

California laws prohibit the use of any aftermarket exhaust part or system that modiies, removes or replaces original equipment catalysts unless the California Air Resources Board has issued an Executive

Order regarding such part or system or unless the part or system is exempted by being used only on racing vehicles on closed courses. Neither Akrapovič d.d. nor any subsidiaries make any representation that any of their parts or systems has received such an Executive Order or that any of their parts or systems conform with the racing vehicles exemption. The purchasers are entirely responsible for informing themselves of applicable California laws and to comply with those law.

News

AKRAPOVIČ NEWS Photo: IAA

World premiere

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Akrapovič unveiled its latest ultra-light state-of-the art exhaust system for the Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupé at the IAA International Motor Show 2015 during their press conference, moderated by Eddie Mielke and Alex Hofmann. Apart from the lightest EC/ECE type approved titanium exhaust system currently available on the market for the S 63 Coupé, presented in detail in this issue, the Akrapovič showroom also hosted all of the company’s newest products, including the hybrid exhaust system for the Koenigsegg Regera megacar, shown here for the irst time. The Akrapovič stand also attracted glances with the Ducati MotoGP bike, Porsche 911 GT3 and Lamborghini Huracán, both sporting a high-performance titanium exhaust system.

Visitors could take on Marco Wittmann in a virtual BMW M4 with an Akrapovič exhaust system, but beating the lap time of last year’s DTM champion at the Monza racetrack proved to be quite a challenge. Another special guest apart from Akrapovič’s ambassador Marco Wittmann was Audi Factory Driver René Rast who happily posed next to last year’s winning Audi R18 e-tron quattro Le Mans car and signed numerous autographs.

Chaz Davies comes to visit Before being unveiled as the surprise guest at the Akrapovič Dealer Seminar, Chaz Davies, competing for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team, also visited Akrapovič headquarters. The winner of ive WorldSBK races this season was escorted through the research and development facilities, metallurgical laboratory, in-house titanium foundry, prototype workshop and other departments by the Head of Racing R&D Alojz “Slavko” Trstenjak. Chaz also peeked into the department responsible for developing the exhaust system for his Ducati Panigale R Superbike racing bike and was thrilled by what he saw.

“The factory tour was short but sweet.

I’m glad I inally got the opportunity to come here. It was really cool to see the structure and all the development, especially what goes on in special projects

like for my racing bike. It gives me the complete picture why the product is so good,” Chaz, who also signed posters and autograph cards while exploring the company, enthused after the visit.

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Returning to BMW Motorrad Days A year cannot pass without Akrapovič taking part at the BMW Motorrad Days. The company thus presented its newest products, including the exhaust system for the BMW S 1000 XR, at this year’s

traditional get-together of BMW lovers in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Precision welds and focus on details, a hallmark of Akrapovič’s products, were admired by BMW racers Guy Martin and Ayrton Badovini, while

guests and visitors were treated to the racing BMW S 1000 RR, straight from the famous TT Isle of Man, and presentations by Valerie Thompson and Željan Rakela. The American queen of speed shared her experience on racing at 350 km/h, while the globetrotter described how he completed over 310,000 kilometres on his BMW R 1200 GS Adventure. Chris Pfeiffer also man-

Akrapovič News

aged quite a few kilometres during his rich career and he brought a smile to the faces of numerous spectators with his stunts, performed for the last time right there in Garmisch, and later made numerous autograph hunters happy at the Akrapovič booth. Amongst the climaxes of the three-day event, which saw temperatures rise to 40 degrees Celsius, was a prize draw for an Akrapovič exhaust system.

New Akrapovic Dealer Seminars Akrapovič Dealer Seminars have become well established within the dealer calendars after the irst took place in October 2014. This fall the company invited numerous international Akrapovič sales partners to attend the seminar held for the car and motorcycle dealers in Ljubljana. The attendees were moreover taken

for a tour around the new factory in Črnomelj and had the chance to meet with the surprise guests - Chaz Davies, riding for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team and Akrapovič brand ambassador, BMW Motorsport works driver and 2014 DTM Champion Marco Wittmann.

News

Ryan Dungey was unbeatable this season. Apart from the Supercross World Champion title, he became also the 450-class US Pro Motocross Champion in the summer. “It was a great season and a lot of fun,” stated Dungey. “The new KTM 450 SX-F is a great bike and I am looking forward to riding in the off season and continuing to work hard to keep the momentum going next year.”

Akrapovic at EXPO Milano 2015 Akrapovič was present at the EXPO Milano 2015 as part of the Slovenian pavilion, which was spread over 1.910 sq m. The visitors to the pavilion could admire the top-of-the-line Akrapovič exhaust system for the Ducati 1199 Panigale, as well as the MotoGP racing bike itself at the opening.

Photo: Cudby S.

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Ryan Dungey gets his second title

Rossi meets Lord March Just a day after winning the race in Assen, Valentino Rossi received a special honour.

As a guest of Lord March, he took part in the 23rd edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. celebrated its 60th anniversary. The Doctor took a retro-coloured Yamaha YZR-M1 with an Akrapovič exhaust system for a 1.86 kilometer spin and then rode it through the main entrance of Goodwood House. “It‘s been an incredible weekend.

I was barely off the podium before im-

mediately heading to the United Kingdom, but I‘m very happy that I got to attend the Festival of Speed at Goodwood, it has been a real pleasure! I knew about the event because I saw videos of it, but I had never been there before and it‘s even more impressive than I imagined.

I want to say a big thank you to Lord March for inviting and hosting me at this year‘s event. I had a great time and made memories I will never forget!” the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider gushed over his irst visit at the Festival of Speed.

Yamaha returns Yamaha announced its return to WorldSBK in the 2016 season. Two Yamahas YZF-R1, equipped with Akrapovič exhaust systems, will be entrusted to WorldSBK 2014 Champion

Sylvain Guintoli and 2013 British Superbike Champion Alex Lowes. The oficial-team Yamahas will be managed in the WorldSBK by Crescent Racing.

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At the end of October Alex Hofmann completed the irst kilometres on a brand-new KTM MotoGP racing bike at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Austria. This was the irst test by the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team as it prepares for the 2017 season, when the Austrian manufacturer returns to the MotoGP Championship. The performance tests with the bike that has been completely developed in-house by KTM were conducted in good conditions and went exactly according to plan. Alex Hofmann (Test Rider): “A big respect for what KTM has already achieved in this extremely short time.

I think that not only can you see it in my face, but also among all those who have worked here with such enthusiasm and professionalism,” said Hofmann after completing the irst test of the KTM RC16 racing motorbike, equipped with an Akrapovič exhaust system.

Photo: philip-platzer.com / KTM Images

First kilometres for KTM RC16

Akrapovič News

Suter MMX 500 Suter is sending ripples through the global motorcycle public with its 576cc V4 two-stroke MMX 500 motorcycle. The machine, which brings back memories of the golden age of GP racing, sports 195 hp and was unveiled at the Dübendorf airport in Switzerland. MMX 500, intended for enjoyment on race tracks, tips the scales at 127 kilograms. A wonderful means to bring back the nostalgic smell and sound of the brutal two-stroke bikes from old days.

Unique Vantage GTE Darren Turner, Stefan Mücke and Rob Bell were behind the controls of a unique Aston Martin Vantage GTE at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the one-of-a-kind paintwork supplied by artist Tobias Rehberger. “My design for the Aston Martin art car is rooted in my interest in distorted perception and related phenomena like auto moving pat-

terns, optical effects, camoulage and visual confusion, which I have addressed in many previous works,” explained Rehberger. The unique racing car, which took part at Le Mans three decades after the irst art car appeared on the 24-hour race, uses geometric shapes and patterns to give it the impression of movement and speed when static.

A good year for Audi R8 LMS This year Audi presented the all-new Audi R8 LMS, which had proven itself at the very irst race of the season in Nürburgring, with the victory going to Audi Sport Team WRT drivers Christopher Mies/Nico Müller/Edward Sandström/Laurens Vanthoor. Audi Sport customer racing was near the top in Spa as well, with the two Audi R8 LMS cars inishing the classic Belgian race in second and third place.

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For the sixth time in a row Akrapovič was yet again chosen as the best exhaust brand by the readers of sport auto magazine – for the sixth year running! We would like to thank the sport auto readers for their trust and promise to continue providing the best exhaust systems.

News

Wittmann with F1 Marco Wittmann completed a total of 158 laps inside a Toro Rosso STR10 Formula 1 car, which he drove for the irst time at Austria’s Red Bull Ring circuit this June.

The test-drive was a present from BMW Motorsport to Wittmann for winning last year’s DTM series. “The biggest difference,” said the Akrapovič brand ambassador as he compared his BMW M4 DTM, equipped with an Akrapovič exhaust, to an

F1 race car, “is deinitely the acceleration.

The high torque of the Formula One car, together with its light weight, makes for a huge amount of drive. Even in the higher gears, I sometimes had wheelspin. The braking is also completely different than in a DTM car, due to the hybrid drive’s energy recovery system. Cornering speeds were surprisingly similar.”

Records for Audi Sport After ive consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with an Akrapovič exhaust system, Audi had to bow down to Porsche at this year’s race of all races.

Last year’s winners Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer fought all the way to the end and drove their Audi R18 e-tron quattro to the inal third place. The Akrapovič exhaust system again proved reliable at the toughest race in the world and played a part in a new all-time-best, set by André Lotterer.

André whipped around the lap at Circuit de la Sarthe in 3m 17.475s, a new track record.

Hirvonen for Dakar 2016 X-raid managed to acquire the services of former WRC vice champion Mikko Hirvonen.

The Finn, who spent 13 years behind the wheel of World Rally Championship cars, is gearing up for his irst appearance at the famous Dakar rally. “The MINI’s strength and ruggedness is just incredible. Sometimes we aren’t racing on roads but have to contest full off-road sections and the punishment this car is able to take is extremely impressive,” Mikko summarised his

irst experience with the MINI ALL4 Racing, equipped with an Akrapovič exhaust system.

Hirvonen proved himself at his irst rally in the MINI in Baja Aragon, inishing an excellent third and bringing smiles to the team’s faces.

Hirvonen and experienced co-driver Michel Périn meanwhile came in ifth at the Morocco rally, the irst desert experience for the speedy Finn. Winners of that event were Nasser AlAttiyah and Mathieu Baumel.

PS for the eighth time Readers of the German PS magazine voted for Akrapovič again, conirming their preference of the past seven years. Akrapovič thus remained the best exhaust system brand for eight consecutive years and this year garnered a whooping 85,8 % of the total votes.

Thank you for your trust, PS readers!

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Al-Attiyah Is Champion

Akrapovič News

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Photo: Rallyzone Bauer/Barni/KTM Images

Nasser Al-Attiyah is the 2015 Cross-Country Rally World Cup winner, repeating the success he celebrated in 2008. A perfect season is behind the Qatari driver and the X-raid team, which looks after his racing car: in addition to the world cup title, he also won the Dakar Rally. With their Akrapovič-outitted MINI ALL4 Racing, the forty-four year-old and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel triumphed in half of the FIA events they took part in this year.

Five times is enough “I quit,” said ive-time Dakar rally winner and six-time World Champion in Cross-Country Rally Marc Coma as he announced his retirement on 2 July 2015.

The 1976-born Spaniard began his career as an enduro rider, irst competing in the Dakar rally (then still in Africa) in 2002 on a private Suzuki. He was noticed and hired

by KTM, whereupon he faithfully competed for the orange team between 2003 and 2015. The reined, relaxed but tenacious athlete will

not follow many of his colleagues and switch to four-wheeled racing after retiring his motorcycle helmet.

Marc will instead become the Dakar’s sports director.

“My plans are related to my present.

So, I always do what I like. Obviously everyone has a goal, but my goal is closer to my present than anything else,” he answered the question about his future plans.

We know that you will be 100 % committed to the sport in your new job as well. Good luck!

BMW wins the 2015 DTM Manufacturers’ Championship BMW Motorsport racing drivers collected a total of 602 points in this year’s DTM season, winning the Manufacturers’ Championship

Hans-Joachim Stuck tests Audi RS 5 DTM Twenty-ive years after winning the DTM Championship with his Audi V8 quattro, Hans-Joachim Stuck sat behind the wheel of a contemporary DTM racing car. The 64 years old Stuck took Audi RS 5 DTM for a spin on the Oschersleben racetrack and “met” Santa: “For me, this weekend was like an early Christmas,” said the German who lives in Aus-

title for the Bavarian brand. In the past four years BMW, which uses Akrapovič exhaust systems for its BMW M4 DTM, won the best manufacturer title three times, while Tom Blomqvist became rookie of the year 2015.

tria. I’m very thankful to Audi for this,” added the overjoyed Hans-Joachim, who could not get enough of the capabilities of a modern DTM car. “If I had a hundred thumbs, all of them would be pointing upwards today. I wouldn’t have imagined a modern DTM car to be so impressive. Really fascinating!”

5 minutes before the race

Chris Pfeiffer story

“RIDING IS MY LIFE!”

by Primož Jurman

photography Aleš Rosa, Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool

T he 4 5- y e a r- o ld C h r i s P fe i ffe r i s a l e g e n d i n stunt ri di n g, a newe r a nd incr e a s i n gl y p o p u l a r t yp e o f motorc y c le riding t hat ha s bl os s ome d w i t h a n d a l o n gs i de h i m . He is th e e p ito m e o f t h e s p o r t a n d t h e p e rs o n r e spon si ble for it be ing r e co g n i z e d b y t h e ma i n st r e a m m e di a. He s pent 20 y e a rs d oi n g i t a n d w o n 4 Wor l d C h a m pi on t i t les, b ut suf f e r e d a s e r i ous i nju r y l a st s p r i n g fa l l i n g of f a moto cro s s bike . It w a s not e a s y to b ou n c e b ack, but h i s stron g will he lp e d h i m a c h i e v e just t h at . W e c augh t h i m after a s ho w in Ga r mi s c h - P a r t e n k i r c h e n to ask h i m about his ca r e e r , his t hou gh t s on l i fe a n d , o f cou rse , about moto r cy cle s .

You’ve been through a diicult couple of years following your accident. How did it feel in the weeks after the crash and after you came back? What was the most diicult thing?

When I was in the hospital, I was keen to return to riding as soon as possible. The motivation was there immediately and I knew I wanted to be back as soon as I could, but I lost my voice.

I couldn’t communicate normally anymore because I couldn’t speak. I also broke my arm in ive places. Now my voice is better, but it’s still a big issue for me. Three months after the accident I started doing shows again, but it didn’t feel the same as before – I was missing my voice. The combination of lots of travelling and riding shows every weekend left me exhausted.

And there was something else, something changed inside my head, it was a mental thing, so I decided to take a break so I could focus on my health and then get back to riding when my voice returned to normal. The only problem

was that I couldn’t resist, so I returned before that happened <laughs>.

Where did you ind your motivation to start riding again? Did you think about quitting the shows and the sport?

The accident and the broken bones were not the problem – I was just burnt out. But I started to feel better and when I got the feeling back I started to ride. That’s what I was born to do. It’s my passion. Sometimes you have to get away from something you’re close to. That’s exactly what happened to me. After three months of not touching my stunt bikes, I found out that I was suddenly riding a lot better than before. I had motivation, new ideas, and rediscovered the passion.

All those stunts that you do seem like you’re defying the laws of physics…

No, I’m just using them <laughter>.

How many hours a day do you practice?

Depends. Earlier I practiced every day, maybe spent two hours on the bike, plus mountain biking, as well as on trails and motocross bikes – yes, I still ride the MX, and I still jump at the place where I had my accident. I hate all indoor sports, and I love all motorsports. I do a lot of itness to maintain my balance, but don’t do it every day.

Your sport is now on the world stage?

The sport has progressed a lot, there are numerous new initiatives from young riders, who were riding BMXs before. They have a totally different approach to the sport. They are very good in acrobatics, but maybe not so good in riding and sliding, where you need a certain feel for the bike. Many inluences are coming together and you see a new trick on the internet every day. More and more people are also doing stunt riding, because it’s a

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5 minutes before the race

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cheap sport. But you need a certain amount of talent to do it. The sad thing is that there are no big contests and no big media involvement. It’s a show sport.

How special is your bike?

The new BMW F 800 has upside-down forks and different plastic covers, but my modiications are the same as the ones I had last year: hand brake, throttle modiication to perform no-hands tricks, crash cages and rear plate for the foot. The engine mapping has been modiied a little, and there have been some other small adjustments.

You use an Akrapovič exhaust, something that you also used before. What do you think of this Slovenian part? How does it it your bike and riding style?

Akrapovič is simply the best. Saves a lot of weight, its perfectly, the sound is great, there’s nothing better. I got in touch with Akrapovič through BMW and I deinitely don’t want to ride with any other exhaust. I’ve been totally convinced by the product and, by the way, this is no marketing talk. I’m extremely proud and happy to work with them. They are the best in their ield.

You also visited the factory and you made a nice video while you were there…

It’s just so immaculate, everything is so well organized and I was very impressed to see the

factory and the way that the exhaust is produced. The team is great; I didn’t expect such an amazing place. I’ve been there three times.

What means riding to you?

You call it riding – I call it life. Riding isn’t just riding bikes. There’s bicycling, skiing, etc…

I’m trying to push the limits, but keep it on the safe side.

Can we expect some new challenges in the future?

I have a few ideas, but they’ll require special

permission. But this project will be the icing on the cake.

Chris decided to bid the competitive side adieu just a few weeks after our meeting, but said he would never give up the adrenaline, because “riding is my life!”

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Ultra-Light

Ultra-Light

akrapovic evolution line (titanium) for mercedes-amg s 63 coupé

the future is ultra-light

by Matjaž Korošak photography Bor Dobrin, Alex Štokelj

challenges are what drives development and the akrapovic team has always embraced them. to improve what is already the best is “mission impossible” only for second-tier teams, but not so for those who see obstacles as challenges rather than problems. so, how to improve something as complex as the exhaust system on the exquisite mercedes-amg s 63 coupé? the answer: use a next-generation exhaust.

