motorsports – Page 5 – Speed and Sport Journal

Photo Stories: Anatomy of an Incident.

September 28, 2014
by joel

It’s an inevitable part of what they do. Anyone who races for a living knows it can happen in a heartbeat. But you put it in the back of your mind and try to concentrate on the task at hand. While coming up through the ranks every racer has had their share of crashes, spills, and near misses. The very nature of being fast means you have to operate on that thin edge between control and disaster. You do what you can to avoid the latter, but it’s not always in your hands.

All of this brings us to todays story. We are at Road America for the 2014 AMA Subway SuperBike doubleheader. It is race (1) of the Daytona SportBike class. Joe Roberts is on his number 3 M4 Motorcycle Road Racing Honda CBR600RR. As he enters turn five he goes wide onto the rumble strip. Not sure why, maybe to avoid crowding Elena Meyers on the number 21 Triumph on the inside. Whatever the reason things began to go wrong from that point on. At first he looks to have things under control, then the back end begins to slide to the right. As he attempts to correct it, the back end slides too far left causing him to high side, and go over the the front of the bike. The photos tell the rest of the story.

After landing chest first on the rumble strip, Joe Roberts attempted to get up. He was only able to crawl to his bike, and then sit down. He was taken away in an ambulance, but was back in action at the next AMA event at Barber Motorsports Park a few weeks later.

The BMW M1

Since there have been cars, there have been discussions and arguments about which is best or coolest. All of us, myself included have our favorites. Weather it be affordable production cars or expensive exotics, any of us can go on for long periods about which we would or would not own.

bmwm1-01 — Henry Schmitt’s 1979 BMW M1 at The Hawk with Brian Redman.

Speaking for myself, I can think of car companies who make some models I would consider owning, and a couple who do not make anything I would spend money on. Among these are Volkswagon, Suburu, and BMW.

bmwm1-03 — Henry Schmitt’s 1979 BMW M1 at The Hawk with Brian Redman.

That brings us the subject of this article. While BMW does not make anything I would ever buy, they have made a couple of cars which I admire and respect. Both the BMW M3, and M5 make good looking cars in race form. Both are popular in various racing series from SCCA to Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, and have had a measure of success. The M5 in particular has a solid winning record in GT racing. Run in the American LeMans series by Rahal Letterman Lanigan, they recorded several wins in the M5 before moving to the Z4.

bmwm5-01 — The BMW M3 of Rahal Letterman Lanigan at Mid Ohio in 2012.

bmwm5-02 — The BMW M3 of Rahal Letterman Lanigan at Mid Ohio in 2012.

The one car made by BMW that I can honestly say I truly like was the M1. Manufactured between mid 1975 to 1980, the M1 is a sleek exotic sports car with stunning looks and performance. The total production run of this car was only 430 units. I can only remember ever seeing one on the streets. I was pleasantly surprised to see two of them running in “The Hawk with Brian Redman” at Road America this year. I can also say I like it as much now as I did then.

bmwm3-01 — Fall Line Motorsports BMW M3 at Blackhawk Farm Raceway.

bmwm3-02 — A pair of Fall Line Motorsports BMW M3’s at Blackhawk Farm Raceway.

Photo Stories: The Ferrari 312 T5

While it’s a great looking and sounding car, in vintage racing, this 1980 Ferrari 312 T5 was one of the least successful of Ferrari’s Formula 1 efforts. Plagued by a lack of power from it’s naturally aspirated flat 12 engine (most other manufacturers had gone to turbos), indifferent handling, and all around poor performance. Even with reigning World Champion Jody Scheckter at the wheel, it failed to qualify in Canada. Earning only 2 points for the 1980 season, it was the second worst performance by the company to date.

Still in all Ferrari took what few gains they had made with the design, and incorporated them into the 1981 126 C & CK the following year, and thus ushering in the era of the twin turbo Ferrari’s. While the twin turbo CK proved a bit problematic, the C yielded better results. However there were still reliability issues that would not be worked out until the 1982 season with the introduction of the 126 C2.

Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary

May 4, 2014May 5, 2014
by joel

2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Ford Mustang. Being introduced in 1964, the Mustang was by no means the first sporty car either foreign or domestic. It was however the first sports car for the masses. With a base package starting at $2,368, it made it possible for the average person to afford something stylish and sporty. With a less than whiplash inducing 164 Hp 260 cu in V8 as the base engine, Ford was able to keep it affordable and still provide plenty of pep given the size and weight of the car. The engine was upgraded to the 210 Hp 289 cu in within six months of production. Each successive generation saw larger and more powerful engines.

mustang-02 — One of Roush Racings Mustangs which compete in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

The Mustangs arrival had a much bigger impact on the automobile market than just a new stylish car. It created a new class of car. With the later introduction the Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, Dodge Challenger, Plymouth Barracuda, and the AMC Javelin, a whole new class of cars was created. The Pony car. New racing series were created to showcase the performance of this growing class of cars. In drag racing, the pony car helped usher in the Pro Stock class. This is still a very popular class because unlike other drag racing classes, spectators can see the very cars they might own on track competing.

mustang-03 — This vintage 1970 Boss 302 Mustang is similar to the one Parnelli Jones drove to a Trans-AM championship.

mustang-01 — As seen here Cliff Ebbens composite body modern Trans-AM mustang is a long way from the original.

