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©Henry Peder
Maserati power at JMB Racing!
©Henry Peder
Driver's cockpit
©Henry Peder
Brembo front brake disc and calliper
©Henry Peder
Huge OZ Racing wheels |
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FIA GT Championship
Friday 13th May 2005 - Practice Day
MASERATI COMES TO TOWN
A walk round the Silverstone paddock and a visit to the JMB Racing and Team Vitaphone pit areas.
The prospect of viewing at close hand for the four Maserati MC12s competing in the third round of the FIA GT Championship at Silverstone that weekend, was reason enough to get me out of bed at 5:30 that morning. The other reason was to avoid the early morning commuter traffic and I wasn't the only early riser. A police van parked strategically on the side of the road signalled that the 'camera cops' were already out on duty; well that's what THEY call it! Motorists speeding along the A3545 that morning should be receiving their 'bad news' any day now; I hope I'm not one of them!
The early start paid off and I arrived at the Media Reception Centre at 7:45. My media accreditation gave me access to the pit area, but before that, I rather thought my early start deserved a treat by way of a full English breakfast. On entering the 'Paddock Bite' and seeing the long queue, I soon changed my mind - it would appear that an army of track marshals had had the same idea as me!
I decided to skip breakfast and wander around the pit area while the teams were preparing for scrutineering. I had come to shoot Maseratis and my first stop was the Team Vitaphone pit. I entered the pit area and asked permission to photograph their cars. "Yes, but no technical photos" was the reply. A humble webmaster like myself cannot afford to be too choosey so in I went, managed a couple of shots, thanked them and left.
I then strolled over to the JMB Racing pit, asked the same question and was invited in without any pre-conditions. I made sure I didn't get in their way, snapped away to my heart's content, thanked them very much and left.
Walking around the paddock area one can appreciate the huge logistic support that Maserati is now offering the motor racing teams. The backup facilities are evident from the number of transporters and temporary structures affording hospitality and technical assistance.
The pit and paddock areas at Silverstone are huge and I have to say the improvements made since my last visit in 2001 are clearly visible. By now I was feeling a little on the tired side so I treated myself to the 'full English', (if my doctor ever found out he would kill me!), and made my way home.
I would like to thank Sig Fabio Ravaioli, Media Delegate of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, Katie Tyler of Silverstone Circuit, the JMB Racing Team, Team Vitaphone and the chefs at the 'Paddock Bite'.
On arriving home I rushed up to my 'office' to download the images, and then it happened. I have recently changed my operating system to Windows XP and it would appear that my San-Disk card reader and the new operating system didn't see eye to eye. Result, all my photos disappeared from the screen, one minute they were there, the next minute nothing. I was furious. Needless to say, my San-Disk card reader met with a rather violent end, but even I wasn't cruel enough to drop a skip on it!!
Distraught I rang Mark, my local computer guru, and explained my problem. He asked me to pop the card over to him and, without promising anything, would see what he could do. This I promptly did and an hour later came the phone call, and with it the news, telling me that he had managed to retrieve all my photos. That was the good news, the bad news was that some of the photos were a little out of focus.
And herein lieth the first lesson in photography. When you purchase a new camera, make sure you try it out before you venture out on a photo assignment, lest you miss out on a golden photo opportunity!!! |
