Circuit of the Americas (COTA)

This was my first visit to the Circuit of the Americas racetrack, and as a photographer, I was impressed with the venue. I wasn’t sure what to expect before arriving and I was apprehensive about getting around the 3.42 mile course, but renting a golf cart proved to be a very good idea; I was able to get to all points around the track with ease, which would not have been possible on foot. I did notice others using their vehicles, but I preferred the cart as nimble as it was to get around.

Media credentials also helped tremendously, giving me access to the rim road and restricted areas that would have otherwise been off limits. The track is full of elevation changes, so there are many locations where good photos could be taken even outside of the rim fences with a long lens, and some patience.

There were grandstands and some other high positions scattered around the track that were unobstructed, so a little exploration would likely pay dividends in the way of good shooting perches. In some places the track elevation rises dramatically, for instance, into turn 1 and then back out again, and along the stretch from turn 1 to turn 11 including a nice set of esses in the middle.

As far as rim fence photography cut-outs, I have included as many as I can remember on the map below. These are the ones that I used, but there are likely more that I did not notice.

The Trans Am Series and the SVRA

 I photographed the Dallas Gran Prix many years ago, which was headlined by the Trans Am Series. At that time some of the best road racers around were driving in the series; Jack Baldwin, Tommy Kendall, Scott Pruett, Lynn St. James, Ron Fellows, Hurley Haywood, and quite a few more. The races that I attended between 1988 and 1991 left a lasting impression on me as examples of top-level racing in exciting, fast and loud cars, even at a time when I was becoming focused on Indycar and NHRA drag racing.  

In more recent years, the Trans Am series and the SVRA SpeedTour have combined forces to present events which feature not only the blazing fast, high horsepower beasts of Trans Am and TA2, but to also provide a glimpse into road racing history with a fascinating variety of late model and early racing vehicles from all over the world. Some of these historical gems are even driven by their original drivers or ones who were contemporaries during the car’s actively competitive years.

 In a previous report documenting the 2023 Sebring SpeedTour, I touched on each SVRA group and what types of cars that you might find running in them. For this year’s COTA SpeedTour report I would like to dig deeper and go into more detail for each class and some of the entries.

COTA SVRA SpeedTour, Day 1: Friday 01 November, 2024

My first stop of the day was the registration trailer which, from the track, was directly across Elroy Road. I picked up my credentials and vest, and once I was signed in, I drove to the Lot J parking area close to turn 11, where I signed out my golf cart and then took off for the main rim road entry gate.  

After going through the gate, I found myself on the outer rim road that runs alongside the track and stretches out to most parts of the property. It’s disjointed, but once I found the points of entry to each section (not all of which are obvious) it was easy to navigate the gaps.



 I found a spot to set up and was ready to start shooting about mid-way through the Group 4-5-8-12b practice session. The first area chosen was the space inside turns 12 and 15, which gave me several vantage points from which to work looking both up and down track, and was a position that I would use repeatedly over the weekend due to its versatility. This part of the track loops back on itself twice, so there were many angles and a nice selection of backdrops to choose from.

Groups 4, 5, 8, 12b Practice Session

Fast Lap: 2:20.697 | Nathan Thompson | 1962 Lotus 23C | Group 5

One of the first entries to catch my eye was Piers Gormly’s 1961 Cooper Monaco competing in Group 4. It was sleek and elegant, and it appeared as though it was lifted right out of the pages of history. In fact, Cooper did have success racing the T61 in the early 1960’s with 16 wins to their credit.

But what really got my attention was the feeling that I had seen this car before. I felt that I knew this car. In fact, after doing some digging, I found photos of it in my archives that I had taken in Las Vegas, at the Imperial Palace Auto Collection, in 2007! I thought at the time it was one of the most beautiful cars I had ever seen, and I am 99.99% sure that this is the same car on track that I had seen exhibited 14 years earlier. If you look closely at the headlamp cover, you will see the sticker for SVRA Group 4. I also photographed another Cooper at that show, a single seater, which was also #40.

