Marten Hansen

New Website !

2011-07-05T10:41:00.001-08:00

I've my new blog and website at www.martenhansen.se , please visit and I hope you will like it !

Sweden

2011-06-22T09:17:00.001-08:00

The flight to Sweden went great and like always the first couple of days are tough because of the jetleg. Its better now and its nice to relax and catch up with old friends and family ! My dad and I went to watch Rallycross the other day and those guys always give a good show !!

Summer !

2011-06-14T12:19:00.001-08:00

My last day in america a friend and I went to this super nice place in Silicon Valley, perfect ending ! Right now I'm at the airport waiting on my flight to Sweden, with mixed feelings. I've 16 hrs to find out if the new double decker A380 is any special !? Its a long flight that I've taken 12 times now, but it will be worth it when I finally arrive !!

Beginning of the end

2011-06-13T11:41:00.001-08:00

Last weekend the focus were on racing and packing ! I'll spend the summer in Sweden this year, which I'm excited about ! And on the racing side it's was the very prestige 24hrs of LeMans, Formula 1 and NASCAR. Audi had some bad luck in the LeMans with two scary crashes but still held it together and capture the win ! Right now I'm on the train to south bay of San Fransisco to meet a friend. And then tomorrow afternoon fly to Sweden !

What a finish !

2011-06-01T13:55:00.001-08:00

Started the day pretty early by watching the Monaco Grand Prix and then Indy 500! And Istill can't believe the leader crashed on the last turn on the last lap,unbelievable!! After all the racing we took these amazing cars to head out for dinner ! Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 and Audi R8 plus great companies plus great food, moments to remember !!

Off work !

2011-06-01T10:52:00.001-08:00

I felt I had spend too many hours behind the desk plus it's beautiful weather outside so I decided to hang out with my swedish/american family ! It's fun to listen and hang out with younger people. They have much less worries, can have fun in every moment etc. I've always listened and learn from adults but lately I realized you can learn a lot from the younger ones as well. After playing with the kite an old friend stopped by who has some interesting ideas and plans for the future !

Summer fun !

2011-05-17T16:53:00.000-08:00

After all the traveling and work it's great to just have fun this last weekend ! Went over to a friend who gave this great hospitality by starting the weekend by racing on the simulator, always fun and competitive !! Then went to the marina district in San Francisco for dinner. Up early the next morning to go to the Golden Gate Park for this super fun event called Bay to Breakers ! Which is a type of a masquerade run, people dress up and walk 7,5miles through the Golden Gate Park !!

2011-05-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

I’ve now recovered and get back in the rhythm after three weeks of flatout ! It’s been a lot of fun and productive and of course it’s great to have my parents here to visiting me !! Lately I’ve done a lot of computer work and planning. The weather has picked up and I guess it’s pre-summer now here in California, can’t complain !

Snow...?

2011-05-02T17:18:00.001-08:00

Today all of us got a big suprise at the racetrack...it started to snow ?! It snowed so bad they took the decision to cancelled the qualify. But the practice we had went great and the race on Saturday gave a podium finish !!

Olympic

2011-05-02T17:17:00.000-08:00

We did a little trip to Olympic Park in Salt Lake City where part of the 2002 Olympic where hold ! Pretty cool to see and they say their summer training starts beginning of June ! Then headed out to Miller Motorsports Park!

Road Trip !

2011-04-30T19:18:00.001-08:00

Now we're on the road again, been driving by Tahoe saw snow for the first time this season ! Couple of hours later we're in the desert !! And additional hours we were in Bonneville Salt Flat. Its pretty cool how it change like that !

Tour guide !

2011-04-28T19:37:00.001-08:00

My parents arrived to california couple of days ago. Last time I saw them was almost a year ago ! So I've played tour guide to show them around ! Went to Napa Valley, San Francisco and some other places. In SF we ran the cable cars, went to Fisherman Warf, aquarium, tried the world famous irish coffee and much more !

Motocross !

2011-04-19T10:49:00.040-08:00

Couple of days ago I went with my friend Dave to see him race in a motocross race ! It's a lot of fun and met some great people ! It brought back the real passion for racing, -having fun ! It's very easy for me to be "too" serious with my racing, focus on 0.01 sec, 2mm and couple of clicks on the rebound on the shocks. I get too serious that I forget to have fun, that's the reason why I started with racing ! That's why I like this picture below !!!

Red Line Oil !

