DPerceptions

#62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT: Jaime Melo, Gianmaria Bruni

I thought I would try something different this race.  Thought I might post about it while the sounds of the cars were still in my mind.  We are currently hiding in a parking lot of an RV park.  Not a place we would normally stay as we like trees and distant neighbors, but it does have a few compelling offerings such as full hookups.  We have been off the grid for about a week, so its nice to plug up, run the A/C and charge the batteries.  They also advertised Wi-Fi; a thing I was planning on using to upload the final Sunday images from my last cull.  They do have Wi-Fi here, if you mean they broadcast a SSID and that you can connect to it.  If you define Wi-Fi the same way we do by meaning: Once you connect to a router, you can both stay connected to it for longer than 1 minute and that when you are connected you can go out into the internet; I would have to say they do not provide Wi-Fi.  Luckily, or perhaps merely typically, we have our trusty Mi-Fi, Bob with us.  Bob rules, he kept us online at the Grand Canyon even when we had no cell coverage.

We arrived at Tooele from Bryce Canyon on Thursday afternoon just in time to see the GT3 practice while setting up camp.  Our spot was on Momentum Mountain and we could see the entire track sans the Attitudes which were behind a viewing hill.  A great view.  I will go ahead and offer praise of the facilities at Miller Motorsports Park, their infrastructure is second to none.  The media center and the attention from the staff is unreal, they actually seem to like the idea we are there.  Not that any of the other tracks we visit are cruel and unusually mean, more like all the other tracks need to send their staff out to Miller’s for a briefing.

Friday morning started off with a fun and exciting 7:30 am photo meeting, after which, I went back to the RV for more coffee and to work out the shooting schedule.  I always like to warm up by shooting some of the support series so I went out for the Cooper Lites and Patron GT3 practices.

NGT GT3 Hops the kerbs in the Attitudes

My timing came back fairly quickly so I was into the shooting groove in time for the 1st ALMS practice.  To say Miller Motorsports Park is a vast place situated inside a vast emptiness would be accurate.  To say you cannot bring enough glass to this place would also be true.  Having quantified both of those truisms, a 300mm on a DX body is often perfect.  With a 500mm, you often have to climb hills or back up to properly frame a shot.  Last year, I kept moaning that I needed a 500mm; this year, I had to keep kicking myself to not crop out the mountains in the background.

#99 Green Earth Team Gunnar Oreca FLM09: Gunnar Jeannette, Christian Zugel in the Attitudes

After all, cars on a track can be anywhere, but cars on a track with mountains in the background cannot be in too many places, at least on this continent.  An adage about cows and grass keeps coming to mind.

Saturday arrived and I decided I would shoot the afternoon practice and qualification from inside the track.  By inside, I mean out in the middle where there is not much armco, no shuttles bringing you water, sand, heat and once you are across the track, you are in there until it goes cold again.  In this case, I was stuck out there for a couple of hours.  At one point, it started raining these HUGE drops of water.  I looked up into the sky and there was not a cloud in sight, weird.  The rain stopped pretty quickly, and did not cool anything off….it was hot, I am telling you.  Shooting from the inside was a good choice, there are some great opportunities there and I think most photographers don’t make the effort to go out there.  Shooting something othert than cars on 2 wheels bouncing off the kerbs in the Attitudes was fun.  The disadvantage of Miller’s being so open is that you have to work really hard to keep trucks, campers, signs, port-a-potties and other un-photogenic items out of your backgrounds.  Angle, depth of field and panning are your friends here.

#1 Patron Highcroft Racing Honda Performance Development ARX-01c: David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud heads into Sunset Bend

<rant> While I am thinking of it, can I ask that whomever or whatever organization places the photo stands trackside either actually look at what can be shot from the stands or ask a photographer to help them? </rant>  To recap, Saturday was a great shooting day and I found several new opportunities.

Sunday:  Photo meeting at……….8:30AM!!!!! how strange, usually race day meetings occur before sunrise, Sebring was particularly dark.  I get to sleep in, hooray.  Nope, house batteries died Saturday night before I could finish uploading my files, so I was at the media center bright and early at 7am for power and internet.  Drag.  The photo meeting went as usual, we were told not to get run over and where we could go.  Later, the people who actually needed to know these things showed up.

Fire suits and Utah summer sun are not friends, thankfully there was a huge grey cloud overhead for the grid line up and starting ceremonies.  Soon after the 1st few laps, the sun came out and I began baking in my black suit and helmet.  I started the day by shooting the pits and grid then went out to Sunset Bend for the start.  After a few laps, I went back to the pits to shoot there for a while.  Its unreal standing next to a car as it blasts back out of its box, the exhaust wash is incredible.  Ok, its stupid and insane to be 2 feet from a race prepped F430 as it drops and slams out of its pit.  Stupid, really stupid, but fun.

#02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F430 GT: Ed Brown, Guy Cosmo

I shot pit stops for about an hour and then went out to the Attitudes to finish up before the podiums.  Last year, we had this plywood riser from which to shoot the trophy presentations, it was rather flimsy and actually broke during the podium ceremonies.  This year they provided us a nice solid 6 inch high riser. Pretty useless, but at least we didn’t have far to fall.