Other lookers in this group were another Cooper, this one a ’63, and two late 50’s Corvettes. Group 5 added two Lotuses, a 1965 Bobsy SR3, a fantastic Elva Mk7s, and a Brabham BT8.

 The Brabham chassis #SC-2-65 was built with the Coventry Climax 2L engine to run the 1965 season, and specifically for Peter Revson to drive. In this car, Revson won his class and second overall at the Martini Trophy, Silverstone, second in class at the Guards International Trophy at Brands Hatch and won the Stardust Gran Prix at Las Vegas. The next year, Skip Barber used it to take 2^nd overall in the SCCA National Championship.

A couple of years later, Bill Mitchell took it to win SCCA Championship in 1968 and again in 1970. The Coventry engine was replaced with an Alfa Romeo engine for Daytona and finished 7th, and then in 1973 it received a Toyota powerplant under Dave Headley’s stewardship of the car and was dubbed the “Brabota Mark I.”

After that it had several changes of ownership, shipped to the UK, then back to the US, refitted once again with a Coventry Climax FPF engine, and then eventually ended up in the hands of Dan Chapman who is racing it today. It has quite a racing pedigree and is one of the most beautiful cars you will see racing anywhere.

 The Group 8 offering contained a slew of Datsuns, Porsches, an Alfa, a Toyota Celica and a 1968 Volvo 122-S. Rob Bellevue’s 1971 Datson 240z looks strikingly similar to the original team cars of Brock Racing team that brought the 240z into its shining racing debut and helped make the 240z an iconic production car.

Group 12b presented several more Toyotas, a Mini Cooper, a Honda and a BMW 330, all of which had very nice track appeal. I enjoyed seeing all of these groups racing together and found them collectively to be a great contrast of old and new; sleek classics mixed with modern whips. 

TA2 Optional Test Session #1

Fast Lap: 2:11.719 | Thomas Annunziata | Bayshore Mortgage/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang

 I had only been shooting for roughly ten minutes when the TA2 test session began. This was the third time that I had seen the TA2 series run; two events in 2023, first at the Sebring SpeedTour and then again at the Music City Gran Prix on the streets of Nashville, and now once again in Austin, TX.

As one might expect from something with 700+ horsepower, these cars arrive quickly, and they scream loudly as they pass. One of the things I love about car racing is the sound. In my opinion you just can’t beat the solid, throaty bass of a highly tuned racecar thundering past. It’s true with drag racing; it’s true with Trans Am.

The TA2 series provides excitement from start to finish. Designed to provide a more affordable way to participate in racing, the class showcases top level drivers in powerful cars at some of the best tracks around. Sometimes you’ll find drivers pulling double-duty in the Trans Am series or in SVRA vintage classes; drivers such as Thomas Annunziata, who drove both the #2 Steel-It / WeaverRacing Dodge Challenger in Trans Am and also the #90 Bayshore Mortgage/Criswell Ford Mustang in TA2 in this year’s COTA event.

Annunziata is a three-time karting champion and has also participated in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, took second place at the Daytona ARCA 200 earlier this year (just 0.44 seconds behind the winner), and ran in the Xfinity series at Sonoma. By the way, this young gun won the COTA TA2 race in 2023, marking his first P1 in the series. We’ll be seeing his name in racing for a long time, very likely in NASCAR, but seriously, he’s one of those guys like Connor Zilisch or Conor Daly who will drive anything with wheels on it, and drive it successfully!

TA2 cars have a tendency to occasionally spit fire from the exhaust (called “afterfire”), which makes for some great photography. The trick is finding a spot to catch it. The car needs to be coming off a good long straight, where the engine has been working hard and is winding down for entry into the corner. Another option is the end of several turns when the balance of the car is a bit upset.

When they get close to the apex, unused fuel will come out of the exhaust pipes on the outside flank of the car, meet with oxygen in the air, and combust, so I like to be there to increase the chances of getting shots like this.