2011-04-14T19:40:00.004-08:00

For the 25hrs of Thunderhill the Team Copa Ford GT race car was all prepared with 5 different Red Line Oil products that worked great ! Now you can follow Team Copa on Red Line Oil official motorsports website - So stay tuned right Her e !!

Footage

2011-04-14T11:29:00.010-08:00

Here are some videos and pictures from the last race weekend !

Arriving in LA

Ford GT entering the oval !

195mph /314kph fast Porshce !!

Runway surprise !

Back Home !!

Here are some pictures from the race weekend !

Like a pro !!

2011-04-10T18:10:00.001-08:00

Today was Jason's day and he preformed like a professional !! Qualified good and during the race he passed 6 cars on the first lap ! But unfortunately he got a flat tire but still finished in the top 10 !! Its been a great weekend; the guys drove great, had 70°F/20°C warm, surrounded by great people and fun flight experience ! The only announcements from the pilots were how fast we were going, -That's it !!! Nothing about; it will be bumpy, its time to land, safety...nope !!

One down !

2011-04-09T21:35:00.001-08:00

Today was an intense day at the race track ! We learned a lot and found a lot of speed on every session ! But unfortunately the motor blew up on the Ford on the last lap so all the focus will be on the Porsche tomorrow !

Success !

2011-04-08T20:51:00.001-08:00

We had a very successful day at the track today ! Everybody did a great job and it looks good for the race tomorrow ! Its a fast track and drive on the oval adds a lot of excitement and high top speed !!

Up in the air !

2011-04-08T20:43:00.001-08:00

Today started great with a little bit of sleep-in and then headed out to the airport. Flew this great private plane and after little more than an hour we arrived in LA ! We went straight to the race track, Fontana Speedway, where they also race NASCAR and Indycar ! Just had a delicious dinner and will go to bed early to have a lot of energy for tomorrow !

Chico

2011-03-28T12:13:00.001-08:00

I went up to Chico this weekend to talk racing and meet up with an old friend I haven't seen for a long time ! Had a lot of fun and met many cool people ! My friend had free tickets to this super nice resort place that we went to saturday afternoon. They had state of the art gym, sauna, pools, hot tubs etc. Nice !!

Online !

2011-03-25T10:59:00.002-08:00

Speedcast TV have now upload the documentary "Survive the 25" online !! I thought it turned out great and I hope you guys will enjoy it as well !

You can watch it right Here ! Don't forget to choose the higher quality !

Best,
Marten

San Francisco !

2011-03-25T10:39:00.001-08:00

I went to San Francisco today to meet up two friends from Sweden ! They have been traveling around in Hawaii, LA, SF and ending their 70 days trip in Las Vegas !! It's really fun to see each other and I tried to be a tour guide ! Went to downtown SF, golden gate bridge, golden gate park, the beach, Lombard St the most crookedest streets in the world ! Turned out to be a great day ! But the day started a little bit odd because I ran into Lady Gaga in the morning !? My first thought was; who dress like that when its raining ?! Then I heard -duh its Lady Gaga ! That explains a lot !!

Best,
Marten

TV

2011-03-22T11:47:00.002-08:00

Here's a trailer of the 25hrs of Thunderhill I raced for Team Copa in the amazing Ford GT ! Everyone that has the Versus channel don't forget to tune in "Survive the 25" March 23,6:00 pm ET, Versus.

No energy

2011-03-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was just one of those days...Heavy rain the whole day that just take out all of your energy. But I went to a friends art show which was fun to see and meet very talented and creative people ! Then ended day by watching a pretty good Oliver Stone movie called, Wallstreet, Money never sleeps !

I hope you had a great weekend,
Marten

Day Trip !

2011-03-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

I took a break for all the computer work to enjoy a day trip to Napa and around the east bay ! Its nice to charge the battery and just enjoy the scenery and good food ! Turned out to be a good day and now back to reality !!

Video time !

2011-03-18T21:03:00.008-08:00

Here's a qualification lap of a USAC Sprint car

Some footage of one of the heat races, at 1:17 you can see my friend Tony Hunt make a wheelie when he put down his 800+ hp !!!

Racing instead !

2011-03-12T14:58:00.001-09:00

I believe no one have missed the terrible earthquake in Japan. And when they said the tsunamin was heading to california and San Francisco, it didn't get better. I actually had plans to go to San Francisco this weekend but decided to head north to Chico to see my friend race in the USAC Sprint Dirt !! Maybe this is the first time racing turn out to be safer !?!