High horsepower, small wheel bases, and nimble handeling made these cars extremely popular, and lead to the inevitable, racing. The Mustang made it’s first track appearance not as a race car, but as pace car for the 1964 Indianapolis 500.

While competing in multiple racing series, where it really shined was in Trans-AM in the late sixties and early seventies. Run on North American road courses, this European style road racing was very popular, and the Trana-AM Series lives on to this day. The great Parnelli Jones and George Follmer drove a Boss 302 Mustang to the Trans-AM championship. The GT 350 R version, the race version of the Shelby GT 350 was very successful in SCCA racing.

mustang-06 — Here we have a vintage GT 350 R, the racing version of the Shelby GT 350 Mustang.

From it’s inception to present generations (six in all), the Mustang proved to be a capable competitor in most every form of racing in which it has competed. It doesn’t look as if that will change anytime in the near future.

mustang-07 — A Roush Racing SCCA Mustang.

mustang-05 — The GTS class of the Pirelli World Challenge series has several Mustang competitors.

mustang-08 — Another Mustang from the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

Vintage Auto Racing

It’s hard to truly describe vintage racing to someone who has not seen it. When you see vintage race cars on display at an auto show, or in a museum, you can’t help but be impressed by these machines. Compared to today’s computer designed and controlled marvels, it is hard to imagine technology from 1926 as state of the art.

svf-12-02 — This 1927 Bugatti 38A is one of the older classic racers on the vintage circuit.

Whenever I talk to someone, and show them pictures of vintage racing, the response is almost always the same. “That looks cool”, or “that’s nice”. This was pretty much my response before I attended my first vintage racing event. All of that changed however when I attended the Spring Vintage Weekend at Road America.

svw-13-05 — A very rare one indeed is this 1965 Causey P6 Special.

I think to truly understand, and appreciate vintage racing you would have to have been a car enthusiast pretty much from childhood. Just seeing these mechanical marvels is one thing, seeing them do what they were built for is quite another. Before this I had only seen these cars in pictures, and read about them in books which recounted the tales of their glory days.

svw-jordan-01 — This Jordan 197 Formula 1 car was powered by a Peugeot V12 engine.

svw-13-01 — One of my all time favorite european sports cars, the Austin Healey. Here we have a 1960 3000.

Hearing engines that were innovative, and state of the art when they were designed is yet another thrill. These cars were designed to do one thing, go faster than the other cars they raced against. Seeing them do this decades after they were originally built is a real treat.

From year to year, and event to event you never know what gems you will see till you get track side. From european sports and open wheel, to american muscle. One thing you can be certain of is that you will always see something truly amazing, and most likely something you have never seen before.

svw-13-04 — From the days of the CART series we have this Lola T97/20.

svw-13-lolat70-01 — Lola is one of the oldest names in racing. This is their 1967 T70 Spyder.

The photos included in this is a very small sampling of what you will see at any vintage event.

svw-13-brabhamb29-01 — A 1969 Brabham BT29.

svw-13-devan-01 — Another rare one, a 1959 Devin DeMar MK II.

svw-13-03 — A 1997 Lola T97/20 former CART racer.

svw-13-02 — 1964 Ginetta G4, another rare bird.

Top Shots 2013: Powerboat Racing

January 14, 2014
by joel

Powerboat racing for me was one of those passions it took me too long to get around to shooting. My original focus on airshows left little time for other types of events. I finally came to the realization that I would have to cut back on airshows to make time for other ventures. 2013 was the first year I was able to shoot more than one powerboat race. Different venues and, types of racing made it a good year for me.

ts-13-pbr-013 — Jimmy Merleau – In Low Light.

I have shot the Kankakee Regatta since 2009, and in that time have captured some amazing images, and met some very talented people. Some years (mostly due to weather) have been better than others, but 2013 may have yielded some of my best photos yet. I guess the past years have helped me to know what I am trying to achieve, and how to go about it. I think this years shots show some of that. Also two of the images here I feel are among the best I have ever captured at this event. I’ll let you guess which ones.

ts-13-pbr-016 — Chris Fairchild – Bad Fast.

ts-13-pbr-017 — Wade Tuchscherer – Best Graphics of 2013.

ts-13-pbr-014 — Tammy Wolf – Full Throttle.

ts-13-pbr-001 — 13 Stihl – 38′ Skater : Robert Noble, Driver – Grant Bruggemann, Throttles

Held at the southern most tip of Lake Michigan, the Michigan City Grand Prix brings the ultra powerful offshore racing boats to the Great Lakes. Twice I have scheduled this event, and twice I had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts. When this happens the event becomes a priority event for that third year. This means only a very special, or one of a kind event could bump it from my schedule. That did not happen, so I along with my friend Rob Edgcumbe got to witness some incredible racing.

