I've found myself becoming very interested in exotic cars and in the two years or so that I've been photographing them I've seen some of the very best. Most of them are at car shows which is a great way to see a car up close but what i really want to do is see them doing what they were meant to do and that's go fast with style. Some of these cars are so rare and expensive many are not willing to put their car out on the road and only keep them for show. Then there are the few that bought their cars to enjoy and are willing to take the risks to experience their ride in all it's glory and push it to the limit of it's engineering and technology. In other words they aren't afraid to put the pedal to the metal or in this case carbon fiber and hear the engine sing as they explore the cars aerodynamic capabilities out on the road or at the track. That's the kind of action I want to photograph!

When I heard about the Le belle Macchine D'Italia track day at Daytona International Speedway held November 12th thru the 15th I knew it was my chance to see some exotics driven like they're supposed to be. This was only the second year for this event at Daytona and I'm already looking forward to this years. The event was limited to Ferrari, Lamborghini. Maserati, DeTomaso, Iso, Bizzarrini, pre-approved limited production sports cars and vintage Italian automobiles. All cars must pass tech inspection and drivers are split into four groups based on their evaluated skill levels. The course is the same one used for the Rolex 24 which includes the high banked turns Daytona is famous for.

I went on Saturday and the weather couldn't have been any better. High 60s and clear blue skies with a light breeze. Pulling in the turn one tunnel entrance around 10:30 am I stopped right away at turn one and rushed to get my camera out as the cars sped by. It's a great location as you can see the cars go through the little horseshoe and then around the high banks of NASCAR turns one and two. The group on the track had some really nice cars in it and I even spotted a few from the Orlando Automotive Club. Also in attendance were a few legendary drivers like Derek Bell who was giving rides in a Bentley Continental Supersports and test driver Valentino Balboni was giving rides in his Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2. The limited edition Gallardo was built specifically to commemorate the storied career of the factory test driver. This beautiful car with a base price of $219,800 comes with a V-10 delivering 550 HP to the rear wheels which is significant because Lamborghini made this their only current rear wheel drive car model. It's also a fitting tribute to Valentino's signature tail-wagging cornering method which I got to see first hand. It was very cool to see someone push it to limit and have the control to not go over the line. While most everyone did a great job I did hold my breath as the Bugatti Veyron went for a slow gentle spin in the little horseshoe but drove off without damage. I was very happy to see an Enzo Ferrari out there and wished the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce would've taken a few more laps but it was still an amazing event.