Nice !

2011-03-12T14:55:00.001-09:00

It's been raining too much lately so when it's a warm sunny day, life is good ! The day started with no clouds on the sky and ended with a nice sunset -Nice ! And during that time the focus was at the gym and computer work !

Good Weekend !

2011-03-09T14:42:00.001-09:00

Everything has been going good lately and the weather has been really nice as well ! I met up with a friend in San Francisco in the Marina district ! So perfect; just hanging out, had really delicious food, 60f / 20c + warm, great people ! You don't have to be super productive in those moments, just enjoy life !! San Francisco is a great, fun place and defientely during the summer !

I hope you guys also had a good weekend !

Marten

Back in shape !

2011-02-28T11:01:00.001-09:00

Lately my main focus has been to get back in the same physical shape I was before I got my cold. Actually I'm in better shape now than before so I'm super ready for the season !! I've done cardio, interval sprint and hit the gym like a mad man ! When I was running in the park I saw two boys racing their radio control cars and both of them had replicas of the Ford GT !! And awhile a go when I got a hair cut the lady there went to a car show and her favorite car at the show was actually the Ford GT I raced for Team Copa in the 25 hrs ! That shows how cool that car is and I'm so glad and thankful to have raced it ! I also watched the new movie Hall Pass with some friends, pretty funny movie !!

Best,
Marten

Inspiration !

2011-02-19T14:45:00.001-09:00

Couple of days ago its my turn to get the cold. Didn't have too much energy to do so much more than just rest and read. I've finished these books and all three of them were really good ! I like to hear/read about successful peoples life stories; how they did it, what they learned, what not to do and etc. !

I'm all good now and I've hanged out with friends and catch up with work !

Best,
Marten

Suprise Suprise !!

2011-02-12T16:25:00.001-09:00

I met up with some friends and got this great surprise; a race car cake with my number on it, favorite color and Speed Swede on the top of the wing ! She did a great job and it tasted very well !!!

I went to a climbing competition to cheer on a friend who did very well ! Even though you just stand there, you still want to compete so bad ! There were some young girls, 5-6 years old who climbed all the way to the top with no fear what so ever !!

Best,
Marten

The Bay !

2011-02-12T15:56:00.001-09:00

I've been working on this little project for one and half week non stop and finally got it done !! So now I can return to normal life and racing ! But it ended good by having a good time just north of the Golden Gaten Bridge with great friends ! Its so nice there !

Best,
Marten

Video Time !

2011-02-02T11:32:00.004-09:00

I've finally upload some videos I've taken of the Ford GT and during my last trip. I shoot this videos with my self phone so make sure to choose the highest quality !!

First test day with the Ford GT...Passing by in 150+ mph/240+ km/h

Pit stop during the 25hrs of Thunderhill

Climbed this 2.6miles/4,2km high Mountain in Phoenix before sunrise !

New Year Eve Celebration in Nashville !

Rolex 24hrs test weekend at Daytona Beach 2011

Enjoy,
Marten

Crazy !

2011-01-30T10:05:00.001-09:00

Started the day with a wonderful breakfast buffet then headed out to Santa Monica for a little bit ! Then met some friends and network at the race track ! The race was crazy,like a crash festival, half the field didn't finished the race ! Unfortunately Brennan was one of them. But Travis Pastrana did suprised everyone, including himself by finish 6th !! He's super cool and laid back, even have the coolest trailer !!

Best
Marten

Finally in LA !

2011-01-29T07:41:00.001-09:00

After many hours of waiting at the airport we finally took off ! And of course right after we picked up the rental car we headed out to the race track !!! Brennan and his team did great and qualified 4th and Pastrana 20th ! Its a long race tomorrow so we'll see how it goes !

Here we go again !

2011-01-28T07:51:00.002-09:00

After being home for two weeks its time again to go to the airport and its pretty foggy this morning ! Going to Los Angeles for the weekend to meet some people and to see my friend Brennan Newberry race in the NASCAR K&N ! Plus some other friends that will race, even Travis Pastrana will do his NASCAR debut this weekend !!

I'm excited about this weekend; Los Angeles, great people, my friends birthday and NASCAR = should be great !!

Have a great weekend !
Marten

Fun work !