The multi-layered personality of the Mercedes lagship and the pride of AMG, the model S Coupé, is not atypical sports car. Nor is it simply a Gran Turismo class vehicle, despite its brutal 5.5 litre V8 biturbo engine with a maximum output of 430 kW (585 HP). This large V8 with its cylinder iring sequence, displacement and unique sound presented an ideal basis as well as a challenge for investigating the possibilities of a multifaceted sound, sought after by the Akrapovič team.

Even though the team’s priority this time round was to create the lightest EC/ECE type-approved exhaust system for the S Coupé that is currently available on the market.

The lightest None of that would be possible without irst-rate knowledge of titanium forming and casting or without the know-how of the material that the entire exhaust is made of. Akrapovič’s own titanium foundry again played a major role in that.

Absolute precision is critically important when casting the

active X connection, an important exhaust system element, placed where the exhaust gas lows from both rows of cylinders connect and mix. This was due to the need to ensure perfected aerodynamics, low weight, suitable size and, of course, durability, as temperatures in the area frequently reach 800 degrees Celsius. It was by using special alloys of titanium, a material 45% lighter than steel, and carefully

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designed construction, that the team managed to create an exhaust that tips the scales at an amazing 16.3 kilograms.

To put it into perspective – that’s exactly 44.7% less than the serial exhaust, which weighs in at almost 30 kilos! This amazing number also means that the designers managed to construct the lightest homologated (EC/ECE type-approved) active exhaust currently available on the worldwide markets!

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A multifaceted personality – two sound characters The idea to create two distinct sound characters was another of the team’s greatest challenges. The engineers wanted to not only reine the sound’s intensity, but also its character, in order to allow the S 63 AMG Coupé’s owner to get a rich,

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Ultra-Light

full and pleasant sound from the eight-cylinder engine, as is characteristic for Akrapovič’s creations, as well as an intense and resonant sound if required. But, and this is what is unique about this exhaust, it was also given a second character, a different personality.

By pushing the Akrapovič Sound Kit button, the driver can completely alter the sound of his S Coupé from the pleasantly rich and continuous baritone of the higher frequencies, to the pulsating, forcible and considerably more brutish sound, much more in tune with a muscle car, and enjoy this directness and forcefulness as he takes the car to a solitary stretch of a mountain road. How much of an impact does it have? Once you shut the heavy door of the large GT and sit for a while in complete silence, embraced by the precision tailored soft leather seats, and just before you summon to life the mighty eight cylinders in front of you, the hands seem to by themselves seek the Akrapovič Sound Kit remote control which promises…promises something more.

The growl of the eight cylinders is deep and clear at irst, a precise technologically perfected sound of unmistakeably European provenance. Resonant and

omnipresent yet never intrusive, despite getting more decisive, determined and louder along the way. But it never really gets loud, never invasive. As the revs and the speed go up, both gained by this AMG as horrifyingly as if in freefall and with the same steadiness, so does the sound intensity. The sports setting gives the driver of a car with the Akrapovič Sound Kit the option to summon all the magic of the sound, the entire dual character that was created by Akrapovič.

The revolutionary aspect of this exhaust is the presence of this duality of character, achieved by introducing the active X connection, where exhaust lows from both sides of the engine meet and mix. This carefully designed piece, cast from durable titanium, includes a guided and precisely-machined valve lap, remotely controlled by the driver by simply pushing the Akrapovič Sound Kit button. With the valve lap opened (i.e. with both gas lows mixing) the sound is fuller, more continuous and resonant, as well as slightly higher in frequency. But when the valve lap is set to be closed and the two exhaust lows from both sides of the V8 engine separated, we can feel a pure and strong sound of exhaust gas shockwaves coming

from the large 5.5-litre V8. The Comfort setting keeps the central valve open (and the valves behind the rear muflers mainly closed) in order to create comfort during a leisurely drive and the sound must conform to that – be more discrete, subtle, but always present.

The other two settings, Sport and Manual, which involve the driver more actively and where the back valves are mainly open, allow him to control the central valve, bringing forth the full beneit of the pulsating lows and the erupting rich, full and even slightly brutal sound, thus creating an ideal soundscape for an empty mountain road or the racetrack.

I have to admit that I’m not exactly sure what I could prove on the track in this car, but I have to say that the brute strength and the enticing torque that keeps and keeps going are alluring. And if I was to pass a racetrack I could deinitely not resist…To be honest, I did go for some laps, if only to let the sharp barking sound of the V8 fully enter through the open windows and the shut valve in the X connection, but even more so the full, shrill, deep metallic sound with its characteristic unevenness, pulsation and crackling. As if a mighty American muscle car was getting ready for drifting by revving high. And I could swear that dur-

By using special alloys of titanium, a material that is 45% lighter than steel, and carefully designed construction, the team managed to create an exhaust that tips the scales at an amazing 16.3 kilograms.

ing the moments that the engine was inching towards the red line, the nearby onlookers were expecting to see a different, wilder and less respectable apparition than the clean and elegant lines of this grand coupe.

I had countless opportunities to try both characters and inally fell in love with the rough, seemingly unreined and more direct sound. The sound created when the valve in the active X connection is closed. The sound that would deinitely portray the brutish Mr. Hyde from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel. Moreover, I got a distinct feeling that the eight cylinders of the Mercedes-AMG engine moreover got a bit more responsive and a bit more ready to rev, apart from getting a few extra horse powers – almost a dozen, actually, added by the engineers through reduction of the drag losses in the exhaust gas low.

the future is ultra-light

Complete connection of sensitivity and sound To sit in one of the most expensive and powerful models of the German brand also brings a certain level of exclusivity on the road, meaning that the driver must be at least a little bit resilient to inquiring glances of the passers-by, the inquisitive looks and a query or two. The colossal coupe with its elegant lines is a magnet all by itself and so I, unused to inquiring glances, was compelled to quickly ind my Akrapovič Sound Kit remote to switch back to the “softer” character as I entered the narrow city streets. Regardless of the switch, the sound still made me laugh with joy, and also helped me understand why the GT has this orderly, distinct, pleasant and moderate character.

And I found even greater pleasure in switching back to sports mode as soon as I squirmed out of the city centre, allowing the engine to breathe freely and jolt the car forward with

s 63 amg coupé the driver can use the akrapovic sound kit to control a valve in the active x

not only the lightness, this time round

connection, which separates or mixes the exhaust

the akrapovic engineers were guided by a

flows to completely alter the sound created by

revolutionary duality of the character in the

the powerful v8. the valves behind the mufflers

lightest homologated (ec/ece type-approved) and

are meanwhile active at all times and managed by

currently available exhaust system for the

the car’s electronics.

the aim was to create the lightest homologated (ec/ece type-approved) exhaust system for the s coupé currently available on the market.

16

17

14 / 19

Ultra-Light

the revolutionary aspect of this exhaust is the combination of the duality of the character, achieved by introducing the x connection, where exhaust flows from both sides of the engine meet and mix.

18

all of its wondrous and playful easiness…The coarser, but also more individual and identiiable soundscape edged me on to play with the revs, shift manually and shift more and more quickly than required due to the titanic supply of torque by this AMG. While it’s not as nimble as a fox and would feel slightly stiled on narrow mountain roads, its determinate character shines on a deserted regional route.

Accelerating from a corner can be forceful, immediate and, accompanied by the omnipresent thundering, downright frightening. And when the callipers tighten around the carbon-ceramic discs, making braking a simple and surprisingly simple, if perhaps a bit too forceful, affair.

But its excessive power and amazing chassis are most impressively showcased in its role of a fast tourer, which changes several-hour long trips into pure pleasure. Not to mention the necessity to maintain a more reined sound proile on the motorways…while retaining the loudness.

For the first time ever – an active three-valve system by Akrapovic While the driver can choose the position of the valve in the X connection in the system, the valves behind the muflers, which mainly control the sound’s intensity, are completely managed by the car’s engine electronics. But the opening and closing of the valves in the Evolution Line (Titanium) exhaust system utilises its own logic, unique to the Akrapovič system, meaning that the valves’ position accentuates the dual personality of the exhaust and its unique sound.

This is therefore a revolutionary approach to exhaust technology, which not only manipulates the intensity and shrillness of the sound, but can also completely alter the sound’s character and with it its personality, all within a single exhaust. As such, this is something

that the owner of such a coupe undoubtedly wants – a discreet V8 baritone in everyday life but with the option for the shrill, exciting and pulsating sound of the V8.

Complete integration of titanium and composites Due to the extreme precision involved, the Akrapovič masters had to take their titanium craftsmanship a step forward. This was also necessary because it was the irst time they used a special technique that seamlessly integrated titanium and carbon ibre composites into a whole to make a very important part: the tailpipes. These are always a design achievement for Akrapovič, the designers’ signature if you will, as they are practically the only visible part of the exhaust.

The trapezoid tips of this AMG are a step forward in designing tailpipes as well as proof of know-how of

this exhaust marks the first use by akrapovic of a special technique of seamless integration of titanium and carbon fibre composites to make a very important part – the tailpipes.

19

Akrapovič’s experts in the area of design and composite manufacturing, as both tailpipes ideally combine with the openings of the S Coupé’s rear apron.

This too is Akrapovic While the duality of the active exhaust really is in the spotlight for this product, those who are looking for products from Akrapovič know very well that the purchase will also bring them a performance upgrade.

By reducing the losses in the exhaust gas low and reining the synchronisation of fast-lowing pressure pulses through the system, the prototype system increased the engine’s output by 8.6 kW (11.7 HP).

But the engineers are even more proud of the continuous and higher power and torque curve throughout the engine’s rev range, which the driver senses even before feeling the HP increase.

Celebration

AKRAPOVIČ’S 100 WORLD CHAMPIONS

1OO TIMES ON TOP T he p at h to w in n i n g a Wor l d C h a mp i on s h i p t i t le i s

e r t h an y our oppon e nt s. Akrapov i č ha s co llected

dif f icult a nd d e ma n d i n g to t h e e xt r e me . I n orde r to

100 World Ch am pi on sh i p t i t les i n the co mpa ny’s

suc ce e d , y ou m ust b e fa st e r , b e tt e r , p e r h aps e v en brav-

24 y ears! But t h at ’s f ar f rom our f ina l ta lly.

by Primož Jurman photography Audi, Hodgkinson A., Honda Racing, Maragni M., Marc Robinot, Suzuki Racing

#

1

8

2000 Colin Edwards (Honda)

2003 Joel Smets (KTM)

YEAR

RIDER/DRIVER and TEAM

CHAMPIONSHIP

1

2000

Colin Edwards (Honda)

FIM Superbike World Champion

2

2000

Joerg Teuchert (Yamaha)

FIM Supersport World Champion

3

2001

Andrew Pitt (Kawasaki)

FIM Supersport World Champion

4

2002

Juha Salminen (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion

5

2002

Colin Edwards (Honda)

FIM Superbike World Champion

6

2002

Thierry Van den Bosch (KTM)

FIM Supermoto World Champion

7

2003

Juha Salminen (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion

8

2003

Joel Smets (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class 650/MX3

9

2003

Team Suzuki GB Phase One

FIM Endurance World Champion

10

2004

Ben Townley (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

11

2004

Yves Demaria (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

12

2004

Samuli Aro (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

13

2004

Juha Salminen (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion

14

2004

Thierry Van den Bosch (KTM)

FIM Supermoto World Champion – Class S1

15

2005

Ivan Cervantes (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E1

16

2005

Samuli Aro (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E2

17

2005

David Knight (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

20 / 23

#

YEAR

RIDER/DRIVER and TEAM

CHAMPIONSHIP

18

2005

Sven Breugelmans (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

19

2005

Carlo De Gavardo (KTM)

FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion - 450

20

2005

Boris Chambon (KTM)

FIM Supermoto World Champion – Class S2

21

2006

David Knight (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

22

2006

Yves Demaria (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

23

2006

Samuli Aro (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E2

24

2006

Ivan Cervantes (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E1

25

2006

Bernd Hiemer (KTM)

FIM Supermoto World Champion – Class S1

26

2007

Steve Ramon (Suzuki)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX1

27

2007

Juha Salminen (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E1

28

2007

Ivan Cervantes (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

29

2008

Chad Reed (Yamaha)

FIM Supercross World Champion

30

2008

Chris Pfeifer (BMW)

Freestyle World Champion

31

2008

Sven Breugelmans (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

32

2008

Tyla Rattray (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

33

2008

Samuli Aro (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

34

2008

Bernd Hiemer (KTM)

FIM Supermoto World Champion – Class S1

35

2009

Chris Pfeifer (BMW)

Freestyle World Champion

36

2009

James Stewart (Yamaha)

FIM Supercross World Champion

37

2009

Stephanie Laier (KTM)

FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion

38

2009

Johnny Aubert (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E2

39

2009

Pierre-Alexandre Renet (Suzuki)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

40

2009

Marvin Musquin (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

41

2009

Ivan Cervantes (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

42

2009

Oriol Mena (Husaberg)

FIM Junior Enduro World Champion

43

2009

Ben Spies (Yamaha)

FIM Superbike World Champion

44

2009

Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha)

FIM Supersport World Champion

45

2009

Team YART (Yamaha)

FIM Endurance World Champion

46

2010

David Knight (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

47

2010

Carlos Campano (Yamaha)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

48

2010

Marvin Musquin (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

49

2010

Antonio Cairoli (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX1

50

2010

Stephanie Laier (KTM)

FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion

51

2010

Max Biaggi (Aprilia)

FIM Superbike World Champion

52

2010

Lorenzo Santolino (KTM)

FIM Junior Enduro World Champion

53

2011

Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM)

FIM Indoor Enduro World Champion

54

2011

Ken Roczen (KTM )

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

55

2011

Antonio Cairoli (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX1

56

2011

Stephanie Laier (KTM)

FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion

57

2011

Chaz Davies (Yamaha)

FIM Supersport World Champion

58

2012

Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM)

FIM SuperEnduro World Champion

59

2012

Christophe Nambotin (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

60

2012

Antoine Meo (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E1

61

2012

Mathias Bellino (Husaberg)

FIM Junior Enduro World Champion

62

2012

Antonio Cairoli (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX1

63

2012

Marc Coma (KTM)

FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion

64

2012

Jefrey Herlings (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

65

2012

Matthias Walkner (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

66

2012

Max Biaggi (Aprilia)

FIM Superbike World Champion

67

2012

Pierre-Alexandre Renet (Husaberg)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E2

20

21

Celebration

#

YEAR

RIDER/DRIVER and TEAM

CHAMPIONSHIP

68

2012

Fässler, Lotterer, Tréluyer

FIA WEC Drivers World Champions

69

2012

Sandro Cortese (KTM)

Moto3 World Champion

70

2012

Marc Marquez (Suter)

Moto2 World Champion

71

2012

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha)

MotoGP World Champion

72

2013

Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM)

FIM SuperEnduro World Champion

73

2013

Antonio Cairoli (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX1

74

2013

Klemen Gerčar (Honda)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX3

75

2013

Jefrey Herlings (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

(Audi Sport Team Joest)

76

2013

Kiara Fontanesi (Yamaha)

FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion

77

2013

Christophe Nambotin (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

78

2013

Antoine Meo (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E1

79

2013

Pol Espargaro (Kalex)

FIM Moto2 World Champion

80

2013

Maverick Viñales (KTM)

Moto3 World Champion

81

2013

Duval, Kristensen, McNish

FIA WEC Drivers World Champions

(Audi Sport Team Joest) 82

2014

Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM)

FIM SuperEnduro World Champion

83

2014

Kiara Fontanesi (Yamaha)

FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion

84

2014

Christophe Nambotin (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E1

85

2014

Antonio Cairoli (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MXGP

86

2014

Jordi Tixier (KTM)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MX2

87

2014

Matthew Phillips (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E3

88

2014

Checa, Gines, Foray (Yamaha)

FIM Endurance World Champions

89

2014

Marc Coma (KTM)

FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion

90

2014

Esteve Rabat (Kalex)

Moto2 World Champion

91

2014

Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia)

FIM Superbike World Champion

92

2015

Ryan Dungey (KTM)

FIM Supercross World Champion

93

2015

Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM)

FIM SuperEnduro World Champion

94

2015

Kiara Fontanesi (Yamaha)

FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion

95

2015

Romain Febvre (Yamaha)

FIM Motocross World Champion – Class MXGP

96

2015

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki)

FIM Superbike World Champion

97

2015

Antoine Méo (KTM)

FIM Enduro World Champion – Class E2

98

2015

Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki)

FIM Supersport World Champion

99

2015

Matthias Walkner (KTM)

FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion

100

2015

Jorge Lorenzo

MotoGP World Champion

100 2015 Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha)

20 / 23

10

26

2004 Ben Townley (KTM)

2007 Steve Ramon (Suzuki)

70

68

Marc Marquez (Suter)

Fässler, Lotterer, Tréluyer (Audi Sport Team Joest)

96

89

2015 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki)

2014 Marc Coma (KTM)

22

23

Celebration

24 / 29

Adventure

Adventure

A N I N T E RV I E W WITH UROŠ ROSA, PhD, C EO of t he A k rap ovi č co m p any

SIMP L E R AND CENT RA L I S ED I N ČR NOME LJ

by Jaka Lucu photography Primož Korošec, Aleš Rosa

The Akrapovič company unveiled its lat-

ufactured entirely from highest-grade ti-

est innovation from the R&D department,

tanium, skilfully shaped and transformed

the ultra-light titanium Evolution Line ex-

by wizards at Akrapovič and includes

haust system, at the 66th IAA motor show

parts cast in the Akrapovič foundry. It

in Frankfurt, Germany. This is the pinna-

presents another successful milestone in

cle of Akrapovič’s know-how and skills. It

the company’s history, as does the move

is the world’s lightest type-approved ex-

of production facilities to Črnomelj. We

haust for the Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupé.

talked about this and other things with

The Evolution Line exhaust system is man-

Akrapovič CEO Uroš Rosa, PhD.

