Audi R18 – David Yowe Photography Blog

2014 Le Mans – Part Two of My Motorsport Photography Year

December 29, 2014March 26, 2016Posted in Audi, Le Mans, Porsche, Toyota, WECTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi, Audi R18, Le Mans, Porsche 919, R18, Toyota TS040, WEC, World Endurance Championship2 Comments

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)

July 13, 2014March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Petit Le Mans, Porsche 919, Toyota TS 0402 Comments

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 – Friday Pit Walk (June 13)

July 6, 2014March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Le Mans, Porsche 919, Toyota TS 040Leave a comment

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)

July 5, 2014March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Le Mans, Porsche 919, Toyota TS 040Leave a comment

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)

July 5, 2014March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Le Mans, Porsche 919, Toyota TS 040Leave a comment

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)

July 5, 2014March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Le Mans, Porsche 919, Toyota TS040Leave a comment

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)

July 5, 2014October 20, 2017Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Autosport, Le Mans, Motorsport, Porsche 919, Toyota TS040Leave a comment

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 International Sports Car Weekend (COTA, Sep 22)

September 22, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in Circuit of the Americas, COTA, WECTagged Audi, Audi R18, Circuit of the Americas, COTA, R18, WEC10 Comments

Continue reading “2013 International Sports Car Weekend (COTA, Sep 22)” →

2013 International Sports Car Weekend (COTA, Sep 21)

September 22, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Circuit of the Americas, COTA, WECTagged ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Audi, Audi R18, Circuit of the Americas, COTA, R18, WECLeave a comment

Continue reading “2013 International Sports Car Weekend (COTA, Sep 21)” →

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

July 17, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in Audi, Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Aston Martin, Audi R18, Ferrari F458, Le Mans, Motorsport, Porsche, R18, Toyota, TS030Leave a comment

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, Tertre Rouge and The Esses At Night)

July 10, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Corvette, Ferrari F458, Le Mans, Motorsport, Porsche, R18, SRT, ViperLeave a comment

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)

July 9, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged Aston Martin, Audi R18, Auto racing, Autosport, Le Mans, Motorsport, Porsche, SRT, TS030, ViperLeave a comment

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, The Esses to Virage Porsche)

July 4, 2013October 20, 2017Posted in Le MansTagged Audi R18, Autosport, Car Racing, Endurance car, Le Mans, Motor Racing, Motorsport, R18, Toyota, TS030Leave a comment

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)

July 2, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in Le MansTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Aston Martin, Audi R18, Auto racing, Autosport, Car Racing, Le Mans, Motor Racing, Motorsport, PorscheLeave a comment

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)

June 24, 2013October 20, 2017Posted in Audi, Le Mans, Motorsport, Quick blogTagged 24 Heures du Mans, Audi R18, Auto racing, Autosport, Car Racing, Le Mans, Motor Racing, Motorsport, R186 Comments

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 – 2013 Nurburging 24 Hrs (May 20)

May 20, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in Nordschleife, Nurburgring, Quick blogTagged Audi R18, Auto racing, Autosport, Car Racing, Lexus LFA, Motor Racing, Motorsport, Nordschleife, Nurburgring, R18Leave a comment

Got to bed at about 12.30 am last night, hence getting up today was hard, with my bodying aching with all the walking and carrying the camera gear over the last few days, but it has been great exercise. The race was restarted around 8 am, with the rain gradually getting lighter to overcast skies with periodic light showers. Got to the GP circuit part of the track (didn’t feel like going to the less accessible parts of the track due to the wet conditions, mud, and traffic) around 11.30 am, which gave us about 5 hours for photography. Continue reading “Quick Blog – 2013 Nurburging 24 Hrs (May 20)” →

2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 16, part 3)

March 16, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in ALMS, Motorsport, SebringTagged ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Audi R18, Auto racing, Autosport, Car Racing, Motor Racing, Motorsport, R18, SebringLeave a comment

Turn 1 (inside turn from Turn One Club, mid-afternoon)

By mid-afternoon started to get hungry so walked over to the Audi Turn One Club for a late lunch and sat in a small Grandstand which was right next to the inside of the apex of Turn 1. This was a great place to be very close to the cars, but taking photos of the cars was very challenging since it was a blind corner. Continue reading “2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 16, part 3)” →

2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 16, part 2)

After watching the start of the race I decided to walk over to the outside of Turn 1. This is where a chance meeting led to a great photographic opportunity. On the way I stopped at a restroom, then as I was leaving the restroom, put my camera backpack on a Golf cart to organize my gear. As I was doing this, the gentleman who owned the Golf cart asked “where was I going?” I mentioned I was on my way to Turn 1, so he said, “I’ll take you there”. Continue reading “2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 16, part 2)” →

2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 16, part 1)

Got up early and got to the track around 9 am. Drove through Gate 1 and parked at the Audi Corral overflow car park (thanks again to the Audi fan who gave me a spare parking permit). On race day its very hard to find a general parking area and would recommend parking in the overflow parking area through Gate 3 if you don’t have access to car corrals. I had the day all planned in terms of which track location I would be at, what time of day etc. Had planned to shoot the start of the race between the inside straight between Turns 2 and 3 to get front shots of the cars speeding down the straight and bunched up (like I did last year). However, as you know, all the planning gets “thrown out the window” when you are on site, and in this case it led to some great photographic opportunities, which I’ll expand later in this positing. Continue reading “2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 16, part 1)” →

2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 15, part 3)

March 15, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in ALMS, Motorsport, SebringTagged ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Audi R18, Auto racing, Autosport, Car Racing, Motorsport, R18, SebringLeave a comment

For the ALMS qualifying sessions I walked from the Audi Turn One Club to the inside of Turn 3 to 4 areas since the afternoon sun would be at my back and would be illuminating the side and front of the cars facing me. I used the 300mm with 2x extender to get tight shots of the cars exiting Turn 3 and going into Turn 4. Tried to shoot as low as possible 3/4 front shots of the cars to give them depth and to capture some of the spectators in the background. Continue reading “2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 15, part 3)” →

2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 15, part 2)

March 15, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in ALMS, Motorsport, SebringTagged ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Audi R18, Auto racing, Autosport, Car Racing, Motorsport, R18, Sebring, Sports carLeave a comment

Before attending the race I found out that Audi of America were offering an opportunity to participate in the Audi Motorsport Experience at Sebring, and to quote from their website (www.audimotorsportexperience.com) “…. as a special Farewell to Sebring …. to show appreciation for all of our special Audi fans who have cheered us on through many Sebring victories ….”. Continue reading “2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 15, part 2)” →

2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 15, part 1)

March 15, 2013March 26, 2016Posted in ALMS, Motorsport, SebringTagged ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Audi, Audi R18, Auto racing, Car Racing, Motorsport, R18, Sebring, Sports carLeave a comment

Today was to be long and exciting day with many great photography opportunities on track and in the paddock. Was also fortunate enough to participate in the Audi Motorsport Experience, which I’ll talk about in Part 2 of the March 15 posting. For easy access to Turn 6, drove the car through Gate 1 and parked in the general parking area near the Walkover bridge and the Party Zone. Continue reading “2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 15, part 1)” →

2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 14)

March 14, 2013October 20, 2017Posted in ALMS, Motorsport, SebringTagged ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Audi, Audi R18, Auto racing, Car Racing, Motorsport, R18, Sebring, Sports carLeave a comment

The 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (Sebring, Florida, USA) would be a special race since it would be the last time the ALMS race at this track before next years merger with Grand-AM to form the United Sportscar Racing series. Continue reading “2013 Sebring 12 Hrs (Mar 14)” →

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