So here’s part 2 of the 2017 Red Bull LA Soapbox Race. As I’ve said before I should really start breaking up some of my larger stories into multiple posts and given all the photos I took at this event this definitely needed to be split up.

Like I said in my previous post the Soapbox Race was a really great opportunity for me because I was able to get a lot of practice with my photography shooting action shots and moving objects.

It also gave me a great opportunity to fully use my 70-200mm 2.8 telephoto lens. Before the Soapbox Race the only opportunity I had to fully use it was when my uncle asked me to bring it to shoot my cousin’s high school graduation other than that it mostly just sat in my drawer. This thing was a 2,000 dollar lens and it was top of the line when I bought it. I know I probably could have bought the 70-200mm 4.0 but I really wanted the 2.8 aperture range. I remember when I told my coworker, Beto about it he kept telling me how it was too much lens for me especially considering my skill set and how I never had any use for it, and in a way he was right. But honestly now that I’ve decided to really pick up on my site and after learning a little more about photography having that thing is a godsend.

Back to the Soapbox Race, like I said in part 1 this thing was a huge learning experience with the main lesson being I was way in over my head and there is no way to be able to fully cover this with just one person. Between the fact the track was like 2000 feet long and all the people there it was really hard to get some good action shots. Honestly if you really want to do a good job covering an event like this you easily need at least three people: One to post up by the starting line, another at the finish line and the other guys either set up throughout the track where some cool shit will happen or at least wandering up and down the track.

Another obstacle I had earlier was just the sheer crowd. So many people were in my way. According to the Red Bull media kit they gave me there were supposed to be a few media only viewing areas but I don’t know if it was just the ones I was in or if Red Bull was just lax on enforcing it but they were letting anybody in those areas. Luckily people have short attention spans so after the first few rounds people started clearing out and it made it easier to shoot in some areas but unfortunately it was still pretty congested around the start/finish areas as well as the areas with the ramps and tight turns where crashes were most likely going to happen.

When the actual race started I was in a pretty bad location since people were crowding around the starting line. Luckily, I was smart enough to bring my parents to get them out of the house and they were able to set up in a pretty good location and snap a few pictures with the iPad we brought with us for directions.

Team Fresh Prince were the first guys to go. I really wish I had a clear shot of their skit. These guys were easily one of the most popular teams of the event with people chasing the members down for pictures. Unfortunately this picture is the best I could do standing on my tip toes from like 100 feet away with all these people in front of me.

My mom was able to get a good shot of them rolling for me. I wish I was able to get a pic of them at the bottom because I heard they crashed pretty hard.

Thankfully it was eventually posted on YouTube so I could at least enjoy it this way.

After Team Fresh was Team Fatmobile. They did a skit which was inspired by the old ’60s Batman TV show which was kind of funny though cause Red Bull’s sound guy messed up finding the right soundtrack to play for them which took a few moments to get right.

Here’s the Beetles-themed team 5 Buds in a Sub at the starting line getting ready to put on their skit.

And here they are going down the hill.

Here’s Team Star Wars Lego going down. I like how their driver is wearing a Lego head with a scared shitless look on his face that made it really funny.

Here’s a pic I snapped of the Star Wars Lego a few hundred feet down the hill. At this point it was still pretty early in the race which is why there were so many people in the way. At first I was going to just toss this photo but I thought the depth of field made it look kind of cool.

Team Custer’s Last Stand didn’t make it that far off the starting line. If I heard the announcer correctly I think they only got like 15 feet or so before something broke and Red Bull Staff had to help them get the rest of the way down.

The Shoey also had problems coming off the starting line. They were able to go down the hill on their own power but they needed help steering since a wheel or axle broke.

Here’s Team Rocketeer. Compared to the last two teams they had a pretty successful run.

Here comes my favorite team, Team Sloth It Like It’s Hot.

Here’s Team Van Damme Soapbox.

Watching the Van Damme Soapbox going isn’t as great as when it was coming.

Here’s the Crapper’s Full guys. Sorry for all the arms in the way but the depth of field here makes a good contrast.

Here goes the Recycle Truck.

The Chemical Guys

Here’s So Cal Soul Patrol.

I’m pretty proud of this shot since I was able to get them perfectly centered and like 90% in frame.

Here’s Team Death Cab for Pizza.

I learned watching videos of some of the runs the reason why some cars would have their passengers ride like this is to have them act as counter weights to help balance the cars so they can handle the turns better. Good idea but I can’t imagine it being that safe considering how fast some of these guys were going.

Here comes the Srirachcar.

I’m pretty happy with these pics although I wish I shot this at a slower shutter speed so I could get more of a blur on the wheels.

From this angle it looks like the Srirachcar had some steering issues but they were still able to get down the hill.