What caused manufacturing to be moved to Črnomelj?

Our original location at Ivančna Gorica was simply bursting at the seams. The company has been based in Ivančna Gorica from the very beginning and we believed for a long time that we had enough space for all types of expansion. But the increase in the number and complexity of products caused our production to expand, whereas our loor plan simply didn’t allow for its organic expansion. With the decision to expand the production facilities, the challenge arose to ind the right plot of land or, alternatively, ind already-existing facilities that could cover and fulil all our demands – especially in size. We found it at the end in Črnomelj, which we bought in summer 2012.

How much does moving production to Črnomelj impact the company’s logistics?

It mainly impacts the introduction of new products. Črnomelj now houses all production- and logistics-

related processes. We’ve centralised quite a few things. Additional coordination within the production department is also a lot simpler in Črnomelj than it was in Ivančna Gorica and Podpeč. The same hall now produces the complete product. We took great care in planning the distribution of processes.

Was this distribution optimised in-house?

Yes. The biggest challenge has been and always will be coordination at the start of the production of new models. Having more space improves our production low and our production capacity. At the same time, production and R&D are not in the same place anymore, which means that even more preparation and planning are required to ensure that everything runs smoothly when new items go into production for the irst time.

Do you as a company respond to market demands or create them, as is the case with, for example, Apple?

It’d be dificult for us to work in the same way as Apple, because our inal product has to it a speciic vehicle. We have to respond to the market regarding the model we are working on, but can also provide solutions that a particular model does not have yet.

When we enter a market, we can offer our solutions.

We can, for example, offer new technology, a new mufler shape, a wireless accessory, an active X-connection for a car exhaust, which was unveiled at the IAA in Frankfurt. We also have an advantage in the area of motorcycles, due to our market knowledge and our experience in the two-wheel business for the past 24 years.

So you are somehow continuously in a kind of adjustment process with the motorbike manufacturers?

Of course, because at the end of the day we are only as successful as the motorbike and vehicle manufacturers.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our main investments into the teams are development, the products

24

themselves, and support. Moreover, we use almost identical materials and technologies for racing and road bikes, apart from occasional adjustments to the speciic needs and requirements of individual teams. Basically, if you purchase our product, you have the same material in your exhaust as do Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.â&#x20AC;?

25

“Črnomelj now houses all production- and logisticsrelated processes. We’ve centralised quite a few things there. Additional coordination within the production department is also a lot simpler in Črnomelj than it was in Ivančna Gorica and Podpeč.”

360,000 Is the number of tiles placed on the loor of the new Akrapovič facility in Črnomelj, before the 15,000 sq m manufacturing hall with over half a kilometre of main transport lanes was taken over by workers, who launched a new chapter in the company’s history. The move into the new production facilities began in August 2014 and was completed before the summer of 2015. In total it involved over 100 transports of equipment and material from the locations in Ivančna Gorica, which previously housed the majority of production, and from the village of Kamnik

pod Krimom, which was the home of the tube mill, the composite department and the logistics. The new manufacturing location provides more than 20,000 sq m of covered surfaces, with an additional 4,000 sq m allocated to the logistics centre. Akrapovič’s manufacture is united under a single roof: ranging from the manufacture of tubes, their bending, reshaping and welding to the production of composite parts, sandblasting and other processes. The move resulted in new jobs and the purchase of new machines, already employed in the production of new (r)evolutionary products which can also be found in this issue of the Akrapovič Lifestyle Magazine.

24 / 29

Adventure

26

27

In what ways do you cooperate with race teams?

We see them as our technological and communication platforms. The Akrapovič company was formed with the aim of becoming the world’s premiere manufacturer of motorcycle exhausts. Our main investments in the teams are development, the products themselves, and support. Moreover, we use almost identical materials and technologies for racing and road bikes, apart from occasional adjustments to the speciic needs and requirements of individual teams. Basically, if you purchase our product, you have the same material in your exhaust as Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.

How do you manage to ensure that the purchasing price of titanium is as stable as possible, despite market luctuations?

Globally, the price of this metal is mainly determined

by the airline industry and the military. In its raw form, there is enough of the metal to go around. The issue lies with processing it into a “sponge,” the basis for producing pure titanium and other alloys. And the “sponge” price is the variable on the global titanium market. We have three main titanium suppliers, one from the USA and two from Japan with whom we cooperate in the development of new alloys and in supply predictions.

How afected would you be by a possible mass transition to electric cars?

I think that this moment is still quite far away, because there still exist numerous possibilities to reduce the carbon footprint within the existing paradigm. The largest advances can be achieved in reducing a vehicle’s weight, which is directly linked to CO2 emissions. We’re talking quite basic laws of physics here.

It has been calculated that reducing vehicle weight could decrease fuel consumption by 20 to 25%, which obviously directly relates to greenhouse gas emissions.

A titanium exhaust system shaves off some 15 to 20 kilograms from a vehicle, which is quite a signiicant factor. In the future not each kilogram, but each gram will count.

“The biggest challenge has been and always will be coordination at the start of the production of new models.”

24 / 29

Adventure

28

Selitev v Črnomelj “Sedaj imamo v Črnomlju vse, kar je povezano s proizvodnjo in logistiko skupaj. Torej smo marsikaj poenotili. Dodatno usklajevanje v okviru proizvodnje je v Črnomlju bistveno bolj preprosto, kot je bilo v Ivančni Gorici in Podpeči. Naš glavni vložek v tekmovalne ekipe je razvoj, proizvodi in podpora tekmoval-

nim ekipam. Poleg tega so uporabljeni materiali in tehnologija za tekmovalne ter cestne motorje skoraj identični; morda gre pri posameznih moštvih za prilagajanje njihovim speciičnim željam in potrebam. Torej ima kupec motorja v naših izpušnih sistemih enak material, kot ga imata Valentino Rossi in Jorge Lorenzo,” je dejal izvršni direktor dr. Uroš Rosa.

WARNING!

ilable a v a p u iant set l p m o c ce A2 licen

E K U D o 9 3

S D N E B E H T N OW

bike. f a naked o le p m a x e e ride.

E is a pure nd explosiv .

K a U e D il g 0 a 9 3 ly pressive , the KTM pleasure 139 kg dry eliver an im nadulterated riding t d s g ju n t li a ty in s nce raw deliver u and edgy Weighing r to experie as built to ing design w ie k s it in a e l, th n fu d e r r v e a Forw t and pow it is now e t, compac up option, h tig e e s tw le h b ig ti L mpa licence co With an A2 nce. rma DUKE perfo

The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost.

Photo: R. Schedl

»MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO EMULATE THE RIDING SCENES SHOWN!

www.kiska.com

»Always ride carefully and observe the applicable road traffic regulations! »Always wear appropriate protective clothing and never ride without a helmet! »All illustrated riding scenes were performed without exception by professionals on closed roads!

Visit with us

BUR KAR D B OV E N S I E P EN A ND 5 0 YEA RS OF A L PIN A

MY PASSION MEANS CARS

by Volker Hirth photography Marcel Laemmerhirt, ALPINA archive, Bor Dobrin

30

The legs just aren‘t as quick anymore.

So he insists on arriving in a new dark-blue B4 Bi-Turbo, even though it’s only a few feet from the office to the party tent. His granddaughters run to him, he happily bows down to them, and there he is: Burkard Bovensiepen, with one offspring on the left and one on the right. But it’s not like “The Godfather,” at all, the man is simply too friendly.

FROM TYPEWRITERS TO CARS He would be perfect for the family drama “The Patriarch.” A nice picture, indeed almost movie-worthy, but not staged at all. Instead, it’s reality at ALPINA. The host is slowly approaching those present in the party tent’s foyer, where a big celebration is being held over

several evenings. The boss notes with satisfaction that both his sons Andreas and Florian are talking to journalists in different corners. The ALPINA-board works as a triumvirate. All those present are watching the 79 year old with respect as he walks to the couch and makes himself comfortable. His lively, sparkling eyes focus on the interviewer and then - after an anxious moment - signal: Alright, let’s do this!

The irst question is not his favourite one, but the one he expected: The beginnings. Those were not easy times. His father founded the company. And the manufacturer of ofice-machines would have liked it very much if Burkard would have spent the rest of his life selling and developing ALPINA typewriters. How could the father have known that windows and iOS would have driven the son into bankruptcy sooner or later. But it was not instinct driving young Burkard into the right direction, but passion. And passion meant cars: at age 14, and without a license, driving through the Allgäu.

What would have been the consequences, if Dad had known! On the other hand, he deinitely saved some money when it came time to get a driver’s license: everything done after just three hours of driving lessons.

Burkard stubbornly stayed away from ofice-machines.

And had ideas. With simple logic. Four cylinders only fed by one carburetor? One could do better. Bovensiepen added two double carburetors, strengthened the camshaft and got 20% more power with relatively little effort. The upgrade happened with the BMW 1500: the private car of the entrepreneur’s son. If it would have been a Mercedes, maybe AMG would have never happened and ALPINA would be the Daimler’s luxury division today. But, instead, more and more 1500-owners approached the self-made engineer to get more power out of their 80 bhp-four-cylinder. It was the perfect time: the mid-60s. Dreaming was permitted again at last. The IAA 1961 had a record 950,000 visitors touching chrome after all those dark post-war years. Car manufacturing had increased ive-fold in ten years. A new middle class had developed, there were new bungalows, well-stocked fridges, some people even had TV sets already. The average annual income was almost 7,000 Deutschmarks. And on this IAA you could get a dream car for just a little more than that: The BMW 1500 was 8,500 Deutschmarks - heating included. It deinitely was in the sights of the tinkerer from the Allgäu.

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Visit with us

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It wasn’t instinct that drove the young Burkard in the right direction, but passion.

And passion meant cars.

THE RIGHT TIME, THE RIGHT PLACE, AND CHEMISTRY In the beginning, BMW didn’t care much about the young Bovensiepen, but he was after more contacts, he sought more cooperation. And, as with so many things in life, destiny let two people meet at the right time.

Bovensiepen remembers: “The then sales-manager of BMW, Paul G. Hahnemann, told me: You’re coming at the right time. The new 1800 has 10 bhp more than its predecessor, the 1500, and now we have complaining customers. You can go ahead.” From then on, Burkard Bovensiepen could tune BMW’s cars with the company’s blessing. “Unbelievable for the period,” he remembers. “At that time, your warranty was void if you changed a single screw on the car.”

BMW allowed the alterations to ALPINA doublecarburetors and still retained the warranty. This was the breakthrough. The ALPINA package consisted of two Weber double-horizontal carburetors, two short straight double-suction pipes, a joint wet-air ilter and

the required throttle linkage. And to make sales a little better, the young Bovensiepen personally put ads under the wipers of parked 1500s. BMW was convinced by ALPINA’s idea and the product’s quality. More models followed and warranties never posed a problem. In 1978 ALPINA oficially became a car-manufacturer on the basis of products made by BMW AG. The irst cars built by ALPINA as a manufacturer were the ALPINA B6, the ALPINA C1 (both based on the irst 3-series) and ALPINA B7 Turbo (based on the 5-series). Probably the best known vehicle from ALPINA and Burkard Bovensiepen’s favourite car was the ALPINA B10 BiTurbo, based on the BMW 535i E34, presented in 1989.

With a maximum speed of more than 290 kph this was the world’s fastest saloon in serial production.

Even today the senior-boss sees this as a small miracle.

“It was obviously a personal connection between me and Hahnemann. He seemed to like me,” he says. “And that’s still true today. When something has to be decided between two partners, chemistry between the two is important.” But that alone is not enough. Many small workshops mushroomed in the 60s and called themselves tuners, only to then disappear.

ONCE ALPINA, ALWAYS ALPINA Self-doubts always remained, but helped too. “We never considered ourselves good; we merely thought the others were much worse.” It was dificult to get staff. “It was quite hard to convince them of my vision of quality. Often they would say ‘He’s mad!’ It was very, very dificult during the irst ten years. But luckily, today, everyone gets it!” The 79 year old laughs heartily. Employee loyalty was, and is, very high. Once ALPINA, always ALPINA. Fluctuation is very low.

Hundreds have started their career at the company’s headquarters in Buchloe in the Allgäu and ended it there at the end of a fulilled professional life.

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AKRAPOVIC AS CRAZY ABOUT DETAILS AS I AM The demands of ALPINA’s owner were always special.

He always wanted “to work with a quality thenunknown in the tuning business”. Handwork had “to develop into industrial quality.” Almost inevitably, Bovensiepen says, the paths of ALPINA and Akrapovič had to cross.” They do an incredible job, they are as crazy about details as I am,” he raves. But the additional power output because of the Akrapovič exhaust-systems was not the only reason for cooperation. “No,” he says, “they understand something about sound and most of all, and very important today, they understand weight.”

His son Andreas, listening to the interview, adds:

“At Akrapovič they understand something about sound and most of all, and very important today, they understand weight.”

“Akrapovič and us it because we are both manufacturers of small series and provided innovations again and again. For me, Akrapovič is today a clear leader in terms of eficiency and light-weight, quality manufacturing.

They’re absolutely top-level, like us, and that’s why we it so well.”

There are some parallels between the companies.

Andreas Bovensiepen visited the Slovenian exhaust wizards twice and felt at home. “It’s an extremely motivated team. The chemistry is really perfect between us. Our Slovenian partners are extremely lexible and develop completely new systems in a very short time.”

At the beginning of their cooperation, Akrapovič systems were offered as a special addition, but today the majority of ALPINA cars are offered with the elite Slovenian-crafted parts. The current EDITION 50 models are all equipped with Akrapovič.

ON CRAZY STUCK AND EGOISTIC LAUDA Entering the motorsports seemed like a logical step, but was not really a core goal for the boss. “My son Andi was much more ambitious. But it did not escape me that motorsports present an ideal venue to establish oneself.” Success was quick to come. As did good drivers. Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Jacky Ickx, Hans-Joachim Stuck and many other names. The 70s were a great time on the race-tracks of the world. And Bovensiepen will never forget some of the drivers. Like Stuck, for example. Not so much because of his successes, but because of the pranks reliably delivered by the “Strietzel” during his career. With horror Bovensiepen remembers: “Stuck once caught a duck, no idea where he got it

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Visit with us

ALPINA is a true German success story based on passion, business sense, quality and integrity. The company today employs 220 people and boasted a record year in 2014: More than 1,700 cars were sold and ALPINAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turnover was 90 million euros. It took a lot of optimism to think that the company, which started with 15,000 Deutschmarks in equity, six employees and 150,000 Deutschmarks in debts, could achieve so much in 50 years.

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Burkard Bovensiepen

Andreas Bovensiepen

from. He somehow made it into my room and hid the duck under the blanket of the bed. When I came home, not only the bed, but the whole room was covered in waste.”

Niki Lauda, on the other hand, was apparently with a little sense of humor. “A tough guy,” Bovensiepen remembers. “He was extremely egoistic. Usually we had four cars running. But Niki wanted to be served exclusively. Of course I couldn’t accept that. But in principle this egoism was deinitively one secret of his success.”

The racing-star and Bovensiepen never became real friends. But the boss is still talking respectfully about

his then employee. “He never damaged anything. He was amazingly quick, but always the one who damaged the least.”

Among the biggest successes in motorsports were the winning the European Touring Car Cup, the endurance classic “24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps” as well as the all-German championships: circuit, hill-climb and rally.

The irst motorsports era ended in 1977, then there was a short comeback at the end of the 1980s with involvement in the DTM and after a long interruption, entries in the GT Masters-series with winning the ADAC Driver’s Championship in 2011 as the high-water mark.

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50 let ALPINE Dvom je zmeraj prisoten, vendar je tudi koristen. “O sebi nismo nikoli razmišljali, kot da smo dobri, ampak le, da so drugi dosti slabši.” Privabiti sodelavce je bilo vse prej kot preprosto. “Precej težko jih je bilo prepričati o mojem pogledu na kakovost. Pogosto so dejali: ‘Nor je.’ Prvih 10 let je bilo zelo zelo težavnih. Toda danes so na srečo vsi na moji strani,” se prešerno zasmeje 79-letni Burkard Bovensiepen, stvaritelj in

lastnik uspešnega nemškega podjetja ALPINA. Bilo je skorajda neizogibno, doda Bovensiepen, da se bosta poti ALPINE in Akrapoviča prekrižali. “Neverjetno dobri so, tako nori na detajle so kot jaz,” je navdušen starosta. A razlog za sodelovanje niso dodatne “konjske moči”, ki jih prinaša uporaba izpušnih sistemov Akrapovič: “Fantje se spoznajo na zvok, in pa, kar je danes še posebej pomembno, na težo.”

