PPiK Ginetta 24h Karting event

Monday, November 19th, 2012

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On the 16th of November, PPiK in Leeds hosted the UK’s first 24 hour karting event in aid of Children in Need. Leeds based car company Ginetta sponsored the event, organising a raffle to raise funds for charity including one of my canvas prints of the British GT4 championship winning car.

The cameras

I took to this event my trusty Canon 5D, with a 70-200mm IS II f/2.8L, a 16-35mm L USM II wide angle and a 24-105mm IS L lens to photograph the action during the first and last few hours of the race. I also took along my Mamiya C330F camera, and loaded it with Ilford Delta 3200 film for the dark indoor conditions.

Conditions for photographing at the event

Due to the nature of the event being in the evening and indoor, maximum ISO was the only option. The 5D’s highest setting of 3200 ISO proved to be just enough to be able to photograph comfortably without the use of flash. The conditions did allow for lots of slow shutter speed panning shots, giving great energy to the action.

A kart racing past the pits during the PPiK Ginetta 24h event

A driver races past the pit wall during qualifying. Capturing karts in context with the teams looking on gave a great sense of the atmosphere.

Using wide angle lenses for motorsport photography

Mixing karts with the environment and setting of the track, with people watching on gave a sense of place to the photographs. This could also work the other way around, with the location frozen sharp, and the karts racing through the shot.

Karts racing around the track while spectators watch on

A combination of slow shutter speeds, a steady hand and wide angle lens allowed for dramatic shots as the karts passed the pit wall.

The wide angle allowed for much more of the setting to be included in the shots, while the karts added an element of speed and excitement as they buzzed through the photographs.

Capturing wheel to wheel action

Despite the nature of the race, the drivers treated it more like a 20 minute sprint than a 24 hour endurance event! This created some great action out on track, as drivers battled for every second of the race.

Drivers battling past the pits at the 24h endurance event

Wide angles could fit several karts into the frame, allowing me to show the great wheel to wheel racing out on track.

Using fast shutter speeds and big apertures was also possible with the fast lenses. This produced some great freeze shots of the drivers fighting it out into the twisty corners of the track.

Freezing the action as drivers went side by side into the various corners of the circuit showed the concentration and skill of the racers.

High shutter speeds, for fast karts

Freezing action is always something I’ve found tough to do, but at the PPiK track at Leeds I had the opportunity to get close to the action, due to the excellent track access I was granted by the fantastic staff. Photographing the karts on the limit as they exited from under the bridge shows just how on the edge the drivers were while racing.

Kart racing out of the tunnel at PPiK Leeds

Drivers pushing hard were captured with fast shutters speeds and large apertures. This shows just how hard the drivers were attacking the track to make up time through the race.

The return of Superblur

I’ve always really liked the abstract, highly blurred ‘superblur’ style photographs, where very slow shutter speeds are used to create dramatic photographs of high speed action. The dark conditions and reflected lights were perfect tools for creating these abstract shots as karts pounded around the track.

A combination of bright colours, the PPiK logo and the Union Flag helmet combined to make a dramatic, superblur style photograph of a kart navigating a fast corner.

Using this technique with the wide angle lenses also created some interesting photographs, with strip lights adding splashes of colours through the photographs.

A superblur shot of a kart exiting from under the bridge

The exaggerated curves of the wide lens add extra interest to the superblur effect as this kart exits from under the bridge.

Using the Mamiya C330F

I usually take along my Mamiya C330F to events, just to have a different photography challenge. Using it at this event was no different, and I wanted to show the setting and atmosphere of the race using black and white.

Karts racing into the tunnel at PPiK Leeds

Karts racing under the pits provided a leading line into the photograph, as well as a sense of speed. The Delta 3200 film was processed in DD-X.

Depth of field and background blur have always been great on this camera, and that was no different when photographing the karts lined up before the start of the race.

Karts lined up before the race, taken in black and white

A boost to the contrast created strong forms as the karts sat lined up before the race.

The winning team

The CFT Services team were the eventual winners, clocking up an astonishing 1,975 laps by the time the chequered flag dropped. It was an amazing achievement and the team deserved to win after showing a consistently fast pace throughout the event.

The winning CFT Services team stand with their kart after the race

The winners of the 24h endurance race at PPiK standing with their kart after the race.

Well done to the PPiK Leeds staff

The event raised over £9,000 for charity, an incredible amount that will be used for many worthy causes. The PPiK staff with the support of Ginetta organised an amazing event which was a privilege to photograph.

The PPiK staff did an amazing job running the event, which was a roaring success.

I’d like to say a special thanks to Ben Hyland who allowed me to photograph the event on PPiK’s behalf, making me feel so welcome at the event, and giving me excellent track side access. I’d also like to thank Ginetta PR doyenne Ruth Harrison for helping to organise Ginetta’s involvement with the event.