From the archive is a series that I plan to run every week on Mondays from here on out. It will help to fill the blog when there is some down time, and also allow me to reflect on past photos or events. I thought I would start things off with a short reflection on Formula Drift at Road Atlanta as I gear up for the upcoming 2010 event this weekend. Unlike ALMS style racing, you have to pick your vantage points wisely when it comes to drifting. If you are at the wrong spot, you’ll catch the car as it transitions, wheels facing forwards instead of slanted at full lock the way they are above. You want to look for the areas that give the car time to build speed, and with it a nice smoke trail. Drifting is all about style, and the courses are setup to allow the fans a clear view of each lap. As a photographer, we have to put ourselves as close as we can, exaggerating a still image into something that is mobile the way spectators and youtubers alike will relate.

The above, and below shots were taken at the 2007 FD event. The angle of Tanner Foust’s now retired 350Z car carried on entry into the horseshoe was always a sight to behold. To capture it like this took the longest focal length I had at 280mm (the EF 70-200mm f2.8L lens with 1.4x extender), and maybe a slight crop for good measure. The idea is to compress the car’s overall length, getting it pointing head on to really see how the front wheels are pointing. It’s an angle that is typical of the Long Beach Formula Drift event as the cars launch into the sweeping left-hander past the crowd. With any luck, and a little recollection of where I stood to take this, I should be able to edge out a few more on Friday.

The second shot below is one of my other favorite areas of Road Atlanta to photograph that the general public is not allowed to see. This is the staging area at the top of the hill which leads down to turn 10, where cars start and end each run. Here you can see Ken Gushi’s old Ford Mustang lining up for one of the last practice runs for the evening. This area is different from many of the other tracks on the calendar because of its seclusion. At Wall Speedway in NJ, fans can see the cars just to the left behind a barrier as they change tires or the driver grabs a drink of water before the battle. In Atlanta it’s private, a restricted space that breeds both excitement and tension. The only sounds are the rumblings of exhausts, and the periodic burn outs the cars do to break in a set of rubber.

Stay tuned for more from the track this weekend, and keep your feeds locked in here for future ramblings in the archive series.

It’s time to close the book on 2009 as I look ahead to 2010. I was privileged to work with Performance Auto and Sound magazine on the Formula Drift Wall, NJ event, and the coverage went to print in the Oct. issue (shown above). I’ve noticed that some magazine racks run a little behind schedule, so be sure to check your local Borders or B&N just in case there’s a few of these still around.

Click past the fold to see some of my favorite shots from the weekend.

Friday’s practice session was cut short due to a large downpour that hit the whole NY/NJ area in the afternoon. I could see the clouds looming as I crossed the George Washington bridge in the morning on my way to the track. That didn’t stop a few drivers from putting on a show for the press photographers such as myself who braved the elements – the practice was not open to the public. I asked Robbie Nishida (below) afterwards what he thought of the conditions, and despite both his front and rear bumpers being torn off in the puddles, he thought it really wasn’t that bad.

NJ is home turf for Falken ace Vaughn Gittin Jr. and he was on fire the whole weekend.

Joon Maeng also had an outstanding weekend, beating out Ryan Tuerck in the round of 32. This ended up having huge implications on the overall points standings for the season, as Tuerck finished 2nd to Forsberg by only 6 points!

On Saturday during the early practice session there was still a little bit of standing water off-line on the track. This made for some cool reflections, as in the shot below of Kyle Mohan’s RX-8.

Tanner Foust didn’t have the best run in his Rockstar Scion tC, but it sure did look good when he had it sideways.

As the sun set in the afternoon, only one could stand atop the podium. That one was Irishman Darren McNamara in the Falken Saturn Sky. Gittin, and McQuarrie managed to make it a sweep for the tire sponsor in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Although I managed to catch a cold from standing in the rain all day Friday, the event was a blast and I look forward to attending again this coming summer.