2009-10 the story• Hello everybody.• HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!• What? It’s July and I start a letter like this? Have I gone lost?Crazy? Lost some gears?• Am I writing you from a cave or from Antarctica? None of that. Let me tell you.....• Many of you did not even get my Christmas wishes….Have I turn my back to my friends? No, not at all. You know

I value my friends a lot. But I realized that at Christmas between cards, mobile phone calls, fixed phone calls, emails, e-cards, Facebook, Twitter, My Space and if you like me have a web site, well……you are going to spend something like 3-4 days of our valuable Christmas Holiday just wishing everyone else a good , peaceful and great time. Without taking in account all work related friends, aquaintances and others.

• We are trying to fit everything in few days…..dinners…..oh dear….family dinner 1, family dinner 2, family dinner 3, Christmas’ Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year and add a couple of weekends in it and also the plus in Italy and Spain for the Epifany ( o Dia del Reyes ) on the 6th of January to have a proper entry for the guinness of record for how much food can be actually stored in a human’s belly …then fit also some dozen gatherings for a drink – or two. On top of that all shopping, presents, sales (in Italy started on the 2nd of January).

• Fit some skiing in it……if all goes right..... I mean without heavy snow falls when everything gets totally disrupted, with the conseguence of our tight scheduled to end in the bin, and a result of other 100-150 phone calls to try to catch up and re-schedule……And we soon realize there is no time left to relax, to enjoy the time, to take it easy, to enjoy the warmth of your home, to have some glorious sex (yes…if you have forgotten, it’s important) and mainly what Christmas is all about……Love.

• Love for your partner, companion, fiancee, whatever, love for your family, love for people in need –at Christmas we supposed to strive to give and help people in need , love for humanity and for life. We just rush at Christmas more than any other time. To find th right colors of boxers (man’s pants) or the highest equipped mobile phone.

• That is not right• So, before we forget all of this, please FORGIVE ME for not hassling you during this time with my wishes. I have

only answered (shortly) to (many) who has sent me their wishes. God bless you all, but I really changed my tactic this year. And you know what? I planned it last year, while I spent my Christmas Holidays travelling through deserts and glaciers in South America.

• I had a great time even if I missed my family and friends, but I really made the most of the given time. And I said that the following year I was not going to be engulfed again in the Xmas rush. Perhaps I will change tactic again this year. Perhaps I will send you my wishes before December….yeah….perhaps that’s they way forward…..

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• So what did I do eventually at Christmas time?Well I spent few days in Italy, and because my parents have decided to go themselves for a New Year’s Eve holiday in Djerba in Tunisia (I passed the travelling bug to my father) I took a chance of a nearly last minute trip to Russia. But I will tell you more as you keep following the resume.

• You would ask yourself what kept me writing you until now? It’s July....Four main factors: • 1) I needed a confirmation that I was not going to travel to races anymore......YES, YOU HAVE READ RIGHT!!

2010 will not see me travelling to circuits. Having said that I spent end of February and all of March travelling to winter testing, to secure that my tasks and jobs were apropriately passed on to the new team we have set for the World Series by Renault 2010. As we had different options, I did not want to write to you in February telling you I was not going to travel and then had to take it back. It is now official. My sole job will be Workshop Manager at the new factory, which is a large task anyway. I will be kind of waiting for a big project to come, while carrying out the day by day operations of our immense workshop floor. Believe there is enough workload to finish everyday at 10 pm ( and later) , which is what happened since January 7th, when I started working back from Christmas holiday.

• 2) Because of this new task and the installation of the new factory (detailled below), included the large stint of winter testing ( which I broke up with three days off in Norway only), I was not able to work in my photography for all winter. Finishing too late , working too long and normal stuff. Setting in a new building is not that easy, even if factory was completed well before, kind of August 2009. But there is always something do now as I believe you all can imagine.

• 3) Moving factory (about 70 kms from the previous installation in Azkoitia) also meant moving from my apartment where I spent my last four years. I moved out in October because I did not want to get caught into moving factory and apartment at the same time, so I moved early as we settled in the factory on November 16th. But it did not work as planned. I did not find a place to live that I liked until the end of December, just two days before going to Italy. So I have been staying in hotels, motels, friends and bunkers for nearly three months. Missed bridges because was really too cold . Also I happened to be in a car accident. A jeep collided with my car (not my fault) and I was with no cars for almost two and half months!!!!!! Now imagine not having a house and not having a car to move to hotels and other locations...it has been a nightmare....thanks to Epsilon I was granted to use some of the company’s vehicles, but as you can imagine it was still a huge problem

