SDKA HPV4, Formula YC, and Superbox Racers Take The Stage

        The last SDKA (San Diego Karting Association) event I attended was back in April, and the resulting photos and blog post I produced had me lamenting that the fact that it seemed my SDKA photo shoots had become very dull and ordinary. As such, back in April I promised that my next SDKA photo-op would be different… “like nothing you’ve ever seen before.” Well, the SDKA race in May 2010 was in Perris, CA which is too far away for me to travel to, so I had to wait for two months to redeem myself, and I really do think that I did.

Seconds After The Green Flag

        In order to distance this photo-shoot at this particular SDKA race from the others I have done, I knew I needed to shoot something that was NOT in any of my previous posts or photos. It took a lot of thought to figure out what that might be. I though about traipsing through the pits and snapping some shots of racers as they prepared to race but I ultimately nixed that idea. I wanted ACTION shots that I haven’t seen online or anywhere else.

The Checkered Flag

        I did some research, and by research I mean that I used avenues other than Google, because Google will provide law enforcement with search records without a warrant. Since I am a child of the 1990′s, I knew how to go to a library, read encyclopedias, and generally conduct an information search that was 100% Google (law enforcement’s puppet) free. What I found out was very simple. SDKA photos and articles did not have photos of the start or finish of their races. Bam! I had my agenda.

HPV-2/HPV-1/Junior-1 Racer Tears Up The Track

        So, even after doing my Google (CIA, NSA & FBI) free research, it still took a little time to get into my photographic groove. For one thing, by 3:30pm, the sun was really starting to dive into the Pacific ocean, so one side of the SDKA track was back-lit, and the other side was bathed in late afternoon sunshine. If you are a photographer, then you know the challenges this lighting creates.

The Checkered Flag

        Number 12 buzzed across the finish line first, making him the winner for the HPV-2/HPV-1/Junior-1 class. I was hoping for some photo-finishes, but the winners of each race were very much in a league of their own, beating the rest of the field by a wide margin.

TaG Seniors And TaG Masters Take The Stage

        So, in the spirit of photographing something I’ve photographed in the past, but in a different way, I have shots of the start and finish of most of the races. I’m also grouping the photos for this post according to the class of the racers, as opposed to a random assortment of photos. I think it will help the post be a bit more linear and help to tell a better story.

TaG Racer Roars By During An SDKA Race

The Winner Of The TaG Heat Takes The Checkered Flag

        It is very exciting to watch the winner of a race cross the finish line. For that moment in time, everyone knows that you are the best, with a checkered flag and possibly a trophy to prove it.

SDKA Shifters Explode From The Starting Line

        As a person that knows a little less than nothing about go karts, I will make the following assumption: The shifter class of go karts are the fastest karts on the circuit. These guys fly around the course, Tokyo drift around the corners and generally control a certain amount of chaos behind the wheel.

The Winner Of The Shifter Class

        I think the body language of this racer says it all, and rightfully so. This SDKA racer CRUSHED his competitors, and as the photo above proves, he was so far ahead that his competition was nowhere in site.

SuperMoto Invades SDKA Go Kart Racing At Qualcomm Stadium

        This is the first time I have ever seen motorcycles racing at an SDKA event. It was very, very cool, and (no offense intended to go kart racers) the highlight of the race for me. I love motorcycles and even own one myself, even though I never ride it.

Panning A SuperMoto Racer At Qualcomm Stadium

        Just in case other photographers would like to know, every photo in this post was taken with my Nikon D5000 at 1/1000th, f/8, 200 ISO. The D5000 really is an incredible camera and until I have a D700 fall into my lap, it will be with me just about everywhere I go.

The SuperMoto Winner Crosses The Finish Line

        The SuperMoto racers were the final heat for the day. If nothing else, my time at the track on this particular day inspired me to get the hell back onto my motorcycle. Motorcycles rock, and god damn it, I rock too! The brief video below does not do the racers justice but I figured I’d throw it into the post anyway. Cheers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrXJh5Fb_UI

©2012 The World Is Raw. All Rights Reserved.

San Diego Karting Association (SDKA) Race At Qualcomm Stadium

        This post will be short and sweet. I attended the SDKA (San Diego Karting Association) race at Qualcomm Stadium on April 18, 2010. Actually, I just stuck around for a couple of the qualifying heats, but it still amazes me every time I go. This is the fourth SDKA race I have attending & photographed since accidentally discovering the club back in August 2009.

