Thanks NCB....the joys of photoshop make the badge possible. and, yes fred is down here in NZ. He lives near Lake Taupo, apopular tourist destination in the mid north island of NZ, i guess similar to lake tahoe. he is involved in the local scene here, but i did notice he has a teenage son who is coming up thru the ranks of local junior road racers. i wouldnt be surprised to see the merkel name on the international scene again soon.