Unfortunately the prototype ranks have hit a rough patch these last few years and the competition is not always awesome.
Perhaps the most groundbreaking thing of the year was the Nissan Deltawing. While I don’t really enjoy the looks of it, as a person who is very much interested in the technical side of motorsports, I really do believe that this is a great project. It’s a totally radical concept and the fact that it exists get’s me excited that there is still some creativity to be found.
In contrast to the somewhat bland tracks of Daytona and Sebring, I was really in awe at the natural beauty of Mosport. It’s one Canadian thing that I will admit to liking. The lap around Mosport is insanely fast and it’s totally old school in terms of safety.
Being so close to the action with little protection made the trackside shooting quite thrilling. Of course there’s also a serious side to this where I really have to be aware of where I am and always be watching out because some places are quite dangerous.
The second fantastic addition to the year was the four hour ALMS race at Virginia International Raceway. The layout of the track was amazing to shoot and I imagine it would be even more amazing as a driver.
I can’t talk about stunning tracks without giving mention to Laguna Seca, however I’ve been there enough times that it’s now a bit of a standard for me. It is still one of my favorite tracks and also being on the west coast is a plus.
This year I had the privilege of getting a first person experience of the track courtesy of Cadillac. Riding shotgun with Andy Pilgrim in the CTSV-R was one of the best experiences of my life to date.
Watkins Glen was a great experience as well. The history this place has is just incredible. I had the pleasure of getting a tour of the old circuit that ran through the city streets in Watkins Glen by friend and fellow photographer Regis Lefebure. I didn’t bring my camera with me unfortunately, but to imagine people racing the old layout in the late ’40s and early ’50s is just insane. The “new” track isn’t half bad either.
Unfortunately the six hour race took place smack dab in the middle of the day. The race did not start early enough to catch the nice morning light, nor did it run late enough into the evening.
Fortunately for the photographers, the ALMS likes to run their longer four, six, and twelve hour races firmly into the twilight hours.