KIWI RIDER 05 2018 VOL.1 | Page 58

THE REWARDS At the end of the four days I was worn out, sick of Photoshop and on a high from what had easily been the best experience I’d had shooting a race weekend. I was happy with the photos I got, I hadn’t broken any of my gear, lost anything important or done anything to have my card marked “don’t let him in again”. I know I’m fortunate to have been there and be part of one of the best bike racing series on the planet, and I’m thankful to have the support of people in the industry who back me to take photos for them. At the same time, it’s been hard work and my main goal is to just keep improving and not fall into a rut of being happy to shoot the same thing over and over. 58KIWI RIDER Highlights? There were so many. Shooting the grid for both Superbike races and Supersport was intense and I got one of my favourite shots the weekend on the Superbike grid, a head-on shot of Marco Melandri with his head bowed just before the race start. Getting a signed knee slider from Lucas Mahias was pretty cool; he’s a nice guy, much more laid back than I expected him to be. Shooting inside Lukey Heights and getting a crisp shot of Rea coming over the crest was one of my goals for the weekend and I got the shot I wanted. The whole weekend was one highlight after another and, even if I never get the chance to do it again, I got enough memories from WSBK 2018 Round 1 to last me a lifetime.