Hangtown Experience with pictures.

If you want to talk about the experience of a lifetime, hear this. For any motocross photographer out there, being able to go onto the infield at an AMA National and take pictures is the ultimate goal. I was able to have that oppertunity on May 21st at Hangtown, in Sacramento, CA. I wasn't just nervous walking down the tunnel onto the starting line next to Mike Gosselaar and seeing Mitch Payton go by on the Pro Circuit Kawasaki mule, I was ecstatic! I tried my best to play it cool, but when I asked the Hangtown Staff worker if I could get through the gate into the staging area and he said "Go ahead", I was like "Holy crap!". I walked onto the starting gate and took some pictures I've always thought were cool, like the one below.



Soon it was time for the first 450 moto, and I'm standing next to Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto. The focus on their faces was unforgettable. The best motocross racers in the world were just minutes away from going to war so to speak. The saying "you can feel the tension in the air" was an understatement on this day.




Standing just ten feet away from the best racers in the world made even myself nervous! At this point all the photographers are getting told to step off the starting line and soon I'm walking to the first turn alongside Simon Cudby, one of the best photographers of the sport, and I actually feel like one of them.

Shooting the first turn is probably the scariest part of the day, the roar of the bikes shakes the ground like an earthquake and they're coming at you wide open! After all the riders go by, I run across the track like I'm getting chased by a herd of bulls and run to an upcoming section of the track where I can start shooting away! The track was so rough, I'll never forget the braking bumps the riders had to go down 4th wide open on the long downhill going towards the mechanics area. By the end of the 2nd moto's the braking bumps were so big that even Ryan Dungey was tip toeing his way down the treacherous hill.



Sometimes being on the infield, you just need to be at the right spot at the right time. Since the infield is so large and visibility is such a problem, taking a picture of a good pass or crash is hard to catch. A lot harder than at Supercross, that's for sure. I managed to catch the pass Blake Baggett (57 below) made on Barcia in the first moto, along with the very scary crash that Travis Baker (58) experienced on the uphill whoop section. I talked to Travis shortly at the end of the day and he's doing alright. He said he hit his head but should be ready for Texas. Travis is a good kid, he deserves to finish up there in the top 10.





My favorite part of the day is, without a doubt, podium shots. Being able to stand behind the podium next to Ryan Villopoto is awesome. Yes, behind the podium in the tent. Watching the rider talk to his mechanic before you hear the announcer scream "Welcome Dean Wilson to the podium!" and he walks around the corner and onto Live TV. It's something you just don't get the chance to see when your watching from the fence.




The cool thing about being able to shoot pictures on the podium is the true emotion you get to capture. The picture I shot of Ryan Villopoto with Dungey in the background is my favorite picture of the day. Ryan Dungey is being interviewed for his moto one win and Villopoto only managed to finish 3rd. You can just see the disappointment in his face. He's known for his incredible outdoor skills to come out on top, especially when the track gets rough. This time around, he didn't come out on top and for the effort these incredible athletes put in during the week, it's painful to see.




With the lense that I was using, the champagne shower made me nervous. For one, it's an expensive lense that I didn't want to get wet and have to be replaced. The lense is good for close up shots, especially when I'm trying to get a shot from across the track, but for the champagne shots I had to almost click and shoot since it zooms up so much. I have a different lense that doesn't zoom in as much and would be perfect for podium shots, but I didn't have it on me. Oh yeah, since it was on a slippery grass hill and didn't want to fall, I didn't even look through the viewfinder. I decided to wing it, and I got these two shots that I personally think show the reward of being a professional motocross racer.




To finish this off, I'd like to thank Dan Lamb for giving me the oppertunity to be at Hangtown and be on the infield area. It was a day I'll never forget and would love to do it again, hopefully at Pala in September! I now have a better idea of what works and what doesn't. Until next time, have a good one!





More pictures.