Here’s a parting shot of the Srirachcar going around the curve.

Here comes Team Abbey’s Heel on Wheels.

I got lucky getting this shot of the driver only downside is I wish I was able to get his (her?) fist and arm in frame.

Here’s Team Party Pooper.

Here’s the Blue Demon.

At first I thought something came off the car and the passenger was holding onto it but after seeing this photo I realized it was just a handle for him to grab onto.

Here’s the Team Ride Eternal, Shiny and Chrome car/bike. I don’t remember if the wheel in the back is actually functional or if it is just a cover to hide the real rear wheel underneath. Between the way their bike is and how the driver is standing I can’t imagine this guy coming off of the jump okay.

At this point I forget if they were just taking a break or if something happened and they needed to buy time but they had this guy on a motorcycle riding up and down the hill doing tricks.

I can’t remember which team this is. I couldn’t find any mention of them on the site. After scouring social media I’m thinking they were just tossed in there by BFGoodrich since BFgoodrich was the primary sponsor of the Soapbox Race.

Here’s Team Prost!

Here’s Team Nitro Babies.

Like the Death Cab for Pizza guys these guys were using their passenger as a counterweight but also given their car’s setup it can’t be that safe for this guy if they crash.

Here’s Team Spicy Noodles. These guys were hauling ass down that hill. At one point I think they not only had fastest time of the day but fastest time in Red Bull Soapbox Race history coming in at like 57 seconds.

Here comes the Bayou Buggy car. After taking another look at their car I’m wondering if the cage isn’t just a safety feature but also supposed to be like a lobster cage.

There goes Team Caliente Perro.

Here’s Team I’d Smash That’s pinata car. I wish I didn’t miss their skit I’m sure it involved them smashing the hell out of the outer shell revealing the car underneath.

Here’s the Heisenberg Express. After taking a closer look at this thing I think they did a pretty good job copying the RV from Breaking Bad.

Here’s The Skull Mobile. Surprisingly, even though the this was made up of members of US Air Force including a few F16 pilots they actually weren’t going that fast.

Here’s Team Fast Food Low Friction. This was another team which was hauling ass which would make you think the passenger spot in the back would be an even more unsafe place to be. I really wish I posted up at the bottom because they crashed pretty hard when they got down there.

I’m glad I posted a pic of these guys on Instagram because it made it easier to track down some of the people who were involved who had video of their crash.

A post shared by aaron guardado (@smcoaaron) on Aug 25, 2017 at 12:33pm PDT

Here’s a vid from Aaron Guardado who I believe was one of the riders.

A post shared by SUICIDE MACHINE COMPANY ® (@suicidemachineco) on Aug 20, 2017 at 6:14pm PDT

Here it is from another angle and in slow motion from Suicide Machine Company, one of the primary companies involved with them.

Here’s the Soapbox Crusher. Glad to know they were able to fix their steering issue in time.

Team Do It! with their fake Shia LaBeouf. After seeing them make their run with the driver in his place it makes the fake Shia LaBeouf standing in the back look even way more awkward.

Team Street Taco. I didn’t realize how much detail and extra props they had on their car till I saw these photos.

It’s a little early for both Christmas and Halloween but here is the Pumpkin King.

Here’s Brappy the Clown.

Here are the guys I had to make sure I got photos of, The Sprit of Chavez Ravine. These guys weren’t going that fast, in fact I remember when they made their run the Red Bull MC was saying it looked like they were going for a Sunday cruise.

Even though they weren’t going that fast one of their fenders came loose and was flapping around when they were coming down.

Here’s OJ and the White Bronco. I missed them coming down the hill but luckily I was able to get a few shots before I lost them around the corner. If I remember correctly I think these guys won the people’s choice award.

Here’s another team whose name I can’t remember or seem to find. Judging by the Ralph’s signage I’m thinking they were another sponsor’s unofficial entry.

Here’s Team Yippeeki-Yay. This guy was making it rain as he went down the hill tossing fake 100s at the crowd. I’m wondering how he did on the jump considering how he’s seated on his car.

The Sharp Dressed Men car suffered catastrophic failure coming down the hill. It was so bad that they had to be towed down the rest of the way.

Here’s the Swamp Monkeys airboat car. I’m wondering why they didn’t have the riders wearing the moneky masks as they made their run although I’m sure it was probably for visibility reasons.

Here’s the Ragin’ Cajun car. Seeing it now I really regret not waiting earlier to get a clearer shot of it in the pit area.

Here’s the Oh My Goose Dragonball Z car. The Super Saiyan face was a good touch but I’m not sure what the balloons on the back are supposed to be.

At this point I’m out of photos. Like I said before this was a really great learning experience for me that taught me a lot about getting action shots. Hopefully I’ll be able to take what I learned and use it soon.