[Leica] Friday night races, 4-28

[philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)]

Thanks for the night on the racing track,
Philippe



Op 6-mei-06, om 22:24 heeft Arche, Harvey het volgende geschreven:

> I got so involved with that Sebring stuff (which isn't finished  
> yet) that I put off dealing with the subject that got me started on  
> it. I finally souped and scanned the film I took at the stock car  
> races last Friday night, and have put together this over-long photo  
> essay. Unfortunately, for me, stock cars have none of that exotic  
> eye-pull quality that the old sports cars do. What draws me to  
> these races is the face of teamwork and competition, and how it is  
> presented as public entertainment.
>
> After several hours of practicing and tune-up laps, there is a  
> break at dusk before the evening's races start. This is that hour  
> during which, in the South, people set on their porches.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_officials
> (If you're hoping this shot sets the level for the rest of them,  
> you're SOL. Geez! I wish)
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_delivery
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_lull
>
> Prepping the cars, or, more often, making them legal, can be a  
> frantic activity that goes on right up to the last minute, when  
> cars have to be rolled to the pre-start grid. Everyone is involved.  
> You can recognize the drivers in these shots by their fire- 
> retardent coveralls, sometimes worn with the top undone and the  
> arms tied around the waist.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_prep
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_prep_2
>
> Nashville Motorplex, according to Wikipedia, is one of the  
> country's oldest race tracks. It began as a horse track in the  
> 1800's, and Barney Oldfield drove there in 1904. It was a Nascar  
> Winston Cup track until the mid '80's, and the modern  
> superspeedways started being built. Originally in the sticks, the  
> city has grown up around it, and it is now closely surrounded by  
> residential neighborhoods. If you know Chicago, think old Comisky  
> park. Management is greatly concerned with the possibility of noise  
> ordinances eventually shutting the place down, so races proceed on  
> a clock-like schedule in order to be finished by 11 pm. Cars have  
> to be in their places in the infield grid 15-20 minutes before race  
> time, and cars stage in the open infield for the event of rolling  
> up to the grid lane.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_rollup_1
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_rollup_2
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_rollup3
>
> Once the cars have been pushed into position there is nothing to do  
> for the next quarter hour but to wait, which the drivers do,  
> usually with their crew/friends, in varying degrees of pre-race  
> tension.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_wait_1
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_wait_2
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_wait_3
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_wait_4
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_wait_5
> Guess which two pictures are of the guys who won their respective  
> races.
>
> During the race, focus shifts to the loop around the infield, and  
> everyone stands in one spot, turning little circles, watching the  
> cars go 'round the track. Its only a 1/2 mile so you can see the  
> whole thing. Each car must have at least one spotter, whose job is  
> to warn the driver of accidents out of his sight ahead. Crew chiefs  
> run a constant patter of information about the compettition, the  
> relative position of other cars, and obsess about the finer details  
> of how the car is handling.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_spotter
>
> Of course the punchline of the whole operation is to reach the  
> winner's circle in victory lane. This is the closest the genral  
> public comes to intersecting with the cars and drivers. Here's the  
> son of one of the winning drivers.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_Kin
> The official photographer, Miss Motorplex, and the winner, wait for  
> the track announcer to arrive and make the trophy presentation.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_presentation
> A young boy and the winning car.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_touch
>
> Races are over by 11 pm, but all cars that finished in the top  
> three must stand down for post-race inspection by the track  
> officials. Owners must be willing to strip-down anything requested  
> of them. Everyone still has the packup and trailer-drive home.
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/album404/4_28_final_inspection
>
> Thanks for your persistence,
> Arche
>
> Tech blab: M3, bugeye Summicron 35, Ilford Delta 3200 at 1600, Xtol  
> 1:3.
> The guys who won their races are in pictures 'wait 2' and 'wait 5'.
>
>
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