Rounding The Clubhouse Turn

        With this being my fourth attended SDKA race, I feel much more confident now dialing in focus and managing my shutter speed than I did a mere 8 months ago. The problem is that I now feel my go-kart photos are starting to all look alike, even if they are sharper now than they were when I started. I would like my next SDKA photo-shoot in May 2010 to be more interesting and dynamic than what I have produced so far. Does anyone have any suggestions to help me accomplish that?

Kids Race Go-Karts Too

        Ok sports fans, that’s it for this post. To all you SDKA racers, I’ll see you next month, and I promise my photos will not be more of the same. They will be like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

©2012 The World Is Raw. All Rights Reserved.

SDKA Go-Kart Race At Qualcomm Stadium, March 21, 2010

        There is never a dull moment when SDKA (San Diego Karting Association) rolls into Qualcomm Stadium for a race. Incredibly enough, it seems that full fledged adults are the main demographic for racing go-karts, because I saw exactly 2 kids on this particular day. Grown-ups, some with salt & pepper hair were the ones tearing it up around the stadium, and I really do mean, TEARING IT UP!!! In the photo above, a tire flies dangerously through the air after being thrown from a go-kart at 40mph.

Push The Envelope

        There are two things that I personally like about SDKA go-kart races: The speed, and the photo-finishes. These races are really tight. The difference between first and last place is measured in seconds, not laps like NASCAR. These guys are warriors, and go-karts are their weapon.

Orange Cone Impact

        The driver on the left, in the photo above had the bad luck of having an orange cone thrown in front of him. I happened to snap a shot at the moment of impact, capturing his front fairing shatter.

SDKA Races Are Always A Thrill

©2012 The World Is Raw. All Rights Reserved.

SDKA Roars Around Qualcomm Stadium

        SDKA stands for San Diego Karting Association. That is, of course as in Go-Karts. They really do tear it up!

SDKA Go-Kart Racer Blasts By Me

        I’ll just say now that I was not able to get as close as I wanted or stay as long as I wanted. SDKA races are a little strange because there is no one on a loudspeaker telling you who is winning or how many laps are left. You have to figure all that out on your own.

SDKA Racers Battle For Position Around A Hairpin Turn

        The racers that spend their Sundays are creating history for the San Diego Karting Association and they don’t even know it. They are the inspiration for a whole new generation speed demons and gear-heads!

The Bright Colors Of SDKA Racers

        I covered an SDKA race back in September, and at that time, it was bloody hot out. Back then, I wondered why some racers wore black and others wore bright, peacock colors. I still wondered that on this day, even though the weather was perfect, probably around 75 degrees.

*sigh* I Realize Now That They Are All Pointing To The Left

        OK, for all the pics in this post, I was more or less in the same physical spot. I had every intention of moving all over that damn football stadium parking lot, but aches of the head told me otherwise.

Someday, An SDKA Racer Will Befriend Me So I Can Try This Sport Out

        San Diego Go-Kart Racing looks like a lot of fun. I don’t know who won or who the SDKA Heavyweight champion is, but I bet that if I was racing it would be me! See more pics from a race I covered back in August here.

©2012 The World Is Raw. All Rights Reserved.

The Grit Of The Race Transfers To The Grain Of The Film

        Old Town was the target, but without looking I shot Qualcomm Stadium right in the face.  The general atmosphere around San Diego was 101F, so all the earlier predictions of snowball fights by dinner had been handily dismissed.  These men, members of SDKA battled over scorching pavement and even hotter internal combustion engines.

A Wasp Displaying Full Mating Colors

        These creatures, boldly painted in colors of BAM and WOW grabbed pavement like American Congressmen grab ass. The San Diego Karting Assossiation (SDKA) do what they do because they love to do it, and they do it for free. They dared any mortal man to stop them, but the only mortal man present was me, and I was busy doing other things.  These 2-stroke warriors were definitely in charge.

Who Do You Think Will Win?

        Kart racing is a cross between racing a real car and pushing a grocery cart, with the obvious exclusion of the groceries.  With a gap between them slimmer than Sunday coupons these two racers tied at the Finnish border, only to remember later that the end of the race was in America, at the FINISH LINE.  They hurried back from Northern Europe and still claimed first & second place. SDKA racers know what they are doing!

Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer GO!

        This is not Speed Racer, and I have no idea if this guy won or not.  Seeing them do what they do in the heat that they do it in makes it very easy to watch their cartoons, but impossible to emulate them. SDKA is very special because it bring Kart Racers from all over San Diego together.

And The Winner Is!

I think this SDKA racer either won the race or was heading toward an area that was significantly cooler that his present location.

©2012 The World Is Raw. All Rights Reserved.