• 4) I then found this apartment in the centre of Vitoria which is SUPERB!!!!! Vitoria is the capital of the Basque Countries, and for the first time of my life I am living in the city, walking distance from the city centre, very beautiful with load of bars and restaurants and shops. I found it great, really. I can step out the front door and having all at hands. The only problem is parking. Why has this affected me on writing you? Well , moving in –being at the centre – was not too easy so I spent what left of my free time at work to set up here. That is why I have been really really silent even with just simple email. Just not enough time. On top of that I still do not have internet at home. All providers here are switching to optic fibre cables and this apartment -which is newly renovated and it is just beautiful- is in a rather old building and the fibre optic do not reach here, so I cannot get internet installed and I am living of a portable pen drive connection with limited capacity. Working on photography is almost impossible (see my web site, kind of delaying delaying and delaying my updates) and even sending this email will be an issue and I guess I will be sending it from work.

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• So trust me.....if I have planned to leave everybody alone at Christmas, it has been very difficult to do anything else than just work and setting up a place to stay, provisional first and now fixed.

• I was almost ready to send this in March, then in April, then I changed it again in May, and finally I send it now. The other issue is that it takes quite a long time to do this. Finding pictures and editing them –even if I edited them just a little- takes 3-4 full weekends. Yes, you read right. It takes that long to me and finding a reasonable size of the pictures to be nice to see and the overall size of the email to be sent is very difficult. In fact I believe I will have to send this message in 3-4 parts, as I don’t want to jam any of my friend’s email servers

Anyway , here we are…..Another year – terrible year due to the financial crisis – has gone through. Let me just spend a couple of words about the financial crisis. I believe all of this was planned by banks and all the financial “experts”. I mean….look at it…the problem is all based on the western world living well above their possibilities, with mortgages, loand and credit cards. We know it. But the banks made all this game. And they are the ones they survive. They are now making even more disasters as they don’t give loans out to people to get out of the shit. And they are still making shit load of money out of our back. Obviously every governments back them up, because all politicians – right, center, left, green, black, white and red – are involved with it. This is not fair.

• Some of you, my friends, are bankers. Hope you are not getting upset with this. But without going too much into details that is what it looks like to me: all intentionally well planned.

• So how has this year been for me?• Great, really. Lot of happenings and in general all good. Just at the end of the year had some small troubles, life

has troubles for everybody, but in reality I have not been sick all year, I have been in great form ….(hhmmm let’s add extra form, as I am carrying almost 12 kgs above my ideal weight), had some wonderful trips, but not any large trips as usual. Why?

• Well...it was planned to go South Africa and Namibia by the end of season, but the company I am working for – Epsilon Euskadi, also fighting hardly against crisis- had made an application for a F1 entry slot in 2010.

• That meant that if it was accepted, we would have had Autumn and winter going like nuts!!! So I did not want to book anything with the possibility of having to cancel it all later on.

• And when it got to the time, unfortunately we did not get the licence –at that point I just did not have enough resources right away, as crisis had hit my pocket too.

• We are right now in the same situation. We have applied for the 2011 F1 licence and we are waiting for the response. In fact I could not organize any summer holiday because of it, as it was originally planned to go to Greenland

• Basically 2009 has seen me travelling several times to Italy. Sure is that my parents are getting very close to need some assistance every now and then, so even if I still have the dream of going to live in Australia one day, my parents’ care is something I must keep well in mind. And because the years are accumulating very quickly on my shoulders, I may need someone to take care of me too

• Aparts trips to Italy, I took few shorts trips here and there.• Of all these trips, I have been four times in Norway. I just love this country. It’s just amazing. I went in March 2009

as you have already been documentated from the previous summary. Then I went back in June for a short week, and again in September for four days. And I have also been one more time in March 2010 as I have already mentioned, for chasing Northern Lights .

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• In all my resumes I never touched my sentimental life. I believe is the best way of doing. But it is also true that friends should know if there is something lined up in the horizon. And as my springs are getting closer to the 50s rather than the 40s, I’d better think that camera cannot be my only companion!!!!! So I am kind of looking for a companion, and perhaps I have found somebody. I ,met a girl called Lenochka....well Elena is her given name, Lenochka is a nickname!!!!!! I have been long without setting my mind in something like that, and is now getting like kind of rush in my head, starting being worried that I may end up being alone. If I keep working until late , and hiding somewhere in the (few) free weekends I get in a mountain or a lake with my cameras, won’t help any relationship for sure.