2011-01-24T15:56:00.001-09:00

Today was a fun day at work ! Started the morning to go throw some emails then headed to San Francisco. The day ended in a fun way by spending some time at this super cool racing simulator with the Team Copa guys !! The situation turned very fast from playing to competing !! But its tons of fun though !

Best,
Marten

Work Work !

2011-01-24T15:35:00.000-09:00

The best way to describe last week is to take a look at the first picture ! -A lot of computer work together with a lot of coffee !!! But its good and excited stuff ! The last couple of times I been running I've been running into this wild animals, pretty cool !

California Sun !

2011-01-16T13:40:00.001-09:00

Its so nice to be back home, my bed and the California sun, was actually 68F / 20C one day !! Still little jet leg but its nice to go for a long run the other day ! On the agenda for this week is computer work and meetings !!

Home Sweet Home !

2011-01-12T19:26:00.000-09:00

Took me three days to fly back home to California from Charlotte, NC ! But finally Home Sweet Home !! Now the plan is to just catch up with everything and get back in the rhythm !

Waiting...!

2011-01-11T08:14:00.001-09:00

Everything looked good this morning but then it get cancelled :( I do have a new flight from here 5:49 pm but most likely it will get cancelled as well ! So I guess hurry up and wait ! I still can get a lot of work done, just make the best of the situation !

Looong day !

2011-01-10T17:39:00.001-09:00

This crazy day started by I got a phone call 6am that my flight back home to California is cancelled. After many many phone calls later I decided to get a hotel close to the airport so I've bigger chance to get the next flight ! But the trip to the airport was something special, its was more ice on the road than snow and after our many miles on these tires. The rear ones looked like slicks -Scarry ! But we managed to arrive ! And now I hope my flight, tuesday at noon doesn't get cancelled as well ! Another cool thing was that we saw this NASCAR Semi trailer parked just outside my friends place !!

What Happened ?!

2011-01-09T10:05:00.001-09:00

Got back to Charlotte at midnight and when I woke up this morning its 32F / 0C cold outside ! And 36hrs ago I was in Florida with white sand, blue water and 72 F/ 20C warm ! -What Happened ?!

Florida = Great !

2011-01-08T11:13:00.000-09:00

Went up early today to run on the beach before the sunrise !! Then headed over to Daytona Speedway and now, afternoon we driving back to Charlotte, NC ! We stopped by at Jacksonville to have a nice lunch before we leaving Florida !

Epic !

2011-01-08T04:40:00.001-09:00

Today was a great day, started by going to the beach then spend the rest of the day at Daytona Speedway !!

Happy Swede !

Daytona !

2011-01-08T04:34:00.001-09:00

After 10hrs of driving we've finally arrived to Daytona Beach Florida !! Try to get couple of hours of sleep so we've some energy left for the next long day !!

Driviiiiing !

2011-01-06T14:04:00.001-09:00

Today we had some meetings and could from there plan the rest of the day and the trip ! We left Charlotte this afternoon and right now we're heading to Daytona Beach Florida !!! Even saw the swedish flag in downtown before we left !

Best,
Marten

Ice tea !

2011-01-05T16:43:00.001-09:00

I've spend the last couple of days in Charlotte, NC ! And North Carolina always mean ice tea !! I like it here and its always fun to see old friends again !!

Best,
Marten

Flatout !

2011-01-03T19:44:00.000-09:00

We arrived to my friends house outside Washington DC on January 1st ! We relaxed during the day after two days of traveling. Then we went to the theater and after that we took an impulsive decision at midnight to help out a friend to move in to his new apartment ! Resulted I was awake for 22 straight hrs and only slept for 4hrs today !!!

Best,
Marten

Happy New Year !

2011-01-01T06:31:00.001-09:00

We arrived yesterday at Nashville about 7 o'clock ! We had a great dinner at Red Lobster then Jeff and I decided to work out !? But we still managed to arrive next to the big stage in downtown 15 mins before midnight ! The atmosphere during the countdown was really cool !!! The tradition is to drop a ball during the countdown but of course in Nashville they drop a guitar !! Broadway street in downtown Nashville is very cool and I recommend everyone to visit there !

Happy New Year !
Marten

Graveyard !

2010-12-30T13:08:00.001-09:00

We just stopped by at the Cadillac Graveyard ! Its a popular turist attraction here in Texas and of some reason there's 10 cadillacs stocked into the ground !? But it's fun to have been there !

On the road again !

