2015 – TUSCC Qualifying at the Grand Prix of Long Beach (Apr 17 to 19)

The Tudor United Sports Car Championship (TUSCC) qualifying session was held late Friday afternoon. The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP qualified with a best time of 1:14.790 and top speed of 94.729 mph. For GTLM class, the #25 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE topped the charts with a time of 1:17.268 and speed of 91.691 mph. It was a wonderful afternoon for photography under some beautiful late afternoon light. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – TUSCC Practice at the Grand Prix of Long Beach (Apr 17 to 19)

Round 3 of the Tudor United Sportscar Championship (TUSCC) was held on the streets of Long Beach, California. The prototypes and GTLM cars would race next day on this two mile street circuit held through the city streets that surround the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Drive, and the waterfront.  In the Friday morning practice session, the #31 Action Express Racing Corvette DP topped the practice time sheets with a best time of 1:16.063 at 93.144 mph. The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia had a fastest time of 1:18.725 and speed of 89.994 mph for the GTLM class. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – PWC GT Class Race 2 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)

Round 4 of the Pirelli World Challenge GT class was held mid-morning on the streets of St. Petersburg in Florida. Olivier Beretta in the #61 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia won the race, with second place going to Nick Catsburg in the #25 Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo, and third to Kevin Estre in the #9 K-Pax Racing McLaren 650S GT3. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2015 – PWC GT Class Race 2 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)”

2015 – PWC GT Class Qualifying at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)

The Friday afternoon GT class qualifying session was held under rain conditions. There is always something “magical” about photographing race cars in wet weather conditions, with the lights reflecting off the track, water spray coming of the cars, and the droplets of rain caught going through the cars headlights by the cameras shutter. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2015 – PWC GT Class Qualifying at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)”

2015 – PWC GT Class Practice at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)

The GT Class practice session was held on Thursday under beautiful late afternoon light. Frank Montecalvo in the #66 DragonSpeed  Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3 topped the practice sheet with a fastest lap of 1:13.877. Second fastest was Ryan Eversley in the #43 RealTime Racing Acura TLX-GT with a time of 1:13.951, and Kevin Estre in the #9 K-Pax Racing McLaren 650S GT3 at 1:14.324. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – Indy Car Pre-race at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)

The pre-race festivities on the front straight are always an exciting place to be with the teams getting the cars onto the grid, the crowd of excited fans, and everything else that goes on before the race start. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – Indy Car Warm-up at the Grand Prix of St Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)

Warm-up was held at mid-day under sunny blue skies with the cars taking a few laps around the circuit for last minute checks. It was also a good opportunity to get some shots of the drivers and teams as they headed back to the paddock after the warm-up session. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – Indy Car Qualifying at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)

Pole position went to Will Power in the #1 Team Penske Chevrolet with a time of 01:00.69 and speed of 106.77 mph around the streets of St. Petersburg. For the qualifying session stayed in the pits. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – Indy Car Practice at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)

The opening round of the Verizon Indy Car series was held on the streets of St. Petersburg in Florida. The picturesque 14 turn street circuit is about 2 miles in length and encompasses the beautiful harbor front, the Al Lang Stadium, Dali Museum, and part of the Albert Whitted Airport. Will Power in the #1 Team Penske Chevrolet was at the top of the combined practice sessions with a time of 01:01.3621 and top speed of 105.603 mph after 74 laps. Hope you like the photos.

Continue reading “2015 – Indy Car Practice at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Mar 27 to 29)”

2015 – PWC GT Race #2 at the Circuit of the Americas (Mar 8)

Round 2 of the GT class was held under rain conditions and dark skies in the early afternoon on Sunday. Was looking forward to seeing the field of about 50 cars speeding through the rain into Turn 1 and through the Esses. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – PWC GTS Race #2 at the Circuit of the Americas (Mar 8)

Round 2 of the GTS class started mid-morning on a wet track and under overcast conditions. These weather conditions would be a sign to come for the races later in the day. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – PWC GT Race #1 at the Circuit of the Americas (Mar 7)

Round 1 of the GT/GTA/GT Cup class started mid-afternoon under overcast skies. Was really looking forward to this race due to the changes made from last season which led to a field of about 50 cars for this race. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – PWC GTS Race #1 at the Circuit of the Americas (Mar 7)

Round 1 of the GTS season started under sunny skies around mid-day on Saturday. This year the GTS class will compete in their own race due to the rapid expansion of the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC). Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – PWC Qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas (Mar 7)

Saturday morning qualifying was held under overcast skies, with the GTS class on the track first, followed by the GT cars. For these sessions headed over to the outside of the track for shots of the cars speeding through the Esses. Hope you like the photos

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2015 – PWC Practice at the Circuit of the Americas (Mar 6)

For the Friday morning practice sessions headed over to the outside of Turn 9 area so could get the iconic shot of the cars coming over the hill with the Observation Tower in the background. For the afternoon practice sessions went to the top of the Observation Tower for some scenic shots of the circuit, as well as Turns 18 to 20. Hope you like the photos.

