What are Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden doing? Interview with Andrew Wheeler (that's me)

What to do...

It's the off season. Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner are running around in the snow with the new Ducati GP10 as part of Ducati's annual winter romp which can be followed here on RoadRacerX's website . I've just ordered a couple of 1TB hard drives for the "big machine" at home and am currently planning my 2010 as I will be covering just MotoGP. With Moto2 as the new class, MotoGP looks like it's going to be exciting.

I know I posted this waaaay back in July, but seeing as some new people have discovered my work, I thought i may be appropriate to re-visit this wonderful video that those kind folks at OTT - On The Throttle put together.It can be run full screen by clicking on the little "icon" to the left of the volume adjustment on the status bar. Okay, I'm off to find something else to write about. Meanwhile, why not become a fan and join others on my Facebook Fan page.

Oh, and it's been a whiles since I shared a photo of our German Shepherd, Thor

Photos Of The Year. RoadRacerX and Haga. Spies, Lorenzo, Stoner

A few published favourites from this year. By no means everything of course.

For the second time in the five years RoadRacerX magazine has been running this annual feature, one of my images from 2009 has been used as their opening spread for their Photos Of The Year. It is a shot of Ducati rider Noriyuki Haga at the Curva Parabolica, Monza 2009.Closely followed by a cover shot of World Superbike Champion Ben Spies taken at the final round at Portimao and used on the cover of 2010 Parts Unlimited Magazine.One of my favourite shots from the 2009 season of MotoGP was used as an opening spread in CycleWorld's December edition of Race Watch. It is of Jorge Lorenzo at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He had a custom made Captain America helmet, but, the reason why I like this shot is the fact that the clouds are reflected inside the "A".As I have been working with a European agency this year, quite unbeknownst to me one of my images of Ducati rider Casey Stoner, that was taken at Laguna Seca earlier this year, adorned the cover of the programme for the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana!We're almost up to date!

Merry Christmas 2009.....

Hold on..I'm starting my time travel machine...More posts are on their way!

Starting with the Official Andrew Wheeler Christmas Card 2009. A quality collectors item and a big thank you to all who have been a part of the journey through 2009. I'm looking forward to to doing more in 2010. More, that's it!
Next!

The Rossi Print went for $8500. How Much Will A Rossi R1 Raise For Riders For Health?

The print to canvas of Valentino Rossi adjusting his Aldo Drudi designed helmet helmet at Valencia in 2008 was sold at auction at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Riders For Health Auction for $8500.

I attended the press day at the Long Beach Convention Centre in Long Beach California to capture images of the customised Yamaha R1 that publisher, Don Emde had put together with the help of Drudi Performance (the people that designed and painted Valentino Rossi AGV helmet), along with some help from Bob Starr at Yamaha (who donated the bike!), Roland Sands Design and others.The repainted Yamaha R1 is going to be sold for auction at one of the two MotoGP events to be held in 2010, either at Indianapolis or Laguna Seca.Striking as it is pretty, this should raise some well need funds for the Riders For Health charity. Watch out for more information and start saving!

Valencia. The Final Week. The Final MotoGP Round 2009. Rossi, Lorenzo, Spies et al..