2010-12-30T12:52:00.001-09:00

Today we've mainly driving the whole day across Texas ! Drove for awhile on Route 66 so now I can check that from my bucket list as well !! Most of the view has been desert and every town looks like a old cowboy movie ! I even saw this buffalo that you could buy for $ 19.999 !!!

Best,
Marten

Never the same !

2010-12-29T21:55:00.001-09:00

We have now checked in at the hotel in New Mexico ! We've been driving the whole day started with sunshine to snowstorm and then driving in the desert !! And we will continue tomorrow morning again !

Contrast

2010-12-29T13:43:00.001-09:00

When we left the hotel this morning its all warm and sunny ! Then we started to drive north up to Grand Canyon and right now we're stocked in a snow storm ! Its not too bad and I think we will drive back !

Best,
Marten

It gets crazier!

2010-12-29T06:47:00.001-09:00

So after working out at the gym,climbed a mountain we decided to skydive !! Its super cool, the free falling was kind of crazy but then it became very peaceful ! And our instructor was a hold other story ! Let say; he didn't tell us anything about what will happen, the safety or the landing ! Until 5 seconds before its time to do it -crazy !

But now I can check skydiving from my bucket list !

Full Speed !

2010-12-28T08:45:00.001-09:00

Last night we ate some dinner and relaxed infront of the fireplace and just catched up with everything ! Then after midnight we went to the gym and worked out ! Went to bed 2am then 6am we started climb a 2.6 miles/4.2km high mountain !!! -And more will come !

Best,
Marten

Road Trip # 3 !

2010-12-27T13:54:00.001-09:00

I just arrived in Phoenix ! It's nice here 70F / 20C warm and the flight went great ! I got this cool picture of Lake Tahoe !! And I believe tomorrow officially starts Road Trip # 3 !!

Best,
Marten

Happy Holidays !

2010-12-26T17:06:00.001-09:00

The holidays has been great ! I celebrate christmas with a lot of food both on christmas eve and christmas day ! And I'm very proud of my own christmas stocking with my name on it ! A friend gave me this nice engraved christmas tree saying God Jul = Merry Christmas !! Today I worked out and then used this super hi tech massage chair = Heaven ! Then went to the theater to watch True Grift, a great movie !! Right now I'm packing for my trip tomorrow to Phoenix !

Happy Holidays !
Marten

Merry Christmas !

2010-12-23T16:13:00.006-09:00

First of all; Merry Christmas everyone and here's my gift to all of you ! A cool video of the 25hrs of Thunderhill I raced for Team Copa December 3th-5th ! Christmas and New Year's Eve is all about spending time with great people and appreciate all the good from the past year and look forward to the next one ! And this race was a perfect example of all that !!

Merry Christmas everyone !
Marten

Race for a Cause !

2010-12-21T22:46:00.006-09:00

Here's a video from the Race for a Cause event I attended to last Sunday ! They even managed to capture me in a picture in the end !

Best,
Marten

...back then !

2010-12-21T10:21:00.001-09:00

I got this video clip forwarded to me:

I love watching old racing videos and I've so much respect for the drivers back then. "There are brave heroes, there are old heroes but there are no old brave heroes" Unfortunately that how it's when the safety = zero !

Best,
Marten

Charity !

2010-12-20T08:33:00.019-09:00

Last night my friend Tony Hunt hosted a go-cart charity event ! It's a great event; raced some go-carts, met some people and of course help out for a great cause !!

Tony became 6 times USAC Sprint Car Champ this year ! Very impressive !! I've been fortune to test and race with Tony and with his team Tony Hunt Motorsport, great people and a great team !

Foto: Clevland Digital Imaging

Best,
Marten

Contrast !

2010-12-19T09:37:00.012-09:00

I got this great picture from my parents from a very snowy Sweden ! Saying "Happy Birthday Marten" :) I hope it will be another great year and I'm excited about 2011 ! It still feels weird to not have any snow here for Christmas and the other day I saw this:

A Christmas tree surrounded by palm trees !!

Best,
Marten

Nice Trip !

2010-12-16T16:34:00.002-09:00

Today I went with a friend to Napa Valley ! It's a perfect day, 70 F/ 20 C warm and just enjoy great foods, drinks and the beautiful view !!

