A1 Grand Prix of Nations

So Terry, Rowan and I drove up to the Laguna Seca speedway just outside of Monterey this weekend to check out the A1 Grand Prix of Nations. Admittedly, I’m not much of a racing fan, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect - I figured we’d drive the 6 hours, park in some random field and sit in the grandstands hundreds of feet away from the track, all while drinking 22 ounce cans of Bud Light and high-five’ing each other as cars crashed into the wall after a missed turn. And I’m pretty sure that’s what would have happened had Rowan not managed to talk himself into 3 FREE all-access press passes and VIP parking for us. That’s right racing fans, I got to enjoy my first race down in the pits.

So here’s the story - Sometime last week, Rowan makes a few phone calls pleading his case for media credentials. “We’re an online ad agency who’s sending 3 guys to cover the race with plans of posting a detailed account of the event online to help generate awareness of the sport Stateside” (A1 is apparently very popular in Europe). That totally sounds legit, right? Well, apparently not as he didn’t have much luck over the phone. But he did manage to get a few names… names of seemingly important people which were promptly dropped when we arrived at the media registration office early Friday morning.

“Hi, I believe there’s been a mixup. I spoke with Sally and she said I needed to talk with Steve who mentioned that I needed to come here and see Suzan about getting our media passes…” Being that Steve was Suzan’s boss, she conveniently overlooked the fact that we clearly weren’t on the list, and promptly handed us the registration forms. To top it off, she gave us 2 photographer’s bibs which gave us almost complete access to the race track. Oh, and that VIP parking pass which allowed us to park right down on the paddock. So, off we went to do “document” the race, which ironically I ended up doing.

With my camera in tow, I ended up packing away 544 photos in total. Of course I haven’t posted all 544 of them, but instead have weeded it down to a mere 52 for you all to enjoy. We spent some time at the “Andretti Hairpin” and the famous Corkscrew - which my photos don’t do justice. It’s crazy how much of an elevation drop there is, and from the drivers perspective, you can’t see the road as you make the corner. But those vantage points are for the average “general admission” spectators - Not us, we have pit passes! So as expected, we spent the majority if our time down in the pits.

With my extremely fashionable photography bib on (and the knowledge that I had signed a lengthy waiver), we could get right out onto the track and pretty much go wherever we wanted. Obviously we had to keep an eye out for oncoming traffic - which is, by the way, moving WAY faster than you think it is… it’s one thing to see it on TV, it’s something completely different in person. Regardless, it was awesome to have the freedom to watch and capture the race from that perspective. But that said, I was laughably outgunned in comparison to the actual photographers covering the race. Jess called it when I told her we got the press passes - “umm, it’s going to be pretty clear you’re not an actual photographer when you pull out that peashooter”. Nothing was said to my face, but I’m pretty sure the big boys were snickering in the back. Whatever, I think this is where I say something about the motion of the ocean and tuck my little Olympus under my arm and walk away.

I think I’ve got a solid handle on how to use an SLR now, and with the recent revelation that yes, photography is my official hobby, I’m starting to consider the upgrade. I don’t think it’s necessary quite yet, but I’ve definitely reached the limitations of my current body+lens combination. The problem is that the next step is one that will require a pretty sizable investment in some hardware, and I’m pretty sure I want that investment to be made on the Canon platform. Sorry my little friend, but things have changed and it just isn’t going to work between you and I. It’s me, not you… I hope you understand.

Anyway, I suppose that’s a discussion for another time. This was to be about racing, not photography. I know you’ve been teetering on the edge of your seat, so how about I wrap this up? Mexico won.