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2015 – PWC testing at Circuit of the America’s (Mar 5)

Last week was the start of my motorsports photography season with the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) at the Circuit of the America’s (COTA) in Austin, Texas. It was great to get back to motorsports photography and to cover the awesome sports cars with there new liveries. Arrived in Austin around mid-day, and made it to the track in time to cover the afternoon GT test session. Hope you like the photos. Continue reading “2015 – PWC testing at Circuit of the America’s (Mar 5)”

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)”

2014 Indy Car at the Detroit GP (May 30 to June 1)

At the Detroit Belle Isle GP, IndyCar held races on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons, as well as practice and qualifying sessions. This was a very busy and exciting weekend for IndyCar. Here’s a selection of shots from the race weekend. Hope you like the photos.

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2013 BMW M635 CSi at the ADAC 24h Classic (May 17 to 18)

The BMW E24 series was produced during the 1976 and 1989 model years and was the first 6 Series coupe made by this automaker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_6_Series_(E24)). BMW Motorsports introduced the M635 CSi in Europe in 1983. It was essentially an E24 powered by the M88 engine from the M1 and produced about 282 hp. Most of the cars were equipped with special 415 mm diameter wheels requiring Michelin TRX tires. A catalyzed, lower compression ratio version of the car with the S38 engine, producing 260 hp, was introduced in the US in 1987. 4,088 M635 CSi cars were built between 1983 and 1988 with 1,767 US M6 built. Continue reading “2013 BMW M635 CSi at the ADAC 24h Classic (May 17 to 18)”

2013 BMW M1 at the ADAC 24h Classic (May 17 to 18)

The ADAC 24h-Classic Rennen was one of the races that supported the ADAC Zurich 24h Rennen at the Nurburgring earlier this year. The field consisted of a variety of classic race cars made by Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Porsche, and other manufacturers. Within each make of car there were several different models racing. There was a qualifying session on Friday and the 3 hour race was held on Saturday afternoon. The rain during qualifying made for some interesting driving and tested the skills of the drivers. Whats great about the classic cars is the amount of movement they have when racing on the track, especially going around corners at speed or navigating elevation changes. The classic cars “dance”, in contrast to modern race cars which look like they are “stuck” to the track. But I guess that’s “progress”? Continue reading “2013 BMW M1 at the ADAC 24h Classic (May 17 to 18)”

2013 Nurburgring ADAC 24h-Classic Rennen

Its been a busy couple months with work, vacation, and motorsport photography. Finally have a chance to edit photos from the Nurburgring ADAC 24h-Classic Rennen which occurred before this years Nurburgring 24 Hrs. It was a lot of fun shooting the classic cars since they move around the track a lot more than the modern race cars, and the variety of cars racing. Will be posting stories shortly on these classic race cars. Continue reading “2013 Nurburgring ADAC 24h-Classic Rennen”

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 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)”

Spotlight – In the Paddock and Pits at the 2013 Nurburgring 24 Hrs (May 17)

Friday was the first day we went to the Nurburgring 24 Hrs and we spent the afternoon at Breidscheid, then the late afternoon I walked from the Quiddelback car park for 2 to 3 mile for more shots of the cars (https://dlymotorsportimages.com/2013/05/19/nurburgring-24-hrs-may-17). By the time I got back to the hotel I was very tired since it was a long day walking and shooting in the rain and mud, but it was worth it. Continue reading “Spotlight – In the Paddock and Pits at the 2013 Nurburgring 24 Hrs (May 17)”

Spotlight – Lexus LFA at the 2013 Nurburgring 24 Hrs

I must admit before the Nurburgring 24 Hrs I had never heard of the Lexus LFA, guess I’ve been “living under a rock!” Then on our first day at the track I saw the Lexus LFA for the first time at the Breidscheid spectator area. A sleek looking car was quickly decelerating as it came down the steep hill in torrential rain, with its yellow headlights blazing (which always makes it difficult to get correct exposure, BTW) before turning sharply to the left, and accelerating down another hill, before climbing up a hill and shooting through a slight right-hand curve into the mountains. I thought to myself “wow” what a car. When I got back to the hotel I showed other guests the photos of this car, and they told me it was a Lexus LFA. I immediately did some research on the web about this car. Continue reading “Spotlight – Lexus LFA at the 2013 Nurburgring 24 Hrs”

Tips – 2013 Nurburgring 24 Hrs (Photography lessons learnt)

Continue reading “Tips – 2013 Nurburgring 24 Hrs (Photography lessons learnt)”

Quick Blog – 2013 Nurburging 24 Hrs (May 20)

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)”