Portfolio: Motorsports Events

Event:
Super GT (2010~2018)

Creative Direction:
Shogunmaster Photography

Photographer:
Jeffrey Johnston

The Super GT Series Is Where Your Gran Turismo Dreams Come True

The Super GT Series is, without a doubt, Japan’s most popular domestic motorsport series as well the top-tier sports car race series in the country. The Suzuka International 1000 kilometer race draws a crowd in excess of 100,000 people. Only the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix tops it for audience attendance. Sometimes motorsports photography isn’t about race coverage. It’s about reminding us that racecars are amazing.

• Apply for media accreditation

• Attend required safety briefing

• Schedule for timeline of events

• Shoot the event and podium ceremony

• Process the images for distribution

Event:
D1 Grand Prix(2010~2018)

Creative Direction:
Shogunmaster Photography

Photographer:
Jeffrey Johnston

D1 Grand Prix Series, violent high speed drifting at its best. The greatest attraction of drifting is the skill of handling the car’s movement. At the race, a driver starts drifting in sliding from much further stand point and passes the corner by revving up engine to speed up with a big white smoke. This is the coolness point where dynamic and acrobatic actions are appealing the sense of viewers directly. The battle very much accounts on a driver’s skill rather than the power of machine performance. D1 Grand Prix is the competition to race for drift skill and technique!

• Apply for media accreditation

• Attend required safety briefing

• Schedule for timeline of events

• Shoot the event and podium ceremony

• Process the images for distribution

Event:
Suzuka 8 Hours

Creative Direction:
Shogunmaster Photography

Photographer:
Jeffrey Johnston

Coka-Cola ‘Zero’ Suzuka 8hrs – is held in July during the hot summer season in Japan, so track temperatures are usually high. The air temperatures reaching highs of 30-32°C resulted in track temperatures ranging from 38-56°C during the race. The qualifying sessions took place in searing heat as the thermometer soared to 35°C for the start of ‘Top 10’ teams at 4:00pm local time. The qualifying procedure is different for this race, since the order is decided on the times of each bike’s best-placed rider, and not on the average of the best times of all its riders. The fight for pole is then settled by Saturday’s ‘Top 10 Trial’ which will oppose the 10 fastest bikes after qualifying. During this event there are several activities/events to get a more enjoyable experience with the riders of this endurance race at Suzuka Circuit.

Event:
Monster Ken Block
Nagoya Experience

Creative Direction:
Shogunmaster Photography

Photographer:
Jeffrey Johnston

This was Ken Block’s second Monster Energy Gymkhana Experience event in Japan, where he brought his Ford Fiesta HFHV to the city of Nagoya to put on an unforgettable show including the Monster FMX team, drivers from Japan’s D1 Grand Prix series, helicopters, bears, and more.

We’re all used to the crazy stunts that Ken Block does by this point. Not to say we don’t still love them. Watching him drift his Fiesta HFHV through walls and generally obliterate his tires is great fun. Kicking off the weekend with some media ride-alongs (including drifting legend Keiichi Tsuchiya), Block then put down a smoky run through the Gymkhana course, followed by a drift competition between all the attending D1 Grand Prix drivers – the winner of which was to face Block in a Gymkhana race against the clock. It was Masato Kawabata (2013 D1 Champion) who made it to the final race – only to spin out both of his competitive runs, costing him the win.

The finale ended with Monster Energy’s freestyle motocross team throwing tricks over the “helicopter obstacle”, Block putting down a final Gymkhana run, and an autograph signing that filled the entire course with fans.

Event:
Red Bull Japan

Creative Direction:
Shogunmaster Photography

Photographer:
Jeffrey Johnston

How I miss those late nights downing Red Bulls while working those long/late missions in the US Army, or could be from those late nights yelling at the bartender for another round of Jager bombs. How about waking up while it’s still dark out for an event and pushing of before the crack of dawn, your breakfast consisted of a power bar and Red Bull.

Whatever the case I think most of us have experienced Red Bull at some point in our lives. Red Bull is such an awesome company and it has almost nothing to do with the taste or effects of their actual product. Red Bull is awesome because of its image. They embrace living it up in life and taking things to the edge. To go along with this image they have a series of ridiculous events they put on every year. There are 2 things to think about here…

1. The competitors in these events are living the dream! Who grows up and dreams of racing planes or flying down a mountain side on their bike as a career? These guys simply loved something and went after it!

2. Remember that being an entrepreneur requires long hours and tons of hustle, but you should be doing it for the lifestyle. Make some time to head out to these free events or enter some of them and make some memories!