THE ROLLOVER AT CALDER

PHOTOGRAPHER: John Morris
PHOTO: The Rollover At Calder


“It was July 25, 1999 and the eighth round of the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship at Calder Park Raceway. Having won the opening race of the weekend from Mark Skaife and Jason Bright, Craig Lowndes had cemented his position at the top of the season standings.

As the cars headed out for the second race on Sunday, I headed down the Turn 1 knowing that most of the other photographers had headed to different points on the track. One could hardly blame them as the light wasn’t really conducive to great colour at that time of day for Turn 1. It really didn’t matter as I was in search of action images and not simply art.

As the race began, Lowndes made a sluggish start which placed him in a battle with his competitors from the front three rows of the grid. That jostle for position, the jig and swerve for a better line soon had dire consequences for Lowndes.

A touch or two had cars slewing sideways and Craig Lowndes’ #1 Mobil Holden Racing Team VS Commodore ended upside down as it slid down the circuit towards Turn 1. After veering onto the grass on driver’s left, the car was pitched into a series of rolls before coming to a rest on top of the tyre wall. The race was immediately neutralised as a number of fellow drivers left their cars and rushed to the aid of the fellow driver and friend. Lowndes suffered damage to his knee which required surgery, but was fortunate to escape with relatively minor injuries.

We were still in the age of film cameras back then, and I had loaded a fresh role of Fuji superior to my Nikon F5, with a long range 500mm lens attached to capture the action from behind the Turn 1 armco. As the action unfolded, focussing and capturing the action wasn’t my only concern.

Commercially available films at the time offered 36 images, whilst the motor drive of the Nikon offered a shooting speed up to 8 frames per second. That meant I had to temper the inclination to simply hold down the shutter release button and ensured that I matched the sequence of events to the number of shots available.

Even so, I still ran out of film just after Lowndes’ car had come to a halt. A quick change of lenses on my back-up camera enabled me to complete the sequence. Those images, which includes this particular shot, have become the iconic stills for the accident. Motorsport News, Motor Racing Australia, Chevron Publishing, Gelding Press and Velocity Motorsport Magazine are just a few of the publications and outlets that have used these images. Craig himself had a framed set of images at his home.

It was a moment in time which cemented my place with Motorsport News and Chevron publications and added to my profile as a successful action photographer.”



ABOUT JOHN MORRIS
John Morris has been an active contributor to Australian motorsport for over forty years. From race official to competitor, photographer to journalist, John has left an indelible mark on our sporting landscape.

John’s playground in the early years was the race paddock at Tasman Cup races at Warwick Farm in the mid 1960s. It was there that John began his photographic journey, saving his pocket money to buy a humble instamatic camera before graduating to 35mm variants in his teenage years.

An opportunity to work at Bathurst at the James Hardie 1000 in 1982 brought John even closer to the action as a pitlane and media information official. That then led to a similar role at the 1987 Australian Grand Prix. John continued to work at both events until 1997 when he made the transition to a motorsport photographer, and it was the quintessential action and crash shots that he made his own.

He became a valued member of Motorsport News’ photographic team in Australia and a regular contributor to Motor Racing Australia, received widespread recognition in Autosport, international magazines, major national and international press and motorsport annual including Autocourse, Motocourse and Rallycourse.

John has been named twice the Australian Motorsport Photographer of the Year and a recipient of the Motorsport Australia Photograph of the Year. In addition, he’s won the Supercars Photograph of the Year and was a finalist in the News Category at the 2010 Walkley Awards. He has covered two Royal Tours and other special events such as Top Gear Down Under, plus has published three books: Mark Webber - Two Steps Forward, Casey Stoner – Six Straight, and A History of the Australian GT Championship.

Taking over the reigns of Velocity Motorsport Magazine in 2017, John was invited to attend the 2019 PRI (Performance Racing Industry) Global Media Awards Show in Indianapolis, USA as a member of an international judging panel. Now in the twilight of his career, John continues to capture pivotal moments in Australian motorsport.

The inaugural PIRTEK Legends Night charity auction is being held at the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort and Spa on Friday, October 25, 2024.

100% of proceeds from all auction items will be donated to Motorsport Ministries, who do an amazing job supporting the motorsport industry at all levels in Australia.

This has been made possible by the generosity of the people and businesses that have donated the incredible list of items, and by Lloyds generous “premium-free” support of the event.

This on-line auction will go live from the dinner at the JW Marriott ballroom and will be simulcast on-line by Lloyds Auctions.

The PIRTEK Legends Dinner will pay tribute to Australian Touring Car Legend Dick Johnson, who will be in attendance on the night, along with several other heroes of Australian motorsport.

If you would like the chance to attend the event live you can purchase a ticket HERE:
https://tickets.goldcoasttickets.com.au/outlet/event/c0ece175-d02d-4938-bd79-bf1478b385d4

Location of item: QLD, Australia

This item is being offered PICK UP ONLY. Local collection is available, if shipping is required, bidders are encouraged to organise their own freight.