It really doesn't take long to get from Granada to Valencia and is quite a nice drive.So here we are, the last few days of our holidays and we have now arrived in Valencia. We're staying in the same apartment I rented back earlier in the year for the World Superbike Round. The final round of the MotoGP season took place at the same location, and seeing as I already had left sufficient funds to cover for a deposit it made sense to rent the same apartment. It's location is good, it's quiet normally! During this visit there was nothing but high winds all week long and at night it felt like you were on the deck of an aircraft carrier so sleeping was a tricky, if not a noisy affair.Emily and I didn't really have any plans here, simply to visit the old town, find a decent restaurant, and wind down with the end of year party with the GP folks. We stayed pretty close to base. We drove down to the Albufera which is a nature reserve a few miles south of Valencia. It is also near where Bomba rice (the rice used in Paella Valencia) originates and is grown, in huge rice paddy fields that line the small network of narrow two lane roads that crisscross this reserve. With the weekend approaching and the buildup to the final round of GP ahead we head to the track on Thursday to get set up. Alpinestars kindly set us up for hospitality access, and Emily is all set with her passes to allow her into the paddock and media centre (thank you so much for this - you know who you are).With Ben (Spies) being offered a wild card ride for the last round aboard a Sterilgarda liveried Yamaha M1, and his garage that is sandwiched between the Factory Yamaha's of Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo on one side, and the Tech 3 garages of Colin Edwards and James Toseland on the other, it is to me, rather quaint in some odd way. With the big beaming smiles of Massimo Merigalli (Ben's R1 team boss), Tom Houseworth his crew chief and of course Woody, along with a few other former team mates who came along to help out, it feel like we never really left Portimao. Except the bikes are louder and the paddock isn't quite as laid back as the World Superbike paddock. Ben is in good spirits. As his right hand man Geoffrey. Everyone is all smiles and are quite excited to have this head start for the upcoming 2010 season. Ben will take over from James Toseland and will be aboard the Tech3 Yamaha M1 for 2010 (yes I know it's not exactly news anymore...). So the atmosphere in and around this garage is still the same as it was in World Superbike. Next year though, I imagine it'll be a lot more intense though.Tom, is still the master of hand signals. Woody, is on "observation" and pit board duty (apparently the team doesn't let you just dive straight into to work on machines - you have to observe first)...but Ben's garage still has that fresh positive air that existed throughout the World Superbike season.Friday rolls around and everyone is anxious to get out on track to start winding down the season. It's windy. Very windy. Holes are drilled in the fairings of the lightweight 125's and some of the fairing of the 250cc machines.I'm a lucky boy again. Fortunately I'm able to use Ben's scooter for the sessions and thus am able to get around without much difficulty.Saturday, practice in the morning, qualifying in the afternoon. It's still windy. Very windy and quite cool. During the afternoon qualifying went off as normal, but with the Championship having been settled and won by Valentino Rossi at Malaysia, all eyes (in the MotoGP class) were on Ben Spies. Being that he had won the World Superbike Championship in spectacular style in his first year (I'm not a fan of the word "rookie"..no idea way..just seems a little bit twee) this would be the story for the weekend. With James Toseland on his way out, and with Ben moving to Tech3 alongside fellow Texan Colin there was a lot of chatter about whether Ben would finish ahead of James. With Ben qualifying a good 9th (against James' 14th spot) and with Colin up ahead in 5th, and with the usual suspects ahead of Colin Sunday should be interesting. But there is still on more thing to take care of on Saturday. That is the BMW M Award. Valentino Rossi has won this prestigious award for being the fastest rider on the grid during all 17 rounds of MotoGP, not after spending some time "lusting" over the bright orange BMW M3 GTS and taking it for a lap around the circuit (I also heard he took delivery of not long thereafter and gave the M3 sedan he won to his Mum. At least I think that's the story). After returning to the presentation area, he then "hugs" the car he has won and is also presented with a scale model of the same vehicle.One thing that didn't go unnoticed, especially by my wife, was that Valentino Rossi is the expert of scarf tying, or rather, how to make wearing a scarf look totally snug! Sunday rolls around, and yet again, it's windy. Cool, but sunny. Thanks to Mary, Massimo, Geoff and the team, I am fortunate enough to have the scooter for the GP race. The other two races run their course and it's time for the "big boys". I go to the grid, which is (as usual) total madness, with photographers, riders, teams, fans with special passes, tv people and half of Spain all milling around. But that's part of the glamour of GP so you work around it. I tend to work rear of grid towards the front, thus, as everyone dives for the "main attractions" at the front, I'm treated to a free grid, and as everyone works their way to the back, I end up with free-ish access to the front of the grid. Tom (Houseworth) give me a "wave" and I head off the grid, onto Ben's scooter and off to grab the first lap (or two) shots with the pack.As the bikes head off the grid for their warm up lap, we wait for them to come around and most folks take a test shot or two to make sure everything is setup correctly. I'm stood next to Gigi (Soldano) and as all the bikes have passed he asks me "where's Stoner?". It transpires (as we know) that Casey Stoner had a little off on the warm up lap and that was the end of his 2009 race season. Which was a shame. This year has been particularly challenging for Casey and it looks like the last race of the year wasn't going to let him off easy either. The race is under way. I tend to use a race plan of 2 or 3 laps in one spot, them move, thereby giving you the opportunity to amass a wide variety of shots from different locations. Valencia is easy to get around, but with the crowds being a little lighter than past years, I wasn't always afforded the bright colourful pixelated backgrounds so you had to pay extra special attention to your subjects if you wanted to ensure a lot of colour.Well, the race at Valencia can be a little processional but as before, all eyes are on Ben Spies. He didn't disappoint. Finishing a healthy 7th place, ahead of a somewhat disappointed Andrea Dovizioso and of course James Toseland. Inadvertently, Ben also helped his future team mate Colin Edwards. By finishing ahead of Andrea Dovizioso he allowed Colin Edwards to take 5th place. Local lad Dani Pedrosa would win the race, with Valentino Rossi coming in second and Jorge Lorenzo coming in third. One thing that struck me as odd, and I think it was the high winds, was the lack of paella smells this year. Every year I have been coming here it has been a feature of this track. The somewhat fragrant whiff of seafood being cooked swirls around the track, but this year, nothing. After the podium, it's a quick shift into the the presentation for the top three class Champions and that it for the 2009 season.Back to the media centre, sort, edit and upload. By the time we left the media centre it was nearly 11pm. We had been invited to the Dorna end of year party. By the time we got back to the apartment, and then realising that it would be an additional 45 minute down to the Albufera, added to the fact I couldn't keep my eyes open, we called it a day. On reflection I wish we had gone to the awards presentation ceremony at the Aquarium. Maybe we'll do that for 2010. Monday afternoon would be spent back at the track for testing and Ben would be aboard the Tech3 Yamaha and there would be a number of "staff" changes that took place after seasons end.After saying goodbyes to various people that would be it for my year of racing. 19 races in total. 8 World Superbike events, 8 MotoGP's and three AMA Superbike events here in the US. Thank you to the Sterilgarda Yamaha Italia team for helping make life a little easier too. Quite the season. Thank you to my lovely wife for being who you are. I love you. I missed you so much whilst I was away. These three weeks with you were simply the best fun ever.Tuesday, it would be up early, off to the airport and then the trip home back to the USA.

Interlude. On The Road from Jerez to Valencia....

Just putting a little movement into the update...

Music "Spain" from Aural Sculpture by The Stranglers...

Valencia update next...

A Little Moorish. The Wheelers On Holiday. Jerez To Valencia

Imagine two weeks between races, in Southern Spain with the most important person in your world....
I have been looking forward to this. Emily and I hadn't been away on holiday together (aside from her joining me at Indy, for MotoGP) for over two years. So for her to join me for both last races of the season, AND have a holiday touring in Spain in between WSBK at Portimao and MotoGP at Valencia was a true blessing and something that we both had been looking forward to ever since we started planning the trip. In so much as Emily didn't take hardly any vacation in 2008 just to make sure she had enough to cover her for the time we were aboard (the US is not terribly generous on leave so three weeks vacation is almost considered abandoning your job...).

Emily kept a sort of "rolling blog" on her Facebook page here and here which will go into greater depth. But here it is in some sort of order...and some other odd pictures.