Before the end of the TA2 session I moved to a pair of cut-outs on the outside of turn 19. It was the end of the line for that section of the rim road, at least on the outside of the track. From that area, the view stretched from pit entry and turn 20 in front, to the left across the back side of the pit area, and extending to a distant view of the turn 1 hill past the main grandstands on the far left.

The first cut-out was good for panning with the pit in the background. The second of the two was far enough down to see turn 20 and the pit entry point, providing for nice rear car shots, and because they often overshot that turn, I caught them in the paint which afforded me some variation in the shots. I chose to stay at the first cut-out for the remainder of TA2, and then moved down to the second one for Trans Am.

Trans Am/XGT/SGT/GT Optional Test Session #1

Fast Lap: 2:06.108 | Chris Dyson | Gymweed Ford Mustang

Turn 19 is a place where the drivers are on the binders hard after a long, sweeping straight. Panning was a hit-or-miss affair because of the changing rate of speed coming into the corner, but I managed to catch enough quality shots to make myself happy. 

Once TA was finished the track went into lunch break mode. I took advantage of this to move locations without losing any hot track time. I ended up at the top of the “Bobbypin” turn, named after the circuit’s chairman Bobby Epstein. This position had some elevation, along with a view of the drop down out of turn 10.  

FR (Formula Regional) Americas Feature Race #1 F4 Americas Results:

P1 Titus Sherlock, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport #31

P2 Jett Bowling, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport #02

P3 Cole Kleck, DD Autosport/International Mechanical #11

I stayed where I was outside turn 11 for the first part of the FR Americas race, taking advantage of the downhill front view coming out of 10, panning across the apex, and the wonderful side/rear view with a distant lower background of the long straightaway heading out toward turn 12.  

 FR Americas did a standing Formula One type grid start, with Titus Sherlock taking the initial lead in the #31 and Ribeiro and Brady Golan coming up from mid-pack into turn 1. Sherlock put his car on the pole for this race, and although he did flat-spot a tire early on he took it to the checkered flag for the win.

During the race I did some exploring and found a cut-out between turns 7 and 9 with a great vantage point of the cars peaking over the hill and with the upper part of the observation tower visible in the background. It was also good for downhill panning. Not a bad spot to finish out the race.

My plan for the next few hours was to gradually work my way to turn 1, which was another high point looking down onto the front straight as well as giving a bird’s-eye view into the main grandstand / paddock areas. Somewhere along that path I settled in for the next qualifying round.  

Groups 1a, 1b, 3 Qualifying Session 1

Fast Lap: 2:42.318 | John Nash | 1961 Lotus Super Seven | Group 3

Group 1 is where the MGs, Austin Healeys, Zinks, and Caldwells live. There were various other entries such as a Pegasus, Formcar “Petunia”, an Autodynamics FV and a Zeitler FV.  

John Nash’s 1961 (or 1962) Lotus Super Seven got things started. I immediately recognized this car from the 2023 Sebring SpeedTour, as it was one of my favorites at that time and continues to be at COTA.

Nash was named driver of the year for 2023. Right behind him on track was Steven Heitzke from Boerne, Texas in his #82 1964 MG Midget. This was a very pretty car; the blue and white colors showed up well in my viewfinder.  

Then came some Zinks and Caldwells. The Zink entries ranged from 1965 to 1969, an era during which Zink had some success in racing in the 1965-1970 Formula Vee seasons, winning the Runoffs five years in a row. They also competed in the Formula Super Vee series against the Lolas and Zeitlers, with Harry Ingle winning the ’73 FSV Runoff (the only Runoff victory for a Zink.)  

The Caldwells, manufactured by Autodynamics in Marblehead, Massachusetts and based on a Cooper formula car chassis, were produced from the beginning of the Formula Vee days, competing with others such as Formcar and Zink.

