World Super Bikes Donington 2011

As one of my last treats whilst working in the Automation Systems division of Mitsubishi, I was priviledged to get an invite to their new corporate box at Donington Park Racetrack. The new upper level box is situated just before the first corner (Redgate) so there is a mad scramble for position with lots of excitement! The event, held in March 2011 was the European round of the World Superbike Championships.

Although a great day for bikers, I had another reason for wanting to attend a high performance race meet. My main was to get some experience and practice some high speed race photography. It turned out to be a great day out, giving me the chance to really test a telephone lens on my Canon camera. (Techies can find out more from my Donington Park Gallery Page.) The high speed of the bikes certainly challenged my photographic abilities. I was amazed at how close together they ran around Redgate without a collision, so I took one or two shots of the ensuing melee. Although there were loads of shots which I didnt quite get right, and in pin sharp focus, I was really pleased with the results for the day. If you ask me who won, I would probably have to reply that it was a “bloke on a bike who took a great picture at F11 at 1/600 sec.” (Quite sad really…..)

A slideshow of a few of the pictures are found in the Donington World Super Bikes under the Gallery section.