We left Portimao and drove to Faro airport where we dropped off the rental car. At Faro airport we ate some of those tasty Portuguese egg/caramel pastries whilst we waited for our shuttle. The shuttle would drive us from the airport to Hertz Rent-a-Car in Huelva, just across the border in Spain (the reason being it would cost us nearly €700 to drop the rental car at our final destination at Valencia and so the shuttle was a lot cheaper). Whereupon we picked up another stunning German rental car, a BMW Series 3 diesel (much to my surprise actually). From there we drove roughly 2.5 hours to the house I stayed at during the GP earlier in the year in Jerez. Now I can enjoy some time in Jerez with Emily at a location that was super convenient.This would be our base to visit towns such as Seville, Cordoba and other towns nearby.The Tuesday after we arrived from Portugal, we pretty much took it easy. I really needed a day to just breathe, and we woke late and pretty much just walked about Jerez during the day. Wednesday, we took a trip to Cadiz and with Emily as my guide we walked around the town, and the old town, ate fried fish, Emily commandeered my Canon G9 and we just had a blast.The next day we would go to Cordoba. Did I mentioned we're going to move here? Anyways, we visited the Alcazar and the coolest of places I have ever been to in my life, the Mezquita. What can I say, one of the most amazing places to visit, just walk around and realise what the Moors brought to Europe (and the world) via Spain. To think, they brought, toothpaste, alcohol, eating meals in courses, and their culture added so much to how we live today.The next day we went to Seville. It's almost too much for words. The history, the cathedral, the minaret, just walking round, looking up. Over the next few days, we'd go to Tio Pepe in Jerez to take a tour of the "bodega", my second trip, and Emily's first. We'll worth the small fee, but make sure to buy the little extra for the tapas at the end of the tour. It's a nice way to finish off the day. Before leaving Jerez we'd visit one of the signature "white-washed" hill towns that are part of the landscape in the region.We'd visit Arcos de la Frontera, a stunningly beautiful town on a hillside not too far from Jerez (and coincidentally not too far from the race track either...).On the Monday, we'd be up early and leave for Granada, the last major castle of our trip. We'd be staying in the Alhambra Palace Hotel which is literally a 10 minute walk away from the Alhambra itself. What struck me is how "high up the mountain" this place is. Something like 1800 feet above sea level, and with mountains behind, the Sierra Nevada's, it almost does really feel like California!After a lovely walk and self guided tour around the Alhambra, lunch at an outdoor restaurant (along with feral cats circulating for "snacks"). We rounded off with a lovely dinner in the hotel restaurant we headed off to bed. On the Tuesday morning we had to check out by noon and we'd be on our way to Valencia, for the final leg of our trip, that would end with the last round of MotoGP. As I mentioned above, if you go to Emily's Facebook links above, you'll see a chronological, and just more logical, reportage of the trip.Next, we arrive in Valencia and wind down the year.