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Revolution

The Latest from R&D

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TI T A N ( I UM )

by Mitja Reven photography Alex Štokelj

THE TITANS WERE ANCIENT GREEK GODS, SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF URANUS AND GAIA, BUT IN SLOVENIAN “TITAN” ALSO STANDS FOR “TITANIUM,” THE MATERIAL USED BY AKRAPOVIČ FOR MANY OF ITS MOST SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTS.

already be admired as a inal product at the next

exactly malleable. But the new mufler is proof

major motorcycle show, EICMA 2014, attached

that Akrapovič stands at the very pinnacle of

to the – at that time – all-new and unique

high-performance exhaust technology. Just

Kawasaki Ninja H2.

look at it! Isn’t it the perfect embodiment of

Less than a year later, the new mufler design

the company’s vision: “Leadership in high

has been joined by a new, important and

performance exhaust system solutions and

Can you recall last year’s presentation of a

powerful version: made of titanium. Powerful in

excellence in innovative titanium technology?”

new mufler concept at the Intermot show in

the sense of showcasing Akrapovič’s technical

The new mufler design was technically a

Cologne? It was there that Igor Akrapovič

and technological prowess, important for

lot more demanding than the ones that came

staged the global unveiling of a (r)evolutionary

showing the evolution of Akrapovič’s research

before and its production heavily relies on

mufler of radical design, the basics of which

and manufacturing. Some see the shape of the

hydroforming. The new titanium mufler will at

were sketched by him months before on a piece

new mufler as coming out of a science iction

irst be available as a Slip-On Line (Titanium)

of paper in the middle of an airport and then

movie, and many have scratched their heads

for the Ducati Multistrada 1200, a motorbike

chiselled into its inal form by Igor and the

while pondering how on earth it could be crafted

which you can admire in the accompanying

skilled engineers at R&D. The exact form could

from titanium, which, as you might now, is not

photographs. This new exhaust system, whose

Leadership in high performance exhaust system solutions and excellence in innovative titanium technology.

radical design points to a close relationship with

The new titanium version, which will become

sound has also been improved, with a deeper

its carbon ibre counterpart, is a modern and

available for selected motorcycles, including

sound resonating from the engine. The use of

dynamic addition to the Multistrada.

the Yamaha YZF-R1, is perfectly complemented

titanium also reduces weight, thereby improving

The carbon ibre and titanium versions share

by an exquisitely inished and hand-crafted

the motorbike’s handling.

more than just design – they also bring improved

carbon ibre heatshield and end-cap, made from

To sum up: the new exhaust is a proper,

performance. We have improved the low of the

materials tested in racing, from MotoGP to

thoroughbred Akrapovič.

exhaust gases and have carried out numerous

WorldSBK.

simulations and tests, also in what is our most

Apart from nailing the visuals, which

important laboratory: the racetrack. Apart

undoubtedly make the new mufler a unique and

from a visual upgrade, the new mufler brings

instantly recognisable Akrapovič, the engineers

improvements in all other aspects as well. It might

also developed the new system to allow for a

not be obvious at irst, but a successful exhaust

better ride through the smoothness of power

design must also take into account volume,

delivery and an optimal performance increase

performance, sound and ground clearance.

that aims to bring the best out of the bike. The

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Hot stuff

Hot Stuff from Akrapovič Akrapovič exhaust systems are designed for riders who demand maximum performance from their motorcycles. They feature exceptional production quality, hi-tech materials, increased engine performance and of course amazing sound and appearance. The change is also visual, as our muflers perfectly it the exterior line of modern motorcycles and add a clean Ducati Scrambler + 2.3 HP/7,200 rpm racing image.

- 3.6 kg (-60%)

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Kawasaki Ninja H2R + 1.9 HP/6,900 rpm - 14.6 dB

Suzuki GSX-S1000F + 2.1 HP/11,200 rpm - 0.9 kg (-36%)

Yamaha YZF-R1 + 7.5 HP/7,200 rpm - 5.8 kg (-58%)

BMW S 1000 XR + 6.8 HP/6,450 rpm - 7.1 kg (-51.9%)

Kawasaki KX450F + 1.4 HP/7,800 rpm - 0.7 kg (-18.4%)

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Car stuff

Car Stuff Welcome to our range of aftermarket exhaust systems for cars. We offer complete, partial, open or EC-type approved products that signiicantly improve performance. We use only the best and exclusive titanium and stainless steel. We combine these two materials with high technologies and craftsmanship of our welders that divide this exhausts systems from anything else on the market.

Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupé + 11.7 HP/2,250 rpm + 36.7 Nm/2,250 rpm

- 13.2 kg (-44.7%) Titanium Akrapovič Sound Kit

Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 + 19.4 HP/5,950 rpm + 21.7 Nm/5,950 rpm - 20.5 kg (-60.3%) Titanium

Porsche 911 Turbo/Turbo S (991) + 10.3 HP/6,200 rpm + 59.5 Nm/2,300 rpm - 9.1 kg (-41%) Titanium Carbon iber diffuser

Chevrolet Corvette ZO6/Stingray (C7) + 18.6 HP/5,750 rpm + 25.8 Nm/4,650 rpm - 11.6 kg (-40%) Titanium

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Interview

Interview 40

MOHAMMED BEN SULAYEM:

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“I TRULY LOVE MOTOSPORT.”

by Tina Torelli photography Cristiano Barni/Rally Zone; Edoardo Bauer/KTM Images/Red Bull Content Pool; Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool; MBS personal archive

As the son of one of the most respected politicians in a newly-created state, he probably shouldn’t be racing – some people thought he should follow in his father’s footsteps without straying off the beaten track and without tempting fate. But Mohammed Ben Sulayem did just that – the apple fell directly under the tree so to speak, at least with regard to the values and passions that have already marked his father’s life. He himself became a pillar and a cornerstone of a country which, in a mere 50 years, has traversed the path from tribes to statehood as well as becoming a place that breaks new ground.

“I basically forced my family to accept my racing,” Mohammed Ben Sulayem says. “I believe that my success was also due in part to the fact that nobody supported me – I was alone in my ight, and the fear of not winning was always my prime motivation.

I’ve achieved more in racing than I could ever have dreamt of. Motorsports has become a national sport in the UAE and I can honestly say that this is, to a large degree, my doing.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem has himself become a brand through the years and is nowadays simply referred to by many as MBS.

“MY REACTION TIME IS VERY QUICK AND MOTORSPORTS GAVE THAT TO ME. I TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE THE CORRECT DECISION, BUT THEN, LATER, I DON’T LOSE ANOTHER SECOND BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE GOAL.”

The member of the Bani Yas tribe is happiest among the dunes of the Rub al Khali desert, located not too far from the Liwa oasis, the birthplace of his ancestors. It is there, in the most beautiful sand arena in the world, that the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has been taking place for the past 25 years. The ive-day trial, a round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, is more than just machines and precious hundredths. It is a tale of courage, of exceeding one’s limits and moving the boundaries. It’s played out every spring in the Al Gharbia area between Tal Moreeb, Liwa and Mezairaa. The demanding terrain requires a healthy dose of awe – not just because of the treacherous dunes but also due to the extreme temperatures.

“Look, that’s Mohammed,” whispers a journalist colleague as a black Rolls-Royce rolls into the parking lot in front of the Yas Marina racetrack’s press centre. Mohammed is the most common name in the Arab world, yet Dr. Ben Sulayem does not need a surname to stand out from the crowd. He’s plush, sure, but his level of charisma cannot be bought.

He’s powerful, of course, but the plan he envisaged requires vision as well. Mohammed is painstakingly working on bringing all the popular world motorsport series to the United Arab Emirates.

On the next day, a caravan of drivers and support vehicles stop at the bivouac in the middle of the dunes. The temperature outside is hellish, but the tent in front of Mohammed’s trailer is liveable. He’s sitting cross legged, having licked off his sandals and

removed his thawb. He is relaxed and in good spirits.

In a year that is bursting with obligations, he hopes to use these few days among the racers and ATCUAE volunteers deep in the Rub al Khali desert like a black hole: something he can let himself be sucked into without any remorse. “I’m going to enjoy this rally,” he says. “What would you like to know?” >> Why don’t we start with Igor Akrapovič? I think you two have a lot in common.

I met Igor through a friend of mine. These things happen sooner or later, if you are part of the automobile industry. It’s a big world out there, but at the same time it’s also small when you know people.

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Dealing with things that relate to motorsports or sports equipment, I naturally became interested in high tech engineering, so I went to Slovenia to see the facilities. Unbelievable. What I saw there was the future! What speaks for itself is the trust of other manufacturers in his product. They have certain standards and you have to abide by them -- they won’t agree to yours. People might say: Oh, it’s only an exhaust. Sorry, it’s not! There’s the weight, the material, the design and the sound, all put together in the most ingenious way! I know how much work and guts are behind all that. Igor is very dedicated, he is passionate, he always wants to be better...

Just like you?

I like to improve, yes. We are in this world to improve.

OK then - what is the thing that you have to still work on?

Wisdom comes with experience and I noticed only recently that anger really does no good. I think that you actually lose when you get angry. Let’s say I get an email that really annoys me and my natural reaction is to write a very strong-worded reply. Well, I do just that! But after inishing, and a second before clicking send, I say to myself: Stop! When I read the letter the following day, I still have the instinct to send it, although I feel it’s not wise. On the third day I read it again and I say to myself: No way, I couldn’t

have written this – and I laugh. Then I change it with the awareness that I have escaped a serious conlict.

Answering it on the irst day would surely change my destiny.

How do you see the relationship between free will and destiny?

Free will is when you make your own destiny.

Something has already been written, of that I am sure, but you can’t reach it unless you try very hard.

Destiny is not for free. If you want to be number one and if you don’t try extremely hard, or you don’t live through painful nights of studying or practicing, you can basically wave goodbye to your destiny. It’s my freedom, my free will, to decide whether I’ll try to fulil my destiny. And when somebody else tells you what to do, it won’t work out and if you take their path, there is no getting out of it. Every time I’ve taken my destiny into my own hands I have succeeded, and every time I let other people decide for me, I have failed.

I’m sorry but I ind it hard to imagine other people telling you what to do.

Well, not telling me, advising me! But it’s never worked, it always failed. Let’s take this rally here, for example: many people wanted to tell me what to do, they urged me to bring in sponsors, to change things... And I said OK, put your money where your

mouth is and let’s see what you can do. And all these good advisors then magically disappeared – I thought they would improve something, I was willing to pay, but I only wasted energy… This is, again, one of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way. This, to learn the hard way, is obviously my destiny, and to be honest I don’t really mind.

The hard way? The majority of people probably say you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth.

I cannot blame those who can’t see the truth. I am sure they don’t mean any harm. When they get to know you better, see your consistency, see how hard you try, then they change their minds. Even maintaining this event, or my career, has been anything but a fairytale – once you start winning, jealousy appears, and once you have jealousy you have enemies.

It’s as simple as that. And if you don’t have enemies, then you’re not any good at what you do.

How dificult is to keep organising this event, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge?

Not easy at all. And it’s getting harder every year.

But I can make it easier, thank God I have the resources. The event wasn’t handed to me on a plate, I created it myself. The ADDC really is a challenge, just like it says in its name. If you don’t ask for very much but deliver a lot, you make other people lose jobs, because they ask for more and deliver less. I’m

“PEOPLE HAVE SEEN ME EXHAUSTED AND SWEATY RETURNING FROM RALLIES AND THEY ASKED ME WHY I KEEP TORTURING MYSELF, WHY I PUNISH MYSELF, AND I TOLD THEM THAT WITHOUT IT I’D SURELY FALL ILL.”

not very popular with certain event organisers. But anyway, this isn’t about spending money, it’s about investing it. I guarantee the budget out of my pocket and don’t worry about the income. In short: it’s hard work. If you come to my house, you will see a sentence from the Quran on the wall that says: You may hate things now that will be good for you later on.

I’m a big believer in it, things can change out of the blue, and I know that I must sometimes be patient.

walk on it. I never rely on external help and I don’t mind the pressure. In fact, I love it! I’m good at what I do and I’m happy with this event. It’s enjoyable and I enjoy seeing that the competitors are happy as well. That makes me happy too. It’s satisfying to see all these people trusting you. It’s comforting to know that some things never change and the competitors always ind me here. They don’t worry because they know I’ll ix everything.

Is the most important thing in life to have faith then?

Yes and to never to give up. If you keep looking, you will ind a better path, you just have to try harder to

This year the rally is being organised for the 25th time. Based on what you’ve said and what I’ve seen – you deinitely can’t let it go.

dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ustanovitelj relija Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge je svojo kariero v reliju začel v zgodnjih osemdesetih. Najprej je tekmoval kot Mohammed Ahmed, da ne bi izzival z vplivnim družinskim imenom, a ni imelo smisla, ker je bilo jasno, da je serijski zmagovalec. Kar 15 let je krojil vrh prvenstev Srednjega vzhoda v reliju in zmagoval zunaj meja polotoka. Pobral je 14 naslovov prvaka Srednjega vzhoda, bil prvi Arabec, ki je zmagal na reliju zunaj domovine in utrl pot vsem, ki so prišli za njim. Vmes si je polomil vrat, se sestavil, vrnil na dirkalno stezo, na sipine, brezpotja in zmagovalne odre ter postal nacionalni junak. Mohammed je najpogostejše ime v arabskem svetu in vendar dr.

Ben Sulayem ne potrebuje priimka, da bi se ločil od množice. Ima denar, a karizme tega kalibra ni mogoče kupiti. Ima moč, a načrt, ki si ga je zamislil,

I really can’t. The event also gives me an opportunity to leave the city and come here. You live and you eat with the competitors, you feel for them and, being a driver as well, you understand them and their needs.

We’re not the biggest rally but bigger doesn’t always mean better.

Do you miss competitive driving?

Every day. I feel a pang every time I see a race car and I still dream at night that I’m racing. People have seen me exhausted and sweaty returning from rallies and they asked me why I keep torturing myself, why I punish myself, so I told them that without it I’d

poleg moči zahteva vizijo. V Združene arabske emirate bo počasi pripeljal vse atraktivne svetovne motošport serije.

Potomec plemena Bani Yas je najsrečnejši med sipinami puščave Rub al Khali, nedaleč od rojstnega kraja njegovih prednikov, oaze Liwa, kjer ponoči, ko končno potihnejo vse njegove obveznosti, v soju lune vozi po sipinah.

Prav tu, v največji peščeni areni na svetu, vsako leto že 25 let zaporedoma poteka reli Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, katerega ustanovitelj je. Petdnevna preizkušnja, ki tudi šteje za svetovno prvenstvo FIM in svetovni pokal FIA v cross countryju, je več kot zgodba o stotinkah in strojih. Zgodba o srčnosti, premagovanju sebe in svojih meja se vsako leto spiše na območju Al Gharbie med Tal Moreebom, Liwo in Mezairo. Z dr. Ben Sulaymom smo se pogovarjali prav tam, v tisti praznini, kjer postanejo vsi pogovori vsaj malo ... ilozofski.

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Interview

surely fall ill. But I’m done now. I did take part in a race recently and maybe I’ll do one more soon. But I think that this is the end. I just felt so happy the last time I competed a few months ago.

What’s the main reason that you were so fast?

I was the best because I always gave more than 100%. It’s about commitment and dedication. But otherwise it all depends on what someone wants from motorsports. My secret is that I trained while others were sleeping. You have to be an observer at heart, not just a driver. Even now when I drive normally, I keep looking at what’s going on around me: is it windy, dusty, what’s the surface like…and then I tell myself: Hey, Mohammed, wake up, you’re not racing anymore!

How do you remember your irst race?

I won at a local rally. It was very noisy, the co-driver kept yelling at me and I had no clue that I won as I crossed the line. The victory was important, but even more important was that I had fun. The more you enjoy it, the better you are. Racing has always been my temple and my sanctuary. I can still do a few stages now, but what I really miss is the focus, the centeredness of racing. After I started winning and amidst all the chaos that erupted around me, I sometimes wanted to be a nobody, to be an onlooker watching from the sidelines, but I knew the very next moment that I feel best in my skin and that I’m only interested in winning.

What are your main roles in life nowadays?

I’m a sportsman. A sportsman igure. Politics?

No, thanks. I’m not into titles. I am the FIA Vice President in the ield of mobility, that much is true.

When people around the world ask me what I do, I tell them I’m in charge of motorsports because I truly love it. I hold many titles, but they hold no importance for me.

I heard people addressing you as prince when talking about you. Do you have any blue blood?

No, I don’t. I come from a political family, we are

tribal, a very small community. We all know each other and don’t stick to protocol among us. I love my independence, my freedom and I attribute my successes in motorsports mainly to the fact that I was always completely independent. I always did what I wanted to do and I never waited for anybody to give me permission to act. It’s simply not who I am. Give me power and freedom to achieve something and if you want to judge my success, do it at the end of the year, not in advance. Otherwise I don’t like bosses – I can’t be number 2 in anything I do and that is why I chose to be where I am.

Have you chosen racing or has racing chosen you?

There was no choice at the beginning, only passion, so racing chose me. Then I chose racing, because becoming successful makes you understand what’s good and bad for you, especially if you’re educated to boot. I think the academic background structures you, as does the environment in which you were raised and the responsibility that was given to you early in life. But I don’t need titles in order to be a responsible person. Here I’m responsible for motorsports, I try to push myself to do the best I can at all times and to maintain what I’ve created. Motorsport isn’t mine but I fear not having people around me who feel the way I do. In order to feel well, I need to see fresh blood around me. Young, responsible people whom I can rely on.

What makes you happy?

Motorsports, without a shadow of doubt. But otherwise I feel best when surrounded by smart and good people. By honest and true companions. People who don’t act. I also like to be alone, but that does not mean lonely. If you can be with yourself, it means you love yourself. And when I’m alone, I can be very clear with myself, that’s the fastest way for me to regenerate and return to the limelight. The worst part of today’s fast-paced world is that the majority of people, despite everything that surrounds us, feel lonely and bored. What frightens me most is boredom. You see a family at lunch and they are all staring at their mobile phones. It’s a disaster.

You’ve witnessed enormous changes in your country.

I think the development was too fast, but that’s the way it is. Some things are alright, our system works and I’m proud of that, there is peace, there is safety and we pray to God to keep it that way. You can have the best houses, the inest cars, everything in abundance, tonnes of gold, but if you don’t feel safe, it’s all for nothing.

You are considered a national hero. How does that make you feel?

