Cold start to day two of the Winterfest
It’s 43F this morning in Palm Beach! Brrr, man! I’m standing out in pit lane without coffee wondering what the heck is going on with the temperature today, yesterday the air was on, now its the heat, weird. Not too many Prototypes here at the fest, so I have been pushing myself to think past [...]
2012 Winter Testing at Sebring
In 2011, we didn’t arrive at Winter Testing until tuesday, so we missed out on the IMSA Lites testing. That wasn’t really an option this year, so we made sure to arrive early on Sunday. We landed outside the track, grilled some hot wings and watched the Super Bowl. For fun, our DirecTV receiver decided [...]
The 50th Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona
Um Houston….we might have a problem. The grid walk at the 24 Hours of Daytona last year resembled the Grand Prix of Utah, not a whole lot of people, a couple of thousand, maybe. This year, the walk was wall to wall people. People on the track, people on the grid, people on the grass…..thousands [...]
Waiting for morning Rolex practice
Somehow I doubt the sun will have much impact in this morning’s shooting. Hope the clouds go away for the Conti race this afternoon
Prepping for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona 2012
The time between Christmas and New Year’s is a bit weird. Its like non time. Things happen, but it seems like they don’t have to. We are sitting in Arizona wondering why its so cold here since we came this way on purpose. Its been warmer in our old stomping grounds of Athens, GA. Bah, [...]
2011 Year in the Pits Slideshow Review
I pulled some of my favorite shots from my work in the pits during the 2011 sports car season. Some I chose because of the action or the expression, other are simply visually appealing to me. I hope you like them as well. Enjoy. -Darren 2011 Year In The Pits – Images by Darren Pierson
Petit Le Mans Week 2011
The ILMC/WEC races are starting to have an IndyCar weekend feel to them. The faster cars show up and bring a self-important, aren’t you glad we are here, now go away we are busy vibe. I like the fact that there are so many international entrants, but somehow the Audi vs. Peugeot thing seems to [...]
New catch fence at Road Atlanta
Turn one is suddenly sporting a catch fence. I am not surprised as shooting in T1 at ground level is quite dangerous. There isn’t much decent room on the riser though. Should be a few angry photographers come Saturday morning.
Monday after Laguna Seca office view
We had to shoot on Sunday at Laguna, so we stayed at the track until Monday morning. On Monday we went back towards LA and stopped near Ventura. We had parked here for lunch on the way up to Laguna on Highway 1, so on the way back, we stopped and camped for the night. [...]
ModSpace ALMS Laguna Seca
That was a very long drive across the states. Along with all of the normal fun and excitement of a cross country trip, we got to spend the better part of two days in Mercedes dealerships. Driving though Denver at 3pm on a Saturday, the resonator on the turbo cracked and needed replaced. Two days [...]
Cooper Lites Bridge Grid Shoot
At Laguna Seca, I was asked to shoot a special shot for the Copper Prototype Lites series. I had to keep it under my hat (visually anyway) until after the Cooper Banquet at Petit Le Mans. Before the race on Saturday, we rolled the field out to the Cooper Bridge and aligned them, two Mazda [...]
Baltimore Grand Prix 2011 ALMS
After two races at familiar tracks stretching to learn the nuances of being a series photographer, we headed to the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. A street course that we had never seen and where cars had never been driven in anger (well, other than taxis). Neither Cooper nor GT3 were here; I suppose since IndyCar [...]
Road Race Show Case at Road America
Just before Mid-Ohio I was hired by IMSA to be the Series Photographer for both the Cooper Prototype Lites and the IMSA GT3 Challenge. I had shot both series off and on the the last few years, but only a few sessions here and there. Certainly never all sessions and ceremonies. At Mid Ohio, I [...]
Mid Ohydroplaning
Mid Ohio is one of those tracks. Its a great place to shoot and to race but when we are there, it’s an IndyCar weekend, so we are the warm-up act. All sorts of unfamiliar and sometimes unfriendly people in the paddock and pits. New weird rules, old weird rules. The IndyCars run on Sunday [...]
Mosport, eh?
What’s up with Canada? We love the people, the climate, the attitude. Poutine and Peameal are right in our wheelhouse. Why does Canada keep kicking our asses? Last year wasn’t completely bad, we were only slightly detained and questioned in the border crossing. Later, while hunting for propane in Oshawa, we were introduced to a [...]
Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park 2011
That was a really long break from Long Beach. You could see indications of slight disorientation everywhere as if we were all still not sure where we were. Then the engines started and it all came flooding back in a rush. Sports Car Racing, yes, I remember it now. Shooting at Lime Rock is, at the same [...]
Lime Rock Time!
Proper racing has finally returned to our continent and not a minute too soon. The break in between Long Beach and Lime Rock seems like it lasted eons. We were incredibly busy during the Le Mans respite, so it is for certain traveling to the races would have been difficult. We are just glad the season is [...]
Long Beach Grand Prix ALMS Friday Practice Highlights
I keep wanting to call it morning practice since it started at 7:15 AM, but out here at the Beach, its the ONLY practice. Two hours to set-up the car while learning the track. Then a few hours break and back for qualifications. Not much time for anyone. The Indy Cars are the show out [...]
ALMS TV Broadcast Package v2
I am writing this while watching the FIA GT1 race at Abu Dhabi streamed from the GT1 website. I’m not watching it on my laptop, I’m watching it on our oldish (2001) 55″ HDTV. The quality is not as good as the SpeedTV livestream of F1 practice, but it is quite watchable. Tomorrow, we will [...]
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring 2011
Well, one race into the new season and I am already behind on blog posting. I suppose since I was on the ball for the Rolex24, Winter Testing and Amelia Concours, I can cut myself a bit of slack this time. We were in Florida a week before shooting the Concours at Amelia Island and [...]
Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring 2011-Pre Race
Its Race Day at 6AM and already the line into the track is huge. Its going to be a beautiful day! I’m off to another fun filled 7Am photo meeting but I thought I would share this with you 1st.
ALMS 2011 Winter Testing at Sebring
We were already in Florida after shooting the Rolex 24, so we decided to stay rather than driving back to Georgia and then back down for Winter Testing at Sebring. We spent a few days south of St. Petersburg at Fort DeSoto and then crossed over to Fort Pierce. Sadly, while staying in Fort Pierce, [...]
IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Winter Testing
Prior to ALMS winter testing at Sebring, the GT3 Challenge cars run for two days. They share track time with the Cooper Prototype Lights, with each series alternating hour time slots. This year there were twenty-three GT3s on the entry list and at times it seemed like they were all on the track at once. [...]
Rolex 24 At Daytona 2011
Shooting the Rolex 24 was fun. I didn’t expect it to be. Horror stories abound concerning the Daytona security and staff. Maybe I was lucky, but everyone I had to deal with, from the lady who gave me my credentials, to the guy at Gate 40 who waved goodbye as we left on Sunday, was [...]
