Inaugural American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Utah

Before going to Utah and Miller Motorsports Park, I hadn’t considered what opportunities an inaugural event presents. It is a rare occasion that your work might determine how sports car racing enthusiasts around the world will see and remember this day. It could, in fact, define the visual record of the beginning.

The PORTFOLIO Series was inspired solely from personal satisfaction. Rarely do I view my work without a certain amount of doubt. I always want more. And while I consider that a good thing and an important part of my creative drive, with these images I felt the need to share.

For my presentation of PORTFOLIO, I’ve chosen images that I feel capture the environment and the surreal presence of exotic machinery racing in the desert. I was struck by the color palette and how the images took on an influence of southwestern art as if by design. Without any predetermined plan, these images demonstrate how art, design and culture are a reflection of our environment.

Unlike any other work I’ve produced, the pieces in PORTFOLIO capture something truly different. And while Miller Motorsports Park will change, these images preserve the memory of that very first time.- John Thawley

The 2006 Utah Grand Prix marked the first automotive race in history at the new state-of-the-art, 4.5-mile, 24-turn Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, near Salt Lake City. The Miller Motorsports Park complex, developed by Larry H. Miller, actually features two road-racing facilities – a 2.3-mile East track and the 2.2-mile West course. When combined for major events such as the inaugural American Le Mans Series Utah Grand Prix, the track layout includes a 3,500-foot front straightaway. Miller Motorsports Park is the longest road-racing facility in North America, outdistancing Road America’s 4.048-mile facility.

Inspired by the look of images photographed in the 50s and 60s, John Thawley has created a unique black & white series of informal headshots and portraits. The series focuses on some of the modern day legends in road racing today.

Thawley's latest offerings are fine-art prints. Fine art velvet paper is a heavy 100% cotton, acid-free paper that is similar in appearance and feel to a watercolor paper. These prints are sized 16"x20" with an image size of 12"x18." They are also available signed by the photographer.

The "Heavy Metal" collection is a three print set of the 2005 SPEED World Challenge GT Manufacturers Champion Cadillac CTS-V with drivers Andy Pilgrim, Max Papis and Ron Fellows. The images where taken at Mosport's infamous turn 2 as the cars crested the hill. The images are printed in rich black and white on Kodak's Endura Metallic paper and create a metallic appearance to the car's brightwork and other highlihgts of the image. The effect is spectacular. The Heavy Metal Series comes pre-mounted on 3/4" standout board and has a finished black edge with two mounting holes ready for display.