Responsible. That’s the only way I feel. I never waited on being appreciated. If I did, I’d have quit after two years. I never displayed cups or photographs in my house. I only put them up ive years after retiring from racing. I placed them around the house because I had to put them somewhere and because some walls were empty. But a lot was lost. If you’re hungry for racing, you want to race. When you drive, you want to win, because you’re competitive. But after you keep on winning for two or three years it’s not the desire to win that spurs you on, it’s the fear of losing. I was really afraid of that, it was driven into me by my tribe, by them telling me: take care not to lose, not to disappoint your people, maintain your level. I really hate to disappoint people.

It’s important to be honourable in defeat, both in sports and in life – but how does one have to behave in victory?

It’s very important to see what winning turns you into: Does it make you more humble, because you know you were born under a lucky star, or will you start feeling that you’re better than others? Winning is a two-edged sword. It either spoils you or makes you a better person. If it improves you, then it’s worth winning. You won? Ok, excellent, let’s move on. Don’t celebrate for too long, because people will soon want another victory, their expectations will grow increasingly large and so will the disappointment if you fail to deliver. Move on with your head held high and never disclose your weakness.

I know people who keep complaining – they have a stomach-ache, they can’t work, they’re depressed and can’t leave their bed...Could you please just shut

The founder of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge began his competitive career in the early 80s. He irst raced under the name of Mohammed Ahmed, dropping his inluential family name. Not that it mattered, because it soon became clear that he was a serial winner. He was at or near the top of rally championships in the Middle East for 15 years and he racked up victories outside of the Arabian Peninsula as well. He became Middle East Rally Champion on 14 occasions, and is the irst Arab to win a rally outside of his region. He has forged a path for all who followed. While doing so he broke his neck, pulled himself together, returned to the track, the dunes, the wilderness, the podium and duly became a national hero.

up? I’ve been living with neck pain for 20 years.

You’re a hero to many – but who are your heroes?

My biggest hero is my father, because I think he was a very good man. He raised us to be honest people.

He became a politician because he loved his country.

He was simply a good and competent man. He had values and manners, he held life in high regard. Such are the people I seek for my team, because they contribute to the positive energy.

Could you say that motorsports is UAE’s national sport?

It became one. When does a sport become a national sport? When you have a national hero whom people love and consequently love the sport. I’m neither shy nor modest about that, it’s a simple fact. I was Middle East champion 14 times. My country always used my victories as a means if not even as a weapon of diplomacy. I made everything easier and at the

same time harder for all who came after me – we’re a country where everything goes through the government and if I raked in victories, so should somebody else. But it’s not that simple, even less so nowadays.

I was able to afford my independence. I sometimes hear people say: look at Mohammed, look at how everybody loves him. Well, that’s not true. If everybody loves you, you’re either a liar or from a different planet. People think I’m racing and winning still. They think it’s easy for me: I just get in the car, take off, and win.

with an academic background. You can’t just bring a businessman from a different ield, sports is not just about competing, it’s about entertainment and that has to be understood. I‘ll be at peace when I know that there are people who can replace me when my time comes.

What else would you like to do for motorsports in your country and abroad?

To sustain it. I want to see serious young drivers, managers, and educated people in sports. We need a scientiic approach in order to raise the sport to a higher level. I want people to be able to graduate from sports sciences, from sports management.

Then we can create a new generation of managers

You’re a co-driver by day, then.

And a pretty annoying one, too.

“DESTINY IS NOT FOR FREE. IF YOU WANT TO BE NUMBER ONE AND IF YOU DON’T TRY EXTREMELY HARD, OF YOU DON’T HAVE PAINFUL NIGHTS OF STUDYING OR PRACTICING, YOU CAN BASICALLY WAVE GOODBYE TO YOUR DESTINY.”

Emirates are full of speed guns. I imagine that you’re a magnet for speeding tickets.

I only speed off road and at night. I employ a driver at day and he collects the tickets.

Do you have a crazy wish left? To travel to space or something like that?

Not really. My goal is inner peace. This cannot be found, but can be created.

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Fantastic

By Alenka Birk

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Charge you iPad in Luxury The Strut LaunchPort is a beautiful sculpture that also keeps your iPad charged. Instead of relying on wires, this elegant charging system uses inductive wireless charging technology.

The system includes a pedestal and a sleeve that interact to charge the iPad. Powerful magnets secure the case to the pedestal. The spherical base rotates, tilts, and pivots to any desired angle.

Each item is individually crafted from hand-welded, hand-polished, jewelry-grade stainless steel. The sphere comes in three colors – chrome, white and black – and the sleeve is available in ive ready-made inishes like walnut burl, black carbon iber and leopard print, as well as seven special-order inishes. The perfect pedestal to display and work from. www.strutlaunchport.com

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Sculpture or Cabinet?

Why not both? This interesting cabinet with drawers and a safe on top is made by French designer and sculptor Erwan Boulloud. He creates and works on material as a prelude: metal, wood, concrete, glass; mineral or vegetable; raw, burnt or polished, decorticated, reconstituted; he seeks to reveal its profundity. Each creation represents the snapshot of a history in ongoing evolution bearing the imprint of a perceptible movement. Works succeed each other, creating lines, junctions, crossings, disappearances and mutations.

His creations are a limited numbered series or unique pieces such as this Sculpture/Cabinet, Empire-style safe, with stainless steel and burnt wood. www.erwanboulloud.com

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Cheers to 250 years!

The time has come, once again, for Hennessy to celebrate another milestone in its history: its 250th anniversary. Every Hennessy cognac is irst and foremost a state of mind — one might even use the word “philosophy” — grounded in a set of values that are never put into question. The 250 Collector Blend is no exception to this rule. It is an expression of absolute perfectionism and a tribute from the present members of the Comité to their predecessors. Treasures preserved by past generations have been selected carefully; it took four years to make this anniversary blend. www.hennessy.com

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Floating record

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The Floating record by Gramovox is a high performance turntable that plays records vertically with full-range speakers. This spacesaving player reimagines original classic designs and embraces the modern technology of today. To keep it vertical, Gramovox incorporated a clamp that pairs with the polished acrylic platter to keep the spinning record in place. The base comes in two woods, premium maple and dark walnut, which houses the two full-range neodymium stereo speakers and built-in 30-watt channel digital ampliier. www.gramovox.com

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King of Seduction Antonio Banderas presents King of Seduction Absolute: a charismatic and refreshing new fragrance. This intensely masculine, playfully persuasive fragrance begins its total seduction with refreshing marine cool waves, counterpoised by the radiant acidity of grapefruit. At its heart lies a playful blend of warm spices including cardamom, contrasting with the aromatic, clean freshness of lavender. It is heightened by an intrinsically masculine aromatic note. The seductive aroma of its spices is enhanced at the base by a soft leather accord, suffused with reined, woody notes of vetiver and moss. www.antoniobanderasfragrances.com

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Stellar Here is elegance in the application of excellence, and one look at the Hasselblad Stellar Special Edition Digital Camera should crystallize this concept. With several options available, you can choose a white, black, or orange body, with either a carbon iber, padouk, or wenge wood grip. Inside, they feature the workings of the excellent Sony X100 camera, with a 28-100mm Carl Zeiss zoom lens, a 20-megapixel sensor, a wide ISO range, full HD video capability, and 3.6x optical zoom capability. The Stellar is more than your next camera—it’s a collector’s item. www.hasselblad.com

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Drive With Us 48

by Miran Ališič photography Bor Dobrin, Porsche archive

Tar g a F lorio in a P or s c he 9 1 1 Tar ga 4 GT S

A MILLION BLISTERS FOR A MILLION THRILLED SPECTATORS THERE IS ONLY ONE. THE RACE OF ALL RACES. THE TARGA. EVEN IF YOU LEAVE OUT THE FLORIO, ALL RACING AFICIONADOS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.

The most unusual race of the previous century lasted from 1906 all the way to 1973. Well, if you keep counting after the departure of the World Sportscar Championship, it actually lasted until 1977. It always took place on the tight and twisty roads of the Madonie Mountains in the north of Sicily. The greatest number of victories at the race, where the roads were never closed to ordinary traffic, went to Porsche.

The racing cars from Zuffenhausen secured a total of 11 wins, two more than Alfa Romeo and three more than Ferrari. This was the reason for taking a Porsche 911 Targa to Sicily, to revive the memory of the Targa Florio!

FLORIO – THE RACE’S FATHER Even today, more than a century after the first race, the road to Targa remains long. From Padua, the seat of the Italian subsidiary of Porsche, it takes more than 15 hours on the

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wide and modern Italian motorways to reach it. That’s without breaks mind you, apart from a quick stop for fuel and an espresso, and also includes the half-hour ferry ride across the Messina straight. Such a drive across the Italian Peninsula wasn’t even a remote possibility in 1906. The race cars, ten of them, were shipped by boat from Genoa to Palermo. The first race was nearly cancelled due to a strike by the port workers of Genoa. But the cars somehow successfully made it to Sicily and it all began at 6 a.m. on May 6, 1906. The drivers were in for hell. The chosen lap was the long one, measuring 148.8 kilometres on tarmac roads south of the town of Cefalu and the drivers were expected to complete three of them. The winner was Sandrin Cagno from Turin with his Itala. His average speed was quite incredible if you consider the roads of the time – 46.8 km per hour.

While Targa stands for a plate on which the cup for the winners was proudly placed, Florio stands for the event’s father. The Florio family was one of the richest in Sicily and descended from Paolo Florio, who moved to Palermo in 1783, following a catastrophic earthquake in his Calabrian village of Bagnara Calabra. He traded herbs and spices, managed shops, and his business flourished. Paolo died in 1807 and his 1799-born son Vincenzo was too young to take over the company.

This resulted in Paolo’s brother Ignazio coming from Calabria to run the business until his death in 1827. The ownership went to the grown-up Vincenzo, who was able to start developing new ideas. The Vino Marsala wine, for example, but also: a maritime company. The Florio emporium grew and grew.

Vincenzo’s son Ignazio bought two islands and set up a plant to process and can tuna using salt and oil – he was the first person to do so and his products conquered the world.

Ignazio had three children, one again named Vincenzo, who loved splendour, sports and organising large events. He fell in love with cars, the miracle of the early 20th century, and admired the races already being organised by the French, English and Americans. At

the turn of the twentieth century, the Florio family controlled a large part of the tuna and cosmetics industry, managed a fleet of over 100 merchant and passenger ships, produced wine and was the richest family in Italy. Vincenzo Florio believed that by bringing car racing to Sicily, he could turn the island into the economical and technological engine of a united Italy. So he came up with the Targa Florio.

A ONE-DAY UNIQUE RACE Over 100 years after the first race, the situation is very different. A Porsche 911 is not something that can be seen on the island very often and the development gap between Sicily and northern Italy is quite noticeable. The Sicilian roads reflect this: full of potholes, poorly maintained, lacking markings, hard shoulders… Florio constructed stands and garages a stone’s throw away from the sea and called them Florianopolis – these structures still bring back memories of the race today. During the race’s long history, there were three different lengths of laps in different periods – the longest was the 148 km Grande, followed by the 108 km Medio, in use after WWI, and after WWII the 72 km Piccolo circuit, which was used for more years than the other two. The race was 11 laps long.

That’s nearly 800 kilometres, almost three times longer than an F1 race.

Quite a few museums remember this famous event, the first a small and barely noticeable building in the coastal town of Campofelice, while a new museum opened this year in the Florianopolis pits. The largest and most important one is located next to the city hall of Collesano, high in the Madonie Mountains. As I arrive at the museum’s entrance in the Porsche, custodian Giuseppe Valenza immediately remembers the founder of the Stuttgart-based company. “The Austro-Daimler Sascha racing car was made by Ferdinand Porsche and took part in our race in 1922. This small, light and nimble racer had a 45 hp engine and won twice in the 1100 class.” Even though Fritz Kulm won the 1100 class at that race, sitting behind the wheel of one of the Saschas was the future Mercedes motorsports boss

Alfred Neubauer. He finished 19th.

Enzo Ferrari also competed at the Targa that year, coming in at 16th in his Alfa Romeo 20/30 HP. The overall winner that year was Giulio Masetti with a Mercedes GP 4500.

Unfortunately, his luck did not hold and he was the only casualty of the 1926 race, dying after flipping his Delage 2LCV. The relatively low top speeds, or perhaps blind luck, meant that Targa Florio caused a lot fewer casualties than, for example, Mille Miglia. Two years prior to Masetti’s untimely death, in 1924, Ferdinand Porsche had already built the winning car for the race. Sitting behind the wheel of the Mercedes Indy with a compressor-equipped four cylinder engine was Christian Werner. Why was Targa Florio the most difficult race? “The roads had different types of pavement and there were lengthy tarmac sections for many years as well,” Giuseppe explains, as he points to various Targa memorabilia. “The route took the drivers on winding roads filled with bridges, hairpins, narrowings in towns and villages, blind turns and heavy drops.” He is also proud of the spectators. “Targa was a one-day race, usually taking part in April or May and the roads were flanked by hundreds of thousands, sometimes up to a million onlookers. That, also, is a unique racing story.”

NINO VACCARELLA – THE FASTEST SICILIAN As I navigate the four-wheel drive Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS across the narrow roads, full of potholes, uneven surfaces and broken plates of asphalt, I find it hard to believe that the cars managed a whooping 115 km per hour average speed at the final 57th Targa Florio on the 13 May 1973 – with the roads opened to traffic, no less. Victory went to Herbert Müller and Gijs van Lennep with their Porsche 911 RSR. But two years prior to that it remained in Sicily. Nino Vaccarella and Toine Hezemans drove the fastest car on the track, an Alfa Romeo 33/3, grabbing the second victory for the man from Palermo, who already took the laurels with Lorenzo Bandini in 1965 behind the wheel of a Ferrari 275 P2. The 82-year-

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old, grey-haired and vivacious gentleman lives in a block of flats in the suburbs of Palermo. He takes only a glancing look at the sporty Porsche 911 and uses a tiny Fiat to go around the city and its surroundings. “That was a very special and difficult race,” he begins. “I was regarded as a fast driver, the only Sicilian to ever make it far enough to get invited by Enzo Ferrari to join his team. But I didn’t go. Well, I did race for him, occasionally. I had a large secondary school right below here with over 300 students and I could only race on the weekends. I didn’t want to become a professional race driver, so my relationship with Enzo Ferrari remained different from the one he had with other drivers. I never lived in Modena or Maranello, I only came for the races. This naturally meant that I never made it to the F1 team.” Vaccarella only raced in sports cars for Enzo, but he can boast of winning all the races of the then-endurance circuit.

“I won at Targa, Le Mans, Sebring, Monza, Spa and Nürburgring, all the classics of endurance racing. That was a big achievement.” However it is Targa that holds a special place in his heart. “Firstly, because this is my country, my land. Here on this island I was never called an Italian – always a Sicilian. This was a race of a thousand turns, it was very difficult to drive, to remain focused for that long. Apart from the long straight stretch at the seaside, the driver had no break, you couldn’t relax for a moment because the turns kept coming at you every second. It really was exhausting.

My hand was sometimes full of blisters from shifting. Targa really was racing hell.”

He stopped competing in 1972 after the birth of his son, but remained “for a few more years at Targa. Until 1975.” For the past 40 years Vaccarella has been writing a

column for every F1 race for the Giornale di Sicilia daily. “Vedo Rosso is the playful name of my column, because I was constantly teased that I see everything through red-tinted Ferrari glasses. Well, I suppose I do. I am an Italian racing driver, a former Ferrari man after all.”

THE RACE OF ALL RACES Targa Florio has always been a race where the most famous names in racing have tried to prove themselves. This is as true for its early years with victories from the aces of the period like Felice Nazzaro, Pietro Bordino and Ugo Sivocci, as it is for the period between the two wars, with wins going to Antonio Ascari, Enzo Ferrari, Max Sailer, Giuseppe Campari, Tazio Nuvolari, Christian Werner, Alfieri Maserati, Luigi Fagioli, Louis Chiron, Achille Varzi, Paul Pietsch, and, with a bit of extra international flair, post-WW2 era with winners like

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Vincenzo Florio believed that Sicily could become the engine of a united Italy.

So he came up with the Targa Florio.

“My hand was sometimes full of blisters from shifting, Targa really was racing hell.”

Nino Vaccarella

Targa Samo ena je. Dirka vseh dirk. Targa. Tudi, če spustite Florio, bodo vsi, ki imajo radi dirkanje, natančno vedeli, za kaj gre.

Najbolj nenavadna dirka prejšnjega stoletja. Vse od leta 1906.

Do leta 1973. Po ozkih in ovinkastih cestah gričevja Madonie na severu Sicilije. Priložnost, da smo se po spominih na Targo Florio do Sicilije odpeljali s Porschejem 911 Targa.

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Stirling Moss and Peter Collins.

Juan Manuel Fangio and Wolfgang Berghe von Trips raced here, Mike Hawthorn gave it a go, Mexican Ricardo Rodriguez made it here as did the famous Jackie Ickx, the king of Monaco F1 race Graham Hill, the prematurely deceased Rolf Stommelen, skier Jean-Claude Killy...

Some parts of the racing lap of the former Targa Florio have been closed in recent years due to landslides, but you can still do most of the Piccolo and Grande with your car. I have to admit that the Porsche 911 Targa did not aid me much in my attempts to approach the times of brave drivers, who tested their courage and the capabilities of their cars for over 70 years on this unique, unusual and unrepeatable race in the middle of the Sicilian countryside. Perhaps Vincenzo Florio, while plotting the race course some 100 years ago as he drove on the tarmac roads of Northern Sicily through the towns and villages of Cerda, Caltavuturo, Petralia, Castelbuono and Collesano back towards the sea, really did believe that his island would become Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s automotive centre. That did not come to pass. But I sincerely doubt that Florio expected his race to remain a test of true courage and racing abilities for more than 50 years after his death. It does seem quite unusual, but fitting, that after two days of a Sicilian adventure with the Porsche 911, named after this very race, the Targa Florio, last organised over 40 years ago, still holds its place in the hearts of all the inhabitants from all parts of the Madonie Mountains.

