Howdee folks.
Have been a bit busy these last few days so haven’t had chance to dig any shots out and sort the necessary BB Code etc.
Here’s a few more shots from the CIPS archives.
“Houston………We Have A Problem”
Warwick Knowland - British Superbike Championship, Snetterton 2007
I think I’ve mentioned that 2 wheels are far more unpredictable than four, and when you lose traction on a bike, things can go very wrong very quickly. Those of you that follow bike racing will have seen Jorge Lorenzo’s mammoth high-sides during the 2008 MotoGP championship. If you haven’t , check on Youtube…….They’re frightening. It’s amazing how riders, on the whole, come off relatively unscathed from such violent incidents, which is surely testament to the forward steps in motorcycle safety gear over the years. There’s one thing for sure…….there isn’t a more thorough test bed than a race track to find out if your products are up to scratch.
Back to the shot……What is a high-side some of you may be asking? Basically it’s when the throttle is opened when the bike’s still leant over on its side. This reduces the contact patch and in some cases, that contact patch is not enough to take the power being put through it. In those instances, the back tyre breaks traction and the momentum of the bike going through the turn, sends the back tyre in an outward direction. For whatever reason, it sometimes suddenly grips again, but the sideways momentum means the bike is still trying to head sideways. The result is a violent catapult action that launches the rider over the “High Side” of the bike, hence the term. A high side is the opposite to a low-side, which is when the bike loses traction (normally on the front end) and just falls on it’s side and slides along the track along with the rider.
Warwick damaged his ankle in this incident and was out of action for a fair while.
“Scoop”
Larry “Scoop” Carter - British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park 2007
Larry is synonymous with bike racing. He’s one of the two voices you hear over the tannoy system at BSB meetings and is often at the leading edge of any breaking news coming out of pit-lane, hence his moniker “Scoop”. He’s also the current editor of Motorcycle Racer magazine. Sometimes not to everyone’s taste, but it’s Larry’s job to feed the news to the crowds right through the race weekend as it happens. Not an easy task live on air, but his voice is part and parcel of the atmosphere at a UK National and International race meeting.
World Superbike Champion and current factory Yamaha MotoGP rider James Toseland gets the treatment.
“Ssssshmokin………….”
Tom Sykes - British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch 2007
I love these next series of shots. Modern race bikes are producing well in excess of 200bhp nowadays. That’s some serious power for a lump of metal and carbon-kevlar that only weighs about 170kg-195kg wet-through. Trying to force that through a race slick in the heat of battle whilst trying to eek out that extra yard or 10th of a second on your competitors is a tricky task and is getting harder as engine development outstrips tyre development. The result is often a laboured engine note and a plume of blue smoke as the tyre fights for grip and fails in the relentless spanking it’s getting at the hands of a racer fixed on winning.
“Crowd Pleaser”
Jonathan Rea - British Superbike Championship, Thruxton 2007
“Darkie”
Jonathan Rea - British Superbike Championship Brands Hatch 2006
“Devotion”
Without spectators, racing doesn’t happen. The riders have no-one to entertain, the sponsors have no-one to market their products to and the circuits don’t make any revenue. Like in any sport, the younger generation are the fans, riders and team owners of the future. Their passion and devotion to the cause is just as important as any there on race day. Bike racing is a thrilling environment for a youngster with plenty of heroes to admire and emulate in later life. I’m still feel like that now and I’m nearly 4 times older than this young man.
“Bucking Bronco”
James Haydon - British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park 2006
Druids is a magical place during a Superbike round on a warm summer’s day. Partly as the trees offer some welcome respite from the heat and glare of the sun that, as a photographer, you’ve lugged your gear several miles in already that day before you reach this spot. From a photographic point of view, Druids is a classic. It’s a blind entry fast right hander (that some get very wrong) leading to a blind crest and then a flat out straight. Due to the fast entry, it’s vital to keep that momentum up as you apply the power on the exit. The only problem with that for the riders is the crest. The bikes buck and weave, often with the front end high in the air as they violently resist the power being put through them by the determined rider. Add to that the rear tyre struggling with the same power and change in direction and elevation and it all makes up a great shot. If only it was “scratch and hear”.
“Heli-med 999”
British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park 2007
Heli-med 999 is the call sign of Yorkshire’s Air Ambulance. It’s drafted in when things so very wrong at a race meet and riders need swift and direct transport to the emergency wings of the hospitals at Hull and Louth. It’s never a welcome sight at a race meeting as it means someone’s day has gone horribly wrong. Although the race tracks have very well equipped medical centres with skilled staff, sometimes it’s necessary to get the riders to more specialist care and quick. That’s where Heli-med 999 comes in, and many people both on and off the circuit owe their lives to it.
“On a Sixpence”
Jonathan Rea - British Superbike Championship, Snetterton 2006
With the maize fields as a backdrop, it’s hard to believe this is a race circuit. There’s no armco’s, no catch fences, no pylons to spoil your shots. All the better for when Jonathan Rea comes barreling towards you at warp factor 9 on his factory Honda. It’s a very fine line between lifting the rear tyre and washing the front end out under heavy breaking. Riders like Jonathan show superb poise and seemingly effortless (note only two fingers applying the front brake) skill as they go about their work. It’s why I’m in complete awe of them sometimes, I did it once at Cadwell as it scared the be-jesus out of me at the time………Respect!!!
“Feeding Frenzy”
British Superbike Championship, Snetterton 2006
I think I said earlier that there’s more competition behind the armco’s than there is in front.
This shot is testament to that. Sports photography is highly competitive with several photographers all vying for the same 6 inches of column space in the next issue of xxx magazine.
It’s why daring to be different, daring to just dare………..is all important in motorsport snapping. If you follow the hoards, you stand the risk of producing identical work to your colleague which is not a lot of use to the editor. They like choice, they like variety……….they certainly like something different.
Hope they’re still appealing to you all.
Thanks again.
Kind regards, Guy