On the road before the world wakes up
Southwards towards Mantorp
I’m heading south for a track day at Mantorp that starts in a couple of hours—a mix of work and pleasure. But what’s actually prompted me to sit down and write this is the feeling of breaking the everyday routine: empty lanes on the E4, the sound of the engine, the sense of being on the move. A sleeping city and a sports car create a unique atmosphere when the world hasn’t yet woken up to its demands.
When everyday life falls silent
It is easy to forget why you need moments like this. Everyday life quickly fills up with meetings, deadlines, and decisions that need to be made—regardless of what you do for a living. But then comes a morning like this, and everything falls into place again. A morning on the course almost feels like a secondary matter; the journey there is the real reward. Time to think, time to catch up mentally.
The small pockets of time
For me, this often happens in the car or on the motorcycle, but that isn’t really the point. It’s about those little pockets of time we all need but rarely take for ourselves. A morning ride before breakfast is set out. A detour on the way home from work, simply because the weather is nice. Fifteen minutes alone—aimless—just to let the noise quiet down for a while. Most of us put it off—"next weekend," "when things calm down"—and then it rarely happens at all.
It doesn't have to be a car
It doesn’t have to be a car. Although there’s a pretty good chance it *is* a car, given that you’re reading this. Or at least something with wheels and an engine. And that’s okay. The point isn’t the mode of transport. The point is actually taking the time, and doing it often enough for it to mean something.
Somewhere south of Norrköping
I am writing this at 5:45 a.m., somewhere south of Norrköping; the sun is fully up, and the day promises to be a really good one. It may sound pretentious, but I wanted to capture the thought before it vanished back into the routine of everyday life.
Summer's Lesson
So, here’s your homework for the summer: find your own version of this. It doesn’t have to take long. It doesn’t even have to be about cars. But if you’re like most people reading this—chances are, it will be anyway.
Hope to see you out on the roads and at the meets this summer!
Jacob Odqvist, CEO Bidders Highway