The schedule over the last few days has been pretty demanding, and I'm glad I finally grabbed some time tonight to check over what I have shot at Adria. After our little visit to the circuit on day one to meet with the Vitaphone Maserati team, I was really looking forward to seeing some action. After all, what is the point of feasting your eyes on such exotic racing cars without seeing them blast past you. Sound is as important as the visual aspect of racing and there is plenty of it in FIA GT I'll tell you!
Andrea gave the film crew some great footage as he took his Maserati MC12 out for the practice session. There were a bunch of cameras mounted in the cockpit filming from various perspectives. I checked out some of the recordings and I was very impressed. I can't wait to see the final video!
The GT2 class F430 were a stark contrast to the american V8's, I love how these things scream!
The film crew was busy lugging this monster Red camera around the circuit. After seeing what video guys have to put up with to cover an event like this, I have officially stopped complaining that my camera equipment is heavy.
Can someone please tell me why no one has made an RSR replica body kit for the 997? I love how the subtle fender widening flows naturally with the lines of the stock car, but adds that unmistakable race car profile…
…and it doesn't look too shabby from the rear. Will have to ask Rauh Welt if they can come up with something similar to this!
I don't know why but I found myself liking this PK Carsport CR6 quite a lot. Like I mentioned, sound is everything with these cars, it adds character, it makes the them take on a life of their own.
The Vette's engine bellowed out a thumping V8 soundtrack…
…quite similar to the Saleen. I think I preferred the V8's better than the howling Maserati V12s! Sacrilege coming from an Italian, but hey, it's all about character and the yank V8's have tons of it.
Adria is one of the best circuits to shoot from as there are plenty of corners and chicanes to keep the racing exciting.
The second Red camera resting on the ground at Adria. As you can see this one is running a wider lens, great for getting a different angle on the FIA GT racing. I couldn't believe the crisp resolution on that LCD screen! I need one of those on my 1D….although I was told I can potentially fit it to a 5D MKII as it has an HDMI out connection. Hanging around with the film guys was dangerous, I'm getting all these ideas now….especially after having a go at filming with a 5D and a 600 mm lens!!
After the FIA GT practice was over, I headed back towards the paddock and bumped into the GT3 class cars lining up to enter the pits. Grabbed this low shot of one of the two Vipers.
I liked the GT3 class the most, as all of the participating cars seemed to be closer related to their road-going counterparts, like the ACM R8 above, minous the wing of course!
Here is another wild GT3 contender, the Alpina B6. Looks like a crazy time-attack car a Japanese tuner may come up with! The supercharged 4.4L V8 churns out 530 horses and a monster 725 Nm of torque.
Once the gates opened they made their way into the pits for a quick check-over by the mechanics. Make sure you stay tuned for some GT3 track action a class, that for me, was the most exciting to watch and shoot.
Speedhunting in Italy Features
-Dino Dalle Carbonare