PHOTO RECAP :: 2011 UK Autosport International

Another look at the write up I did for Fitted Life all about the Autosport/Pistonheads show.

An opportunity came up early in January. It was an offer from Caterham Cars to work alongside them at a yearly show here in the UK, that goes by the name of Autosport / Pistonheads show. The event in question takes place in Birmingham, at the National Exhibition Center, or NEC for short.

The show is hosted half as the Autosport show and half by the ever growing online community and news site Pistonheads. This year it ran for four days from the 13th till the 16th of January.

The NEC itself spans several large indoor areas, almost warehouse like, which gave plenty of exhibition space. Caterham Cars had half a hanger and offered spectators rides along the tight knitted track.

These drivers are seriously impressive to witness and display some fantastic skill at the wheel of these small engined monsters! Having had the pleasure of witnessing these drivers in past Caterham hosted events, I knew I was in for 4 days of awe inspiring driving. They did not disappoint.

So my task in all this was to capture the Caterham Driving Experience cars, or CDX for short. Even though the conditions inside the NEC are far from perfect for a photographer, e.g. horrible overhead lighting with little to no natural light, it was still an absolute pleasure to capture everyone’s moment as they went around. Some of their customers really played up to the camera which is fantastic to see when your working somewhere like this.

Caterham had near on 3000 customers go on their experience ride over the 4 days, with each session lasting around a minute thirty. There was a continuous one hour queue during most of Saturday and Sunday and as you can imagine, I went through a few memory cards doing what I was doing. However, the incredible level of talent it takes the drivers to navigate the tight drift layout really leaves you open jawed in amazement. No matter how many times you watch them go round, Caterhams are definitely a special car to spot.

The track side photos of the Caterhams in this article are my favourites from the CDX rides. I feel they capture the best moments and really show off the spirit of the Caterham cars, the event, and the ability of the drivers themselves.

But…luckily enough I wasn’t stuck at the stand for days…I managed to sneak away from the Caterham stand and get some shots of the rest of this huge automotive show. There were some fantastic stands throughout the different halls. A stand out one from me, and a bit of a history lesson, was the McLaren Champions exhibition which was incredible. The exhibit showcased some of the classic Formula 1 cars that have made history among the world’s F1 circuits in the past.

Maxxis were there in force this year with lots of sponsored cars on show. With Maxxis tyres sponsoring the European Drift Championship (EDC) the cars on show were some serious machines. On the press days when it was quieter I had the opportunity to have a good chat with some of the people there. They were really pleasant guys who were more than happy to chat about their cars whilst I snapped away. This also includes the guys behind the incredible Supra drift car.

Other Japanese cars on show were those on The SumoPower stand, which never fails to disappoint. This year, SumoPower showed off an incredible GTR which is always a pleasure to see.

Another bonus for me was that in the main area of the show, Caterham Cars were revealing their new model SP/300.R, which I was able to attend the press launch. A track use only machine powered by 2.0 litre Ford Duractec 4 cylinder supercharged engine producing 300bhp. The bullet comes at an all inclusive feature list price of £60k and will have its own race series backed by Caterham Cars themselves.

Pretty awesome looking too, even if it shares a similar look to its competitor the Radical. An absolute beauty to behold!

I also have to mention someone who was at the show that really got my attention, the incredible artist Ian Cook, or Popbangcolour who paints using radio controlled cars, car tyres and toy car wheels, seriously this guy is awe inspiring and I seriously recommend you look him up onFacebook or Twitter for updates on his work.

Other highlights were the fact I got to see the new Lotus Formula 1 colours going back to the roots of Black and Gold, beautiful indeed. Also Tanner Foust’s new Ford Fiesta rally car was there, which looks like an absolute monster. Moreover, it was also good to see Mr. Foust himself at the show on the press day.

In all, it was a busy yet enjoyable 4 days at the UK Autosport International filled with great cars, history lessons, and a little bit of art. And I mustn’t forget..thank you Caterham cars for keeping me awake.

:. Dan Fegent