I made a couple of promises to myself last January. First, I swore to have more fun hanging out at racetracks making pictures. Second, I was going to blog on a regular basis. I'm batting .500.
I'm not complaining. I haven't been blogging, but I've sure enough been hanging. Hanging out, that is, at race tracks and other car culture gathering spots with cameras in my hands and around my neck. Makes me happy.
Mike Norris and Michelle Laird's super groovy '65 Westy Dormobile.
What you're seeing here are some photos I made at the end of May at Bug Out 73, which, for the first time, was held at Virginia Motorsports Park [VMP]. Bug Outs are one of the largest gatherings of VW fans, racers, restorers, customizers, and collectors on the east coast. They've been held twice a year for God-knows-how-long, usually at Old Dominion Speedway, in Manassas, Virginia.
But Old Dominion is no more. Hence the move to VMP.
Stewart Sewell's lovingly restored '56 oval window Beetle.
In any case, VW fanatics are a great bunch of people to spend time with, especially if, like me, 8 out of the 12 cars and trucks you've owned have been Volkswagens. (Four have been Beetles, and I still have have one of them.)
Kenneth Fisher's bad to the bone Pro Mod New Beetle.
The idea of drag racing VWs surprises some people, but, after all, this is America, and we'll race anything.
A very good looking drag Bug.
VW fans are a diverse group. The crowd at Bug Out was a grease-stained United Nations. As far as I could tell, we weren't missing any races or ethnic groups and only a few languages, creeds, and religions. Nice thing about it, we all get along.
Yes, drag racing Karmann Ghias. Praise the Lord.
I made the photos that you're looking at on my iPhone. (Click on any image to see a larger version.) The iPhone is a hoot to use, and it allowed me to post some of the photos immediately to my Instagram account. I also tweeted a few. It's a way of saying to your friends, "having fun, wish you were here" -- immediately, in real time.
There's a blown Chevy small block in that Beetle. It's a beast to drive.
The iPhone is a hoot and connects me to the world of social media, but, of course, it has its limits as a camera. I was also using a couple of medium format film cameras, a Rollei TLR and a Mamiya 6. I've finished scanning the film. With a little luck, I'll post those photos very soon.
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