Java, Indonesia

At the Borobudur Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near the Imperial city of Yogyakarta in Central Java

I'm running short of time tonight and the eyelids are getting heavy. A more in-depth report about my current travels will have to wait for another day.

Stay tuned!

Crossing the Bali Strait between the islands of Java (left) and Bali (right). Notice the volcano in the distance.

Javanese Beauties in traditional dress.
I could get used to this!

Beautiful Bali

Tanah Lot Temple Sunset

I was lucky to capture this image of a beautiful West Coast Bali sundown

Thirteen years after my first visit to this magical island I have the privilege to once again take in the beauty and mysticism of this tropical paradise. It turns out that the touristic areas of the island are quite busy due to the United Nations Climate Change Conference currently wrapping up in Nusa Dua.

Bali is, if anything, more beautiful than I remember. Unfortunately, the island has suffered in the years since the 2002 Bali bombing that captured worldwide headlines but the island still has so much to offer the savvy traveler: full service resorts, fascinating local culture and history, and natural beauty aplenty.

I took the opportunity to view cultural performances, eat exotic cuisine, and travel to the edge of a volcano. I also had the opportunity to ride a Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe around the island. What an adventure! Balinese traffic is on the left (just like the UK) and that was a new experience. Take into account the crowded roads of trucks and tons of 125 cc scooters/mopeds and some rather chaotic driving tactics and riding a big Harley becomes a whole new ballgame. A Harley is a rare but respected sight on Indonesian roads. Well beyond the reach of most Indonesians, the Harley motorcycle carries a mystique as the "king" of motorcycles.

Riding a big HD on such a magical island is something that few get to experience. The fact that I had to drive through tropical downpours further added to the adventure and I hope to do it again soon!

Harley Softail at rest near Sanur Beach

Taking refuge during a tropical downpour

Filling up at the local Pertamina Gas Station near Kuta Beach

Driving up the coast on the way to Java gives some stunning views of the Indian Ocean

One of the local Balinese residents

Lucky me with several Balinese dancers

Photo Problem Update

Just a quick note this evening. The most likely problem with my photo uploads is the atrocious upload rate that I'm having here in southeast Asia. Coming down the pipeline is fine, but uploading anything beyond a simple e-mail takes quite a lot of time. I'll hope for a quick connection somewhere along the way but I may have to wait until I get back to give a full rundown about this trip.

Bali, Indonesia

Balinese Sculpture at Sanur Beach, Bali

A few hours after leaving the L.A. Auto Show I was on a plane bound for Asia. First stop Tokyo, then on to Singapore, followed by a flight to the exotic Indonesian island of Bali the next day. I'm here in Southeast Asia for three weeks and will travel on the islands of Bali and Java.

I'll have much more to share with you when I can figure out why Blogger is not accepting my picture uploads and I do have something motorcycling related to share as well.

Let's just say it involves riding big American iron in a very exotic locale not experienced by very many riders!

Blog Downtime and Image Upload Problems

Hi folks,

I've been trying to update my blog for several days now but I am having constant uploading issues. Bear with me as I sort things out because I have some interesting adventures to share. Stay tuned!

2007 Los Angeles Auto Show

On Sunday, 25 November, I headed down to the L.A. Convention Center to see the Maserati Granturismo in the flesh for the first time. I wasn't disappointed... except for the colors of the showcars. The Granturismo is even larger than I expected but my infatuation with the exotic Italian continues.

I also took a look a the MINI Clubman and the new V8 powered BMW M3 and the 1 Series Coupe. I liked the cars and all three should do well in the Southern California auto market.

My car "of the moment" the Maserati Granturismo next to one of my favorite vehicle brands

The MINI Clubman... soon at a dealership near you

M3 V8: Probably will see a lot of these in SoCal

The 1 Series Coupe: "Entry" Level BMW

CNN Does Extensive Ducati Coverage

CNN did a lengthy piece about Ducati and the 2007 MotoGP World Championship winner Ducati rider Casey Stoner on a segment of the show "Art of Life" hosted by anchor Monita Rajpal. Monita speaks with Livio Lodi, the director of the Museo Ducati and a gentleman that I met on one of my previous visits to Ducati.

