The attached photo was just confirmation. I was getting a shot of the winner of the IMSA Lites race when some dickhead walked in front of me...just another brick in the wall.
I told Larry about this, but I don't think I told anyone else on this list. I had a little "issue" with a...and I'm gonna be nice here and just say a security guard...who didn't want to let me drive the perimeter road around the midway because I didn't have a ticket. He was right. All I had was my press pass, the wristband that said, "Media All Access," a parking permit and an official photo vest. This was right after the start of the Invitational race and I was heading toward Clubhouse to shoot the rest of it, then get to the podium for shots of the winners. I was able to do that.
Back to the guard: I'm glad he was standing to the side of my Burb because when I'd had enough, I just said "I've gotta go. I'm the official photographer for the race that's running right now" and nailed the throttle. You wouldn't have known much difference, cuz a 3-ton Burb with a 350 motor is kinda anemic.
I finished shooting the race, then went to JG to lodge a formal complaint. He sent me to a security underling who sent me to the next guy, yada, yada. When I first got there I demanded an apology from the guard. The person to whom I was directed, I believe it was Brad Harman, refused that but offered his own apology.
About the time I was leaving, JG arrived and said they'd had a complaint about me being abusive. Absolute fabrication. (Shit...if I'd been abusive the guard would have been UNDER my Burb.) So we went in to speak with Mr. Harman. So I got to spent the duration of the next race as the head of security made up arbitrary rules to justify his guard's actions. I've had more enjoyable root canals. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Here's why:
First, the "mandatory" media meeting. It was held 30 minutes later than first scheduled. Then, only part of the photographers showed up for it. I saw several at Turn 1 for the start of the ALMS race that I KNOW weren't there for that meeting. Part of the ALMS traveling circus, I suppose. But that's not the major issue there. The problem is that _not once_ was anything said about what part of the perimeter road was _not_ accessible, nor was it stated that media member-owned vehicles were not allowed to park in the paddock, nor was it stated then nor at any time in the past that the handicapped spots in the parking area OUTSIDE the Clubhouse parking were for Clubhouse members only. These were all things that the head of security stated in that alleged meeting (read: "excuse session to shift blame away from himself and his people.")
To be truthful, I was so frikkin angry about it that I couldn't even pay attention to the race. I'm angry with myself about that. Oh...here's another thing he made up. If, for some reason I or anyone else can get a vehicle on the access road, they won't be allowed in the west gate unless they're on a special, secret (ok, I added that) list. I talked to Les Long and we'll make sure that I get on it for Grand-Am. I'm gonna work my ass off on getting a hard card before that event. If I have to bribe someone, I'll do it.
Anyway, I came back to the paddock after spending the duration of the ALMS race going back and forth between turn 3 and the Attitudes. I figger that the numskull at the west gate would have been given explicit instructions to stop me from entering. So I didn't even cast my eyes in his direction. I just drove in. Nobody came after me, so I guess there was no problem (I did kinda hide the Burb among the team trailers.) I shot the pit lane after the race (again, I didn't ask permission to go thru the opened gate, I just followed another dude as if I knew what I was doing) and then the podium ceremonies. I'd already had enough champagne sprayed/hugged onto me, so I kinda moved to the side, but a weird thing happened. People noticed that I was heading somewhere with a purpose (and a vest) and moved out of the way and even pointed out a location for me to stand in front of them. I guess it's like an Alpha Male wolf thing. I must have had an angry and purposeful enough look on my face to convince people that I deserved to be where I was headed. I dunno. I could be all wet about that (but not from the champagne. I had to laugh about that. I could imagine walking into an AA meeting smelling like that...especially if I ran into someone I knew) but it seemed to work in any case.
Ok. After the hootin and hollerin was over, I went back to the media center and returned my vest. The lady to whom I handed it was very gracious and I tried to smile and return the attitude. Then as I walked down the stairs, JG was there, smoking a cigarette. I waked over to him and said, "Well, we survived another one." He said, "Yeah...3 major events in 6 weeks has just about killed me." I didn't say anything about the cigarettes...cuz I'm a reformed smoker and I understand the issues with quitting.
Then I did one of the most difficult things I've done recently. I held out my hand to shake his and thanked him for being there with me in Harman's office...as if he'd pulled my bacon out of the fire. If I'd said what was on my mind, I would have asked him why he didn't mention the inconsistencies in Harman's story. I would have asked why the rules changed between 7 am and 10 am. And so on. But I said that I hoped to see him next week at the MPRA race. He said, "Yep. And that will be an entirely different situation." He'd said that before in explaining that the rules were quite a bit more lax at those events than at the major ones.
So I can't say that I'm over being angry about the way the "big ones" tried to eat up a "small one" (you can bet yer ass that if it had been an ALMS photographer complaining, he would have had his shoes shined and his ass kissed) but I'm no longer searching the internet for handguns to deal with the next (it is a very difficult thing to keep racial epithets out of this commentary but I'm not gonna go there) security guard who decides that he has the right to control the world and everyone in it just because somebody dressed him in a poorly fitting uniform. As my Ma used to say, "the line between a cop and a criminal is a very thin one and not hard to cross."
I'm thru ranting now. r -- Sent from my Dreadnought using that barely tolerable Thunderbird email program
Attachment:
20100711 0979r8.jpg
Description: JPEG image