Targa was a one-day race with up to a million spectators watching from the roadsides.

That is a unique racing story.â&#x20AC;?

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champion

Champion 54

MATTIAS E K S TR ÖM

- MOTIVATION, AMB ITION AND EXPER IENC E Th e S we d e Ma t t ia s E k st r ö m is a f a mily man . His s on Mat s an d d a u g h t e r H a n n a a r e p la y in g so me wh er e in t h e c en t er of t h e h u g e Au d i h o sp it a lit y a n d a r e r o mpin g ar ou n d a lit t le , u n t il t h e ir mo t h e r , H e id i, k in d ly b u t f ir mly t ak es t h e m t o a n o t h e r p la y g r o u n d so me wh e r e at t h e r ac et r ac k , “wh e r e y o u c a n wa t c h t h e c a r s.” Th is is well r ec eiv ed by f o u r - y e a r - o ld Ma t s , wh o s o me t ime s lis t en s t o papa’s in t e r v ie ws wh ile s it t in g o n h is la p . It s eems t h e lit t le on e h a s a lr e a d y b e e n b it t e n b y t h e r a c in g bu g. “He’s ju st lik e me ,” E k s t r ö m la u g h s . “H e n e e d s a lot of ac t ion an d s ome t ime s is t h e c a u s e o f it … L u c k ily t h e lit t le on e” - Ha n n a is t wo a n d a h a lf - “is a lit t le mor e r eser v ed, a lit t le mo r e lik e h e r mo t h e r .”

by Karin Sturm photography Audi

Currently the children have to play without their father quite often, because Mattias Ekström’s timetable is busy these days, especially for the DTM. At the age of 37, he belongs to the most experienced drivers in the series, and also to the fastest. How does age factor into his thinking, especially when going up against younger competitors, and how important would it be to win the DTM championship? “Fighting against young ones, that’s a daily struggle I have here,” Ekström says.

How important is it? He thinks about

it for a moment. “Very important, of course, as it would really be a very special thing in my sporting career. But you know how it is: You also need a bit of luck, a bit of everything to make it happen.” Do younger drivers have any special strengths or advantages when compared with older ones? “When I was young,” he explains, “we always heard that the young were more motivated and ambitious, and that the older ones had the experience. But I think I still have a lot of motivation and ambition, as well as experience.

That’s why I’m at the top of the championship.”

Born 1978 in Falun, southern Sweden, “Eki” - as he is known by everyone - made his debut in the DTM in 2001, at the age of just 22.

He started his career, like so many others, in karting. After a crash, his mother Agneta organised his transfer to the Swedish Renault 5-Cup, “because races with a roof over your head are more safe.” But in principle she was used to these things: Her husband Bengt Ekström was a suc-

cessful rallycross-driver in Europe in the 1990s. No wonder that both of them like to accompany their son’s career from up close. They attended the DTM and are often at his races.

Even after 14 years, his enjoyment of the DTM has not diminished.

Quite the contrary: “The most fascinating thing for me is the competition as such, to get the best out of your tools and the people you’re working with. Doing development, working on race weekends - always with the aim of winning, of course.

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And if that’s not possible, we try to make the best of it.” The DTM is the best environment for him. “Ever since I was a young boy I’ve been a huge fan of the DTM and therefore I’ve always been more of a touringcar driver, while formula sports has never really been my thing. That’s why I say: For me this is the best touring-car championship in Europe and I can be very happy to be a part of it.”

He’s witnessed technical developments in the DTM irsthand over the years: “When we started with the TT at ABT, the engines were rather similar to those from today, but we had worse tyres, worse aerodynamics. In the meantime everything else has become much more professional as well - but the major differences are in aerodynamics and tyres.”

Today every detail is important in the DTM - even more for a perfectionist like Ekström. That’s why he takes care of everything. “The people at home who know the industry, know the meaning of Akrapovič – so they will stay number one on the market for now. My quad, for example, also features an Akrapovič exhaust, so I’m a private customer as well.”

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How far could today’s DTM technology be pushed forward? “This is a question of regulations,” he says, “and what the manufacturers want.

Soon there will be a four-cylinderturbo. That’s probably going to be the last era I’ll still be involved with before I retire...” Hearing “retirement” from his mouth is a little astonishing - does he really think about it? “No, not really,” he says, “but on the other hand - nothing lasts forever. You have to be realis-

tic, you can’t go to the DTM when you’re 50.”

At least not at the level he has set as his benchmark. When Mattias Ekström is doing something, it’s always 100% - all out: “Go hard or go home” is his mantra, which can be seen on his helmet, too. It applies when he’s at the DTM, when he was at the world rally championships chasing his role-model Walter Röhrl, during private outings with

his quad, which often turn into “races” with friends, or during excursions into other sorts of racing like NASCAR. This determination to succeed was even felt by Michael Schumacher, when Ekström got the edge over him in the final of the “Race of Champions.” Eki bested him at the prestigious event three times: in 2006 in Paris, in 2007 in London and in 2009 in Beijing.

Of course, his special determination

also comes out during his forays into the rallycross scene, when his father’s heritage surfaces regularly.

At the world rallycross championship, he works in a double capacity as team owner and driver, together with his EKS RX Team. The special challenge for him: “There is something keeping you young: Very short races, very fast cars, acceleration from 0 to 100 faster than in formula one, a lot of adrenaline… the starting moments are very important.

It’s perfect practice for the first lap in the DTM or for qualifying.” However, he doesn’t see the series solely as practice for the DTM. “We want to be on the very top there as well.”

He has not yet thought about the possibility of continuing with it after his career in the DTM, “but currently I still have very, very much fun with it.” Having fun and staying positive, even with all the concentration, stress, and effort at the racetrack, is what’s important to him.

The least stress is at home, in his adopted residence in Austria. The Jack Russel terriers Moss and Lou make the family life complete there.

There’s time for hobbies like tennis, cross-country skiing and cycling and occasionally a trip to the golf course where Ekström doesn’t make a bad impression either. There are also some “toys” in the garage: the big private Audi Q7, with space for the whole family, but also the muchloved quad, which is equipped with an Akrapovič exhaust as we already know. He hasn’t been to the factory yet, or even to Slovenia at all, not even for a holiday. “But it would be interesting to go there once. I always like to see new countries...”

When it comes to driving, we want to know how Mattias Ekström drives privately. “If there’s no stress I’m very well behaved,” he says. “But if I’m in a hurry, I drive as fast as I’m allowed to.” Austria, with its speed limits and fines, sends its regards.

But then again, Mattias Ekström has plenty of outlets to satisfy his wish for “action”…

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On-Track

THE SUZUKI – AKRAPOVIČ LINK 58

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BRIVIO: “WE WERE LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE PARTNER”

by Gaber Keržišnik photography Marc Robinot, Primož Korošec, Suzuki Racing

“WE WERE LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE PARTNER,” DAVIDE BRIVIO TOLD ME. BRIVIO IS AN EXPERIENCED RACING TEAM MANAGER WHO’S LEADING THE SUZUKI TEAM IN MOTOGP THIS YEAR.

THE SURPRISE OF THIS YEAR’S MOTOGP SEASON

Suzuki’s performance in this year’s MotoGP competition certainly came as a pleasant surprise since nobody expected that the brand from Hamamatsu with its young riders, Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales, would be so successful and competitive in its irst season. But there’s more. Maverick Viñales won the prestigious “Rookie of the year” award even before the end of the racing season.

“Suzuki already cooperated with Akrapovič years ago when the Japanese brand used the GSV-R rac-

HE SPOKE TO ME AFTER THE JAPANESE MOTORBIKE MANUFACTURER’S DECISION TO RETURN TO THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS FLIGHT OF RACING ON TWO WHEELS.

ing bike, ridden in its last season by Alvaro Bautista. The exhausts created in Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia, have proven their high quality. Cooperation between Suzuki and Akrapovič was carried out at the highest possible level even then. Akrapovič is the leading brand in motorcycle exhaust systems and I think there is not a team today that wouldn’t want to cooperate with a brand so renowned for its excellence in development and products that offer ‘top performance.’”

Asked why Team SUZUKI ECSTAR only made their cooperation with Akrapovič public in the middle of the racing season, Davide Brivio responded, “We’ve been in contact with the Akrapovič Racing R&D department for a lot longer. We’ve been

talking about cooperation ever since the end of 2014. At irst, we planned to start using their services only in the 2016 season, because we thought of 2015 as a testing season for our completely new motorbike. We knew that Akrapovič would be extremely busy and that the racing season had already started, but we were also aware that numerous adjustments would have to be made to our motorbike and the engine throughout the year and that the irst year of a comeback would be extremely challenging for us. Because we were basically developing the engine, we didn’t even have a model to give to outside partners to develop various component parts. Of course we had our own exhaust, because you simply can’t develop a motorbike or

make a prototype without it. That’s why we decided at the start of this year’s season to use our in-house development exhaust.

But once the racing season started, we were actually a bit surprised at how much closer to the competition we were than expected. Since it quickly became obvious that we do not need a lot to catch the leading teams and riders, we decided to speed up our development process and began to use several new items on our motorbike in the summer part of the season. One of those was, to our great pleasure, an Akrapovič exhaust, which provided some more power and reduced the weight of the motorbike. We were extremely pleased with the results after the preliminary testing.”

Davide Brivio

Alojz “Slavko” Trstenjak

“There is not a team today that wouldn’t want to cooperate with a brand so renowned for its excellence in development and products that offer ‘top performance.’”

Davide Brivio, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Team Manager

OUTSTANDING KNOW-HOW AND EXPERIENCE

In the meantime, Alojz “Slavko” Trstenjak, the Head of Racing R&D at Akrapovič, was sitting at the other side of the table. “Suzuki’s new motorbike has proven itself to be extremely agile and was an excellent starting point for a MotoGP class bike,” he says. “Apart from a few other details it mainly lacked some top speed and engine power, so Suzuki turned to us a little bit earlier than expected and started using our exhausts sooner than planned. What probably tipped the scales in our favour was the fact that our company not only delivers exhaust systems but also uses its

know-how, technology and experience to help MotoGP racing teams in their motorbike development.”

Davide Brivio adds: “We always learn something new from Akrapovič. They have outstanding know-how and tons of experience. Right now, we’re primarily looking for more power from the engine, but an exhaust system is naturally also judged by its power delivery curve and, obviously, weight.

It doesn’t have to be said that material durability also plays an extremely important role and we know that Akrapovič only uses the best materials made especially for them.”

Suzuki made its own exhaust in their development department in Japan and this was used by Akrapovič as a starting point for comparison testing.

Akrapovič then made several changes and created an improved version of the original exhaust. After being notiied about that, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR decided to test its motorbike and exhaust on the dyno of Akrapovič’s Racing R&D department.

ALREADY FOCUSSING ON 2016

“After reaching an agreement for testing, we were visited by a team of Japanese engineers. These included Suzuki’s leading MotoGP technicians and project leaders as well as their electronics specialists. We planned our schedule together and successfully carried it out. I must commend

the quality of Suzuki’s efforts, as its motorbike is extremely pleasing to the eye and well-made and even in its smallest details does not fall behind to any of the well established MotoGP factory bikes. In cooperation with Suzuki, we have already thought of several new solutions for its 2016 model, of course taking into account the changes and additions that Suzuki plans for the engine,” added Trstenjak, while I began wondering how dificult it must be to reach an agreement with such an established and renowned brand as Suzuki.

“I think that we were aided a lot by the fact that we are a high-tech and advanced company, specialised in manufacturing motorbike exhausts from titanium and that we possess a

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on-track

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lot of knowledge and machines that our competition simply does not have.

You see, only the best is good enough for MotoGP. I also think that our responsiveness is an advantage and I must say that Suzuki was extremely pleased with our cooperation. It took four or ive days of testing their bike in our development department for the work to bear fruit. It only took a month to prepare numerous different exhaust conigurations according to their wishes. I’d like to mention in passing that both companies were very pleased to have arrived at widely converging results and indings of testing

both at our facility and at their racing department in Japan, using their own equipment,” adds Trstenjak.

So what is the priority in developing a MotoGP racing bike exhaust? Hints Slavko: “Well, it goes without saying that the exhaust must be reliable and made well enough so as not to break down on the track. That’s obvious and is not even discussed with our partners. Weight also plays an important role in racing, and in Suzuki’s case we also sought to ind some extra power in the high revs. But one must know that MotoGP racing bikes are already so well perfected and polished that

it is often quite dificult to create a revolution or even ind a detail that hasn’t already been exploited.” My interlocutor pauses for breath, remains silent for a while and then lashes a mysterious smile while adding, “For every motorbike, regardless of its origins, brand or level of perfection, we’ve managed to utilise our knowhow and expertise to squeeze a few more kilowatts from it.”

“Only the best is good enough for MotoGP. I think that our responsiveness is also an advantage as I must say that Suzuki was extremely pleased with our cooperation.”

Alojz “Slavko” Trstenjak, Head of Racing R&D at Akrapovič

“Our company not only delivers exhaust systems but also uses its know-how, technology and experience to help MotoGP racing teams in their motorbike development.”

Alojz “Slavko” Trstenjak, Head of Racing R&D at Akrapovič

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Suzuki in Akrapovič “Iskali smo zanesljivega partneja,” mi je v najinem pogovoru dejal Davide Brivio, izkušeni dirkaški tim menedžer. V letošnji sezoni je vodja Suzukijevega moštva v razredu MotoGP, potem ko se je ta japonski motociklistični proizvajalec odločil, da se vrne v dirkaški svet najbolj elitnega tekmovanja na dveh kolesih.

Izpušne sisteme Suzukiju spet dobavlja podjetje Akrapovič.

Alojz “Slavko” Trstenjak, vodja dirkaškega razvoja v podjetju Akrapovič, je sodelovanje opisal takole: “Pri Suzukiju se je

izkazalo, da je njihov novi motor izredno dobro vozen in da je odlična osnova za dirkalnik razreda MotoGP. Poleg nekaterih malenkosti jim je nazačetku tekmovalne sezone manjkalo predvsem nekaj končne hitrosti in motorne moči, zato so se nekoli bolj zgodaj obrnili na nas. Verjetno pa je jeziček na tehtnici našega sodelovanja pretehtalo dejstvo, da naše podjetje ni samo dobavitelj izpušnih sistemov, temveč s svojim znanjem, tehnologijo in izkušnjami pomaga dirkaškim moštvom razreda MotoGP pri razvoju njihovega mtocikla.”

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Into the past

Amazing Amati, great Guarneri, straordinary Stradivari. The Violins

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C HASING THE P E RFE C T SOUN D

by Tina and Niko Torelli photography Bor Dobrin

Stradivari could not use high technology to determine whether the piece of wood he was holding would sound divine. The divinity of sound was the only rule that needed to be fulilled and he arrived at it by using a path paved by Amati, using Michelangelo’s indifference to effort and clarity of hearing that allowed him to pick up the correct piece of resonance wood.

It starts with a piece of wood. But today that piece of wood can equal the price of the greatest works of art all over the world. It was chosen from amongst numerous pieces by a master craftsman’s intuition, assembled by his genius mind and unleashed by the hands of the artist. Countless musicians, violin makers, collectors, dealers, patrons, researchers and thieves have dedicated their lives to this piece of wood. It has led to the death of many of them but also given birth to genius, beauty, pain, epic stories and tragedies. These pieces of wood have written, and are still writing, humankind’s spiritual history. The biggest secret of the Cremona violins is that there is no secret, but that once

in a blue moon a culmination of every necessary circumstance happens to give birth to something majestic.

a soul and souls have destiny. All living things inluence other living and non-living things: sometimes it’s the musician that changes the fate of a violin, but more often it is the violin that

LIVING WORK OF ART

changes the artist’s destiny.”

The stories of the most famous violins in the world could each be made into a movie script.

As if these creations of the resonance wood,

THE PRICE OF PRICELESS

shaped in the form of a feminine body, had a

Recent decades have seen a terriic rise in the

destiny and lungs. When asked how it could be

price of Cremona violins and it seems as if

that each of these violins had such an incredible

this is just the beginning with the appearance

life story, the top violinist, concert maestro

of new billionaires and classical music lovers

and academic Primož Novšak had this to say:

from the Far East. But to ask which violin

“Simple. A violin is alive, all that is alive has

is the most expensive in the world is wrong.

There are violins for which individuals, banks,

(1727) were demonstrated to us in Cremona,

violin restorer and caretaker Fausto Cacciatori

insurance companies and foundations are ready

and more precisely its exquisite Il Museo

checks in the morning are the climate conditions

to shell out tens of millions of dollars, but that

del Violino. Inside, the talented violin

to see whether they are violin-friendly and

doesn’t mean that auction houses couldn’t get

student Giuseppe Mondini, who toys with

only then does he begin his duties, which also

even more. Stradivari’s Messiah or Guarneri’s Il

the audience’s goosebumps in the Giovanni

include researching and accompanying “his”

Cannone are practically priceless – Antonio

Arvedi Auditorium, openly admits that even

instruments on trips. Asked how to explain

Stradivari never let go of the former and it

after two months of working there he still gets

the Cremona miracle, he answers: “Creating

remains the only violin today to have remained

quite anxious when playing the Vesuvius and

a sublime musical instrument is exactly like

virginally intact, while the other, won by

therefore can’t relax enough. Let us say that

creating a superb racing car. Every decision in

Paganini in a bet, squeezed out the last atom

being relaxed under the watchful gaze of two

of genius from the infamous gambler and

security oficials on the lookout for a potential

womanizer. The honour of being the most

Arsene Lupin amongst the audience is decidedly

expensive violin sold so far goes to the Vieux-

more dificult than it may sound. The violin

temps-Stoutzker (made by luthier Guarneri del Gesù in 1741), called Mona Lisa, and played by Eugène Ysaÿa as well as Yehudi Menuhin. It is owned today by London banker Ian Stoutzker, who has entrusted it for life to violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. The exact amount paid by the banker to violin dealers and most likely the instrument’s biggest connoisseurs, J&A Beare, Ltd., remains unknown, but it is known that it certainly exceeded the 15.9-million-dollar

is placed in a suitcase immediately after the performance, where it can rest frozen in time under controlled environmental conditions. “A Stradivari is a grown-up violin, the hands of violin players have been unsealing it for 300

the process of creation inluences the sonority and all three top violin makers must have made the optimum choices from the beginning to the end, from selecting the wood to applying the varnish. I myself do not believe in secrets, but I do believe in intuition, knowledge, dedication and innovation. And I mainly believe in wood,” he adds, quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the violins resting in their well-guarded showcases.

years, so it requires a lot of knowledge and even more sensitivity. No violin in the world is less forgiving than this,” says the young violinist

INFINITE ARTISTIC POTENTIAL OF RESONANCE WOOD

after the performance, wiping sweat off his brow.

