I entered the 2013 St. Petersburg Grand Prix raceway area around noon not know what type of cars I may see on the track at that time. To my delight the classic racers were out and I got to see my favorite car, the Porsche 911 in several forms roaring around the course. It took me awhile to find a suitable spot to photograph the cars because the double fence around most of the course just could not be shot through with any success.
I ended up using a spot where a TV camera guy was. There was a hole cut out of the fence that his huge camera was pointing through so I then only had one fence to shoot through and I could put my lens right up against essentially making it invisible to my camera's sensor. This spot is where most of these shots are from.
I had some idea it would be very loud because as I sit here at home now with the windows open some 4 miles away I can hear the faint sound of engines even. I actually liked the intense sound and did not use the promotional air plugs handed to me by some social media guy. I was there less than an hour, so perhaps longer exposure to the engine sounds would have been headache inducing, but for me it was a rush to shoot and feel the subject so viscerally.
I always wonder what the people do who live in the condos right on the race course. Do they eventually block it out, love it, or just spend the weekend out of town?