During the day you can find Sebastian Tretter in the motor pool at the Kaiserslautern plant, and after work he likes to tinker with one of his Opel classics. He has eight of them in the garage. And with one of them he has now embarked on a special journey towards the Arctic Circle: On Saturday (February 24th) the 26-year-old started the northernmost rally in the world, the Baltic Sea Circle.
The vehicle that accompanies him on this journey is an Opel Astra G, built in 2002. The Astra already had 180,000 kilometers on the clock when he bought it nine years ago, and now it has clocked up an impressive 390,000. “I can rely on the Astra, it has never let me down,” says the hobby mechanic. Apart from wearing parts, there have been no repairs so far. “My goal is to complete 400,000 kilometers in the rally.”
The trip is tough: GPS and sat nav stay at home, only a map and compass are allowed. The “Baltic Sea Circle” runs 7,500 kilometers around the Baltic Sea. You start with vehicles that are at least 10 years old; motorways are taboo. There are challenges to solve along the way and the participants collect donations for a good cause. Sebastian Tretter and his co-pilot Jens Nowagk have decided to support the “Mama/Dad has cancer” association.
The reliable one with starting number 105: “I can rely on the Astra, it has never let me down,” says Sebastian Tretter.
The trained electrical engineer has prepared for all eventualities; spare parts such as spark plugs, a fuel pump and an alternator are in his luggage. Spikes are also included, as sections of the tour lead over frozen ice lakes. Sebastian Tretter has also equipped the Astra with steel underrun protection for rough terrain. We will report on how the 16-day trip went after our colleague returns on March 10th.
February 2024
Photos: private, graphics: Baltic Sea Circle