The tops of the violins are mainly made

mark, reached at a 2011 auction by Stradivari’s

of slowly and evenly grown mountainous

Lady Blunt. Stradivari created this gorgeous

spruce trees growing on poor, washed soils, in

violin in 1721. It was named after Lord Byron’s granddaughter, a superb violinist and passionate

A MIRACLE WITHOUT MYSTERY, BUT A MIRACLE NONETHELESS

collector of Arab horses. As fate would have

extremely short vegetation periods resulting in very narrov growth rings without reaction compression wood, sapwood and juvenile

it, it had lain forgotten in an attic in Spain

“The Chest of Treasures” consists of some of

core. Areas with resonance wood are well

until dusted off by French violin maker and

the most amazing examples of this instrument

preserved old-growth primeval forest which

collector Vuillaume. Like Vieuxtemps-Stoutz-

(Amati’s violins Carlo IX and Hammerle,

become increasingly rare. Stradivari and other

ker, Lady Blunt is extremely well preserved

Amati’s Stauffer viola, Stradivari’s Stauffer

Cremonian violin makers were said to get their

and has retained its exceptional tonal qualities,

cello and three of his other violins: Clisbee,

spruce wood from what is today the Parco

something that can be very hard to ind in a

Vesuvius and Il Cremonese; accompanied by

Naturale Paneveggio in the eastern part of

single instrument nowadays.

the Stauffer, made by Giuseppe Guarneri del

Trentino. The northern part of the park is home

Gesù, the Quarestani by Guarneri ilius Andreae

to the La Foresta dei Violini, where completely

and Rugeri’s Il Per) and reminds one of a

straight and small-branched spruce trees grow

house of ill repute where sighs of pleasure can

up to 40 metres high. The violin backs are

be heard in the sultry semi-darkness amongst

made from mountain-maple wood, acquired

heavy red velvet curtains. The irst thing that

by the Cremona master violin makers from

CREMONA AND MUSEUM

The capabilities of Stradivari’s Vesuvius

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Into the past

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“I always had a good ear for music, for the wood’s vibrations, for the voices and for the dreams of others. And that instinct might be my biggest talent.” - Giovanni Lucchi, bow maker

the Balkans. This wavy-grained maple has an unique “iddleback” texture. The neck is made from ebony or rosewood, while the best bows

surroundings are still studded with violin ONE HUNDRED GOLDEN YEARS OF VIOLIN MAKING

The wood used to make the best violins must be stored and seasoned for over 50 years to release internal growth stresses. It needs to be soaked in water and treated with ammonia (which is why wood was stored over manure pits) in order to enable its plastiication, while lagoon water allowed the wood to be colonized with fungus and bacteria, making it more permeable to sound. Some believe that wood for violins was cut preferably at St. Thomas day in 21.

December between 11 and 12 a.m. or generally during the waning moon to prevent shrinking and swelling of wood, while another theory (supported by Paganini) says that Stradivari made violins exclusively from the wood of trees on which nightingales sat.

where the sound of strings is more discernible than trafic, still continues its violin-making

use pernambuco or Brazilwood. And here we come to a secret which is not really a secret.

workshops. This sleepy northern Italian town,

Theories and speculation notwithstanding,

tradition, with students from all over the world

the fact remains that the golden age of violin

coming to study with the Italian masters. The

making in Cremona (1650–1750) included

Academia Cremonensis, situated in the Palazzo

masters who could almost carve out a human

Mina Bolzesi palace, offers three-year courses

voice from wood. The irst famous violin maker,

that provide students with the knowledge of

who devised the basic proportions for the violin,

masters like Simone Fernando Sacconi and

viola and cello, was Andrea Amati, born at

Giovanni Lucchi and will sooner or later

the start of the 16th century. An even greater

educate a new Stradivari. In Via Claudio

master was his grandson Nicola, who taught

Monteverdi, only a stone’s throw away from

the skills of the trade to Antonio Stradivari

the Academy, we ran into Marta Lucchi, the

and Andrea Guarneri, the grandfather of the

daughter of deceased Giovanni Lucchi, the

more famous Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù,

leading maker of bows in Italy. As a daughter of

without whom we probably would not have

a famous father and a Cremonian to boot, Marta

Paganini, whose genius lourished only after

really had no choice: her heart unhesitatingly

coming into possession of one of his violins.

decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and

In 1680, Stradivari opened a shop on Piazza

those exquisite bows made from pernambuco,

San Domenico in Cremona, whose immediate

horsehair, ebony and mother-of-pearl.

UNREACHABLE IDEAL

appeal of Guarneri and Stradivari’s instruments

buy the most expensive violin, but how do

than an artist who had loved and experienced

you explain to somebody why you chose that

Stradivari’s golden age began in 1700. Music

both? Primož Novšak, whose career was mainly

woman from amongst equally beautiful ones? I

continued to develop and that’s part of the

spent in Switzerland, honed his skills on a

still had the sound of Guarneri in my head and

reason why the master maker dropped his long

Guarneri for six years, until having been given

was looking for its traces in the Strads. This is

model. According to the majority of experts,

life-long rights to a very special Stradivari.

also why I chose the most balanced violin – the

Stradivari made his best violins around 1720,

The tree from which it was made was hit by

Guarneri sounds velvety and warm and feels as

while Guarneri del Gesù had a much shorter

lightning, leaving it with a black longitudinal

if you’ve inally returned home.”

golden period of creativity (1740–1744). With

line and the sound of fury. When asked if he

the deaths of Stradivari (1737) and Guarneri

prefers Stradivari or Guarneri, Novšak answers

(1744), the Cremona miracle came to an end and

straight away: “Both!“

violin makers from around the world have been

The Guarneri, which accompanied him for

trying to replicate the magic ever since. Due

six happy years, was bought by a rich Swiss

Asked what the real difference is between the

to unknown reasons, this is still a frustratingly

industrialist in Paris during WWI. The Basel

two, the violinist explains: “If you really can

dificult nut to crack, but it must be said that the

chamber string orchestra, with Novšak as

play and you make a mistake on a Guarneri,

character of an instrument’s sound is also based

maestro and irst violin, used to practice in his

the error gets absorbed by the instrument, but

on its age. The body’s reaction when listening

home. One day, the industrialist’s widow, pulled

on the other hand you must become one with

to the sound of Cremona violins is forceful

a dusty old violin from the top of a wardrobe –

the violin in order to express all the warmth

and surprising. History is full of anecdotes of

and it turned out to be a irst-rate Guarneri. The

it contains. But a Stradivari is a much more

ladies whose hearts (and purses) were opened

violin enchanted Novšak and he kept practicing

sensitive lady. Even the deaf will know if you

by famous violins. Paganini, who more than

on it tirelessly until it awoke – just like Sleeping

can’t play it, but nothing sounds like a Stradivari

anyone else solidiied the fame of Guarneri’s

Beauty. In the following years the two grew

on the upper E and A strings. Comparing both

instruments, was not only bailed out of

together in talent and worth until the time was

of these to modern instruments might bring

gambling debts, but also received violins from

ripe for a Stradivari. After Novšak became the

upon me a bit of ire, but this is what I feel. I’ve

the fairer sex. The same is true for the other

concert maestro of Dr. Sacher, one of the richest

never held a modern violin with even a trace of

men in Switzerland, acquiring a Stradivari was

character of the Cremona instruments. As you

only a matter of time. Sacher send Novšak

place a Stradivari next to your neck you feel

to meet Charles Bear in London, where the

the vibrations in every cell of your body and

violinist spent three hours playing on ive

hear all the aliquot tones to perfection. If I am

Stradivaris until he was left with the only one

a perfect violinist, I can manipulate a Cremona

without a name. It had the most spirited sound

instrument to perfection, something I cannot do

and the largest sound variation.

with a modern violin.”

It was 1981 and Sacher was about a million

That’s one of the reasons why every violin

Swiss francs poorer, but at the same time

player wants to have both: a Stradivari and a

one famous violin richer. “After returning to

Guarneri, the blonde and the brunette, a friend

Switzerland, Sacher asked me why I didn’t

and a lover.

lucky violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti, who brought fame to Stradivari’s instruments. In fact, the most famous of them all is named Viotti and was given to him by the (enamoured) empress Catherine the Great.

A STRADIVARI WITHOUT A NAME BUT WITH THE FORCE OF A STORM

And lastly, who could better explain the magical

GUARNERI VS. STRADIVARI

Stradivari Nekoč je bil kos resonančnega lesa. Nešteto glasbenikov, goslarjev, zbirateljev, prekupčevalcev, mecenov, raziskovalcev in tatov je kosu lesa posvetilo življenje; kos lesa je marsikomu vzel življenje; iz njega so se rojevali geniji, lepota in bolečina, epske zgodbe in tragedije. Iz kosa lesa se je pisala in se še piše duhovna zgodovi-

na človeštva. Zakaj je zvok violin s podpisom Amati, Stradivari in Guarneri tako poseben? Zakaj se je med letoma 1550 in 1750 v italijanski Kremoni lahko zgodil “kremonski čudež”? Kaj so največji goslarji v zgodovini človeštva vedeli, kar danes ne ve več nihče? V čem je skrivnost ... neprecenljive vrednosti?

C

Y Z RA

Crazy Stuff

Stu ff Ever wanted to escape the daily grind and ind inspiration in a quiet place somewhere? Why not get away from it all and relax in a cabin? Check the online community for homebuilding called Cabin Porn. It has thousands of submissions from cabin builders all around the world, all looking for their own little place to get away from it all. In the new Cabin Porn book, you can ind a selection of the best handmade homes. With their idyllic settings, unique architecture and cozy interiors, the photographs in the book are an invitation to slow down, take a deep breath, and feel the beauty and serenity that nature and simple construction can create. www.cabinporn.com

Dream-like cabins to escape to -

Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab hotel is offering couples the opportunity to get married on its helipad, perched 212 meters above the Arabian Gulf. The sailshaped hotel, which sits on its own island off the coast of Dubai is offering the unusual wedding package to enamored couples who want a wedding with a view. Each ceremony will be specially designed by a wedding architect who is responsible for every detail of their big day and makes a point of being available 24 hours a day. The £33,000 price tag for the helipad wedding is just the start. The wedding package can also ensure exclusive access to Dubai’s best jewelers, private lessons in etiquette and dance and even private after-hours access to top luxury fashion brands. Among the services on offer will be arrival at Burj Al Arab by air in an Italian twin engine Agusta 109 helicopter or by road in a Rolls-Royce Phantom and accommodation in one of the hotel’s 202 suites. www.jumeirah.com/en/

Love is in the Air -

Small, luxurius and fast jet -

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30 years in development, HondaJet is a mere 7 meters long and seats ive passengers, plus one pilot. The world’s most advanced light jet boasts best-in-class advantages in terms of performance, comfort, quality and eficiency. It is the fastest, highest-lying, most silent, and most fuel-eficient jet in its class with many technological innovations in aviation design. It also has the roomiest cabin in its class, the largest baggage capacity, and a fully serviceable private aft lavatory. The overwing mounted engines will make your private jet of choice stand out on the runway. www.hondajet.com

Futuristic Restaurant on wheels -

What will dining be like in 2050? That’s the question the Belgian creators of Dinner in the Sky asked themselves. On the road of course!

Dinner On The Road is the world’s irst mobile restaurant, a culinary experience with a futuristic touch. It is a unique concept based on a futuristic vehicle fully equipped as a real restaurant. A professional kitchen serves delicious dishes as guests travel from one location to the next. The choice of destination is entirely up to the customer. The impressive table can seat up to 16 guests. www.dinnerontheroad.be

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Football on the rooftop -

Peruvian inspired -

Tired of the same old football ield? There’s no beating the location of this singularly picturesque football pitch which sits atop the Tokyu Toyoko department store. The Adidas Futsal Park opened in 2001, in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup that Japan and South Korea co-hosted the following year, and it’s been doing well ever since. But playing on the 1,300 square meters of green grass among 37 million Tokyo residents isn’t very cheap.

A Chevicheria is currently one of Lisbon’s most popular places. The snug and relaxed restaurant offers fresh Peruvianinspired food. The small place can serve up to 18 people at its tables and another 8 beneath a giant octopus hanging from the ceiling. Everybody drinks pisco sour, a delicious drink made from Peruvian brandy.

Chef Kiko Martin’s eatery is the Portuguese capital’s hottest new restaurant.

A Cevicheria, Príncipe Real, Lisboa

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Enjoy with us

Enjoy with us

Valerie Thompson explores Slovenia on a motorcycle

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Racing against the setting sun

by Matevž Hribar photography Bor Dobrin

With the cruise control set at 80 km/h as I exit the tunnel, I raise my right hand and start counting down with my fingers: five, four, three… I check my mirror and see that Valerie’s pressing her body down onto the fuel tank – which actually isn’t one on a BMW F 800 R, it’s located beneath the rear seat – but anyway…two, one, GO!

I’m lucky to be on a 1200 cc GS, whereas her R ‘only’ has 800 cc. She really has to open her throttle wide to avoid being left far behind. But one of the fastest motorcycle riders in the world hasn’t come to Europe to race – her racing grounds are located on the other side of the pond. She’s also aware that the road is not and cannot be used as a racetrack, which is why we continue towards Lake Bled, one of Slovenia’s premiere tourist attractions, by maintaining the prescribed 130 km/h top motorway speed.

- “We know how fast you are on a track or salt pans (note: her current speed record stands at 217.7 mph (350.53 km/h). But what about the road: are you a fast rider?”

- “No.” - “No?” - “No! Only when somebody next to me wants to race,” she laughs as we talk later over pizza.

- “I’m more casual on the street.

I have to take care of my driver’s licence. Besides, it’s not good for a professional rider to race on the streets.”

The 1967-born Aries didn’t get on her irst bike until she was 32. And she had absolutely no clue that racing would become her profession. Nobody from her family rode a bike either,

“A guy told me he can’t take me for a ride because my jeans would scratch his shiny fender.

So I went down to the local dealership and bought myself a bike.”

but then fate struck…“It was in 1999, sixteen years ago,” she explains. “It happened completely out of the blue.

A guy told me he can’t take me for a ride because my jeans would scratch his shiny fender. So I went down to the local dealership and bought myself a bike. I had no clue how to ride it, so I took a riders’ course irst.” And that was the irst time the immaculately dressed American sat on a machine with two wheels.

We began our one-day trip around Slovenia in Ivančna Gorica, where she spent the morning going through the Akrapovič factory, meeting CEO Uroš Rosa and founder Igor Akrapovič.

And while the two of us and the photographer waited for the throngs of tourists to get on the pletnas, the traditional wooden boats of Lake Bled, impressions kept pouring out of her: “I have had the good fortune of having visited quite a few factories during my racing career, but the Akrapovič one was my most memorable. It had two highlights. The irst was going through each department and seeing the process from start to inish. The second was Mr. Akrapovič himself.

We had the chance to spend a lot of time talking.”

Akrapovič’s racing series exhaust found its place on her bike soon after she tried a real sports motorcycle for the irst time in 2011. Before that, for about six or seven years after discovering her biker’s soul, she was racing on her Harley. “But things got out of hand,” she says. “We started racing on the street with my friends and somebody said ‘Valerie, you’re out of control, go to a racetrack!’ So I did. Two months later, I was accelerating with full throttle on a straight quarter of a mile and wanted to be the best. But I didn’t do burnouts, ‘cause I wanted to save the tyre and the clutch.” A local racing team asked her to try racing on their BMW and then – remember, this was just four years ago – Valerie sat on a real superbike for the irst time in her life. “Oh my gosh, I love this bike,” she said, and went out and bought her own. “Installing an Akrapovič exhaust is easily my favourite enhancement made to the bike so far,” she says. “I‘ve read many great reviews about the system and I can now say that they were not exaggerating. The biggest difference I experienced was lightness, power and the awesome sound. Everyone knows when Valerie Thompson and her Akrapovič are on a race track, just by the unique sound.”

Her serial S 1000 RR was quickly

“This is a piece of our motorcycle history.

You’ve got Harley, we’ve got Tomos.”

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altered to the extent that it was no longer street legal. It became too noisy, too fast, and too noticeable. It also attracted bikers who wanted to show the lady with crystals on her helmet that they could do it better.

“Sometimes I drop the clutch fast to be the irst off at a trafic light, but then I just let them go,” laughs the spirited blonde, undoubtedly a dream woman for many riders.

From Bled, the town at the picturesque lake and its church, we take the road to the Kranjska Gora ski centre and turn left to navigate the thrilling turns to Slovenia’s highest mountain pass – Vršič. The road was built during WWI to allow the Austro-Hungarian monarchy to facilitate troop and equipment transport to the Italian front. It was constructed by over 10,000 Russians prisoners of war, many of whom tragically died there.

Unfortunately, this part of the Julian Alps has a lamentable history, with the 90-kilometre Soča (Isonzo) front, the largest mountain combat theatre in humanity’s history, witnessing the deaths of over 300,000 soldiers over the course of its 12 battles.

