As a rally photographer there are two certainties during a WRC round, lack of sleep and a lot of driving.
Hayden Paddon was the star of the event in his i20 WRC.Come Rally d’Italia Sardegna and it’s on an entirely different level. Seven hours sleep from Thursday through till Sunday afternoon, close to 5000km driven over the rally including reconnaissance, and with the heat in Sardinia this year, 40 x 600ml bottles of water.
To combat the lack of sleep, 20 cappuccinos, and to get some energy back, 10 bowels of spaghetti. It’s all in a day’s work as a WRC photographer.
This was my first international round of the WRC where it was my second visit. I covered this rally last year and it was one of my favourites on the calendar. Actually, they all are in some way, but this was special for me coming back to a familiar place.
I am still a virgin though. Speaking to some photographers who have been coming to the island for 10 years or more, they know where everything is without even looking at road books.
The Italian WRC round didn't finish well for all competitors ....To the rally itself, and after spending a few days before the rally just relaxing and doing recce at a slow pace, I noticed a huge difference to last year. This years rally would test the best of the best, not only their cars, but the drivers as well. 35 degree plus days would see the cockpits reaching 65 degrees C at some point, and this would certainly make you glad you put in that extra time in the gym.
The rally this year took on a few new stages, infact Friday was all new. It was very rough on a few stages and one stage was amazing, running along the coastline, literally five metres from the crystal blue waters of Sardinia’s famous coastline.
Unfortunately the stage in question was shortened, and after we had spent almost two hours surveying the roads and picking our spots and access points, it was disappointing to say the least. Nevertheless, the show went on and we still managed to take pretty pictures.
After no sleep, many service breaks and endless gear changes, the event was over in a flash. Rally Sardinia delivered more than I had hoped for. My goal was to improve on my performance from the year before. I think I achieved this, and when working alongside two of the best in the game (Andre Lavadinho and Gergely Makai), I am able to draw from their experience and knowledge to better my own work.
I hope you enjoy the event (or the pictures) as much as I did. I am back in Australia for a week for the ARC, before returning to Europe for Rally Poland and Finland.
- Michael Vettas
View Michael's photos from the Rally Italia Sardegna HERE.
Beautiful scenery was a feature of the WRC's visit to Sardinia.
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