I’ve been lucky enough to photograph some pretty amazing cars ever since I joined up with The Charis Culture, everything from souped-up Supras and RX-7s, to old school Corvette Stingrays and Datsuns (coming soon). However, for the gearhead, nothing beats the thrill of shooting motorsport. Something about all the noise, the almost alien nature of some of these machines, the strategy and the chance to get some dope shots gets me excites in ways that would make my girlfriend jealous. This year marks my first trip to the Rolex 24 in Daytona, a 24 hour test of endurance of man and machine and the start of the 2015 Tudor United Sportscar Championship. With my cameras, my girlfriend Caro and snacks in tow, here’s my photojournalistic recap of the race.
I haven’t even made it into the raceway and I’m already busy snapping photos. The forecast called for rain that afternoon, I’m so glad the meteorologist was wrong. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.
We got to the track at just the right time. The cars were being rolled out of the garages and onto the track. The prototype Mazda racer being rolled out here is unique as it and its twin are the only diesel powered cars on the grid.
Here’s the Ford-Riley DP that would eventually go on to win the Rolex 24.
The fact that the general public is allowed on pit road before the race is beyond cool. The chance to meet the drivers see these machines up close is a delight. Nothing on these cars is for show…except maybe the LED lights strips on the sides.
Time to clear the grid, the race is about to begin.
This was one of the better spots on the track to get pictures, turn 3, the “International Horseshoe”.
After about an hour and a half or so Caro and I decided to check out the vendor area and hopefully pick up some ear plugs. These cars are loud! Afterwards, we made our way to see some of the exhibits set up by the manufacturers. What a surprise to see the new Mazda MX-5 Club Racer. The new look is much improved over the outgoing generation. The classic BMW racer wasn’t too shabby either.
At this point the sun was starting to set, so we made our way to the garage area for a change of pace and to try and cover as much of the action as I can. However, there was an opening from the track to the garage area that allowed me to capture this moment.
