Heading there Straight from the Tour, I could hardly wait to see and hear the racing beasts making their way around this famous track. As I found parking on one of the hills that surround the event, the Formula 1 cars were getting into their practice session on the Thursday.

By the time the free cart services brought me to the drop off point on the bridge, the F1 cars were finishing their laps. The defining sounds of the cars opening up on the straight sent tingles down my arms, what a time to be alive. I made my way to the paddock, the area I typically spend my time at the track. Walking around the mini encampments, you get to see the passionate owners and mechanics in full swing, removing panels and wheels, fine tuning the engines and preparing the next Class of vehicles for a few laps.

I planned my time there to ensure that I saw a glimpse of the F1 cars (like Niki Lauda’s Ferrari) running and most importantly, the Can Am class qualifying that day. Borrowing a long telephoto lens for the day helped the successful capture of these over-sized engined cars rolling through the Corkscrew. Other delights included seeing the 60’s GT cars compete, including seeing my favorite oddball from that class, a Iso Rivolta IR300.