The first race for a Caldwell D1 in Formula Vee was in 1964. In 1967 the Caldwell D7 was built to run in Can-Am with Sam Posey at the wheel. The following year, he scored a third-place finish in one. In 1969 the D9 was introduced and driven by Skip Barber, who had some success with it, winning the SCCA NE Division Championship, and by Jim Clarke who won the first race sanctioned by IMSA at Pocono Raceway.

The two Caldwell D13’s in competition at COTA were some of the cars that dominated in the early 70’s. John Williamson’s 1970, and Jason Puerner’s 1972 were excellent examples of a historic time in racing. Both displayed beautiful track appeal. Of course, I would be remiss not to include the lone 1964 Autodynamics FV entry in this discussion, as it was a very early example of this manufacturer’s contribution.

More interesting entries included in Group 1 were a trio of 1969 Lynx model B Formula Vee cars. All of these were designed and built by Bob Riley and John Mills, who worked at Ford and became partners in the effort to produce them. 

About 50 of them are estimated to have been built during the mid- to late-60’s. Bob sold his interest to John and began racing other cars, and was also involved in the IMSA Weathertech, Michelin Pilot and GT America series. Riley also designed a new pop-up door for the Trans Am cars to improve driver entry/exit.

The 1969 Zeitler FV entry driven by Dave McDowell was built by John Zeitler, who designed it based on a late 60’s Autodynamics Formula Vee kit, with several notable changes such as a removeable rear bulkhead and extra bracing for the frame.

John was later responsible for the birth of the Super Vee series, and in fact won the first Super Vee race at Lime Rock against Harry Ingle running a Zink. Zeitler cars had success, with Tom Davey winning the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in 1970 taking the checkered from an 8^th starting position in his rookie year. He repeated the effort one year later taking the 1971 Runoffs again, this time in a Lola. One Zeitler was even reserved for Elliot Forbes Robinson, although I am not sure if he ever raced it.

The 1963 Formcar “Petunia” entry had a look reminiscent of a rear-engine Indy roadster hailing from the late 1950’s or early 1960’s. Don Cheeseman, who published most of the FV (Formula Vee) Bulletins from 1964 thru 1973, and John Baker originally owned this car. Bob Cornish supposedly ran the car but info confirming this is a little sketchy (his name is on the car).

Apparently, there are some great details about this car’s history outlined in the “Vee Lines” publication penned in the 60’s, however I have yet to find any of those issues. I will try to interview Elliot Barron at Sebring or NOLA if he shows up with it again.

Group 2 Qualifying Session 1

Fast Lap: 2:13.067 | Matt Brabham | 1971 Brabham BT35 | Group 2

Group 2 qualifying was quite a large class, containing 8 Brabhams (one driven by Geoff Brabham, one by his son Matt and another by his brother David), 4 Crosslé, 6 Van Diemens, a trio of Swifts, a Lotus, a ’77 TIGA, a Winkelmann and a Chevron.  

Two of the Brabhams were 1969 BT29’s. They were built to compete in Formula 2 and 3 classes and depending on which class a car was competing in, it would have a different engine.  

The BT35’s were built in 1971 for the Formula Atlantic, Formula B and Formula 3 series, and were developed from the BT29. 

Chassis BT35/18, driven by Matt Brabham at COTA, was raced in the Canadian Formula B series in 1971 by Roy Folland, and by Bill Eagles in the 1972 season. Records show that it crashed hard in Edmonton in 1973 with Scott MacKinzie at the wheel, so someone has done a terrific job of bringing this one back to fit racing condition; perhaps Bob Slusher, who purchased it in 2005.

The chassis BT35/31 was raced by Mike Hansen and Steve Marx (Hansen-Marx Racing) in California in the 1971 and 1972 seasons. After that, Bill cooper raced it from ’73 thru about ’75, maybe ’76. It passed through a few more hands between 1975 and 2016, when Ron Hornig bought and restored it. At COTA it was driven by Geoff Brabham.

