The second round of the BTCC season was at Donington Park over the weekend of April 28/29. The team were fortunate enough to be joined by Ryan Edmonds and for him to lend us his photography skills. Here's his account from his first glimpse behind the scenes with Next Level Motorsport:
"It isn’t often that I wake up at 5 o’clock and drive for 2 hours down the motorway in the rain, but on the 28th and 29th of April I had good reason; I had been given the great opportunity of being one of the team photographers for Next Level Motorsport at the BTCC event at Donington Park.
Being able to get up close and personal with the car and the whole environment was the chance of a lifetime and gave me a real insight into what it’s like to be part of a race team; especially capturing the sheer energy and tension being expelled from everyone around me. From the minute I arrived I was welcomed by all and set up taking shots of anything I could, in particular the 2-litre turbo-charged beast of an A-Class Mercedes that was sat in the pits being carefully tended to by the team of mechanics.
However, the best and most interesting photos came just before the start of each race on the 29th; really concentrating on the varying expressions of Tom and his team, the immense focus and energy was my primary source of inspiration throughout that weekend. Nothing can compare to the endless range of emotions you can capture in someone’s facial expressions, particularly their eyes, the concentration and complete harmony of the team as they made the final checks and adjustments to the car on the grid goes unmatched.
The challenge came when trying to capture unique action shots of each of the races, planning out where to go and what angles to shoot; this meant a lot of comical running from one end of the track to the other to try and get as many good photos as possible, but in the end it was all worth it because having the chance to meet and work with all these amazing people, doing what I love, and being able to access areas specifically for team members and pit crew caught in the heat of the moment, was an experience I will never forget and hope to do again in future."
Thanks again to Ryan for joining us and for the amazing shots!