I’ve held off on my coverage of the final round of Global RallyCross (GRC) in Las Vegas. I didn’t feel a lot of pressure to get this article put together because my fellow contributor, Scott, put together some pretty extensive coverage. There was no point for me to reiterate what he’d already covered.
Scott took extensive notes on each run, which is awesome because it meant I didn’t have to. Covering an event with multiple media contributors is great because each of us can have a unique experience and not miss out on something.
For me, the event started at the drivers’ meeting when I attempted to get candid shots of some the league’s drivers pre-competition. It was maybe the first time I’ve seen Ken Block with a beverage in his hand that wasn’t a Monster. Behind him, it would seem Samuel Hübinette had got wise to my camera and decided to break that fourth wall.
Soon the hoopla from the drivers’ meeting ceased and the drivers took to the track for the introductions. Here we see Tanner Foust doing his best James Dean impersonation. One of my biggest regrets will always be not being able to shoot Foust driving in a Formula D event.
Posing for cameras has become second nature for Block, who is really good at it and makes sure everyone can get a decent shot.
Eventually we got around to the driving. Before it started, I was informed it would be just like drifting but more intense.
They were right. Even though you watch video of cars jumping at Ebisu, it isn’t quite the same type of jumps these guys do.
The nice thing about the event was being able to shoot at dusk. The bad part was the sun would soon go down and so too would my picture quality.
The best I could hope for was to get some decent shots before the sun set. I know my limits and the limits of my equipment and I knew shooting at night would be much harder, so it was nice to get a few decent shots illustrating the jump. Aside from that, it was really cool to see two cars hit the jump at the same time.
The longer the heats went, the harder it was to get the door-to-door action that makes GRC so exciting to watch.
Aside from the jumps, the best part was watching the cars make contact. I’m not sure if that makes me simple or not, but it’s enjoyable. It’s kind of like real-life Mario Kart.
Nightfall was inevitable and I just wasn’t equipped for it. It’s not that I don’t understand what equipment I need to shoot in these conditions, but rather my wallet will not let me acquire this equipment.
Essentially, I just shot as much as I could and then hoped for the best.
Brian Deegan’s car lights up like an angry Christmas tree so that really helped out with the low light conditions.
As the night progressed I made my way around the perimeter of the track, looking for different vantage points.
Foust progressed through every heat so it was hard not to get pictures of him.
Shortly after this picture was taken, Block stopped the race because his car was on fire. He kept going as long as he could until it literally caught on fire.
This was Rhys Millen’s last GRC race under his Hyundai team sponsorship.
This guy blows my mind because there are few types of races he won’t take up.
When the dust settled and the flames were extinguished, Foust took home the W.
GRC lived up to its hype and I’m sure it will only continue to grow. It was great to see so many different drivers from so many different backgrounds drive against each other. Most of all, it was cool to see the door-to-door action.
