2014 Le Mans – Part Two of My Motorsport Photography Year

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the pinnacle of sports car endurance racing. Everything about this race is amazing, from the large field of cars that participate (55 cars in 2014), length of the race (about 3000 miles after 24 hours), size of the track (about 8.5 miles), and the huge number of spectators that attend (263,000 in 2014). Of course their is the incredible technology in the LMP1 cars from Audi, Porsche, and Toyota. Who could have imagined when Le Mans first started 82 years ago, that we now have turbo-electric-kinetic-energy-recovery-hybrid-all-wheel-drive-carbon-fiber-bodywork cars that are highly efficient and have the endurance and speed to “race” for 24 hours. From a photographers point of view, Le Mans must be experienced, since you have the opportunity to photograph the cars under different lighting, weather, and terrain conditions. You also have plenty of time to “get the shot” and many opportunities to get a variety of photos from the “spectator side of the fence” as shown in this photo story.  Since Le Mans is a special race, I’ve dedicated part two of my motorsport photography year to cover round three of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Hope you like the photos.

Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Part Two of My Motorsport Photography Year”

2014 Le Mans – Race Day on Sunday (June 15)

Slept on the tour bus overnight and managed to get about 5 hours sleep. The rising sun woke me up around 5.30 am. By the time I got myself together it was around 6.00 am, and had some snack bars and water for “breakfast”, then headed over to the Esses for early morning shots. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Race Day on Sunday (June 15)”

2014 Le Mans – Race day on Saturday (June 14)

Race day arrives. The tour bus picked up Laura and I around 9.30 am, and we arrived at the track about an hour later. We entered the track at the main entrance, then went to Stand 34, where we had seats over the Audi Sport Team Joest pits and front straight. We stayed at Stand 34 for the pre-race activities, the race start at 3.00 pm, and some of the race. We then went to the bus tour barbecue, then to the Dunlop Stand so I could get photos of the cars in the late afternoon and early evening light. Laura left for the bus back to the hotel around 9.30 pm, and I stayed at the track. Stayed at the Dunlop Stand until darkness fell, then went over to Tertre Rouge and the Esses for some night shots. Around 11.30 pm, walked back to the the bus at the track for some sleep around 12.30 am, and was able to get about 5 hours rest. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Race day on Saturday (June 14)”

2014 Le Mans – Friday Drivers Parade (June 13)

The Select Motor Tours bus took us to the city center of Le Mans for the Drivers Parade which is one of the highlights of the race week. The parade started at Place des Jacobins, near the Cathedral of Saint Julian of Le Mans, around 5.30 pm, and finished from where it started around 7.30 pm. It was the first time I’d been to the drivers parade, and was amazing how many people lined the streets. The parade had an amazing atmosphere with festive spirit, drivers, dancers, marching bands, vintage cars, Supercars, and everything else that was going on. It was great to see the smiles on everyones faces and to see they were having a good time. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Friday Drivers Parade (June 13)”

2014 Le Mans – Friday Pit Walk (June 13)

For the Friday Pit Walk, the Select Motor Tours bus picked us up around 9.30 am from La Ferte Bernard. Race car fans from all over the world were on the bus, including from my home country Australia. Also, met the president of the Mark Webber Fan Club. About 45 minutes later we arrived at Le Mans and the bus parked in the coach parking area near the main entrance to the track. We had until 3.30 pm for the Pit Walk, then the bus would take us to the Le Mans city center for the Drivers Parade, then back to the hotel around 9 pm. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Friday Pit Walk (June 13)”

2014 Le Mans – Wednesday Night Qualifying (June 11)

The Free Practice session finished at 8.00 pm, and decided to stay at the Porsche Curves for the night time qualifying session. In the meantime, got something to eat and drink from the UK Tours food stand, and watched the Porsche Cup cars. The qualifying session started at 10.00 pm and finished at 12.00 midnight, so got some shots of the cars speeding around this corner into the night. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Wednesday Night Qualifying (June 11)”

2014 Le Mans – Part Two of Wednesday Free Practice (June 11)

After photographing some of the free practice session at the “S” Ford Curves from Stand 23, took a ride on the Ferris Wheel to get some elevated shots of the track, then took the long walk over to the Porsche Curves. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Part Two of Wednesday Free Practice (June 11)”

2014 Le Mans – Part One of Wednesday Free Practice (June 11)

For the Wednesday afternoon free practice session (4 to 8 pm), the plan was to get shots of the cars going up the Dunlop Courbes (from Stand 12) and through the “S” Ford Curves (from Stands 22 and 23), since spectators have free access to the stands on Wednesday (and Thursday), which allowed for shots over the fence. Along the walk from Stands 12 to 23, would get shots through the fence in the Virage du Raccordement area. After shooting from Stand 23, would then get some shots from the Ferris wheel, then walk down to the Porsche Curves for evening shots. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Part One of Wednesday Free Practice (June 11)”