Chassis BT35/32 was delivered to the Fred Opert racing team for 1971, driven by Raul Perez Gama until 1972, when it was shown to be driven by Gordon Strom until 1975 in various SCCA events. At this year’s COTA SpeedTour, the car was driven by Ron Hornig.

The BT36 entry driven by Bruce Hamilton also shows John Harvey’s name along with Bob Jane’s. These two racers were active during the early 70’s, so I am guessing that each of them may have had a hand at the wheel of this one, although I find no record of it.

However, Harvey did drive a BT14 Ford from 1965 thru 1967, and a BT23E Repco in the 1969 and 1970 seasons. Bob Jane drove a variety of cars from 1958 through 1981. I am sure there is more to the story there, so as I continue to cover SVRA races I will try and find out more information for future reports.

I recognized a name on the entry list from last year’s Sebring SpeedTour: Travis Engen. This year at COTA he piloted not only the 1970 Chevron B17B in Group 2, but also a 2001 Lola T97 in Group 9 and probably the most recognizable car in the entire event, a 2005 Audi R8 LMP, which has a list of racing accolades flowing out into the car park. Engen was the Proto 4 Masters Endurance Legends USA Champion for 2021 and has been participating in vintage racing for many years.

As far as the Chevron B17B was concerned, it was one of five cars produced to run in the 1970 Formula B season, designed as a variant of the F3 version of the B17. This might be the car driven by Peter Broeker, Craig Fisher and John Powell; however, I can’t be for sure. It could also be the one driven by Mike Eyerly to 8 victories. Either way, it was a beautiful thing to watch on the track.

Here are some photos of the remaining Group 2 field:

Groups 6, 12a Qualifying Session 1

Fast Lap: 2:21.289 | Jerry Robinson | 2010 Dodge Viper ACRX | Group 12a

Group 6, with its 27 entries, sported a steady supply of Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Shelby Cobras and GT 350’s, and even a 1959 Devin Evolution. This group was very loud and prominent on the track. I like American muscle cars, so this group was a spectacle for me.

The Devin came out early, just behind some of the Group 12a Vipers and one of the Shelby GT350s. Devin bodies were unique in that the tooling for molding the bodies was modular and able to accommodate a variety of different sized frames from MGs to muscle car frames. This particular Devin Special, with MG frame rail foundation (later revamped with a tube frame) and Chevy 327 cu-in power, is a force to be reckoned with. The father and son team of Scott and Jon DeGaynor ran this entry, with father Scott as crew chief and son Jon at the wheel.

A slew of Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs followed, along with the Cobras and GTs:

Contributions from Group 12a included 5 Dodge Vipers, 3 Mustangs including a Roush from 2001, a Panoz, and a 1972 BMW CSL (Coupe Sport Leichtbau) which had a commanding presence on the track.

The 3.0 CSL was built to take on the Ford Capri in the 70’s, and it dominated between 1973 and 1979, giving way only when another BMW model hit the circuits; the 635 CSi. The 3.0 CSL was an iconic racing machine, driven by such notables as Nikki Lauda and Hans Stuck, and because of its advanced aerodynamics it became affectionately known as the “Batman”.

During this session I stayed outside turn 5; it was nice not just for photography, but as they snaked through the esses they were on and off the throttle, and with the larger chassis like the Mustangs and older Camaros, there was an occasional lift on the left front tire. The thunder of the big block engines was one of the highlights of the day, and the beauty of these cars was something I really wanted to capture. The background was fairly neutral, which helped the colors stand out well.

Group 9 Qualifying Session 1

Fast Lap: 2:04.328 | Clay DellaCava | 2002 Swift Toyota Atlantic | Group 9

This group contained many winged racers from the Formula Atlantic and other series. The 29 entries ranged from Swifts, to Ralts, to Mazdas and quite a few other makes.

The 1980 Ralt RT4 was interesting; designed and built for Formula Atlantic, the RT4 also saw success in Australia, driven by prominent drivers Roberto Moreno and Alain Prost to win the Australian Gran Prix from 1981 thru 1984.