To The Wire. Ben Spies vs. Nitro Nori. Portimao. World Superbike Championship

It was a quick turnaround. Quickest I've ever done, and Emily was convinced that by Sunday I would be a total wreck.
Why? I left Melbourne on Monday, October 19 at 10.30am in the morning. After a quick change of plane in Sydney, it's off back to San Francisco. I arrive at 10.15am on the same day. In less than 48 hours, Emily and I would be going in the other direction (time wise) to Lisbon in Portugal. Just enough time to get home, change ones knickers and head off again (that's just a colloquial phrase...meaning just enough time to do the washing...)! Well. Everything went well. Our shuttle took us to SFO, we caught our flight to JFK, waited for a few hours, then caught our flight to Charles De Gaulle, waited a little whiles and then flew onto Lisbon!Thursday afternoon and all the luggage arrived (breathe a sigh of relief especially as we were travelling via CDG). We met John Hopkins and his crew at the Hertz Rent-a-Car and in fact, ended up with his rental car as it wasn't big enough for all their stuff, which worked well for us as the car I had been assigned wasn't big enough for all my stuff. Everyone happy, we head off to Portimao where we'd be staying. We'd rented a house in the town of Portimao which in turn wasn't that far from the track. The bed in the house, however, was torture, but the house was super comfortable and big. But all things aside, we had arrived. We took a quick trip to a supermarket nearby, but oddly many of the people working there spoke English to buy some provisions. GB arrived later that evening and after catching up we all settled down for the night. Friday morning we took the scenic route to the track. Last year was the first year for the race here at Portimao and this was the only route to the track. However, the motorway has been constructed and so there is a quicker route to the track but by no mean as interesting. The drivers in Portugal are rather, shall we say, excitable....! After the almost "Paris-Dakar" ride to the track (Emily's coined phrase for my exuberant driving) we arrive at this extremely modern, out in the middle of nowhere, facility. Emily and I pop into the administration offices to pick up her credential and we're in!A brief walk to the media centre, more money for (lousy) internet access and we're all set up. Time to go wander, arrange for scooter during the weekend and check things out.What a track! Huge sweeping downhills, uphills, crest's and such a beautiful surface.The areas around the track are a little "Miller-esque", meaning they're a little dust-bowl-ish and still needing some landscaping, but there's nary a bad view from anywhere on the outside. With Emily armed with my Canon G9 and all "media-accessed up" we go to get it sorted so she can visit and hang out in the Yamaha garage. Mary Spies, Ben's mum, greets Emily with a huge hug! Tom, Ben and Woody also are pleased to see her (me, I end up getting the now obligatory "salute" - all in jest mind).Tom (Houseworth) has brought his wife Suzie with him to the final round and for a brief moment it didn't dawn on either of us that it was Suzie, Tom's wife, when she introduces herself to us. DOH!Friday carries on as normal....with a little more tension in the air. This weekend would decide the winner of the World Superbike Championship, and it was going to be either Ben or Nori that would win it. The excitement in the air was palpable. Although for Tom and Woody, they had been here before (in the AMA) and even though they appeared to be calm, I did sense just a tinge of reservation that I hadn't seen or felt from my prioir visits to the Yamaha Italia camp...Evening trips back to the house were always fun. With the warm late autumn temperatures in the Algarve, it is a real treat driving with the windows down. Friday night I had decided to cook dinner. Saturday, following a tense day with practice and qualifying, Superpoles and wotnots, would be a trip into the town of Portimao and the "Restaurante O Alcaide". We found this local gem simply searching on Google Maps. We were not disappointed. We were joined at Kevin Allen from Pirelli later that evening and although he wasn't planning on eating the food was so tempting he caved and joined the rest of us. We had an assortment of dishes, one of which, the mixed seafood cataplana, was simply delicious. We left the restaurant around 11pm once it dawned on us that they don't stay open as late as Spanish restaurants, and the owner/chef, was getting a little bit irked that we were still there. Needless to say we'd go back to this place again.Sunday arrives. The BIG DAY! Although as far as Greg "Woody" Woods is concerned it is just "Sunday". Which is true, but there was a lot of nerves in the Ducati garage as well as the Yamaha garage next door. With all the finishing permutations Ben (Spies) had to achieve to win the Championship, and similar permutations applying to Nori (Haga) to allow him to win, the win itself was becoming a class in mathematics! As I wouldn't necessarily have access to Bens' scooter for both race one and two, I had decided I would go and photograph the grid and race on track for the first race, and then (nervously) cover the goings on in the garages for race two. Well, as we all know, Nori made a mistake in race one and crashed. Of course, the made race two even more tense and so I felt I made the right choice in being "in garage" during race two. Ben only had to finish something like 5th or higher to win the Championship.The atmosphere in the garage was incredible. I mean, people, glued, almost magnetically to the monitors and timing screens. With Ben (Spies) losing some ground, and Nori (Haga) gaining, you could visibly see sweat on people faces. Strained, anxious eyes watched the monitors and no one said a word.After numerous battles with misinformed security telling me I couldn't do this or that I simply went to the pit wall once it looked like Ben was going to snag the Championship. As Michael Fabrizio raced past the pit wall and mechanics in first, closely followed by his team mate and Championship runner up Noriyuki Haga, followed by Rea, Byrne it was Ben's turn. With Yamaha mechanics swarming all around me Ben road an arc towards the pit wall while his crew started to lose it!! Back to the Yamaha garage and people were jumping around, excited. Amazing stuff.Everybody runs down the pit lane to parc ferme to wait for Ben to arrive. It's a battle trying to get any burnout shots of Ben as he pulls up. With more fans than photographers I stand back and observe, as Massimo Meregalli arrives, arrives in tears, being hugged, and hugging well wishers, from fans to team mates to fellow competitors. It's an emotional moment for "Maio" and in a way one for me too. Both Emily and I have witnessed Ben's Championship wins through the AMA and now into World Superbike.With the podium ceremony completed, there is even more frolicking with team members being "dunked" into the pond that is next door to the media centre. The celebrations and buzz in the paddock are amazing.The last business of the day is the final Championship photos on the track and then that's pretty much it for the World Superbike Championship. With Ben heading off to MotoGP, the number 1 plate will only exists on the Yamaha Superbike for the purposes of this, the final photo shoot. In a way I felt sorry for Massimo and the team. One works so hard to get that number 1 on a machine, and sadly, with Ben moving onto face the top level of motorcycle racing in MotoGP, this number 1 plate will not be paraded on a bike during the 2010 World Superbike Season. But I guess that's racing!With a huge lump in my throat, and a feeling of sadness, like it's the last day of school before people leave to find jobs or go onto University, I bid my farewells to the team. It's a sad feeling for me. I have always been welcomed and looked after by everyone in the Yamaha Italia squad, from Maio, to Jure, to Giulio and of course Gavin the PR dude...the same sentiments and kindness were shown to Eily on her visit to the teams. So I have to say a huge THANK YOU to Yamaha Italia for making my work away from home and my wife a joy. I look forward to seeing them all again soon. Also a huge thank you to Graeme Brown, Matteo Cavadini, Marco Morittu, Gavin Mattheson and others who made 2009 so much of a pleasure. Also a big THANK YOU to Yamaha's advertising agency who have been very supportive and have used many of my images through 2009 in the advertising campaigns.Monday am arrives, and we're up early and off to begin our holiday. That post is coming up next...

Five days at home! Off to Australia..Spies? Haga? Rossi? Stoner? WHO!!?