2014 Le Mans – Getting to the track, some tips, and front straight (June 11)

The last month has been very busy with two motorsport events back-to-back. Have a couple of weeks off before the next event, so thought it would be a good time to look back and post some stories on my Le Mans adventure. Hope you like the photos from the “spectator” side of the fence. Continue reading “2014 Le Mans – Getting to the track, some tips, and front straight (June 11)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, Audi Wins and Podium Presentations)

We all know car racing is a dangerous sport. We were reminded of how dangerous this sport can be with the passing of the Danish Aston Martin driver, Allan Simonsen, due to injuries he sustained when his Number 95 car crashed at Tertre Rouge early into the race on Saturday afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends. At the request of his family, the Aston Martin team continued to race to honor Allan Simonsen. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, Audi Wins and Podium Presentations)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, The Dunlop and S Ford Curves)

Left the ACO Stand 18 around 6 am and started to walk up the hill to the Dunlop Curves. On the way up the hill I stopped by the Stands towards the end of the front straight for shots of the cars going up the Dunlop Curves before going under the Dunlop Bridge. hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, The Dunlop and S Ford Curves)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, My Night In A Front Straight Grandstand)

It was lightly raining as I walked from the Dunlop Grandstand down the hill to the ACO Stand 18, which I arrived at around 4 am Sunday morning. By now I was cold, wet, and very tired. Luckily I had an ACO membership which enabled me access to the private restrooms and food area in the ACO Stand 18. I highly recommend getting membership to the ACO before you purchase your Le Mans tickets, since it gives you an early reservation opportunity and access to the private ACO areas near the Dunlop Bridge and Stand 18. After grabbing some coffee and a sandwich I sat myself down at a table near one of the closed-circuit TVs to watch the race, with a few dozen other tired fans in the room. After finishing my coffee and sandwich I grabbed my photo gear and went up to Stand 18 and found a seat opposite the Audi and Aston Martin pits, where I watched some early morning pit stop action. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, My Night In A Front Straight Grandstand)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, Tertre Rouge and The Esses At Night)

Masion Blanche to Tertre Rouge

By the time I walked from Virage Porsche to Maison Blanche, night had fallen, and the track and car lights were a “blaze”. Seeing and experiencing Le Mans at night is an amazing experience that can’t be described in words. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23, Tertre Rouge and The Esses At Night)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, Virage Porsche)

After shooting at Stand T23 walked past the Ferris Wheel and exited the track at Maison Blanche. Could have taken the shuttle, but the wait would have been long. Hence, walked to Virage Porsche, which is a relatively easy walk since its flat and not very crowded along the road. After about a 30 min walk arrived at Virage Porsche for some early evening photography. After the shoot went to the UK foodstand to grab some hot french fries and a cold soda for “dinner” before walking back to Masion Blanche. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, Virage Porsche)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, Aston Martin Art Car at the “S” Ford Curves)

While at the viewing platform in Stand 23, practiced my panning technique by using lower shutter speeds than I normally use to get more pronounced blurring of the car during panning. Managed to get down to 1/60th of a sec (although a lot of my images shot at this shutter speed were not very good) and got a good shot of the Aston Martin Vantage GTE “Art” Car (Aston Martin Racing, LM GTE Pro class) speeding through the “S” Ford Curves. I think the Aston Martin “Art” car looks great and was one of my favorite cars at Le Mans to photograph. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, Aston Martin Art Car at the “S” Ford Curves)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, The Esses to Virage Porsche)

After shooting the start of the race at The Esses, I packed up my gear and headed for the “long” walk to Virage Porsche (Porsche Curves). Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, The Esses to Virage Porsche)”

2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, At The Esses)

This is my third time to the Le Mans 24 Hrs, and feel very fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to attend this race. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 22, At The Esses)”

Quick Blog – Audi Wins the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23)

On Saturday took the TGV from Paris to Le Mans and arrived at the track at about 11.30 am. The race started at 3.00 pm and I stayed at the track for the whole 24 hrs, with only about a half hour nap on Sunday morning. It was a marathon photography adventure with the rain, wind, night, crowds, fatigue, and little sleep to contend with. By the time I got back to Paris and into bed I had been up for about 40 hrs. But it was worth it, and what an experience to be with the estimated 245,000 spectators at the track, especially late at night and in the early morning hours at Tertre Rouge. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “Quick Blog – Audi Wins the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hrs (Jun 23)”

Quick Blog – On my way to the Le Mans 24 Hrs, via Switzerland (Jun 14 to 19)

I’m on my way to the Le Mans 24 Hrs race in France. France is one of the most favorite countries my wife and I like to visit, so the “deal” is that I can go to Le Mans as long as we go to Paris for vacation, which is not a bad “deal”. We left the USA last Friday night (luckily the Air Traffic controllers and train strikes were over in France) at about 10.30 pm and flew Air France to Paris. We arrived, at the Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) at about 11.20 am on Saturday morning. As we entered the immigration area, I saw to my left a large advertisement for the 2013 F1 Ferrari watch from Hubolt, which I’m sure is out of my price range. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “Quick Blog – On my way to the Le Mans 24 Hrs, via Switzerland (Jun 14 to 19)”