Have a look at CNN's "Art of Life" by clicking on the link:

CNN's Art of Life: Ducati

Ferrari are World Champions!

I know that this is old news now but on the heels of Ducati's triumph in MotoGP, Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen managed to reel in the manufacturer's and driver's trophies in Formula 1.

What a good year to be a fan of the Scuderia Ferrari and the bikes from Borgo Panigale!

Molto Bene!

The Best of France and Italy

Another great event that took place on November 4th was the "Best of France and Italy" car show. After the Hansen Dam ride my friend Dodi and I rode our bikes over to the car show to peruse the beautiful vehicles on display. Of course my love of Italian machinery runs deep and there were all kinds of gorgeous cars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. To tell you the truth I was more taken by the very rare (for the North American continent) French vehicles on display. So much so that I realized that I didn't have a single photo of an Italian car. If you would like more information on this event check out the official website: Best of France and Italy .

I might show a bike or car next year...

Anyway here are a few pictures from the show:

Hansen Dam British Bike Meet

On November 4th the Hansen Dam British Bike Meet took place in the San Fernando Valley. This is a great event which focuses on vintage bikes from the United Kingdom. There were a few modern and classic Italians in attendance, including my Paul Smart 1000 LE.

Here are a few photos:

My #16 waving the Italian flag in a sea of British machinery

If Nortons, Triumphs, Vincents, Royal Enfields, and BSAs are your passion then this was definitely the event to attend.

L.A. MINI Returns Home to Southern California!

JCW MCS back on terra firma in Los Angeles. Notice the Alfa Romeo Racer in the background

Last Friday I finally had the chance to drive JCW MCS. It was the first time since early August that I'd been behind the wheel. The car was very dusty and there was a minor issue with the front wheel arch reflectors that I had repaired at Long Beach MINI at nearly no cost. Beyond that the car is in great shape.

It feels good to have the car home and it is extra special to get in the car knowing that I've been in some of the great European capitals in the same vehicle... even if I'm only making a run to the local mall.

What a great experience this trip has been!

JCW MCS hits the road in L.A. once more!

Getting ready to drive home

Not the local gendarmerie, carabinieri, polizei or politie, but L.A. County's finest...

Time to Update the Blog

Cousin Kenny from Holland and family and friends get together at my place.




Greetings all,

I've been pretty busy the past several weeks with moving house, entertaining relatives from overseas, and work. I need to sit down and get up-to-date with my auto/motorcycle news.

Specifically: the MINI is back!

I'll have pictures to post about the MINI and last weekend's Hansen Dam British Motorcycle event and the Southern California All French and Italian Car Meet.

Stay tuned!

16 October: MINI Due in Port of Los Angeles

The APL Turquoise with JCW MCS on board in New York City in September.
Photo copyright of Tom Turner


The APL Turquoise off the coast of Baja California yesterday.

JCW MCS should make landfall today after being away since last May. What a journey! I'm still about a week away from getting behind the wheel since U.S. Customs and Dept. of Homeland Security have to do their thing first. The car will then be shipped to a warehouse in Paramount, CA where I will pick the car up. Can't wait!

On the Way to the Panama Canal

As of 8 October JCW MCS is in the Carribean Sea and on the way to Panama. I'm sure the car is either in or through the canal as I type this update.

More MINI Tracking Info

I've been quite busy with moving into my new place so I need to keep things short. JCW MCS is down off the coast of Florida and the Bahamas. I'm sure the ship will enter the Gulf of Mexico soon and makes it way towards the Panama Canal.

F430 Scuderia

Ferrari unveiled the F430 Scuderia at the recent Frankfurt Auto Show. The successor to the 360 Challenge Stradale and the pinnacle of th V8 Ferrari where less (weight, mass, spartan ergonomics) is truly more, the F430 Scuderia sure sounds impressive in this video from Road & Track Magazine. Although I prefer the standard F430 from an aesthetic viewpoint I still like the F430 S... but those stripes need to be WHITE and the wheels need to be polished.