Even though this has become a common view this year, it's always nice to come home. Back home to Emily my wife, Thor the dog, Bean and Widget our little cats and my own bed. There is nothing nicer....Two weeks away from home in a single trip it starts to push the envelope of tolerance. Knowing that Emily is home having to take care of the pets, and everything else, whilst I'm away. I feel somewhat guilty, but then again, this is my job and I try my best to promise Emily that she'll get pictures each day. Fortunately this was only my second back to back race this year and the last. The next time I'll be away from home for more than a week will be the trip to Portugal and Spain for World Superbike and MotoGP and Emily will be with me (or was with me...!)In the meantime it is home for five days then off to Australia for the second time this year. The first was for World Superbike at the beginning of the year. This is for MotoGP. A different beast! As is the case the five days at home whizzes by. Washing is all done, suitcases repacked with all clean clothes (you really do not empty your suitcases at all...) and before you know it we're back in the car, heading up Highway 280 to SFO. Upon checkin, the Customer Service Manager (I've mislaid his business card so I can't add his name here) at the Qantas desk recognizes me (from past flights) and upgrades my seat to Premium Economy. SCORE! I get to sleep properly on the way day. I am so thrilled. Emily and I spend an hour or two having a bite to eat before she has to head back down home. It never get's any easier, and I do really not enjoy saying cheerio to her. I wish she could come with me all the time.The plane leaves on time and we settle in for the trip down....a few beers, champagnes and whiskies later sleep happens. We're woken and we're not too far from touchdown at Melbourne. I'm always amazed how long the flight looks numerically, but in reality seems to fly by. I really wanted to enjoy my comfy seating! Oh well. I have a few hours to kill in Sydney before my connecting flight to Melbourne and I meet Maurice Murray. Good friend and the man in charge with Yamaha US Parts and Accessories Division. Hilarious who you meet in places you'd least expect it. Time to go catch the flight down to Melbourne.The weather isn't looking very good, it's cold (and yes it is Spring down here but it has been warmer...). I load my stuff into the rental, fire up "Gladys" (my trusty TomTom 300) and head on down to Phillip Island. Stopping, as I have always done, at the McDonald's in Cranbourne for some funky curry flavoured snack wrap and a coffee...a couple of hours later I'm at the house on Phillip Island. Making sure I do not speed. Speeding tickets seem to be a hazard with this job. But as I write this many weeks later it does appear that I have been well behaved and so far, nothing from the State of Victoria has landed in our mailbox...yet). One super treat is that John Hanson, good friend from back home (the US) will be joining me (along with GP regular Martin Heath) at the house along with his Australian girlfriend. John is a super nice fellow and extremely talented photographer with who I had had the pleasure of working with since we met at Road America in 2005. He also does work with RoadRacerX and also has a unique style of photography that I like. So that was something to look forward to as well. Sadly there wasn't any trips to the penguins, nor the koala reserve, the weather was far too stormy and I think I was just tired from travelling and pretty much ended up waiting for the race weekend to roll around...But then again, when the sun comes out, it is super blue skies although it looks comfortable, it does get chilly pretty damn quick...One thing that I notices covering races all over the place. Is the spectators clothing. It's rather entertaining in some ways, becuase, for example, in somewhere warm, like Spain or Italy, people wear bright colours, even in the rain the colours are bright and the nice thing about this is that as a photographer you can use this to your advantage, especially in slow motion shots. By lowering the shutter speed you can create a high bright and colourful background. However, at Phillip Island most folks where dark sombre colours and so a motion blur shot is usually only speckled with an odd flash of yellow or red.The race weekend was pretty predictable, baring some sort of stupid mistake from either Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo or Dani Pedrosa, and it's been known to happen mind you, the race would be won by one of these four. As it turned out one does have to feel a little sorry for poor old Nicky Hayden after yet again, having his race ruined before even a single lap under his belt by a little over exuberance by Jorge. That said it would be Casey Stoners weekend, and a a home win is well, which must feel good.Monday am it would be up bright and early, a steady drive to Melbourne (no speeding) then a commuter flight to Sydney then home. But I wouldn't be home for long. After getting home Monday afternoon, within 48 hours I would be on a plane heading to Lisbon in Portugal. This time would be different as Emily would be with me..FOR THREE WEEKS! Next installment coming up. It is about the racing right?

From Pizza to Poulet, Imola to Magny Cours, Ben Spies and Nitro Nori!

Sit tight, grab a coffee, put some kindling on the fire, or grab your kindle and read on....

I will be updating in "chunks" during the next day or so, beginning with Imola and Magny Cours, then Phillip Island in Australia, then Portimao which will include the road trip my wife Emily and I had en route to the final round of MotoGp in Valencia. Then we'll have some current updates.

The last time I put words to this blog, I was staying in a small gite, in a small beautiful town called Brisighella, a picture of which can be viewed down page. This was to attend the World Superbike race at the famous race track at Imola. I had never been to Imola, much the same as I had never been to Monza. In fact, it's the one thing in common I had with Ben Spies! Many of the tracks he would be racing at, he hadn't seen either. Let's just say that's where the similarities ended. Italy is a wonderful place, and this part of Italy is beautiful. Still rather rustic, but full of history, architecture and kind people. The gite I had rented was a converted barn. The entire property was a vineyard, not huge, but they make and sell their own wines and we had just arrived at harvest time. So the roads that we would travel on would always have at least one tractor with a trailer full of grapes. Occasionally, you'd round a corner and see a rather futuristic tall, spaceship looking tractor designed to remove grapes from their vines. At night you'd hear these tractors, with their "night into day" lights following a strict path up and down the well placed vines removing the grapes.Needless to say, the air is full of a pungent fruity mustiness as they're taken from the vines, and crushed at many of the small independent wine producers in the valley. The entire region is noted for it's wine, and it's wild boar. In fact, at the place we were staying, the woman who ran the facility, and who owned the vineyard and who also runs a cooking school, would tell me that if I went for a walk in the evening to watch out for wild boar... Ok, I will. In the mornings you would sometimes wake to the crack of gunfire and hunters would be up at dawn looking for game, and no doubt, the odd wild boar...! Imola holds a very special place in many racing fans' hearts. As with many famous racetracks it also has a rather sad side to it's history, being a race track where many fine racers have lost their lives. One of the most well known, and still loved to this day, is Ayrton Senna. On the Thursday afternoon, Graeme, another photographer by the name of Gareth Harford and myself walked the track, a useful exercise just to get some idea of the layout, angles and so forth. When we came upon Tamburello we went behind the catch fencing, where, to this day, Senna fans place flowers, and memorials to the famed Formula 1 (cars) driver. On a quiet Thursday afternoon with the only sound being some birds and the faint toot of cars horns from the city that surrounds the race track it made for a moment of reflection, and a reminder that sometimes there is a price to pay for speed, competition, and the ultimately, life does go on.Well..as with everything Thursday ends and the race weekend gears itself up. In Italy, this means chaos. Organised chaos! Italian race fans are really, very enthusiastic. Climbing fences, firecrackers, disco Eurotrance music blaring from huge mobile panini vans. All serving food and coffee as good as anything you can buy in a decent Italian restaurant in the US. The Italians love food, and good food. Umm, so do I so it's a dangerous combination! The racing? Oh yes! Well, as expected this is a Ducati track, meaning, they really always perform well here and this weekend wasn't any different, however, MotoGP 250 superstar Marco Simoncelliput in an appearance for the Aprillia Superbike team and finished third in race two! To the delight of the many fans that turned out to watch the Italian. With Ducati riders, Haga and Fabrizio winning race 1 and race 2 respectively, the weekend wasn't helpful for title contender Ben Spies.But that's racing I guess!! A quick hop skip, quick plane trip and we're off Paris, then a swift drive to Burgundy and Magny Cours!I have a soft spot for France. I spent many years motorcycling here (or there), I would go on school trips all through junior school, the food, language, countryside, everything about the country I love. Even my wife Emily and I were engaged in Paris 23 years ago! This time I'm staying in a converted 16th Century converted building next to the church in the centre of a very old town by the name of La Charite-sur-Loire. The apartment itself backs up to the 12th century Clunic priory church of Notre Dame. Notably, the winding narrow medieval stone staircase inside the apartment will always stick in my mind because it felt like you were walking up a tower (which you were) to fire arrows upon the invading (insert favourite invading medieval army here). The town itself is one of a few towns in France that is known as the "City of Books", and as you'd expect, there's a lot of booksellers, with new, used and antique books, most in French, all for sale! Back to the track at Magny Cours, which is out in the middle of nowhere and so it is a nice pleasant and relaxing 20+ minute drive. However, I would only find out after I returned home that my rather enthusiastic driving style would be rewarded with four driving violations, in other words, speeding tickets from some sneaky hidden speeding camera somewhere en route between the apartment and the track. No flashes to alert you, nothing. Perhaps the cows were disguised as speed cameras, who knows..but there you go. The price of racing I suppose! This weekend would fare a little better for Ben's championship attempt as he would go onto win race 1.However, Noriyuki Haga would maintain his side of the championship tussle by winning race 2.This track is huge! A scooter (Thanks Maio! [Merrigalli]) is essential. There's plenty of opportunities to capture something a little bit different, with brightly coloured kerbs, huge swathes of green paint and the light is actually quite good there (or here)...One thing that struck me, especially as I spent a lot of time working in and out of the Yamaha garage was watching the extremely high level of team work, combined with a good sense of humour to get the work done. With Tom Houseworth who has been with Ben for years, and Gregg 'Woody" Wood, who came on board the Spies championship efforts a few races previously the team developed and second sense for making sure all their work played out.With the championship now set to come down to the final race in Portimao, Portugal, the weekend is over. Next, we head home to California for a few days, then it's off to Australia and Phillip Island for MotoGP.

