Category: Racing / Auto Blog

ALEX XYDIAS R.I.P

Another icon of the Bonneville Salt Flats has passed away. He was 102 years old. Alex Xydias was best known for driving the famous So-Cal streamliner in the early days of auto racing. In the late ’40s, he created the first version, made from a drop tank powered by a Flathead Ford V-8 60, built with the help of Dean Batchelor.

With assistance from Neil Emory, Rod’s grandfather, the car morphed into a version that won the Salt Flat Racing Association’s first Hot Rod Trophy at the 1949 Bonneville Nationals, with a speed of 193.54 mph. It would become the first to exceed 200 mph. Alex also opened the So-Cal Speed Shop in Burbank, one of the first of its kind in Southern California. I had the good fortune to meet him once at the Dean Batchelor MPG awards.

8-19-24

HAPPY WORLD PHOTO DAY!

BONHAM’S FERRARI 330 GTC SELLS FOR $692,500 AT AUCTION

I recently photographed this Ferrari 330 GTC for Bonham’s Quail Monterey auction, along with some other collector cars for Bring a Trailer.

This is one sweet looking ride.

(Photographed with Canon R5 camera and RF 24-105 mm f/4 lens)

FASTER THAN 400 MPH

There are only 13 people in the world who have driven faster than 400 mph in a piston-powered car. George Poteet did it more times than the other 12 combined. The King of Amateur Landspeed Racing, who said he never got a speeding ticket, has died at 76. He topped 400 mph at least 55 times, in a carbon-fiber-clad vehicle called “The Speed Demon”. -TWSJ

(Photo: Mark Gewertz, The Wall Street Journal)

7-14-23

EVEN MORE LE MANS CLASSIC

Bastille Day is important to the French. So it is with this in mind that I continue to post about their Le Mans racing heritage.

Here’s another of my photos made during the Classic event this month. Thank you to those who provided me with a media vest for an inside look at the festivities.

FAKE IT ‘TILL YOU MAKE IT

This blog post title is a commonly heard phrase in photography today.

To offer another perspective, the image that accompanies this post is one I made four days ago at 4:00 am on Sunday at the Le Mans Classic. It is a straight shot, an un-manipulated and un-composited original image. This rare setting was created when the full moon set under the Dunlop Bridge while the Group 4 cars began their first lap for that session. In the lead is the famous Le Mans winning 1966 Ford GT40. No other photographers were present.

You don’t need to fake it. You just have to make it.

Le Mans Classic

BRIAN REDMAN – PORSCHE RACING ICON

I was recently called in to be the official photographer for a regional PCA tech session featuring the famous Porsche race driver Brian Redman. Brian’s racing record reads like a list of every famous team and venue. Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ferrari, Lola, Cooper, Brabham, McLaren, BRM, Shadow, Chevron, Ford, Jaguar, Aston Martin, and, of course, Porsche.

I was able to spend some time alone with Brian, a very nice man. My photographs were used in both the regional and national Porsche Club of America January 2023 publications.

1-3-23

KEN BLOCK R.I.P.

Posted yesterday about the rally car driver and marketing influencer:

“It’s with our deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today.

Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband.

He will be incredibly missed.”

(Photographer: Unknown)

THE LAST ST

My favorite 911. Low weight in a classic shape with a 2.5L high revving air-cooled flat six. Heaven.

In the August 2022 issue of Porsche Club of America’s national magazine Panorama, my photographs illustrate a feature about the last 1972 911ST built. I shot this four years ago, and, even though some stories can take a while to make it into a magazine, I’m absolutely thrilled to see it in print now! We kept it B/W, and the writer Jay Gillotti did a great job with the text. Thanks, PCA!

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PORSCHE BACK IN FORMULA 1?

Word is Porsche and Audi are planning to join Formula 1 in 2026. Working in F1 as powertrain suppliers, Porsche is considering working in conjunction with Red Bull Racing, and Audi could be supplying McLaren. It’s all dependent on how parent company Volkswagen decides to allocate development costs across its racing teams. The last time Porsche was in F1 was with the MP4/2C TAG engine in a McLaren during the ’80s.

(Photographer: Unknown)

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THANK YOU 356 REGISTRY MAGAZINE

Renée Brinkerhoff with her heavily modified Porsche 356 and Valkyrie Racing team in Antarctica grace the cover of the Spring 2022 issue of 356 Registry Magazine. Inside you’ll find an in-person interview I was fortunate to make with Renée at her Colorado Ranch right before the trip. Included are my images of her ’57 “street” coupe that she trains with when not competing in her ’56 rally car. Check it out!

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3-13-22

VIC ELFORD R.I.P.

One of the greatest Porsche drivers in history passed away today.

He was also one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. He always took my questions without complaint, and was as humble as humanely possible considering all his accomplishments in motor racing.

Fans will always remember Vic’s rally victories at Monte Carlo in a 911 and his brave win in a Porsche 907 at the Targa Florio in 1968, where he came from far behind in the last laps to pass the lead Ferrari.

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RUSSIA FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX CANCELLED AFTER UKRAINE INVASION

This is just another sign that the world sees Russia differently today. The Haas F1 racing team also removed the Russian flag-based livery from their cars. Many drivers say they had already decided not to attend the Russian race scheduled for September anyway. Hopefully, more financial sanctions of this type will help to stop the insanity.