For a video of the car in action click here: Road & Track Behind the Wheel of the F430 Scuderia

Photo and video courtesy of Road & Track Magazine

Tracking the MINI

As of 1 October JCW MCS is somewhere off the coast of Massachusetts and headed down the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Ducati: Campioni del Mondo!

2007 has been a great year to be a Ducati owner/fan! A little over a week ago Ducati clinched the MotoGP World Championship at Motegi Raceway in Japan with Australian rider Casey Stoner. All Stoner had to do was finish ahead of the great Valentino Rossi and the title was his. Loris Capirossi, the other accomplished Ducati factory rider, managed to take home the win and Ducati had reached the pinnacle of motorcycling motorsport! Bravo!



I've been to the factory several times, the most recent being this past summer with the MINI. I found this video of the early morning title race event that took place at the gates to the factory. Definitely more crowded than when I was there! It must have been a great day to be in Bologna, especially with all those Ducs on the streets making that wonderful v-twin desmo sound. Have a peek at the day's events:



I feel like gettin' on the bike now...

Top photo and video courtesy of Ducati

Where's the MINI?

JCW MCS is indeed making the voyage home to California. The MINI left the port of Rotterdam on 21 September and is due back in L.A. on 16 October. The latest position of the car? It's located somewhere to the south of Ireland and making its way out into the Atlantic.



So why did it take so long for the MINI to get on a ship to go home? If you've followed the story of our adventure to Europe you realize that the cost of getting the car to Amsterdam was exponentially more than planned. Our shipping partner in Rotterdam informed me about the possibility of sharing container space with another car headed to L.A. but I would have to wait until late September for the car to leave Rotterdam. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to save a bit of money (anything helps with the horrid US Dollar/Euro exchange rate!) at the expense of getting the car home earlier.

Indeed, I do miss the MINI but now I'm only a few weeks away from driving the car again.

Maserati Granturismo Video Review on Fifth Gear

One of my favorite television shows out of the UK (the other being Top Gear), Fifth Gear presenter Tom Ford discusses the new Maser GT. The review does nothing to stem my automotive lust for this car... especially in blue!




Video courtesy of Fifth Gear.

JCW MCS Finally Has a Return Date

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been busy settling in at my new home and that endeavor has been taking up a lot of free time. I do have news about my MINI: it should be back in L.A. on October 16. Why such a long time since the end of my journey in Europe? I'll tell more and post the latest photos of the car still in-port in Rotterdam when I get a chance.

I'm just happy that I'll see the car less than a month from now!

MC2 (Squared) Magazine MINI United Coverage

The September/October 2007 issue of MC2 (Squared) Magazine should be hitting store shelves soon or is already available and this latest edition has extensive coverage of summer's major MINI happening in Holland. A good read and we even got our picture and some coverage in the magazine! More to come about our European adventure in upcoming issues so stay tuned. In the meantime head down to Borders or Barnes and Noble or your favorite magazine reseller and pick up a copy of MC2.

If you want to see more MC2 coverage of the events at MINI United on the internet then click on this link:

MC2 Does MINI United Zandvoort

Fiat 500 Comes to the US by 2010?

The Fiat 500

I just finished reading my copy of Winding Road Magazine. If you haven't seen this digital monthly and like cars then you owe it to yourself to check it out.

The October issue spends time with two cars that I really like: the Fiat 500 and the Maserati GranTurismo. Both get big thumbs up.

The Maserati is just plain beautiful. Period. An outstanding exterior and interior and a lovely Ferrari sourced motor under the bonnet have me trying to figure out how to get one in the garage. Build quality that meets or exceeds high German standards and gorgeous mechanicals pretty much qualifies the Maser as a potential future classic.

The 500 has me musing about the possibilities of driving the little Fiat stateside. On the opposite side of size and cost when compared with the Maser, the little Fiat still scores big points for style and flair. The design of the new 500 is closer to its original roots than even the new MINI is to its original DNA. The car is smaller than the MINI but oozes just as much charisma and panache as its English rival. The 500 slots itself between the Smart Car and the MINI in terms of size but with the growth of the "premium" small car segment in the U.S. Fiat may be able to capitalize and borrow a page from MINI's experience. I've already seen a few on the roads of Rome this summer and I really like the idea of the 500 as a city car. The possibility of the performance (Abarth) 500 coming to the United States by 2010 is tantalizing indeed.