Rewind! Valentino Rossi sells himself for $8500!

Ciao!
As they say here as I sit outside of my accommodations in the region known as Emilia Romagna. I am here waiting for the start of the final push (last three rounds) to the end of the World Superbike Championship which kicks off at Imola, just down the road from where I am staying. Heading onto Magny Cours then winding up in Portimao on the Algarve in Portugal.

After months of having the galleries of AutoMotoPhoto being non functional, I'm pleased to inform everyone they have been restored and are working with all versions of flash! If you haven't had a chance to catch up, make a big cup of coffee, tea, whatever, sit down and browse. So let's catch up, starting with the last race first and work backwards. It's a long post!

One of the most amazing things happened at the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP this past August. Very moving for both my wife who has supported me through my travels to get this business started and functioning, and extremely very beneficial for a cause she and I both believe in. I had offered Don Emde and the folks at Riders For Health a print to be sold for auction that would take place on Friday morning at Indianapolis. You can read more about Riders for Health here.

Long story short........

Don Emde had taken the print, a 20"x24" on canvas print to his Parts Unlimited dealers meeting on Thursday evening prior and had it in his truck. During the evening where Valentino Rossi signs AGV helmets to give to the various dealer reps at the function, Don thought he'd see if he could get Valentino Rossi to sign the print. Which he did and by all accounts was fascinated by what he saw. The plan for the Friday auction, which was run very much on schedule, was to have each rider bring an item for auction. For example, Randy De Puniet brought his boots, Nicky Hayden brought a Tissot watch and so forth. So you can imagine that when Valentino Rossi decided to "bring" my picture what an incredible honour (and thrill) this was for me. So after some banter, and some Q&A's from the crowd it was time for the auction. On stage with Valentino Rossi, were good friends Toby Moody and Ralph Shaheen...I'll let Dan Lo's video from the event tell the whole story..

As I said before, this was huge for Riders for Health, and huge for me and my wife on a personal level..and Darren Beatty captured a very special moment for which I am incredible grateful. Weather-wise the weekend was good, aside from Friday afternoon when we had some rain. The crowds were good, and the organisation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was as always, first rate. One complaint though, the lack of willingness by those driving golf carts to be flexible and pick up photographers and being told that they "weren't authorised" was a little distressing. It's a huge facility and not everyone has access to a scooter, so hopefully we can get something done for next years visit. I can't wait, and as someone suggested on my FaceBook Fan Page, I'm going to have to top this one next year!

Coincidentally, it was a good weekend for Nicky Hayden, and maybe it was a "sign" that he graced the cover of Motorcycle Racer Magazine with one of my shots taken at Catalunya...
Continuing on our trip back through time, was a visit to the Czech Republic for the MotoGP races at Brno. Racing aside, there is a lot to see in this country. Beer and sausages and Indian food downstairs from my apartment, it was certainly a wonderful trip and I look forward to returning next year. Visiting caves deep underground and relics of castles. Speaking of places with castles...and also noted for it's beer and sausages. I visited the UK for both World Superbike and MotoGP, and being that they were only weeks apart it felt like I had never left. It was good to visit my Mum in Bath, see some of the old stomping ground where I met my wife and enjoy some fine foods from a small organic butchers in Duffield by the name of "Croots". If you happen to be nearby, make a point to stop in and check out their produce. Wonderful foods, and wonderful service.

Between both events in the UK, we had my "home" race. Where for one race weekend I am able to be with Emily. I can sleep in my own bed, cook in my own kitchen and be home with all my little furry friends, Thor, Widget and Bean. It makes a difference especially when you travel as much as those covering racing worldwide to just be around your own "stuff". We also had a really cool Facebook "Friends" 10 minute gathering at the track on Friday evening, just to be able to put some faces to the names with who we "chat" online with. .Well, I think that's enough reading for now. Once again, check out AutoMotoPhotofor all the race weekend updates. I'm off to the see the Adriatic this afternoon, deciding the sea will be far more inviting than a warm, hot city (such as Bologna). So watch this space for updates from this weeks travels. Then next week it's onto Magny Cours in Burgundy. Two wonderful food and wine regions with good racing at either end...and a BIG THANKS to Randy Mamola for his help. It means a lot Randy. You and your family, Sharon are special people to both Emily and I. I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Oh, and good luck this week Chaz!