Many other well-known drivers have driven an RT4 in competition, including Jacques Lafitte, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg. The model was used to win the Australian Driver’s Championship each year from 1984 thru 1986 by both John Bowe and Graham Watson. Edward Copley’s #43 Ralt sports a Union Jack on the tail fin with a beautiful solid red body. Other Ralts included a ’92, a ’94 and a ’96.

Another outstanding maker is the Swift. Group 9 had several 014 and 016 versions; 8 in all. The 014 was designed for Formula Atlantic from 2000-2005, and then the 016 took over duties starting in the 2006 season. That version came equipped with a Mazda 4-cyl MZR engine that boasts 300hp as tuned by Cosworth.

A second Travis Engen entry was the 2001 Lola T97/20. Decked out in Red Bull sponsorship, this car, along with Marc Giroux’s #30 blue and white ’97 version, hails from the Indy Lights series, active from 1997 to 2001. 

The wide-open view outside turn 1 enabled me to capture images of the cars from every angle; front end, pans, rear end, and some with a decent amount of distant background, including the paddock area, the main straight and the timing tower. There was a small grandstand outside the rim road fence to the left of me that seemed like a good place to shoot from without credentials, but I never made it over there.

Groups 7, 11, PSSA Qualifying Session 1

Fast Lap: 2:05.167 | Travis Engen | 2005 Audi R8 LMP | Group 11

 Prior to arriving at COTA, I saw mention of a new class called PSSA, or Prototype Sprint Series Association. This new class consists of chassis such as Radical, Revolution, Ligier, Wolf and Sebeco. They were paired up with the Group 7 and 11 qualifying sessions, which added some Can-Am, Rush and a few other entries.  

The PSSA series was created in 2023 as a sprint race format for prototype race cars. The series competes at some of the best road courses in America. There is a PSSA East and PSSA West Championship, and entries can compete in one or both if they choose. Participation requires the driver to hold either an SVRA Competition License or SVRA Super License or equivalent.

The first season spanned 8 events, which was expanded to 12 for 2024. In addition to the driver’s championships there is a constructor’s championship as well. On day 2 of the COTA SpeedTour I was allowed to get up close in the paddock area and check out the details with the bonnets off; I will share these photos in the Day 2 report.

The three entries in Group 7 consisted of two striking examples of 2007 Can-Am series cars, one a Relco and the other a NuArt, and a gorgeous 1963 Huffaker Genie MK8.  

In the PSSA class, one of the more impressive looking entries was the 2016 Elan NP-01 driven by Landan Matriano Lim. The livery was a bright orange, grey and yellow which really stood out on such an overcast day. Incidentally, it matches the livery of FR Americas entry #73, also driven by Lim.

The third Travis Engen entry was the Audi R8 from Group 11. I focused on this one at Sebring last year and was able to get close to it after the race. Historically, the car absolutely dominated the races it entered, including Le Mans from 2000-2005 (with the exception of 2003). It took triple podiums in 2000, 2002 and 2004, and double podiums in 2001 (1^st and 2^nd) and 2005 (1^st and 3^rd). Tom Kristensen was a team driver of the winning car all five times.

Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro were his other driving mates in the years 2000, 2001, 2002. The R8 also won the 12 Hours of Sebring 6 times, all years between 2000-2005.

Something I hadn’t seen before were the Rush SR cars from Group 11. These are relatively small compared to the Audi and other PSSA entries.

They pack a respectable 11,800 RPM and are purpose built to be inexpensive and fun to drive. Their power to weight ratio gives them quickness, and with a clutchless paddle shifter driving is more efficient. All that for under $50K. Nice.

Group 10/IGT Qualifying Session 1

Fast Lap: 2:08.058 | Ritch Marziale | 2016 Mercedes AMG GT3 | Group 10

This session was a mixed bag of American muscle and European might, including Camaros, Porsches, Chevrolet Monte Carlos, Maserati Trofeos, Mustangs, a Ferrari 550 Maranello and a few others. Some of these came from the US NASCAR Cup series, and others were veterans of European racing and other US series such as the NASCAR Trucks.