Podium Ceremony Class Winners at the 2010 Utah Grand Prix

Miller’s is a great facility to visit and I suggest you do so.  I heard that next year the race was going to be a six hour race.  Since they do not have lights, I am betting for an early start.

Thanks for reading and looking!  My entire Utah Grand Prix Gallery is available at DPerceptions MotorSports Photography.  See you at Limerock.

Darren

2009 Utah Grand Prix Risi F430 pits during friday practice

I am posting this from the Grand Canyon while we are having morning coffee.  Technology can be a groovy thing, can’t it?  Rather than flying out like I did last year, we decided to bring the entire family and make a holiday out of it.  We have traveled through, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and finally Arizona.  Tomorrow, we head north from the Canyon and up into Utah.  Part of the trip so far has been trying to see as much of Route 66 as is left.  Sadly, most of it has been consumed by time and I40, but there are still many interesting detours.  We also took a detour in Louisiana to see the site where Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed and riddled with bullets.   Its been a fun and interesting trip.

Cadillac Ranch

No trip through Texas would be complete without a stop at Cadillac Ranch.

My coverage of the race will begin on Friday at www.dperceptions.com, and I really cannot wait as I feel some of my best work came for the track last year; excited to tweak my shots and to find new ones. I was unable to make it out to Laguna Seca, so it has been quite a while since I have been out there with the circus. Here’s to hoping for less mayhem on the start this year. See you soon!

2009 Utah Grand Prix Gil de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud celebrate their win

I was in Utah once before as a young lad.  Kim and I have also been through SLC airport many times on our way to Cali and Vegas.  Still, the differences I noticed when stepping outside in search of my rental car were staggering.  I left Atlanta on a red-eye and it was already oppressively muggy for May.  The 10AM air in Utah was warm, but completely lacking in moisture.  There were mountains everywhere, there was SNOW on them.  Weird.

I acquired my Hyundai Accent (no thank you, I don’t wish to upgrade to a similar POS car for only $3.86 more a day) and headed out of the airport in search of my hotel.  Strangely, my hotel was at the next exit, exactly where it was supposed to be. Even more strange, the chipper desk clerk Nancy let me check in to a room at 10:30AM.  Things seemed to be going well so I went to my room to freshen up and to send a twitpic back home to my wonderful wife.

I needed to drive out to Tooele to check-in and pick up my credentials, so I threw a few cameras over my shoulders and headed down to the car.  As the desk clerk watched me leave the hotel with my gear, she offered, “Good Luck”. This gave me pause, but I left anyway.

Driving on I-80 around the lake is surreal.  I assume it must be somewhat like driving on the moon.  Nothing, lots of nothing. Well, mountains and a big ass lake I guess, but that’s about it.

I followed my directions onto a few county highways and then exited onto “Sheep Lane”, no shit, Sheep Lane.  Lots of cows, a few horses, an airplane, no sheep.  Hey look!  A racing complex.

Miller Motorsports Park is fantastic.  The place is scenic, well maintained, clean, new, ready to roll.  The staff in the media center and in the courtesy vans were amazing.  I have not felt so pampered and cared for since the Omni Royal Orleans last New Year’s.  Even MMP’s marketing person, Jen (@MMP_Utah) was tweeting at me out on the track to keep hydrated. As a photographer, when I am working, I have become accustomed to feeling somewhat like an unwanted insect.  Miller’s people reminded me that I am actually doing something that a lot of people wish/think they can do.

Fast forward a few days and several Polygamy Porters.  Race day!  7:30AM photographer meeting.  I leave my hotel in the pre-dawn and watch the sun rise on the tops of the mountains as I head towards Tooele.  Its early, too early, but I have never been here before and don’t want to get stuck in traffic.  Not to worry as the mighty Hyundai gets me to my parking spot by 7AM.  I land next to some Patron team members who shout at me that my coffee mug is too small. Weird way to to start the day.

The morning continues on its oddball bent as I arrive at the locked Media Center.  The major-domo is standing there talking on her cell phone, trying to get someone to come unlock the door.  I drink my inadequately sized coffee and wait.  Eventually she finds her way in and we all go inside and prepare for the day.

Fire suits are hot.  Sounds stupid but true.  I had never worn one, but to shoot in the hot pits during the race, you have to be protected.  Eventually my body acclimated and I forgot about my discomfort.  Cars flying in and about and tires, fuel, screeching and away will do that to you.  At one point, I was leaning into a Flying Lizard pit stop and got hit in the head with the ground clamp.  It was disconcerting to get whacked, wonder what happened, look down, see a jumper cable clamp, realize you are not really hurt and then go back to shooting all in the space of 1 second.  I looked up later and saw the mortified look on one of the Lizard pit crew.  I gave him a thumbs up and he smiled and went back to work.  Good on him to notice and then drop it.

The race was great and the venue was tip top.  I met a bunch of people that I hope and expect to see again soon.  Oh yeah, my pix are sick. You can view the complete ALMS Utah Grand Prix photo gallery and the Mazda/Jetta photo gallery.

Life doesn’t seem too bad