Best,
Marten

2010-12-13T18:58:00.006-09:00

The last couple of days have been really good ! Been cruising throw the days but still been productive ! We still get a lot of good feedback from the 25 hrs race and it’s such a great experience ! It’s still weird for me to see all the Christmas decorations and have no snow ! And last Saturday it even get weirder because I got invited to a Caribbean theme Christmas party ! Dressed up with surfer clothes and funny sunglasses in the middle of December ! We even got super lucky with the weather that day 68 F/ 20 C !!!! Pretty cool to have the Golden Gate Bridge behind you !

Best,
Marten

Really good until...

2010-12-06T19:09:00.014-09:00

Dave Smith started the race and did a great job the first couple of laps with cold tiers and a green track and then he picked up a fast pace around the track ! Right before I jumped in the car 6pm Jared Thompson had been fighting with the car with no power steering and drove in rain with slicks on !

It took me 10 laps to get use to the dark and get a feeling for the heavy rain and try to control the 700+ hp ! We did double stints which means we were out the for little more than 2hrs each. But during my session it started to get crazy out there, cars were flipping, oil on the track etc. Which made me drive for 4 ½ hrs !!!

Drive in the rain is one of my strongest side and was able to take us from 8th overall to leading the race with 12 laps !! It’s a great feeling to be the fastest guy and lead the race in an amazing Ford GT against a Grand-Am Porsche team with factory drivers, who actually won the race last year ! Then at midnight we got hit by a Mazda Miata and broke the right rear suspension, and our race were over :( That’s racing sometimes and it’s hard to swallow because we were leading the race and had a great chance to win the race, in our class and the overall title !!

Overall it’s a great weekend I couldn’t ask for more, we were just unlucky with the result !

Here’s some pictures from the race weekend !

Best,
Marten

Yeah !!

2010-12-03T18:43:00.005-09:00

Right before qualify Dave went out with soft tiers and did couple of super fast lap times ! And when it was time for qualify it started to rain and with a lot of traffic we still pulled off a good lap time and got 3rd overall !!! We have been 2 seconds faster than the pole position time but we just got stocked behind traffic ! We are all happy and confident for the race tomorrow at 11am !

All Good !

2010-12-03T12:26:00.007-09:00

Yesterday of practice went very well, we've big advantage with our 700 hp wich really helps with all the passes ! Today, friday we will just fine tune the set up and it seems it will rain during qualify :S

It's very hard to get any service here at the track, but I'll try to update as much as I can !

Best,
Marten

Now it starts !!

2010-12-02T10:14:00.001-09:00

The race weekend have officially start ! No rain so far and the team is preparing the car for the first test ! We even have a big time celebrity here, Paul Walker from Fast & the Furious is pitted next to us and will drive a Mazda !!

Best,
Marten

Racing Video !

2010-11-30T10:12:00.005-09:00

Here's another cool video from our latest test day, it's very windy and cold that day but driving a race car makes up for it though !

The team have fixed a cool suprised for us for the race, a great marketing attention ! One little sneak peak...

Best,
Marten

Getting closer !

2010-11-30T10:05:00.002-09:00

Right now I've a good mix of a christmas feeling and racing ! On my way home last night I saw this house decorate in the american style ! But in the morning I headed down to the race shop to figure out some radio problems. The guys were fully focused to install the new data system in the car, hi tech stuff !!! I've been looking on the weather forecast every day now and it seems it will rain the whole weekend :(

Best,
Marten

Calm before the storm !

2010-11-28T14:55:00.009-09:00

The last couple of days have been very relaxed and comfortable ! Had a great Thanksgiving with plenty of food, met up with some friends, watched movies and just enjoyed the holidays. Its weird to hear all the christmas carols already and no snow !

Next week will be crazy, meetings all day on Monday, Tuesday and I probably need the whole wednesday to just pack and prepare for the four days at the race track !!

Best,
Marten

Brakes ? -No !

2010-11-25T10:28:00.001-09:00

Todays test didn't really turn out like we wanted to. Had some problem with the handling and my last session in the car we also got a brake problem, and exactly the same happened to me last year ! Oh well !! Now all of us will enjoy Thanksgiving and charge the battery for next week !

Best,
Marten

Test Dummy !

2010-11-23T08:55:00.001-09:00

Just come home from our team meeting; talked about the strategy, set up and prepared everything for our additional test day this wednesday !! And the boss decided I'll be the test-dummy that day ;) one for the team I guess !!! Pretty cool to see 1500 hp of motors in one of the corners in the shop today ! When I got back home I went for a run and can't believe is still so nice weather here, not really used to it !!

