DPerceptions

#3, Helio Castroneves, Team Penske

I am not sure what I think of these combined race weekends.  I don’t like how everything is compacted and I don’t know how to deal with some of the attitudes.  Some of the new drivers seem like the real deal, perhaps they will inject a bit of life into the series.  I will confess that by Sunday, I had had enough of lugging my gear around the waterfront and chose to watch the IndyCar race as a fan with my wife.

The 1st time the IndyCars took to the track, there were only 2 cars running around, then Milka joined in making it three.  For 15 minutes or so, it felt like I was shooting a Historics race.  Car, car…………..car……………waiting……waiting…………….car, car…………………….car.

#9, Scott Dixon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing

The rest of the teams hit the track and woke me up a bit.  I didn’t really have an outlet for any of the IZOD images, so after making sure I had all of the cars in solid standard shots, I spent the rest of my time looking for new angles and vantage points, striving for a different look.

Most of the other photographers were concentrating in the hairpin area so I stayed up by the fountain and parking deck. Its kind of liberating to be shooting for no reason other than to see what you can come up with. I quite enjoyed it and think I came up with a few good grabs.

#78, Simona De Silvestro, HVM Racing

The race itself was a bit of a snooze.  We watched from near pit in and each time Milka was about to be lapped, her team called her in.  We thought that this was an interesting strategy but she broke before we could see how it played out.  The crowd in the grandstands would roar each time Der Danika drove by but all in all, the fans were much better informed and behaved than the last combined race we attended at Mid Ohio.  It was a fun but tiring weekend and we will be back.  Oh hey, I almost forgot we were able to meet @pinkgineer in person.

@pinkgineer meets @imbutafool and @thepicman at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

My entire downloadable image gallery from the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IZOD IndyCar is available at DPerceptions MotorSports Photography. Thanks for reading and looking!

I have shot open cockpit cars may times.  Most of the P1 and P2 cars in ALMS are open.  Formula BMW and Star Mazda are open. Hell, even the IMSA Lites are open cockpit.  Why was I having trouble keeping the stupid mirror out of the driver’s face?  Its a mystery.  Seriously, it, like everything else, its a matter of timing and figuring out the right angle from which to shoot.

Dario Franchitti rounds the Keyhole during practice for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio ©2009 Darren Pierson/DPerceptions

It had been raining off and on Saturday morning so I was hoping to shoot some giant rooster tails, but it was not to be. The Speed World Challenge cars dried out the track and during the small bit of rain during IndyCar practice, only a few people ventured out on full wets. I had to be content with intermittent showers and no light.

It was still great fun to shoot them though, the braking and cornering they are capable of is astounding.  I’m old though and wish for a return of the days of multiple engine manufacturers, differing chassis marques, turbos and drivers who knew what a right hand turn looked like.  For certain, many of the current drivers in IndyCar have roots in karting and other forms of non circular motor entertainment.  The problem lies in the disparity in skills.  Most all of them are good at planting their right foot and turning left, some of those are also very good at shifting and turning right; not many are good at both.  That’s where the skill and entertainment value are lacking.  I don’t really want to see Justin Wilson or Robert Dornboos drive 250 miles in a circle, I want to see car control, stalking, overtaking, out breaking, you get the idea.  Since great drivers like Paul Tracy and Will Power don’t have rides and lesser mortals do, I don’t suppose those days are coming back.

Marco Andretti exits the Keyhole at Mid Ohio ©2009 Darren Pierson/DPerceptions

My opinion on the series aside, I enjoyed shooting the cars. My entire 2009 Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio gallery is available for your perusal and use.

Thanks for reading and looking!

AMA Superbikes at Road Atlanta, Indy Car opener at St. Petersburg, ALMS at St. Petersburg, LMS opener in Catalunya, WRC in Portugal, World SuperBikes in Valencia, Formula One in Malaysia….and we are going to be at none of them. Ride the couch all weekend I guess.