Through The Lens: Summer Road Racing on the West Coast

Some photos from the MotoAmerica races at Ridge and Laguna Seca

The three week mid-season break is a wonderful respite from being on the road covering racing for the last 17 weeks on the West Coast. Photographing MotoAmerica at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington is always a pleasure. It is such a beautiful track and the fans and personnel at the track are terrific. The whole paddock seems to be relaxed and the background scenery is green and lush in our photographs. Each year, Geoff and I commit to spending a day photographing in Turn 5. It’s quite a hike to the very back of the track. We bring our snacks and good humor to shoot and visit with the corner workers. We are always rewarded with great action. This year a light rain began late Saturday during the Supersport race, as you can see below on Mathew Scholtz’s windscreen. It increased as the Superbike class began its race and would lead to the race being called 2 laps from the finish.

Mathew Scholtz #11 in the rain at turn 5 at the Ridge Motorsports Park.

This storm had been parked off the coast of Washington for a couple of days and like the local weather man said, “It decided to release the parking brake and move in!” The teams scrambled to make decisions about whether or not to run on slicks. Josh Herrin chose the slicks and placed 11^th. Cameron Beaubier pulled out and decided that risking further injury to his heel was not one he wanted to take with Laguna Seca two weeks away. Riders using their clear face shields made for some great shots of their facial expressions as they powered through Turn 5.

Cameron Beaubier #6 looking through the rain at turn 5, The Ridge.

The track feature that is most photographed by professionals and fans alike are Turns 13 thru 15, known as “The Waterfall”. As a MotoAmerica fan you can not only spectate close to the action at The Ridge, but also bring your camera and get some great shots of the riders with a knee down coming out of Turn 15 or a shot of Ducati rider Josh Herrin, with both his elbow and knee down! It is always fun talking with fans about photography and motorcycles. The following day the sun came out and Josh Herrin was able to win the Superbike class, much to the elation of his team who had worked hard all weekend.

Josh Herrin #2 in Turn 15 at The Ridge on Saturday, then in the winner’s circle on Sunday.

Two weeks later, we were photographing MotoAmerica at Laguna Seca Raceway and enjoyed seeing Tyler O’Hara win on Saturday. He is always a pleasure to talk to in the pits and a local rider from Petaluma in Northern California.

Tyler O’Hara #1 entering Turn 8 at Laguna Seca, and later taking his victory lap.

Coincidentally, Turn 5 at Laguna Seca is another photographer and fan-friendly corner with lots of action. Geoff quipped, “I had noticed while we were at The Ridge that the BMW bikes did not always burn the fuel from a full charge, so riders like Cameron Beaubier and Sean Dylan Kelly would often display exhaust flames, as the unburnt fuel would meet the hot exhaust system. I tried lap after lap to catch this phenomenon, without using burst photography or video. Finally, the photo that had eluded me at The Ridge was a capture!”

Cameron Beaubier #6 “on fire” in Turn 5 at Laguna Seca.

Turn 5 at Laguna Seca as well as the Corkscrew are always great places to get excellent shots of the riders at their best. Here’s a couple more of our favorites from the weekend.

Josh Herrin #2 dropping into the Corkscrew; Mathew Scholtz #11 taking the inside line in Turn 5, Laguna Seca.

We’re going to shift gears and tackle the AHRMA Observed Trials next, but we’ll be back shooting MotoAmerica at COTA. Enjoy our favorite paddock shot from The Ridge. It’s always time for Racing!

Barb Nickless
*Photos by Geoff Nickless