New England Mid Atlantic Motorsports Photographer NHRA
Another awesome shot of a Top Fuel Harley doing a burnout on the drag strip. A burnout is when the driver (or in this case rider) keeps their vehicle stationary while spinning its wheels, causing the tires to build up heat and create smoke due to friction. The origins of the burnout is in drag racing, where it serves a practical purpose. Drag racing tires perform better at higher temperatures, and performing a burnout is the easiest way to raise the tire temperature just prior to a race. It also serves to clean the tire of any debris that may have accumulated and lay down a layer of rubber on the race track surface near the starting line for better traction when the light turns green. That might all be technically true but I think the burnout’s real purpose is to allow drag racing photographers like me to get a really cool picture that conveys the raw power produced by these machines. A Top Fuel Harley, like the one pictured here, produces over 1,000 HP in it’s two cylinder V-Twin engine. It is burning nitro methane for fuel. The riders of these machines are fearless. They travel from a standstill to over two hundred miles per hour in about six seconds, often carrying their front wheel in the air the entire quarter mile length of the drag strip. The riders are straddled on top of these Machines. No roll cage protecting them. No seat belts….obviously. No fear, for sure. I was fortunate enough to be covering this drag racing event on assignment from one of the largest motorcycle magazines in the world. This event was the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series New England Nationals which was held at New England Dragway in Epping New Hampshire. The following weekend I ventured down to the legendary Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ for the NHRA Summernationals event. The Top Fuel Harleys weren’t running at The Summernationals but the Pro Stock Motorcycle class was. The Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing machines don’t use the same nitro methane fuel that their Top Fuel Harleys counterparts do. They "only" produce about 600 HP and are just slightly slower. Drag racing cars and motorcycles are not all the only motorsports that I cover. Peek around my web site and you will see just how versatile a racing photographer I am. I have captured the huge monster trucks in The Monster Energy Monster Jam Series at indoor arenas, sports cars from both The IMSA WeatherTech and Continental Tire Series races and The Pirelli World Challenge. Getting back to racing on two wheels and you’ll find me shooting motorcycle road racing photography. I have covered both The Championship Cup Series (CCS) and MotoAmerica races at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) as well as The Loudon Road Racing Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) . If you’re looking for a great motorsports photographer in the northeast US, call me.