Cars – Cecile Gambin Photography

It spat a tiny bit this past weekend but I was secretly wishing for rains of biblical proportions. You know…the type that drives into the ground hard and fills up pot holes in a jiffy. Of course, this was purely for my own selfish photographical reasons. I just wanted to take a photo of a cool race car with a big roost shooting out the back to add to my portfolio and secret project that I’m working on.

On site at Mission Raceway the folks from the Sports Club Car of British Columbia (SCCBC) recommended I hook up with local photographer Brent Martin. This was my first time at ‘Rivers Edge’ and thought it would be great to walk around with an experienced photographer showing me the ins and outs of this particular track. Brent was amazing – cordial, professional and unselfish. While I have been around car and motorcycle races often it’s always nice to have a personal tour for safety reasons and for hotspots. Check out his pics here.

There were several races – the open wheel, the closed wheel and the time attack class. My personal favourites are the open wheel class. These are the cars that scream speed and you don’t see often in urban setting (well ok…not at all). That, and the two minis that ripped around hugging the pavement like there’s no tomorrow. Mr. Bean would have been proud seeing his green mini taking to the track in fine fashion.

I spent the most part of the day getting artistic photos, working on my pans and looking at a life in the pits. While I may not have gotten that roost I was out after I am stoked at the photos I did get. I pushed my gear to the limit with some pretty hefty crops and marvelled at the speed of my new Nikon.

I would like to thank Laurie Kaerne, Marc Ramsay and the countless volunteers at Mission Raceway for taking the time to welcome me, and making me feel safe. It’s a great track with lots of high speed sections and corners for entertainment. As Jackie Stewart would have said ‘it’s a great, great day for a motor car race’ at Mission Raceway Park. Check out the SCCBC schedule of upcoming events – racing is closer than you think!!

Bracing myself against the passenger door the driver yelled back to me to hang on tight as we dipped into a sharp right hand turn. Feeling the G’s pushing me back against the frame was nothing short of an adrenaline rush. Oh yea baby…I’m hooked! Hanging out the side window of a pace car is super fun!

On Sunday May 22 I drove to The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, WA to take photos of a Chump Cars World Series race. Having spent the last few years directly involved with off-road motorcycles it was fascinating to see the resemblances between the two sports. Whether you have two wheels or four we are the same…with a few exceptions.

I determined that the number one difference was the sheer level of organization simply needed to attend an event just to race. The amount of gear, pit crew and team members needed for a weekend race is mind-blowing. Bike riders bring BBQ’s, tents, motorhomes, tool boxes as well but with cars everything seemed bigger, larger and more plentiful. Think about it…everything needs to be doubled. Double the tires, the rims, the stands, the gas, the jacks, the oils and so on. Bigger trailers and towing vehicles too.

What I liked about Chump Car Racing, a parody of Champ Car Racing, is the accessibility of racing to the average person. Using cheap cars, insurance claims, or beaters a limit of $500 is placed on the car in order to keep a level playing field. Teams will be penalized for any performance mods made to the car that drive that amount up, safety features excluded.

‘If you cheat or screw-up or both… you’ll be docked laps. If you come to Tech Inspection with a car that’s worth $1,500… plan on starting the race about 100 laps down from everyone else. You can still run in the race and you’ll have a great time… but you’ll never win. If that doesn’t bother you, you’re our kind of Chump!

Seems fair to me.

While car racing is decidedly more expensive than off-road racing the camaderie and sense of belonging is equally as strong. Just because a vehicle has two extra wheels doesn’t mean that they aren’t sewn from the same cloth. Respect, competitiveness, rivalry, family and friendliness – this is racing at it’s finest.

I would like to thank Sandi Gellner of Chump Car World Series for accommodating me, The Ridge Motorsports Track and to all the racers for welcoming me into their world.

For event photos please click HERE. My photos are for sale (digital format or prints). I thank you in advance for your support – it’s greatly appreciated.

© Cecile Gambin Photography — Getting ready to rock n’ roll.

Category: Cars

Eyes on Mission Raceway

Hanging with the Chump Cars