Tarheel BMWCCA HPDE @ VIR pics (large size)

[onebluemcm]

The wife and I made a road trip out to VIR to meet up with some friends and spectate a bit. Drug along the trusty camera, snapped some shots. We were in the turn 3-4-5 area and then I got a few at the beginning of the front stretch. Just a sampling here. Partial to the Z4MCs, but I didn't get all of them that were there. Pics are so-so. Not going to get any "racing action" type pics at an HPDE, but still some very respectable vehicles running around, worth the pics IMO. MFGJR and Shipkiller were there, pics below. Another really nice IB Z4MC was there two, only got one good pic though.

[ZStig]

great stuff. the m6 look spretty mean

[r4gs]

excellent photos! panning shots aren't particularly easy and u've got great zoom and detail on the cars themselves

[604BrO]

nice splitter! waiting for mines to ship

[Samjam927]

cool pics thanks for sharing!

[onebluemcm]

Originally Posted by r4gs

excellent photos! panning shots aren't particularly easy and u've got great zoom and detail on the cars themselves

Appreciate it! I try.... I've always loved photography and when we were with the Grand Am team I spent a lot of time trying to learn from the photographer that was hired to photograph the team. Wes Duenkel, http://www.wesduenkel.com/ -- he has a strong focus on Mustang motorsports and on Grand Am. Nice guy, I learned a bunch from him both directly from conversation and from observing him work.

I'm definitely in the camp of "shoot lots and hope some are really choice" for motorsport photography. These aren't the only good ones I got, there are a few others too. Shot around 400 frames total though.... 5/frames per second makes it easy to get "trigger happy"

[esqu1re]

Wonderful pictures! Wish I was there.

[Shipkiller]

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

great stuff. the m6 look spretty mean

I met the M6 driver in Dec when we did a local CCA meet/drive. I convinced him to come out and learn. He was admittedly a little scared of his car.

After his first day, he came up to me and said a BIG THANK YOU for talking to him about coming out to a HPDE and he is loving it. Quote: I am not scared of the car anymore but I have a BIG respect for it.."

He also said that "this kind of driving is addicting"....

He spent $2200 on a carbon fiber hood. It looks good.

He'll be back..................

[Shipkiller]

I just noticed something about these two pictures.
Jason432 and I are both at speed and under hard acceleration. We both have stock suspension.

But if you look at the front end loading of my car, you can see where the splitter is pushing the front of my car down farther than Jason432's without the splitter.

Just a data point.....

Originally Posted by onebluemcm

[VinnieAces]

some very cool pictures, loving that red e30 and all the MCs and that M6!!

Always take pictures at these events imo!! Great stuff, cool to see so many bimmers on the track at once

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by Shipkiller

I just noticed something about these two pictures.
Jason432 and I are both at speed and under hard acceleration. We both have stock suspension.

But if you look at the front end loading of my car, you can see where the splitter is pushing the front of my car down farther than Jason432's without the splitter.

Just a data point.....

IF we were to assume the photographer is taking those pictures from the same location, and judging by the relative position of the cars to the track, I'd say that the two cars are no where near the same spot in both shots.

Therefore there's no way to determine if the car appears actually be "accelerating" because the blurring of the background is simply an effect of the photographer panning around the camera to keep the car(s) in focus. For all intent and purposes, the white car may have been on the brakes and the blue car still on the accelerator.

[Shipkiller]

Originally Posted by The HACK

IF we were to assume the photographer is taking those pictures from the same location, and judging by the relative position of the cars to the track, I'd say that the two cars are no where near the same spot in both shots.

Therefore there's no way to determine if the car appears actually be "accelerating" because the blurring of the background is simply an effect of the photographer panning around the camera to keep the car(s) in focus. For all intent and purposes, the white car may have been on the brakes and the blue car still on the accelerator.

You are correct that both cars are not at the same part of the track.

I know absolutely where the blue car is. I intially thought I was accelerating out of turn six, but going back and really studying it, you are correct again and I was braking into turn four.

My mistake...

Good catch Hack....

[onebluemcm]

Originally Posted by Shipkiller

I just noticed something about these two pictures.
Jason432 and I are both at speed and under hard acceleration. We both have stock suspension.

But if you look at the front end loading of my car, you can see where the splitter is pushing the front of my car down farther than Jason432's without the splitter.

Just a data point.....

You are under full on hard breaking into 4, and the IB car is under hard acceleration from 17a onto the front straight.

Originally Posted by VinnieAces

some very cool pictures, loving that red e30 and all the MCs and that M6!!

Always take pictures at these events imo!! Great stuff, cool to see so many bimmers on the track at once

Thanks much! We went out to meet up with friends and specifically so I could do some photography. Love it and am trying to get better. I have a crap ton more pics, was only able to get through post processing on what I thought were some of the best. There were some really nice E30s and I haven't seen so many E46 M3s in one place since I was with the Grand Am Koni team.

[MFGJR]

Oneblue--great pics! Glad you came down,and happy to have so many Z4MCs around for the weekend. I'll figure out how to post a few pics as well.

Here's some video from the last Saturday session in C Group. I'm not the fastest guy out there, but I'm learning (third time on a track for me). Had fun reeling in the red Corvette, and then letting him go time and time again. Kind of like catch-and-release fishing!

[bucko521]

Awesome video, kinda makes me want to try this at least once.

[MFGJR]

A few more pics...

[j03chu]

nice pics dude=] still remembered when you came down to check out the exhaust. lol how's your car and everything?

[onebluemcm]

Hey there! Everything's great here - the mod bug has set in. What you been up to? Still greatful for the opportunity to see the car, get a ride - definitely diggin' the Arqray exhaust and mostly thanks to you!

[onebluemcm]

Nice vid Frank! How's the heel-toeing coming along? sounds pretty good. I gotta get my act together and do a VIR event with you all.

Hey - how'd the video come out from having the camera mounted between the seats? That instructor is a riot - sounds like a great time!

[MFGJR]

Originally Posted by onebluemcm

Nice vid Frank! How's the heel-toeing coming along? sounds pretty good. I gotta get my act together and do a VIR event with you all.

Hey - how'd the video come out from having the camera mounted between the seats? That instructor is a riot - sounds like a great time!

Heel-toe is still so-so. Brake pedal is still too low when braking hard, and I botched at least one shift because of it. Takes away too much focus as well. I'm anxious to see how it goes with new, fat pads and rotors, which it'll have next time out. (For those who haven't seen earlier posts, my brake pedal is "long", and it's not heat/fluid/air/leak related.)

Yeah, my Saturday instructor was a lot of fun. Always seemed to take delight in me doing something right, really encouraging. He was hollering out the window to the corner workers about the Vette, and applauded the long-overdue point-by. (There were five laps behind the Vette before the video starts...)

On Sunday, I got a new instructor who graduated from the BMW CCA instructor training program the day before. He was fantastic, too. Really thorough and organized, and he helped me smooth things out tremendously.

You really have to do this!

I'll get some video up this weekend, shot from the other location. I have to edit out some of the dumb stuff I did first!

Sorry to drift off course in a picture thread, guys.

[onebluemcm]

Drifting on course, maybe, not here though!

No problem at all - thought it might attract some more media from the weekend.

I'm going to look into the requisite safety items and a GoPro or something like it...need to pick your brain on the safety stuff.

[VSmotorsports]

Cool Pictures looks like a fun time!