• So this year I have promised myself to go out a bit more, like the good old days. But I have already seen that is difficult...something has changed dramatically in my perceiving, in my beahviour. Can’t stand normal bars –here in Spain smoking is still allowed and I last 10-15 minutes in the place. Can’t stand drinking sessions – as you know I have never been a particular friend of this, and now even less.Said so, there is a special things in my city Vitoria, on the Thursday night. It’s called Pintxo&Pote, basically snack and drink. On thursdays several bars offers a pincho, which is an appetizer of the North of Spain (like tapas for the rest of the country) , with a cup of wine or beer for just 1 -1,5-2 euros, therefore it’s very easy to end up drining much for little food

• On the contrary to go out here in Spain, looks like you must be staying out until 7-8 am in the morning in the weekend, which is another thing I hate. So I tend to isolate, because I don’t really have many friends to go out for dinner and just enjoying a couple of drinks. It’s a pity because the city where I live now (as I mentioned earlier) is very good.

• But I have promised this to be changing. I just have to slowly adapt myself to my new style.....(not having the great entertainment as in Melbourne or Montreal where I knew almost everything). And without going racing that should be a new chapter in my life.

• Another factor that I am looking at is given by my position in the company..... I can’t feel relaxed going out with my work mates, because firstly I almost double the age of most of them, and then because I feel like I need to keep a distance as I don’t want to create any privilege or any conflicts with other guys at work. Maybe I am giving myself too much mental complication, but surely I don’t feel at ease behaving as I am with my collagues. The fact of being one person at work and another outside could be a long long debate. Nothing is really sure about this....just point of view and personal belief. All I can say is that someone’s nature can be seen at work , private and public life. It’s very difficult to separate completely all three, and who can do it, is really a master or an actor!! And I can say that I changed my personality in the years gone by. A lot. But some of my character will never be changed.

• Another things I am experiencing, is a return to rock in big style. This year I have already seen Metallica, AC/DC, Slash with Myles Kennedy, Kiss, and next weekend there will be the BBK Bilbao festival with the like of Rammstein, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and many others in 3 days festival, and again in Sptember U2, AND November I will see Alter Bridge – my favourite band, in Spain and Italy

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• Let me now starting with stories and photography.• I shall begin with the racing season• We have entered two cars in the Formula Renault 3,5 also called the World Series, where champions of the like

of Alonso, Montagny, Kovalainen, Zonta, Kubica, Vettel, came from to go directly to F1. We started the season with Adrian Valles on car number 21, as one of the title contender and a rookie New Zealander Chris Van Der Drift –car 22- winner of the Formula Master in 2008. The first races in Barcelona we had two podiums and two fourth, and all looked to be set for a great year. Unfortunately the next race saw Valles yet being very fast , crashing out during the formation lap on race 1 and injurying his hands. In the second race , struggling to control the race he collided with Chris!!!! We were not very happy that day. As season went along we dropped back, not because we were not competitive (with exception of Hungary, where we normally perform well, sadly was a disaster in 2009) , but for many different reasons without a real and unique cause. Eventually Valles was not in the position of challenging for the title any more, and he had option to race the Superleague . The two championships had two race weekends overlapping and we parted away.

• Dani Clos took his place. We had some bad luck in the view of small crashes during his spelt , culminating with the collision once again with Chris Van Der Drift in Portimano when they were 3rd and 2nd. As Clos was also taking part to the GP2 , we had another subsitution on car 21 with the young Japanese promise Ketsuke Kunimoto, winner of 2008 Macao F3 GP. In the end the championship was not too good for our top cars.

• It was indeed our main category of the year – as for car status – because we did not enter the Le Mans Series due to lack of sponsors.

• Unfortunately, after the promising 2008, we had to stop the Le Mans Project , with the unpleasant result of having to lay out most of the personnel employed for this category. It was a very painful moment.

DANI CLOS AT PORTIMAO

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Chris Van Der Drift

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• Instead, glory was about to embrace again Epsilon Euskadi with the Formula Renault 2,0lt.

• We entered 4 cars for two championships. The Eurocup , run alongside the World Series and the WEC (West European Championship) for France, Spain and Portugal. Within the WEC we were also running the France Championship, so basically we entered 3 championships with six titles at stake, drivers and teams ....And we won 5 of them!!!!!

• Albert Costa, Nathalie Berthon, Carlos Muñoz, Miguel Otegui were our four drivers. Albert was the king!! He won Eurocup and WEC. Berthon won the French Championship. And Epsilon won the Eurocup Team title and WEC Team title.

• We also had a fifth driver , Scionti , in a couple of occasions and he did extremely well.

• Albert Costa will be now our driver to challenge the bigger Formula, the 3,5 hoping to clinch the title back , won for the last time in 2005.

Albert Costa

Keisuke Kunimoto

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ALBERT COSTA testing the FR 3,5

• But more importantly , this year as brought the light to our next huge project. A F1 style factory built in a new technological park, in the outskirt of Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Countries. This building of more than 15000sq meters, is one of the biggest in its class, and unique in Spain. Also unique for the Iberic Peninsula is the installation of a 60% scale wind tunnel, built within the outer factory walls.