ts-13-pbr-006 — 45 JD Byrider – 38′ Skater: Tony Marcantonio, Driver – Mark Kowalski, Throttles

ts-13-pbr-004 — 5 WHM Motorsports – 40′ Skater: William Mauff, Driver – Jay Muller, Throttles

ts-13-pbr-003 — 13 Stihl – 38′ Skater : Robert Noble, Driver – Grant Bruggemann , Throttles

ts-13-pbr-007 — 77 Lucas Oil MAVTV – 44′ SilverHook®: Michael Silfverberg, Driver – Nigel Hook, Throttles

ts-13-pbr-011 — 14 Snowy Mountain Brewery – 29′ Outerlimits: Brain Forehand, Driver – Maddie Janssen, Throttles

ts-13-pbr-010 — P3-8 Team Kilt – 34′ Fountain: Richard Davis, Driver – Tony Canale, Throttles

As you will notice in some of these shots, these boats quite literally fly. Designed for rough water they seem to handle it extremely well.

Photo Stories: Turn Five

As you approach turn five at Road America you have to stand hard on the brakes to make a 90º left hand turn. Seems simple enough if you are an experienced race car driver, but things that appear simple aren’t always simple.

Core Auotsports number 54 GT3 Cup Porsche locks up the brakes headed into turn five.

So let’s go back just a little bit. By this I mean to turn three where it all starts. Turn three is a sharp right hand turn which reduces your speed quite a bit. Once through it, you hit a strait stretch with a slight up hill climb to turn four. Turn four is not really a turn, but a slight left hand dog leg. From here it is a short downhill strait into turn five. Since you did not have to brake for turn four, you are carrying a lot of speed into turn five.

By now you should have an idea of what could go wrong in this scenario. Now factor in drivers racing for position and you can see it coming. Someone may not be able to slow up enough to make it around the turn. I guess what is most surprising, and a testament to these drivers skill, is how seldom this happens. Many end up just taking a rough ride over the outside rumble strips.

After slowing up enough, it's onto the run off road. — After slowing up enough, it’s onto the run off road.

In our photos Core Autosports Porsche GT3 cup car is the victim of our story. Locking up the brakes doesn’t help. So it’s to the run off road, a quick turn around, kick up a bit of gravel as you cut through the gravel trap, and back into the action.

A quick turn around, then on the gas and back into the action.

Photo Stories: Used Bikes

When you shoot pro motorcycle racing, you are use to seeing shiny new bikes in pristine condition. At the pro level teams have spare parts to replace any that are damaged in practice or qualifying. At the semi pro and amateur ranks however, things are quite different. Small teams on small budgets don’t have the resources the pro’s have. Improvisation is the name of the game for them, and duct tape is there best friend. It makes for some very creative looking bikes.

This second shot is one of the most creative uses of duct tape I have ever seen. See if you can spot all the pieces applied to various parts of this bike.

2013 SCCA Blackhawk Valley Regional

It felt good to be at trackside again. This was the feeling I had as I completed the first event of my season. When you near the end of a season, you are a bit fatigued and looking forward to a break. However after two or more months of down time, and computer work that feeling fades fast. At this point you are anxious to get out and shoot again.

The event just completed was an SCCA double regional event with points scored towards the national standings. Most of SCCA’s 29 classes of competition were on hand. This particular event comprises the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Blackhawk regions. Together this covers half of Wisconsin and Illinois. Turnout for this event always seems to be high. This is probably due to the area covered, and that it is most competitors first chance of the year to go racing again in the Midwest.

I enjoy the variety of cars and people you find at these gatherings. You will find the one car one man operation, the family operation, and the multi car full crew operation. You won’t find any big prize money, or sponsorships. So what makes these men and women go through the effort of hauling a car across state for these events? They all are there for one reason, the love of racing.

The number and variety of cars range from old to new, and the number of them is amazing. From spec classes of a single type, to classes with multiple types, you will see a bit of everything.

Golden Age of Sports Cars

May 26, 2013
by joel

Today if you were to ask someone to name a sports car, the names you would get are, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Maserati just to name a few. These super expensive, limited production, state of the art machines however can only be possessed by the wealthiest individuals. For those of us of more modest income, we may be able to purchase the cars on the lower end of the range price wise. This would include the Corvette, SRT Viper, and some Porsche models. The other thing to consider is these machines are made by multi million dollar corporations. Utilizing state of the art computers and design tools.

What we refer to in the golden age of sports cars, are cars that were modified or built by individuals and partnerships. Some were modified versions of production cars, but quite a few were purpose built from the ground up as race cars. This was at a time when speed and form began to merge, and rudimentary understanding of aerodynamics was beginning to enter into racing. Most were funded by wealthy individuals interested in, or planning to race themselves. Quite often these same individuals would then move on to other interest, selling or storing these great machines. As a result few of them were built, and even fewer still exist.

Attending the Spring Vintage Weekend at Road America provides an excellent opportunity to see these cars do what they were made for, race. Members of the SVRA always put on a good display of rare automobiles in true racing form. In just two years this has become one of my favorite events. You just never know what gem you will see there.

joel

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