As we reach the top of the 1,611-metre pass, we unexpectedly meet two Slovenian motorcycle museum pieces.

Two guys from the Primorska region are riding their 40-year-old 50 cc Tomos mopeds out of Koper, a coastal port town some 100 kilometres away.

“It’s slow, but it’s fun,” one of them explains. I tell my guest from the U.S. that all Yugoslav motorcycle riders started their careers on Tomos. The Slovenian plant is continuing to churn out cute and practical mopeds, while attempts to produce real motorbikes after the breakup of Yugoslavia have, unfortunately, failed. The Tomoses were used by our grandparents to ride to work and to the ields. We got our mechanical hands dirty on them and we often also raced them. “This is a piece of our motorcycle history,” I say. “You’ve got Harley, we’ve got Tomos.”

Valerie begins to explain to the guys how her 1000 cc BMW does 350 km/h, while their APN 4 can ‘whizz’ by at a rather more stately 60 km/h.

But before saying goodbye, the Primorska duo continuing northward toward Kranjska Gora on their blue and red lightning bolts, the two of us southward towards the Soča valley.

We agree that size and speed don’t matter, but that a feeling of genuine freedom does. Do you want to see the view from that village up on the

As the temperature in Ljubljana, only an hour and a half away, nears 40 degrees Celsius, lounging near this river really is bliss.

70 “I think racing’s really safe. Especially with all modern protective gear, and now we’ve even got airbags for riders.”

hill? Turn off the main road and check it out. Tired? Park in the shade of a linden tree and take a nap on your motorcycle jacket.

Unfortunately, our trip was a mixture of business and pleasure, so we had to quickly navigate the remaining 50 hairpins to the emerald Soča, a river that you can safely sip while swimming in it. Mind you, you probably won’t spend too much time in its embrace due to its average temperature of around 10 °C – and that’s during the swimming season! The Soča River valley, with its lovely roads and paths, numerous small gravel beaches and exquisite restaurants is one of the most beloved summer destinations for Slovenian motorcycle riders. As the temperature in Ljubljana, a two-hour ride away, approaches 40 degrees Celsius, lounging near this river really

is bliss. I wouldn’t mind spending a few more days here.

Valerie still keeps her Harley in a garage, but doesn’t ride it very often. “It all depends on the weather. You know, the air temperature in Arizona can reach up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. What’s that in Celsius? 45? It gets really hot. I don’t have the will to put on my leather protection gear in that kind of heat, and I don’t ride without it anymore.”

- “Do you consider racing dangerous?”

- “No,” she says, emphatically. “Bikes are very safe and professional riders know what they’re doing. I think racing’s really safe. Especially with all the modern protective gear. Now we’ve even got airbags for riders.”

- “Do you wear one?”

- “Not yet.”

- “Have you ever crashed?”

- “No, but it’s on my bucket list,” she winks.

- “So what do you do if you crash at 200 mph?”

- “Just slide. Don’t ight it. If you try to ight the feeling, you’re just gonna hurt yourself more.”

We also talk about closed circuits, especially the ones with turns. She enrolled in a superbike school and was thrilled. She would, and will, do it again, but has no intention of taking part in such races. “I have to concentrate on just one thing.”

And what is she focusing on at the moment? While this article was being written, her S 1000 RR was being itted with the engine that BMW used in the WorldSBK Championship. …

We did plan to ride up the magniicent Mangart saddle, the highest road in Slovenia at 2,072 metres above sea level, but we unfortunately ran out of

time. We returned to Ljubljana in total darkness via Italy’s Predel pass.

- “So, did you like it?” I ask her in front of the hotel as we concede defeat to the setting sun.

- “What’s not to like? I have ridden on some of the most scenic roads in North America including the Paciic Coast Highway and the pathways throughout the red rocks of nearby Sedona, Arizona. I can honestly say that nothing compares to roads we toured together in the Alps and throughout Slovenia – they were truly breathtaking. Serious motorcyclists should have the ride we shared on their bucket list.

She was burning rubber just a few days later in Garmisch-Partenkirschen at the world’s largest meeting of BMW motorbikes lovers. The girl leads quite a life, no?

“I have had the good fortune to have visited quite a few factories during my racing career, but the Akrapovic one was my most memorable.”

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Dirka s sončnim zahodom Na izhodu iz predora na gorenjski avtocesti med tem, ko tempomat vzdržuje dobrih 80 km/h, dvignem desnico in s prsti nakažem štarterjev znak: pet, štiri, tri … V ogledalu vidim, da je Valerie razumela štos in pritisnila telo k posodi za gorivo – ki to na BMW-ju F 800 R v resnici ni, saj je rezervoar našel

mesto pod sedežem – ter se pripravila na … dva, ena, ZDAJ! Zapeljala sva po slovenski alpski klasiki do Bleda in nato čez Vršič v dolino smaragdne Soče. Vmes sva spregovorila o tem in onem: o njenem poznem začetku motoristične kariere, o dirkanju po cesti, o ameriškem Harleyju in slovenskem Tomosu, (ne)varnem dirkanju ter še čem.

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P E T E R M OV R I N , FA S H I O N D E S I G N E R

MASTER OF MASSIVE SILHOUETTES

by Alenka Birk photography Matej Ograjenšek, Maya Nightingale, personal archive

PETER MOVRIN, CURRENTLY ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING SLOVENIAN FASHION DESIGNERS, LOVES THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT. HE CREATES “PRET-À-PORTER” FASHION THAT INCORPORATES HIGH FASHION DETAILS. HE IS LAUDED

BY HOLLYWOOD, POP STARS, AND THE FASHION INDUSTRY, SO IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT HIS IMPRESSIVE CREATIONS HAVE ADORNED NUMEROUS WORLD-CLASS PERFORMERS: BEYONCÉ, LADY GAGA, PIPPA MIDDLETON, ZAHA HADID AND THE C AST OF THE HUNGER GAMES. HE IS A MASTER OF MASSIVE SILHOUETTES WHO LIVES FASHION AND USES IT TO EXPRESS HIMSELF.

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The immensely talented and provocative young fashion designer achieved world fame after Lady Gaga irst wore one of his creations in 2012. He is the recipient of numerous awards and is currently expanding his knowledge by doing a Masters in female fashion at the best university in the world: Central Saint Martins. For quite a while he has been in the spotlight of the most inluential editors of popular fashion magazines and people of importance in the ield, including Anna Wintour, Suzy Menkes, and Anna Dello Russo... All of this has been opening doors for him to the global fashion catwalk.

THE MOST RECENT PROJECT FOR BEYONCÉ Beyoncé wore his coats at her last New York concert at the end of summer. “I was contacted by her stylist Raquel Smith and asked whether I could create coats for the superstar. I said ‘yes’ and I did. They were very pleased, the coats it her to a T, we really nailed her shape. It was a lovely experience: short, sweet and uncomplicated.”

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After completing the irst year of his Masters studies at the London incubator of fashion designers, he took a short, three-day rest by the seaside. He then went on to gather new experiences with the Ports 1961 brand, whose creative head is another Slovenian: Nataša Čagalj. “I worked with Nataša’s team. She’s a genius, extremely capable, both as a designer as well as a human being. She is phenomenal! I learned a lot.

This is a powerful industry and Nataša’s rich pedigree gives her a massive sphere of inluence so it’s no wonder she’s respected on a global scale. She’s a wonderful, hard-working woman with talent, charisma, and a passion for fashion.”

A TALENTED BUTCHER’S SON Fashion design was in his DNA, as opposed to the family practice of being in the meat business. His childhood, which mixed tradition, God, and meat, still inspires his work. “If I hadn’t become a fashion designer, I would’ve been a butcher.

I’ve always been interested in fashion. I was lucky that my ancestors had a sense of style. They always went to town in ine attire, which was quite unusual for the small town of Kočevje where I grew up.”

Peter Movrin remained faithful to his personal style, with black and white reigning as his basic colours. “I’ve always remained faithful to myself. You are what you live and express. Honesty is the most you can have. To be able to accept oneself and to stay the course.”

I like to live fashion, I’ve been connected to it for a long time.

I’m interested and attracted to this style of life, fashion magazines, designer shows and everything linked to it. I also love styling, which is important because of my personal dressing style. Fashion and I are in a passionate relationship – I adore it! There are people who want to become fashion designers but hate fashion. It’s not enough solely to be able to dress yourself. In that case, it’s better to become a well-dressed lawyer.”

WE C ARRY BEAUTY WITHIN His favourite articles of clothing are coats and dresses. You can ind apparel with his signature in the cult Church boutique in Los Angeles and by the London designer platform NOT JUST A LABEL. Movrin’s favourite material was, and remains, leather. However, he has begun using other materials as well. “I take the material that I feel is the right one for the current story. I sometimes take materials that I don’t like and try to change them into something beautiful. For the challenge.”

So what is beautiful? “Everything that’s different in a way.

Things that are not too popular. Regarding fashion, I like things people carry within, and I especially like those who are honest with themselves and show that outwardly as well - be it via style or something else. Generally, I ind beauty in everyday things, in banalities such as good food and beautiful lowers, just like everybody else.”

11 TOILING HOURS A DAY His daily life will, for at least a year, be marked by long hours of toiling at the university, driven by the desire to appear at the London Fashion Week in February next year, which is part of the graduation show. “I spend the weekends in the school studio. Regardless of being compared to the Russian ballet school when it comes to strictness, Central Saint Martins really teaches you a lot. I’m grateful to the deceased genius Louise Wilson, who was responsible for getting me in.

Knowledge and experience make you grow, mature nobly.

ADORES WOMEN WITH CHARISM His favourite article of clothing? “Currently a classic black vintage tailcoat by YSL, which was given to me as a present. It was created at the start of his career for a composer.

Who would he love to dress the most, regardless of time and place? “Marlene Dietrich. I always fall in love with strong women, now I’m fascinated by the 1920s, in the Hollywood glamour of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. That was the inspiration for my previous collection. But my muse has al-

THE NEW DIRECTION IS PURE SEX APPEAL! ways been a strong woman. And I don’t mean by position or title. She loves antiquities. Her home is minimalist and full of modern details. She also treasures her ancestors’ heritage, like a carpet that was left to her by her great-grandmother.

She stores clothes on the wall instead of in a closet, and lets ashes from her cigarette fall on a leather sofa as she’s reading the latest edition of ID Magazine.”

The master of massive silhouettes says that he’s becoming an increasingly commercial designer. “I exceeded my volumes, because I now require something else – I’m interested in new cuts and shapes. I’m going through a phase when I’m attracted to pure sex appeal. I feel that all this minimalism has turned fashion asexual. I think that the other side needs to be put on display as well. I love Ports 1961! Sexy with a high IQ and direct.”

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REGARDS FOR THE TEAM

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Regardless of his dificult studies, he always inds time for external projects to increase his visibility and success. He couldn’t have done it without the help of his Slovenian team.

“I have a team that I fully trust. I’m also extremely proud of them, of all the people that I have beside me. I know that it’s impossible to do anything in fashion nowadays without a team, a group of people that’s always there to help. I’m grateful to them and for the framework they maintain.”

This is the only way he can create in various ields – for example working on costumes for the movie industry such as the blockbuster “Hunger Games” with Julianne Moore and Jennifer Lawrence or create for pop star Lady Gaga.

The team also came to his aid in preparations for the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Ljubljana, where he showcased eight of his newest creations for spring and summer 2016.

ALWAYS HONEST WITH HIMSELF “Slovenia was never limiting. I never burdened myself with where I came from. I have always worked with people outside of my country as well. For a long time, even on a student budget, I visited shows around the world, because I didn’t want to miss them. It’s important to be in the right place at the right time, to know how to adjust the collection to current events. The collection expresses you, what you are. I’m honest with myself, regardless of what others think. I try to remain grounded, but I sometimes get carried away and then I’d like two assistants,” he laughs. But he remains critical

when I ask him whether he has ever been unsatisied with a creation or a collection. “I’m always unsatisied, it could always be better. I’m never 100% pleased. But I’m so busy nowadays that I don’t think about it anymore. I learn from things that went wrong and don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

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PASSIONATE PASSION FOR FASHION “A bit irritable, I’m very much afraid of being bored, the feeling of being tired of everything, it’s why I work all the time,” is how he describes himself. Peter lives fashion. It’s the most important thing for him. “Whenever I go hiking, I wear a black thermal outdoor jacket. I always carry a passion

for fashion. I think that people give up too quickly. That’s not good. I had moments as well when I’d throw the collection away. But as you pick yourself up, you have to pick everything else up and move on. That’s the only way of not getting stuck – that happens only when you don’t work. When you work, you keep creating new things.” And if he lost it all tomorrow? “I’d still remain creative. They can take everything away, but not my creativity.”

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ROSSI IS A GENIUS Valentino Rossi has put smiles on a billion faces around the world. Now he’s again at the top of the MotoGP this year - an incredible twentieth season after his debut - and still winning Grands Prix. His magic has once more been woven through his Yamaha and his close knit team. His sheer determination has shown everyone that you should never give up, and shown youngsters that he’s still the one to beat.

Rossi is a genius. Along his way he has charmed so many into following him on TV, on the track and on his way to the title. There is no one else who has pulled in so many people to two-wheeled motorcycle racing. Ever. He’s captured the hearts of so many screaming girls and grown men with his wins – while having so much fun doing so.

Winning the Italian MotoGP at Mugello on his Honda and then being stopped for a speeding ticket by the police is the stuff of his now two-decadelong celebratory history. After winning his very irst GP at Brno in 1996 he was so over the moon he nearly crashed into the wall, so there’s always been a precedent for landmark celebrations!

Other lap antics have included apologising to Angel Nieto for taking a record away from him, breaking a ball and chain off his ankle, unrolling a list of his then-100 record breaking victories, giving a ride to a friend dressed as a chicken (long story that one) and collecting a blow up doll with ‘Claudia Schiffer’ written all over it.

Can you even imagine anyone in F1 even contemplating that kind of stuff and the telling off they’d get? But it’s what made his such a star, with all the world tuning in to see this supernova.

On the racetrack, Valentino Rossi has won races

with lair and verve, but never underestimate the laser sharp skill and mental attitude necessary to win. Sure, he has the fan base, but when there’s work to be done in the garage, it’s done with the commitment and brute force needed to secure a victory. See, for example, his parting of ways with his crew chief of fourteen years, Jerry Burgess. They won 500, 990 and 800cc championships together and had great times, but at the end of 2013 Rossi felt their working partnership had stagnated. The Italian moved on and at the time of writing, he was leading the world championship.

At the time there was uproar in the paddock with the way it was handled, but his 2015 results are no coincidence for Rossi. Get. The. Job. Done.

In the paddock, he is a joy to work with as a journalist. He inspired me to learn at least some Italian because he didn’t speak very good English in his 125/250 days. “I don’t understand everything on TV but I like it very much. I have all the Eurosport videos at my mum’s house.” Was the gist of what he said to me at Imola in 1997. But even as more and more was asked of him in the paddock once he was in MotoGP, Valentino has always found time for you and always looked you in the eye when he answered you. You really do feel that, despite all the hullabaloo, you were the only person in the world for those few minutes... a rare trait in the modern PR world of sportsmen.

However, what’s really made Valentino Rossi was the right bikes coming along at the right time for him. The four stroke rules came along at the right time in 2002, as they were right up his street with immense power and torque, the like of which had never before been seen. Overnight, bikes had 20% more power, enabling the riders to slide and wow the crowds looking for spectacular racing and a visceral blast as they sped by. It was made for VR46. Where once there were three

The article here does not necessarily correspond with the opinions of Akrapovič d.d., the publishers or the editors.

by Toby Moody illustration Natan Esku

manufacturers, there were now six spending millions on unobtainable technology -- including the darling for so many years, Ducati.

Instantly MotoGP was no longer smelly, odd sounding two strokes that sounded like oversized chainsaws; instead it was now on a par with F1 technology and way ahead with its battles on the track. Biaggi and Gibernau were beaten. Then Stoner not only was beaten but came up against the quick witted tongue of Rossi at Laguna Seca in 2008. “That’s racing Casey. That’s racing,” Rossi said. And Stoner complained. One supposes that Marquez is on the hit list, but he gets the game....

The wily fox that he now is in 2015 has seen him outwit all the modern greats, nowhere more so than Argentina and then Silverstone, where in wet, cold conditions he used a gazillion miles of experience to beat them. Marquez may well have made too many mistakes this year, but so have all of them in the title chase, so by the time you read this we’ll have seen who is the champion at Valencia, Spain.

No matter what the result, Rossi’s sunshine has shone down on the 2015 season, bringing excitement, joy and immeasurable satisfaction to so many all over the planet. Long may it continue.

Valentino always looked you in the eye whenever he answered you.

Toby Moody International motor sport TV broadcaster for both two wheels and four having commentated on MotoGP for 18 years.

Follow @tobymoody Twitter and Instagram

#TrustedByChampions

2014 DTM Champion / Marco Wittmann

THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF Great people dream of great things: about exhaust systems which deliver dream-like performance increases, a sound experience that sharpens your senses and a meticulous design that looks almost too cool to be true. Almost!

At Akrapovič dreams-do-come-true - #TrustedByChampions

www.akrapovic.com

Akrapovič d.d., Malo Hudo 8a, Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia

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WE HAVE OUR 100TH WORLD CHAMPION!

PRODUCT CODE 801521

CONGRATULATIONS AND A BIG THANK YOU TO MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP AND JORGE LORENZO FOR WINNING THE TRIPLE CROWN IN 2015, AS WELL AS SECURING THE 100TH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FOR AKRAPOVIČ!

www.akrapovic.com

LEADER IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIGHTWEIGHT TITANIUM EXHAUST SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY AND PROUD PARTNER OF THE MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP TEAM