Andrew Wheeler, AutoMotoPhoto and MotoGP. Part3 Catching Up.

Some of you who are "Likers" on the Andrew Wheeler - AutoMotoPhoto page here on Facebook would have seen or viewed the individual rider galleries I put together to keep us warm and interested over those cold winter nights...(doesn't that sound all squishy warm and fuzzy?)

Well, I figured that not everyone is on Facebook, and so they're worth sharing here.  I'll most likely be adding a few more to the Facebook page between now and Qatar just to get people in the mood for the new season, but in the interim here are the galleries.  To search or view nearly 20K images from the AMA, World Superbike and MotoGP you can also visit my archive and create your own lightbox, search for any rider..you name it, you can almost do it all.

Except download.  For that you'll have to pay me!  =)

Starting off this collection of slideshows is the 2011 MotoGP World Champion, Casey Stoner...

Not forgetting that man in yellow...Mr 46 himself.  Valentino Rossi...

Then we went to take a look back over Ben Spies' 2011 in MotoGP.....

The talented and charming factory Ducati rider Nicky Hayden....

The rather talented Alvaro Bautista aboard the factory Rizla Suzuki in it's last year of MotoGP (for now).  They'll be missed this year. But Alvaro did a great job, as did the team....

...and by coincidence here follows a little something from the waaay back machine when the current AMA champion Ben Spies tested at Indianapolis for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team..

All the galleries and the images contained can be shared on FB or on Twitter, as can the galleries so don't hold back.  Feel free to share.  Also, prints can be purchased.  Just send me an email if there's something that grabs you...more to come...!

MotoGP Qatar Round1..Rossi, Spies, Stoner, Lorenzo and Camels...

This was the first time on my trip to Qatar to cover MotoGP that I actually witnessed camels free and wild in the desert. We had a side trip up to the fort at Al-Zubarah and there were many many camels just wandering around...one doesn't get too close by the way...

So as not to get too race "reporty" as pretty much anyone can find that stuff out there anyways, I'll just add what the week gave us. We had old riders on new teams, new riders on new teams and teams that didn't take to the track due to accidents, Bautista...poor chap.

As before we visited the Souq Waqif in Doha, the Islamic Museum of Art and ate like kings for very little expense. Eating out is extremely cheap in Doha, as is simply food shopping. I guess when you cannot purchase beer and wine it keeps the cost down!!

Back to the track, I discovered a new spot to shoot from which allowed for the black of night to create a wonderful contrast to the sparkliness (is that a word?) of the lights bouncing off the fairings

and really made the bikes shine. I really enjoyed seeing Ben Spies and his new matt black HJC helmet..but what shooting under the darkness give you is more of the "stuff" you won't see under daylight..such as flames, glowing exhausts and the other imagery that is lost to the brght sky.

With that image, I will just add one more post above and then I must head off to Jerez for round 2 of the championship...The moon was also out and giving us a visual treat too....

I'll leave you with a link to a little vignette that was done for MotoGP.com at Losail, with yours truly. I actually talk for over 7 minutes!! Click here to be taken to YouTube to watch Andrew Wheelerand some visual fun!