IMSA Weathertech 2017 | Pilot Episode

Judging by the size of the crowd, the lack of space in the camping areas and the excitement on the track the 55th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway can be described as a success. I am blessed to be able to follow along for the ride trackside and capture moments inside these amazing events. The 55th running, albeit with changing weather, was excitement in all aspects of the race. Cannot wait for Sebring and now the 56th running at Daytona in 2018!

They say pictures are worth a thousand words and needing a nap after a grueling 24 Hours race... enjoy the photos!

Fresh from Florida

In 2017 I am going to work on keeping fresh images and stories coming from the travels of the the season. 2017 kicked off with a bang at the Roar Before the 24 with so much new machinery the excitement was high and the motorsports world was once again looking to Daytona.

Multiple manufacturers had new cars but Prototype and GTD look to steal the show in 2017 with the entire Prototype category featuring a new look and GTD has seen an infusion of new cars as well as international entrants with the change of rules for the class.

Weather was interesting with a cloudy but great day on Friday that turned into rain overnight and much colder temps. Not cold enough to snow but hovering just above. Many teams chose to wait it out and once it dried up Saturday and Sunday the Prototype class put on a show via the time sheets. The spread is very small and looks to be a great race. Enjoy some images from the 3 day test.

100% Humidity Floods Pit Lane

I got stuck on pit lane, at VIR, because it flooded. It was an interesting turn of events during the Continental Tire Sportscar Race that I had never experienced. Weather was a possibility at the green flag but looked to be mostly harmless. In the span of a couple of minutes while heading to pit lane for pit stop photos the heavens opened up. My assumption is that the humidity must have somehow reached just over 100% and the water had to go somewhere! My plan was to get there, setup and shoot stops with changes from slicks to wets. However the water came in so fast it went double yellow and no one could come in. Cars were going everywhere not track but they weren't coming to pit lane. The water level rose so quickly I had no where to go until I devised a plan to get out of there!

Before we move on had a last minute request for some car to car photography with one of the MX-5 cup teams. Our time slot was really late in the day, just minutes before sunset, but the results ended up being spectacular. Awesome time to have a car on track with some one on one time.

The race did finish and I did make it back to the media center and finished the race without incident. Moving on to Sunday the light was great in the morning warm-up for the Weathertech guys, GT only for this weekend, and came away with great photos! The race itself was awesome with hardly any stoppages for yellows or issues on track. Weather held out on Sunday as well! The GT field put on an exceptional show for the fans and it provided some great photography.

Next stop is 1 of 3 trips to California almost back to back to back! Mazda Road to Indy Finale coming up with the first true Global MX-5 round as well! Can't wait. Enjoy a few highlights from the IMSA race.