There was one Mercedes AMG, a 2016 GT3, which was quite fast. I am familiar with these from the IMSA Weathertech GTD-PRO series and enjoyed photographing them last year at Road Atlanta.

From turn 1 I began retracing my way back around, stopping at the nearest photography cut-out during hot track times. In this case I was somewhere around the outside of turn 9.  

Here are some photos of the Group 10 American branded cars:

And here are some photos of the European brands and IGT entries:

F4 US / JS F4 Feature Race 2

F4 US Results:

P1 Alex Popow, MLT Motorsports #55

P2 Daniel Quimby, Cruise America/MIR Raceline/FUI Airways #24

P3 Connor Roberts, ApexSpeed.com/Entropy Cellars #46

JS F4 Results

P1 Teddy Musella, Scuderia Buell #25

P2 Leonardo Escorpioni, Champagne Racing #26

P3 Drew Szuch, Szuch Racing #28

In mid-afternoon came the F4 US and JS F4 combined feature race #2. During the break after Group 10/IGT qualifying, I returned to the turn 12-15 area where I had started the day.  

The JS F4 series was created due to the change in the FIA F4 Championship transitioning to the new Ligier JS F422 chassis, providing teams with existing chassis a place to compete and a third ladder option for upward mobility toward the F1 series. 

The F4 US series was born out of the Formula 4 Championship; the FIA and SCCA created the F4 US Championship in 2016, and then in 2018 SCCA Pro Racing created the FR Americas Championship. Together, the two series give excellent opportunities for young drivers to gain valuable experience and prepare for higher level international racing. It is also a cost-capped series to keep things affordable.

The race began with a rolling split start, with the F4 US cars out in front followed by the JS F4 group. Alex Popow took the win just 1.373 seconds ahead of second place finisher Daniel Quimby in the F4 US division and Teddy Musella edged out Leonardo Escorpioni by 4.374 seconds to take the win in JS F4. It was an enjoyable race to watch, and the cars were faster than I had expected; just a hair over ten seconds behind Travis Engen in the Audi R8 that won Le Mans.

Here are a few photos from the race:

Groups 4, 5, 8, 12b Qualifying Session 1

Fast Lap: 2:18.197 | Nathan Thompson | 1962 Lotus 23C | Group 5

I had to take a break some time, and it happened during the Group 4-5-8-12b qualifying session. I drove to the far end of the paddock where the media center was located to relax for a bit and look through some images. I also had a chance to keep one eye on my weather app to monitor the storms in the area to keep from getting caught out in it.

After my experience with the Champions Club facility at the Texas Nationals drag race last month, having access to something like the media center only reinforced the fact that it is nice to be able to duck into a building in order to recover or get out of the elements. I don’t have the instant editing computer setup like many other photographers have, but I did find it much easier to review through the camera viewfinder inside rather than outside, where glare can really block my ability to see what I have.

I managed to get trackside just in time to grab about 30 seconds of images inside turn 13 before they ended qualifying for the session. Nathan Thompson was fastest just as he had been in the earlier practice session

TA2 Optional Test Session

The area between turns 12-15 had been serving me well, and for TA2 I alternated between several cut-outs for the different angles and to catch more side-flame shots. One car that consistently gave me good fire was the HP Tuners Mustang driven by Keith Prociuk, so I made sure to be focused on it each lap.

Toward the end of the session, I moved along to turn 19 to get a few more rear-car captures and get repositioned for Trans Am coming up.

I caught about 5 minutes or so of the Trans Am test, but the weather that I had been monitoring was starting to get close and at this point I thought it wise to cut things short. I felt like I had plenty of work for the day with plenty more coming in the next days, so I called it and made it out just in time ahead of the rain. Day one complete.

Parting Shot

A view of the crowd on the Esses Bridge overlooking the track at turn 3.