• Sharing also a very modern concept style inside and outside ,we proudly stepped in our new building in November, making it our new jewel in the eye of the motor racing world and not just.

• The aim was and still clear. The factory was built with the intention of competing and creating racing cars to the highest level of competition in the world, including F1.

• And and incredible occasion turned up in 2009 with the opening of F1 to new teams, very rare fact occurred in the last 10-15 years, especially without the back up of a big car manufacturer.

• We then sent an application, but as probably everybody know, because of the FIA-FOTA war, licences were granted to three teams before the entry was even opened!!! So we obviously were highly disappointed by this. And our boss worked is ass out to secure sponsorship for this project, that obviously was not ina possibility to stay put with us, due to the impossibility of racing. Then in September, with the withdrawal of BMW, another slot was opened, and we again applied, but tat that time we did not have the full back up of sponsorship and it was obviously not accepted.

• While we are working now to try to get another possibility for 2011, we are surviving with our two categories. We are entering the Formula Renault 3,5 again with Kunimoto alongside Albert Costa as mentioned.Unfortunately Albert has missed majority of winter testing due to an injury to his hand (again, like Valles) in an accident early March in Barcelona.

• For the Formula Renault 2L, we have entered one only championship , as the WEC has been cancelled due to lack of teams (again crisis) and we will be racing Otegui, Olive and Venturini, and we are in the process to secure our forth car as I am writing.

• In the meantime we are carrying out other projects as an eletrical city car concept and prototype that we should build within summer 2011, and working on some train, airplanes, bycicle and wind power generator aero configurations in the wind tunnel.

• See what 2010 will bring. In any case I am excited to enter in a my new lifestyle of not travelling for work.

• There will be some exceptions, as the first race was here in Spain and also the last one, so I will attend both.

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• As we are now at almost ovr half season, is proving to be a very tough year for our two teams. We had several good finishes, but just one victory so far. While I am writing Hungary event is underway, a circuit where we have traditionally gone very well. And Albert Costa finished second in the second race. But still missing the victory

• Our company is receiving every day many visits of possible sponsors and technical partners. • We also have a master of engineering specialized in racing car and competicion which counts on over 32

students, coming from various places of the world

Our new factory near Vitoria, North Spain, capital of the Basque Countires

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Our wind tunnel

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• Trips and photography......• You have already seen and known about the first trips of the calendar year

2009. The end of the big South America trip, with pictures of Macchu Picchu, Atacama and Rome at the return of Europe. You have also seen the pictures and Northern Lights from Iceland in January, and other Northern Lights and winter shots from Norway in February and the masks of the Carnival in Venice.

• After that, the racing season started, there was not many chances for any photographic trip in the short term. We had a test with the FR 3,5 V6 Team in Valencia right at the time of the Fallas, a very traditional holiday in the city, where huge puppets are built in all the blocks of the city and on a particular day -may be 19th of March,but I won’t swear- they all get burnt on the spot but one, the winner .

• I was able to spend a longer weekend in Valencia again at Easter. As you know Valencia is now one of my hometown, so I try to go whenever I got a chance.

FALLAS EN VALENCIA

More pictures of Valencia

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As races were fast approaching, did not have chance to go again until June, where I planned a small surgical operations in five days I had in Italy, just before to go to Hungary for the race, and from there I had booked to go for a week in Norway, if everything was okay, or back to Italy to Hospital. Everything went fine so I went to Norway, where I

met with my very good friend of mine of the UK time for two days of the trip, and enjoyed the rest by myself and my cameras. This trip has been fantastic. I really enjoyed Norway at its best, starting from the Oslo, driving to the fjords in

the Bergen area, and in the famous Sognefjord, Aurlandensfjord and the stunning Geirangerfjord. Geirangrfjord below

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Seven Sisters in Geirangerfjiord

Top pictures are again Geirangersfjord. Bottom pictures on the road to Aurland

Higher road over Aurlandesfjord

Near Geiranger and typical Norwegian Church

From there I flew to Bodo and from Bodo to Leknes in the Lofoten Islands. People, Lofoten Islands are a paradise. Absolutely stunning with these high peaks rising form the ocean floor, and incredible

white sandy beaches. I met an incredible fantastic sunny weather and it has been just glorious. Really really amazing.

Lofoten Islands

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For the next pictures I went into this crystal inviting water up to the knees, and despite the look of warm white sandy beach and sunshine he water was so cold that I nearly passed out for the pain I

had in my legs. I went previously in very cold water but I never felt anything like it, perhaps because I went just with part of my body.