There's something particularly magical about the paddock at a race event. They are virtual beehives of intense activity for hours at a time. Then empty. Like a ghost town after the gold rush ended.
Areas are secured, custom tractor trailers are position and unloaded, and home base is established. Mechanics, drivers, managers, owners and media of all sorts are coming and going at all times. You never know who is going to be standing 5 feet away...
There are hundreds if not thousands of near misses between go carts, race cars and pedestrians. It's like Times Square at New Years, but with millions of dollars of equipment strewn about. Body work that is probably work more money than I make in a year is placed, if not carelessly, somewhat haphazardly on the ground.
Cars in various states of disassembly dot the garages and look nowhere near close to race ready.
Eventually though it clears out, and that is when it becomes magical. The light is just right, the day is perhaps drawing to a close for some (but definitely not for all) and the cars maneuver like sharks in the ocean. Slowly at first, then on the attack as they near the track entrance.
Then all that hard work...
Finally pays off when the car hits the track.
Part two coming soon. Check out the full size pictures, and MANY more, over at Der Wolfsburg Rennsport Flickr Page.
_WRS
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