Best,
Marten

It's Official !

2010-11-21T11:08:00.000-09:00

December 4th Marten Hansen will compete in the 25 hrs of Thunderhill in an amazing 700 hp Ford GT.

I’m very grateful to be given this opportunity and to race for Team Copa. It has already been one of my best moments in my life and together with Steve Tarpley, Jason Montgomery, Dave Smith and Jared Thompson we’ll fight hard to finish first overall. We know it will not be easy to do but with our equipment, team and co-drivers we fully expect to be one of the contender !

This Ford GT is a piece of art and fulfills the reputation of being an icon race car. 700 hp, 600 ft.lbs / 800 Nm under the carbon fiber body creative one of the funniest car I’ve ever driven !

I'll update Live here on my blog how it goes from the first practice day Dec 2th through the whole 25 hrs race, Dec 4th-5th !

You will find more pictures right Here !

Stay tuned,
Marten

Racing Video

2010-11-15T12:10:00.001-09:00

Here's a cool video from our two days of testing in this 700 hp Ford GT ! The sound is amazing and we did about 160 mph on this relative short straightaway at Thunderhill !

Enjoy !
Marten

Car Show

2010-11-14T10:45:00.001-09:00

After many many laps of testing, this beautiful Ford GT is now resting in Fords' Official booth in one of the biggest car show in California !! It's super cool to have this car right in front of the 2012 Mustang and marketing ourself for the 25hrs race !! Even Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by !

A lifestyle magazine noticed the Ford GT and posted it on their blog !

Best,
Marten

700 hp of Fun !!

2010-11-13T10:26:00.008-09:00

Last Tuesday and Wednesday turn out to be two really great days ! The whole team went up to Thunderhill Raceway to test out the new race car ! Unfortunately I cannot say too much about the test and the car. But it's very successful days and this 700 hp beast really put a big smile on your face !!

Best,
Marten

Rain Rain Rain !

2010-11-08T15:30:00.001-09:00

The weather forecast was correct, it's raining. Beyond a little incident with the wall, and we know the wall always win ! The whole weekend went pretty good ! And right after the checkered flag it's time for a very nice banquet !

Best,
Marten

Good day !

2010-11-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

This morning when I drove to the track it's super foggy but just before the first practice it all cleared up and turned out to be a nice day ! Everything went well and tomorrow it might rain :(

Best,
Marten

Good Boy !

2010-11-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

Yep, I've been very responsible today by vacuum clean, did the laundry and prepare everything for the next couple of days ! Going to the race track tomorrow morning for the weekend then back home monday. Then repack to be gone tuesday and wednesday to test out a super cool race car ! Finished off the day by seeing the new movie Due Date ! Really fun !!!

Have a great weekend,
Marten

Planing

2010-11-04T15:15:00.001-08:00

This morning I went throw all my emails and planned everything for this month and then went out for a run. I tried this new application My tracks that can tell you your speed, avg. speed, elevation change and much more ! Pretty cool what kind of information you can get with a GPS !

Best,
Marten

Champions

2010-11-04T14:03:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a big day for every San Francisco baseball fan, Giants become 2010 World Series Champions !! I saw one of the finale games and try to pick up all the rules !

Best,
Marten

Spoon !

2010-10-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

This morning I received this great footage of the 25 hrs race I did last year ! They followed the well-known tuner manufacture for Honda, Spoon. They raced in the same class as me and I remember they were really fast, but I did passed them couple of times !!! What I didn't know was I raced against the President of Spoon and the game producer/president of the famous Gran Turismo game, pretty cool !

A big news here in northern California was it rained last Sunday, haven't rained here for a very long time. Rain here is like the first snow in Sweden !!

Best,
Marten

Saint Martin

2010-10-12T16:03:00.004-08:00

The last week has been crazy, been everything from computer work to meetings to driving etc. But is all good stuff ! One thing I didn't know before I moved to USA was I'd become a very loyal Starbucks customer ! Its a good place to have your meetings and meet people and from this last week it almost feels have been to every Starbucks in northern California !

A whole different story, I watched a cool TV-program called Most extreme airports. Even today there are airports on this planet you can't even imagine still exist. My favorite was Princess Juliana Intl. Airport at Saint Maarten ! I believe I've to add that one on my bucket list !!

Best,
Marten

A long day !