I'll always love the MINI but the lure of Italia is hard to resist...

Maserati GranTurismo

To read more including news about Ferrari's future plans go to: Winding Road

Wall Street Journal "Premium" Small Car Article

The Wall Street Journal has printed an article about the "premium" small car, the segment that is dominated by the new MINI, and its future direction in the USA. An interesting article with one notable error. Mercedes is not, it is true, in the market with a small "premium" car under the Mercedes label. However, the Smart Car is coming in 2008 and this is a Mercedes product.

Anyway, the article is worth a read:

Wall Street Journal, Small Is Big in Luxury Cars

Here is a video about the "new" luxury compact segment:



Video courtesy of the Wall Street Journal

Automotive Industry Input

I was asked over the weekend to participate in an automotive marketing research session here in the Los Angeles area. Yesterday I spent about three hours discussing cars (not hard to get me going on this topic!). I need to leave the details confidential but let me say that I enjoy giving my .02 to hopefully steer engineers, designers, marketers, and industry officials in the right direction with future products and services.

Official MINI United 2007 Recap Video

For anyone with a love for the MINI here is an official video review of the events at Zandvoort. MINI United was definitely the place to be last June. My MINI even makes a brief appearance. Well, the license plate anyway...

Enjoy!



MINI United 2009... Are you ready?

Video courtesy of the MINI United Team

The MINI United 2007 Car Wash

I came across this video while looking at some of the MINI United clips on YouTube. I was supposed to receive a car wash for JCW MCS on Sunday as part of my gift package for bringing the car all the way from the U.S. and because the car was probably "really dirty" from the trip. See my post on 25 June 2007 titled "A Nice Birthday Surprise" for a video of the birthday surprise from the main stage at MINI United. Unfortunately Sunday it rained most of the day and I never did get that car wash...(sigh)

Anyway, here is the clip of a classic MINI with its smiling driver inside enjoying the wash. I remember watching this particular car and its happy occupant because I was parked near the stage.



Thanks to noctua on YouTube for the clip.

Number Plate Relocation Installation

It's been a bit quiet on the blog lately as I've been back in the "normal" routine and haven't been doing "fun" things with the vehicles. Not as much as I have in the past few months actually...

I did pick up a license plate relocation kit from Moss Motors and installed the item on Jennifer's car while she is out-of-town. I have a similar unit on my car as can be seen on the travel pictures from Europe. This is a really nice item; it is especially so if you do not already have the stock center mount license plate bracket already on the car. Jennifer's car never had the front plate mounted so there are no drill holes on the front bumper. The relocation kit provides a way of keeping the car legal since California requires a front and back number plate and it also allows the car to maintain the clean look without drilling into the bumper. The installation is a simple 10 minute job.

Here are some pictures:

Lower grill mounting point with tow hook plug removed

Kit prepared for installation

Mounting bracket installed

Number plate on the car looks good and will keep the authorities and the Department of Motor Vehicles happy
(notice the MINI United Zandvoort mirror caps)

Ferrari Challenge, California Speedway, Fontana California

F430 Challenge Car on track

Interview with a local newspaper reporter after returning from the lapping session on-track

The F355 Spider in good company

Today I had the opportunity to drive yet another racetrack... my third racecourse this summer. First was Zandvoort in the Netherlands, then the Nuerburgring in Germany, and today was the California Speedway east of Los Angeles. Jennifer also decided to join me for the day's events.

Ferrari had its annual Southern California round of the Ferrari Challenge, a race series for Ferrari F430 V8 cars. Supporting categories showcased the classic Ferrari racecars from earlier eras.

While at the track I had the chance to drive our F355 Spider for several laps with other Ferrari owners and enthusiasts. The event was a treat and the atmosphere was relaxed and casual.

Although my focus was on the Cavallino Rampante and all things Ferrari today, I couldn't help but notice that there were several MINIs in the parking lot as well!

Sights and Sounds and an in-car lap during the Ferrari Challenge at the California Speedway