Surreal

Professional Drivers: George Kurtz, Matt McMurry, Esteban Gutierrez, and Ben Hanley walk the pre-grid stage of the 2023, 24 Hours of Daytona presented by Rolex, Saturday, Jan. 28 2023, Daytona Beach, Florida. Kurtz, McMurry, Gutierrez, and Hanley drove the Crowdstrike - APR LMP2 car to a second place finish after a grueling 24 hour battle, the gap to first was less than a second.

Surreal:

If there is a single word I could use to describe the experience I had the weekend of January 28th it would be ‘Surreal’. From the strange mildew scented airbnb with a surprisingly beautiful ocean view hosted by one of the most peculiar people I have ever met, to the 24 hour uninterrupted shift of running around a racetrack shooting photos. I could not have ever imagined that this is where my life would take me. This event would mark my second time shooting for a top class racing team and my first time ever traveling to photograph an event. Three full days of shooting plus half a day of track walks and exploration.

Preamble -

The image above depicts many people. Most importantly second from the left stands my brother, Matt. The same person I used to race go karts with, play video games with, and spent a lifetime growing up with. Broadcast cameras and racing fans look up at Matt while he waves to the crowd, cool as a cucumber; followed by F1 drivers, career endurance drivers, execs, and more significant characters in the automotive world than I could even begin to list. This moment is one that stands out to me as the moment I fell in love with this life. To be able to capture this moment in such clarity is a feeling that I simply cannot put into words.

The Race -

24 hours is an unholy amount of time. A full planetary rotation. Three standard full time shifts. 2,965.48 miles all travelled bouncing off of rev limiters, burning break pads, mashing gears, trading paint, and battling to the very last second. The smell of melting tires and VP Racing fuel fills the paddock. Crew chiefs shout, engines scream in agony and rubber screeches as cars tear in and out of the pits. Spilled fuel and snoring tire-men accompany the sounds of a Keurig spitting out cheap coffee and hotdog rollers creaking as they cook up the greatest rubbery, pink morale boost a paddock has ever known. The reality of endurance racing is that 24 hours is in fact a long time. Drivers take shifts in the car interrupted by periods of sleep, eating and calisthenics. Four drivers, 24 hours, each diving for about 6 hours over the course of the event.

With 24 hours to develop a lead in this contest for speed, one might think the leading team would be able to develop a significant gap between its competitors. surprisingly this was far from the reality of this race. After a lifetime spent close to IMSA, WEC, and various other series of racing, I have never seen a race spent so entirely in tense competition. Wrecks shuffled the pack, pit strategy and tire management were detriment to leads. For a twenty four hour long race to end with less than a second long gap between first and second place is unbelievable. Heartbreaking, but a true testament to the effort that these teams are putting in every week to be able to compete at this level.

Trackside -

For me this event looked quite different. 24 hours, a single hour of sleep divided up into a few 15 minute naps interrupted by race restarts which thunder throughout the stadium while the entire field of cars resumes race pace at the sight of the green flag. A collective 15 miles walking with a 30 pound bag compressing my spine. A full day/night cycle spent wandering a racetrack, the last 6 spent in a strange, sweaty delirium. I realized very quickly that this was not going to be a pretty job. I would be tired always, foot and low back pain would become constant, sunburns would grow to be a familiar feeling, and caffeine would be my new best friend. I loved it. There are few things on this Earth that can compare to the sound of an LMDH car switching from the electric pit motors to the raw unfiltered roar of a V8. Better yet, the sound of 60 high performance racing cars flying by at top speed. The ground shakes, the air splits, ears ring, and tires burn. This feeling is unmatched. It truly does not get better.