I’ve been wanting to shoot photos at the Circuit of the Americas ever since the modern American Formula One track first opened, but didn’t have a chance to visit until only this year, when SRO America’s Blancpain GT World Challenge announced that it would hold its season opener at COTA.
Ever since my first time attending the Total 24 Hours of Spa FIA GT race in 2008, I’ve been fascinated by the cars and culture of GT racing in Europe, and have been hoping for a chance to shoot European GT racing again.
Fast forward to the end of 2014 – the FIA GT Series was renamed as the Blancpain GT Series after series organizer SRO Group partnered with famed Swiss watch manufacturer Blancpain, maker of the prestigious Fifty Fathoms watch (non-French speakers, the company name is pronounced as Blonk-pan, not Blank-payne) to offer teams and drivers the opportunity to compete for an overall Blancpain GT Series title, linking sprint and endurance racing.
The 3.4-mile Formula One racetrack looks amazing, with dramatic, natural elevation changes, including the incredibly steep 133-foot climb up to Turn 1.
The 20-turn circuit incorporates some of the best-loved and most challenging turns from other iconic F1 courses, and the red, white, and blue paint surrounding the track makes for some spectacular photo backdrops and foregrounds.
Aside from an amazing venue, the Blancpain GT World Challenge America also has incredible machinery competing for top spots on the podium. Since it was my first time to the Circuit of the Americas, I was honestly a bit nervous in shooting there. After all, there have already been lots of epic photos produced at COTA, and I felt like I had big shoes to fill.
Kevan Millstein and Alex Barron, the drivers of this wide-body 991 Porsche 911 GT3R, admitted to me that they didn’t have time to wrap their car yet, but in my opinion, this 500hp NA beast looks amazing in all black, with its raw exposed carbon fiber body panels.
For more photos, check out the full story I posted on Speedhunters.
:: Antonio Alvendia
www.antoniosureshot.com
Instagram: @antoniosureshot
