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!!