MotoGP 2014 at Circuit of the Americas, Austin was a great event and MotoGP is fast becoming my favourite weekend at the now two-year-old track. Although the attendance and general atmosphere at Formula 1 in November is very significantly higher, the motorcycle events during Red Bull MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas can’t be beaten from a photographic point-of-view. The dramatic way the riders lean their bikes into each corner and the fact that, in some cases, their faces are visible through the visors, makes for some really great picture opportunities.

This year, I was fortunate to be shooting from trackside but, due to the last minute nature of the access, I hadn’t rented a long lens. I shot everything you see here with one of my own cameras and lenses. The longest combination I own is a 70-200mm with 2x teleconverter on the crop-sensor Nikon D90 giving me a 600mm equivalent. Even trackside, this is about as short as you will want to go to get full frame shots of the bikes in most of the corners but, using the 2x teleconverter, the results I got were nothing like as sharp as the combination of rented 200-400mm and 1.4x teleconverter that I used during last year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix. For side-view, the 70-200mm on its own was fine from many locations because you are so much closer to the action.

Anyway, without further ado, here are a few of my favourite shots from the weekend. This represents a more-or-less random collection of images from the paddock, Moto2, Moto3 and MotoGP racing.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Ducati Mechanic – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Valentino Rossi – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Cal Crutchlow, Ducati – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

World champion Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Marc Marquez – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Valentino Rossi – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Valentino Rossi – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

2nd Place Finisher Dani Pedrosa – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Winners’ Podium – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.

Winner Marc Marquez – MotoGP Weekend at Circuit of the Americas, April 11-13, 2014.