git-repack -a -d produces unusable packs with 1.4.0

Hello everyone,
what on earth is going wrong here (this is with 1.4.0):

        (node01) [~] git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git
        Checking files out...)
        100% (19830/19830) done
        (node01) [~] cd linux-2.6/
        (node01) [~/linux-2.6] git repack -a -d
        Generating pack...
        Done counting 263175 objects.
        Deltifying 263175 objects.
        100% (263175/263175) done
        Writing 263175 objects.
        100% (263175/263175) done
        Total 263175, written 263175 (delta 206825), reused 262943 (delta 206593)
        Pack pack-ce49d2efd5af06ed6093049050b5ba41da8b683f created.
        mv: overwrite `.git/objects/pack/pack-ce49d2efd5af06ed6093049050b5ba41da8b683f.pack', overriding mode 0444? y
        mv: overwrite `.git/objects/pack/pack-ce49d2efd5af06ed6093049050b5ba41da8b683f.idx', overriding mode 0444? y
        fatal: packfile .git/objects/pack/pack-ce49d2efd5af06ed6093049050b5ba41da8b683f.pack does not match index.
        (node01) [~/linux-2.6] git repack -a -d
        Generating pack...
        fatal: expected sha1, got garbage:
        fatal: packfile .git/objects/pack/pack-ce49d2efd5af06ed6093049050b5ba41da8b683f.pack does not match index.

Oh and are there localized git mirrors like for example
git.de.kernel.org or is the git protocoll only available from the
primary site?

        Thomas