Ciao for now and thanks for reading...

Mat Mladin Retires | End of an era perhaps?

One week and a few days before I leave for Brno...

Well, I've almost got my site back to normal, and will be updating the blog as well, just as if I didn't need any more distractions, Mat Mladin announced that at the New Jersey Motorsports Park will be his last racing event...

So with that in mind, I have put together a little slideshow of images from the past few years, not in any particular order, but just images I like...and to add I have enjoyed capturing Mat, Mat and Ben and all the interaction during my tenure working with the AMA..

Good luck Mat! Now for some pictures..

Interlude | Interview with Andrew Wheeler (me) | Updates coming this week

Just back from the US GP at Laguna and have a few things to catch up on. I'll be updating my website, and this blog, all this week playing catch up. In the meantime please check out this wonderful vignette made by Chris Matye and his wonderful colleagues at OTT - On The Throttle.



It can be run full screen by clicking on the little "icon" to the left of the volume adjustment on the status bar. Updates coming!

Is it WSBK or MotoGP? - Jerez then Monza..Infineon, Miller, Catalunya and Donington up next!

I need my own personal jet.

Oh boy....first I'd like to apologise for being so behind in updating to this blog. So without further ado, make a big pot of tea of coffee, find a comfy spot and let's have a trip around Europe and North America, starting with Southern Spain, Jerez, a new track and a new destination for me.Amazing place. The picture above was taken from the window of my bedroom in the heart of the city, and in fact the centre of the flamenco universe. Imagine warm balmy evenings, a soft fragrant breeze blowing through the open windows and sounds of clapping, dancing, guitars and castanets..seriously. Every evening this would be the sounds greeting you. The city itself is becoming pedestrianized and the streets are extremely narrow to navigate with a car..even the GPS cuts out from time to time due to the tall buildings gathered close to the sidewalks. Then there is the food. If you're a lover of seafood, get to the market early, like silly early. You'll have to wait in line for anywheres up to 40 minutes, but the choices are amazing...Don't forget though, this is the home of Sherry (Jerez, Sherry..gettit?!) and a visit here wouldn't be complete without taking one of the many tours of the bodegas that exist within easy reach of the centre of town.Did I mention the race weekend wasn't bad either?You have to experience this racetrack, nothing but colour, and people stacked all around the track, clapping and chanting as only the Spanish can do..it's simply breathtaking, and of course, the crowd love Valentino..who didn't disappoint either...Next stop would be Monza!
Yet another new track and a new destination for me in the world of racing. I was fortunate enough to find a residence hotel less than 4km from the circuit, which meant and easy in and out at the end of the day but also allowed for little side trips into Milan (where I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Ben Spies' Mum and Dad, Mary and Henry walking around the Mall and the Duomo)This racetrack is literally soaked in history. If anyone has ever watched the film "Grand Prix" you'll know what I mean. The banking, albeit sadly crumbling away, is there, the trees remind you that it is still a park where people run, walk their dogs and ride their horses even during the race weekend, all kept in one spot by a 20 foot perimeter wall. But to see the banking gives one goose bumps.This time the hero's of the hour are Ben Spies, Michele Fabrizo and of course, Noriyuki Haga. Haga has everything to lose and Spies and Fabrizio are playing catch up. This being Yamaha Italia's home race (the factory where both the MotoGP and World Superbike Teams are based is literally a stones throw away) and with Ben Spies being made an honorary Italian there's a lot of pressure on everyone. I was fortunate to have been given a tour of the workshops and even encountered Uchio, Valentino Rossi's mate returning with the motor home whilst I was leaving. A quick look into the garage where all the GP trailers are stored revealed a whole collection of shrink wrapped GP bikes from all years. Sadly no photos (they're touchy about that) but still, the visit was worth the time.
Race day, and the weekend in general was a lot of fun. Some folks from back home were there, Andrea, Chuck, Rome and his girlfriend Misa, and with Ben Spies and Jake Zemke (subbing for John Hopkins and both with their respective crew chiefs) it started to feel like the AMA was here..but no. Sadly Ben would run out of gas in race 1 after a race restart following a pretty horrific crash into the first chicane. Race two however, Ben won. All in all, a wonderful weekend, although the banking almost claimed another life, MINE! After slipping on some crumbling concrete, then being whacked in the back of the head by my camera and followed by falling chest first onto an old crash barrier strut left Italy with a few memories I wish I didn't have..!More this week from Infineon and the AMA, Miller and World Superbike, MotoGP from Catalunya and my third trip back to the UK in 20 years, World Superbikes from Donington..all coming this week...

Don't Panic - World Superbike, MotoGP and AMA Updates coming!

Folks!

It's been a few weeks I know..but I've almost finished up a "sit down and have a cup of coffee" sized update..

It's coming...Back to work (I'm at Donington with Ben Spies, Haga and co for WSBK..)