2010-10-06T19:27:00.002-08:00

The alarm was set on 5:45 then 2hrs drive to the race track ! It's so nice to be able to have the whole track for yourself ! It's a great test day of a new race car mixed together with some aggressive driving in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS ! Now back home to continue to work for a great future :)

Best,
Marten
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The Buried Life

2010-09-27T16:00:00.001-08:00

I usually don't watch Tv but last weekend I come across a great Tv-show called The Buried Life. Its four college guys that have done a list what they would like to do before they die. It's everything from fulfill a dying person last wish to sneak into the Playboy mansion. The funny thing is a couple of weeks ago I did my own bucket list. I'm glad and proud I've already achieved some of it. I believe it's important to have goals in your life and not be afraid to dream big !

They ending every episode by asking;
"What do you want to do before you die ? "

Best,
Marten
Sent via BlackBerry

Correction...

2010-09-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

I just wrote everything is going good, but unfortunately the gearbox just broke, and the weekend is over. -That's racing sometimes. When I come home I got invited for a BBQ party which made the day a little bit better !

Have a great weekend,
Marten
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Flat out !

2010-09-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

Yep, the last days has been flat out from sunrise to sunset ! Come home late yesterday night, packed my bags then went to bed ! Woke up early this morning to work out and then head up to Thunderhill Raceway ! Today is a practice day so its pretty relaxed and everything goes great !!

Best,
Marten
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Formula D1

2010-09-12T10:54:00.005-08:00

Here you've some video clips from the Formula D1 race. If you've the opportunity to see one of their races - Take it !! It's a great event and cool entertainment ! It's great to see the Crazy Swede, Sam and my old co-driver Tony Brakohiapa out there - Great drivers with great personalities !

Listen to that supercharger !!

Little too close...

The final round; Chris Forsberg VS Vaughn Gittin Jr

And the winner is....

Best,
Marten

Sideways !

2010-09-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

I just arrived to watch the Formula Drift race ! It's a great event and americans always know how to put on a great show ! I'm looking forward to cheer on and meet some old friends !!

:)
Marten
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Good week !

2010-09-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

This week have been all about meetings and planning my future life !! All of the meetings went better than expected and I'm super excited what might come true !

Best,
Marten

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Charging the battery

2010-09-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

The last 4 days has been long, tough but great ! A lot of cool and excited stuff happened and I was able to share some new experience ! Today is a holiday, called Labor day and most people are off from work. I used this day to just realized and now I'm feeling stronger for the rest of this week !

Best,
Marten
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Start to get too old !

2010-09-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

I really like my life right now ! Great to be back on the american race tracks, the great weather and the people ! After a long day at the race track we headed out to the bay area, had a great time ! Couple of hours of sleep then back to the track again ! Come home 9:30 pm, worked out this morning and now I'm on my way to the track again ! - Full speed !

When I woke up this morning I was so tired and my body was hurting so much, - and I'm only 21 !!

Best,
Marten
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Track Day !

2010-09-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

It's so nice to be back to Infineon again ! Today is just a practice day for the up coming weekend race. It's always cool cars here, it's nice weather today and I'm surrounding by professional/great people :)

Best,
Marten
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Scoop !

2010-08-29T10:45:00.001-08:00

Last night I cruised around in this 2011 Audi A8, and it's not even released yet !!! Wow, what a car ! This car was fully loaded with cool stuff like night vision, 19 speakers stereo, massage in the seats, air suspension, quattro and much more. I'm really impressed about that car !

Best,
Marten
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Back in the game !

2010-08-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

This morning I headed down to the gym for couple of hours. My whole body was so stiff after the long flight. I kept a good work out program this summer and I believe I've never been in better shape before !!

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Back in Cali !

2010-08-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

I got a little shock on my first day in California because it was just a little bit warmer than Sweden, 104 F / 40 C !! I've unpacked everything and working through all the mails and stuff like that. I had a meeting this morning with the guys I'm working with and It's great the see them again ! A lot of cool stuff is going on and I'm super excited for the future !

Warm regards,
Marten

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My 2nd Home

2010-08-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

I woke up early this morning to go to the airport and fly back to San Francisco, California ! My summer in Sweden was great and now I'm super excited to get back and work !

I'm in London right now and most of the times I always change to my finale flight here, had 2hrs wait here and it starts to feel like my 2nd home now -not good !

Best,
Marten
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