While I was shooting a wedding last Saturday night, I received a call from a client that I had been in touch with regarding a shoot of his 2009 Corvette Z06. We’d met through a mutual friend at Houston Coffee and Cars in early January, and he’d expressed interest in getting some photos taken while driving on the track. It turned out that he was headed to the track the very next day (Sunday) and wanted to know if a last minute shoot was possible. I wasn’t booked for Sunday, so I agreed to meet him at MSR Houston in Angleton the next afternoon.
As I made my way down to Angleton the next day, it became very obvious when I was getting closer to the track. A steady stream of Miatas and other vehicles with numbers taped on their sides buzzed past, northbound into the city. I rolled down my windows and heard the telltale sound of straight-pipe exhaust resonating into the clear blue skies. I pulled down the long stretch of road leading up to MSR Houston, and then into the main drive which was studded with yellow flags. After getting my wristband and signing a waiver, I was in!
Shortly after parking, I met up with my client and his 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It was a beautiful deep silver, ready for battle with blue painter’s tape masking the nose to prevent those pesky rock chips on the track. It’s 7 liter, 505 horsepower 470 lb/ft torque LS7 engine surprised me by its refined tone, which was very quiet and dignified while idling on the tarmac. While we were waiting for the Corvette’s turn in line, I walked around the car taking a few shots near the paddocks, which housed quiet beasts like a Viper ACR-X and various Caterhams.
I severely underexposed the sunny background to create this shot of the Z06. I wanted an “evil” look to the shot, referencing the ulterior motives that the Z06 has beneath its beautiful sheet metal.
Shot at the long row of garages, the Corvette looked ready for battle in its blue painter’s tape armor.
The Corvette’s nose, with sheltered racing motorcycles in the background.
Great details on the Corvette Z06
A sinister looking front shot
We discussed a few locations for me to place myself while the hot laps were taking place, then parted ways as he headed into staging and I to my photographer’s perch in turn 17 right after “Gut Check” and before the “Pit Straight”
Staging up!
And we’re off!
Once again, it amazed me how quiet the Z06 was, even under hard acceleration. You could barely hear it coming or going, which was a far cry from some of the straight piped competitors like a silver Porsche Boxter which howled its way around the entire track, making sure its presence was well known.
A video of the 2009 Corvette Z06 going hard into the last turn, chasing after a late model Pontiac GTO and a racing spec Miata (make sure to watch the videos in HD!):
And the Porsche Boxter noisily making its way around the turn:
Also a beastly Dodge Viper ACR-X that was handily destroying the rest of the competition:
A great shot of the Corvette in turn 17 about to hit Pit Straight!
The Corvette on the Pit Straight chasing down a silver Pontiac GTO
After the first run, the Corvette came rolling back around to the paddocks, its exhaust tick-ticking from the heated laps. For the second run around the track, I decided to try and get a better view in between turns 1 and 2 (Carousel), where the cars’ suspensions were fully loaded in a mid-corner dip that could sometimes cause some unsettling butterflies. I walked down the fence line into the grass about 200 yards or so until I found a suitable spot. By this time, the sun was beginning its downward descent and was bathing the track in beautiful golden light. As the cars staged up, I readied myself for some panning shots.
The results were well worth the walk out in the grass!
After the final track session, the Corvette was parked near the paddocks to cool off. I snapped a few quick shots with the kart track in the background as the sun set on MSR Houston.
Overall it was a great trip! It was my second time at MSR Houston, and it was a ton of fun to experience all these real-world cars tearing it up at the track. I met some really cool people while there and would definitely like to return and take more shots of all the cars lapping the track!
Here are a few photos of other cars that were in the mix:
Dodge Viper ACR-X
911 Carerra all prepped up to race. Great looking car!
Old School Porsche 944
Nice Nissan 350Z
This little Miata was quick!
Miata Crew
Another one of the many Miatas
A Mini Cooper S
And a Pontiac GTO that was very quietly making its way around the track. I could barely hear its exhaust!
A few shots of the brand new Ford Mustang Boss 302S (M-FR500-B302S). The owner was a very nice guy who was more than happy to let me take a few shots as he pulled the Boss back into its trailer for transport back to Dallas.
A little more information on the Boss 302S from Ford’s press release, via Autoblog.com:
“The 440-hp Ford Mustang BOSS 302S was developed by Ford Racing engineers, and will be built at Auto Alliance International (AAI) assembly plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, the home of the Mustang. It is based on the street legal 2012 Mustang BOSS 302. The Mustang BOSS 302S is powered by a Boss 5.0-liter 4-valve Ti-VCT V-8 engine and includes a 6-speed transmission sourced directly from the BOSS 302 parts bin. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a T2 Torsen differential and 3.73 gears. The BOSS 302S suspension features two-way adjustable coil-over dampers and Ford Racing anti-roll bars in both the front and rear. “