It's Not All About Oranges - World Superbike Valencia and 19

I love Spain. As I might've mentioned or waffled on about somewhere else within here, I love everything about the country, the people, lifestyle and culture (although I'm not a big fan of bullfighting but hey..). This was my first trip to Spain at the beginning of the year and the first time covering the World Superbike Series. After having my main suitcase go awol for a few days it finally turned up and I was able to get my life back on track. Still, it gave me the opportunity to go real shopping, to buy shoes, some clothes and other stuff one wouldn't ordinarily buy and interact with folks on a regular day to day basis...Ihad fun. Although, I stood out like a sore thumb, being that I only had shorts, a body warmer and sandals to wear..and it was cold!Onto the race weekend. Fans in Spain, really make covering the event something else, from cheering and clapping as riders race each, to clapping and cheering when a rider gets up after having a spill. It's just so good natured....Well, this weekend was a little more special, as the Yamaha Italia team, and Team Manager Massimo Meregalli in particular have offered me the use of Ben Spies' scooter when he's out on track and during his sessions.So it was with great relief that I head out to cover the race aboard "Number19"..Whereupon I meet fellow photographer Andrew Northcott, with who I have been friends for quite some time.There we are, two burly chaps aboard this scooter when Andrew screams "I'm slipping I'm slipping" suddenly the front comes up and he almost drops off the back! What was really funny though was that the fans who were seated above us, started clapping when I saved it! Truly hilarious. So we drive to the top of the track to shoot some more and then decide to head back down to go through the tunnel that goes under the track and into the middle.As we pass the fans that previously clapped out misadventure, start to cheer and stand and do "the wave". Funniest thing ever. Unfortunately for Ben the weekend wouldn't be as good to him as it was in Qatar, a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the first race, and a second place podium in the second puts him a few points behind Noriyuki Haga. Still, it's a long year with plenty of races to go and things can change..That's all from me this week. I'll try and squeeze in a quickie update about the AMA race at Fontana that took place prior to this event. I also need to update my website too. I'm off to Jerez this weekend for MotoGP then onto Monza for Round 5 of the World Superbike Championship. Be safe and I'll be in touch.

Racing On Two Hemispheres - Phillip Island to Daytona

I did wonder how I would fare. I was fine until 11.15 pm Friday night after the Daytona finally finished. My body decided that it was still somewhere over the Pacific and wasn't going to take no for an answer. I had to leave the media centre at the Daytona Speedway and get back to the house so I'd at least stand a chance of waking in the morning and catching my flight to come home...I did manage to wake up!

Within 6 days I travelled to Phillip Island to witness Ben Spies first victory in World Superbike and then hopped on a plane, had a surprise upgrade to Business (THANKS QANTAS) and was home for less than 10 hours before jetting off to Orlando for a quick drive to Daytona for the"new" incarnation of the AMA. I'd be lying if I didn't mention that witnessing Ben win wasn't a thrill for me on a personal level. In his first weekend in a new series, on an untested bike, the new Yamaha "Big Bang" R1, on new tyres (Pirelli's instead of Dunlops) and with a new team, but with his old AMA crew cheif Tom Houseworth by his side Ben did really well in race two. Race 1 didn't go to plan, but then again I think everyone was raring to go. And so it was all hands on deck and something had to give. Sadly it was Ben that got pushed out into the kitty litter, but he kept it up and kept on pushing to get back to front. Race two, however, was simply magical. I had gone to Phillip Island to write a "fly on the wall" story for RoadracerX about Spies' first foray into the world of World Superbikes. How he thought, how he felt and so on. I was amazed to see such a transformation in Ben. Relaxed, confident and unhurried, we chatted on the Wednesday before the race and I asked him questions that were more about him, his thoughts on how he would do and things a little more personal. I found, contrary to my initial an entirely different person than the Ben I had known in the AMA for the last how many years. I have to admit I had a really nice time chatting with with Ben, and you'll get to see the article, entitled "Spies Around The World" in the upcoming edition of RoadracerX. I hope you like it and I'd appreciate any feedback.So then onto Daytona. Sublime to the ridiculous? Daytona isn't my most favourite place in the world. In fact, none of the teams like Daytona. The saying goes, that the best thing about Daytona is watching it disappear in the distance as the planes wheels leave the runway. Arriving Tuesday I drove to my house in New Smyrna Beach. Daytona is more about folks having a good time on Main Street. The racing is really secondary to everyone who is there and the crowds in the stands and at the track reflected that. Even British rider Neil Hodgson commented that there were more riders on track in the Superbike race than fans in the stands. Still, it was good to see bikes racing back in the USA and also good to see Mladin win, and Hodgson coming in third. That said, it does look like the Suzuki's are dominating again. So no change there. That was Thursday. Next up the Daytona 200, under the lights (see first image above for the race start).For the life of me I just can't see the point of this. I'll agree that from a working point of view it's actually rather comfortable, no need for sunscreen, it's cool and comfortable but it's a novelty that on a personal level doesn't add anything and I'll admit to not being too keen on the "Pacety Car" and the rolling starts. I suppose things change, but bike racing, any form of racing, the start, knowing how to feather the clutch and let it go is a skill and one of those things that makes a racer, a racer, having the skill to anticipate the lights going from red to green (or out) and then letting it go.Well, that's all from me for now. I'll add my Fontana update Tuesday along with images to my site when I'm in Valencia prior to covering the World Superbike races from the Circuito Ricardo Tormo. My website has been updated and there are images in the archive. Bye for now!

It's Coming! From Phillip Island to Daytona to Fontana!

Folks, it's been an odd and busy year so far. I'll be posting an update tomorrow and would likr to thank all who have contacted me in the meantime.

Wheeler, is going global. Updates tomorrow!

Rossi-Stoner Laguna Seca 2008 Battle - Unique Banner Print Now Available

I typically do not sell prints.

I decided to put together the event of 2008 that turned the corner for the battle for the 2008 MotoGP Championship. The entire sequence where Valentino Rossi passed Casey Stoner in the dirt is now available in a 96x7 inch print in a simulated 35mm fuji film border. To find out more simply click on the link here: Rossi-Stoner Laguna Seca Print

AutoMotoPhoto Review 2008 - Valentino Rossi On The Cover!

It's here. My self published 2008 AutoMotoPhoto Review which covers pictorially every race I covered through 2008, including some excellent images of the series changing and skillful pass that Valentino Rossi made on Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca during the Red Bull MotoGP at Laguna Seca.

The cover shot was taken on the Saturday morning at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo and is of Valentino Rossi adjusting his visor prior to heading out on track.

I'll be attending the opening round of World Superbikes at Phillip Island in Australia. If you need images from this opening round please do contact me. Onward and upward!