AT-front

Events - Profitable Spin-off from Car Testing

Monika Ekerhag from Hemavan is in charge of her 55 dogs that are used for the various events here.

The ‘Events’ business is an offshoot of the car testing industry that is now growing very fast in Arjeplog.
Many people around the world are finding adventure and excitement in the icy cold winter of Arjeplog and they are prepared to pay a lot of money for it.
Driving cars on ice, snow-mobiling, dog sledding and other adventurous activities are bringing hundreds of people to this area.
Some people think that the events business might grow to be as big or bigger than car testing. There is also a possibility that events are going to prolong the winter season.

The events business has two starting points. First of all, Gunnar Fjellström and Dieter Röscheisen from Porsche organized safety driving events in 1993. In later years they arranged several similar events. They hired local Saami people and famous rally drivers to give special colour to their events.
Gunnar Fjellström says that in those days the car testing companies were not so keen on the events. He does not really know why, but thinks that maybe they wanted to keep Arjeplog to themselves.
The second starting point was in 2002 when Jan Edvardsson, owner of Silverhatten, attended a fair in Germany and managed to convince AMG/ IWC (watches) to do their launch in Arjeplog. The event brought journalists from the whole world and was such a success that AMG now hold all their winter events in Arjeplog. They rent the Silver Lodge (called ‘AMG-Lodge’ during the winter) and bring lots of guests throughout the season. Audi have their own garage and lodge at Silverhatten and BMW have their own event facilities at Kraja.
Other companies have also inquired about coming to Arjeplog for their event next year.

Read more here

Gunnar Fjellström, standing, was one of the first to arrange events in Arjeplog. Here with participants at an event in 1994. On the right, Margit Blind.

Friday March 5, 2010. Sunrise: 6.47 Sunset: 17.14
Length of day: 10 hours, 27 minutes. Length of visible light: 12 hrs 10 min.

This & That

• Today, Friday March 5, is the last time lunch will be served at Kraja for this season. Silverhatten will continue to serve lunches Mondays-Saturdays.

• The problem of having only one toilet at Harrys on a pub evening is very apparent. Thair, the owner, says that they are aware of the problem and will put in another toilet after the season. In the meantime, perhaps, the toilet at Frasses can be used as well.

• Some people drive much too fast on the Slagnäs Road and this is dangerous for the pedestrians who walk along this road.
Some car testers walk to work at Car-test which is situated on the Slagnäs Road and they are frightened to death when cars come driving past at high speeds. There is no pavement and no other place to walk except on the side of the road.
So, take it easy along that road.

• If you are planning to eat at one of the restaurants in the evenings, please book a table, especially if you are a group of people. The restaurants will appreciate this and they will be able to give you better service.

• There were many locals and car testers at the celebration of Silverhatten’s 40th anniversary last Saturday evening. Many car testers really want to meet locals and were very happy to see so many out that night.
There was an abundance of locals who were born in 1970 as they were treated to dinner by Silverhatten which was built that year.

• Test engineer Brian Gerrard
will be returning to Arjeplog on 7th-12th March after an 8-year absence.
Brian was a part of the first ever team of English car testers in the Arjeplog area. He worked for Lucas Girling back in 1982 and spent many winters here up until 2002.
He returns this winter with Jaguar Land Rover as part of the Off-Road Capability team.

Brian Gerrard, Jaguar Land Rover

• This week, a person was taken to hospital after their car collided with a snow-plough in the heavy snow smoke.
The driver of the car caught up with the plough without seeing it. The accident happened 30 kms east of Arvidsjaur.
• There was an alleged rape in Arvids-jaur last weekend. The police are investigating the accusations.

• The young men, who threw fire-bombs at the policeman’s house and car in Arvidsjaur a month ago, were sentenced this week to three years in prison for arson.

• It is now permitted to hunt for lynx (lodjur) in Sweden. 209 animals are to be killed by hunters and there is already a strong debate about the hunting of such a rare predator.

It is not a car, it is an EPA-tractor and it can be driven legally by 16-year-olds. It has its roots in the second world war and nowadays it is a way for teenagers to have their own four wheels.
During the second world war the Swedish government allowed people to rebuild cars into tax-free tractors which were then used in farming and forestry. The cars had to comply to certain rules, for instance no suspension and a speed limit of 20 kph. These cheap tractors were nicknamed ‘EPA-tractors’ - EPA was a chain of discount stores and the word was often used to signify something cheap and lacking in quality.
After the war it remained popular, not as a farm vehicle but as a way for young people without a driver’s license to own something similar to a car. Since it was legally seen as a tractor it could be driven from 16 years of age and only required a tractor license.
In 1975 a similar type of vehicle was introduced in Sweden, the A tractor (Arbetstraktor or work tractor). The A tractor has a top speed of 30 km/h, which is done by fitting two gearboxes in a row and not using one of them.
It is well known that some kids use sophisticated methods to disable the speed limiting devices. If they are stopped by the cops they can quickly make it legal at the push of a button.
These vehicles are often customized and loved by their owner

Rickard Andersson, 16, glides around town in his modified Volvo which he thinks is the most beautiful of all.

Car Spies Get a Taste of their Own Medicine again!

The following mail came to us, (the car spy involved is Stefan Baldauf):
“This paparazzo was seen close to the Posche development center. We did not do anything (why should we) passed him with our vehicles and just told the colleagues in our office that there is a paparazzo. One of the colleagues in the workshop made fun out of it and drove by that photographer to take photos of him!
But the paparazzo was not amused at all, he complained, was insulting, he even threatened “We will see us in the Arjeplog Times...”! What should that mean?
The attached foto shows him leaving the place when our colleague was taking pictures of that gentleman. This was surprising then for us.”

Stefan Baldauf from SB-Medien, was photographed by Patricia Eck, who is in charge of Porsche workshop organization.

She said that the car spy was very rude and insulted her, but luckily she is a tough lady.