I use Nikon DSLR Cameras, A range of Nikon & Sigma lenses, I live in the Sunny Hawke’s Bay.

I have worked at Hawke’s Bay Today, The local newspaper as a staff photographer for over two years.

I have also just won the 2010 NZ Speedway Photographer of the year award.

Thanks to Russell Harris for writing the below story.

Glenn Taylor

One of the best known faces at the Robertson Holden International Speedway is not a competitor or official, he’s a photographer, par excellence.

Though best known for his remarkable photographic work, Glenn Taylor has enjoyed a long association with speedway on both sides of the lens.

Back in the 1992/93 season Glenn took up speedway sidecar racing swinging for Kim ‘Frog’ Hajnal on a Suzuki GS1000 powered rig. For the following season the pair switched to a Honda CBR1000 motor that they described as a ‘piece of shit’, as a result Glenn had enough as being a passenger on an uncompetitive bike and commissioned top racer Craig Bowler to build up a new machine with Kawasaki Z1000J power.

In those golden days there were so many competitors that there were three sidecar classes racing at Napier’s Meeanee speedway, in his first season as the rider Glenn won the C Grade on the More FM backed rig and was promoted to B Grade for the following year.

His burgeoning racing career ended abruptly at his home track when 2009 national champion Les Plummer pulled a wheel stand at the start and rode over the top of the Taylor bike which flipped, Glenn suffered a broken collarbone which led his boss delivering an ultimatum-work or play?

The bike was sold to Christchurch interests and the money used to buy a good camera, then, as they say, the rest is history.

Glenn Taylor was a ‘natural’ behind a lens and soon became recognised as one of the best in the business, testament to his ability is twice being named “Speedway Photographer of the Year” at the New Zealand Speedway Awards. judging being on a portfolio of six photographs taken during the course of the season.

With cameras changing dramatically with the introduction of digital technology a completely new scenario emerged without the need to change film. The latest generation cameras are capable of firing 8 shots a second which allowed Glenn to capture Paul Donovan’s dramatic roll at the Robertson Holden International Speedway from start-to-finish, an extraordinary sequence.

He takes something like 600 shots at each Palmerston North meeting, which equates to more than 14,000 photos during the course of the season – that’s just Palmy, not other tracks and events!! His night doesn’t end with final race, there’s the two hour drive back home to Napier before another hour is spent down loading the night’s photographs and selecting pics for the Palmerston North web site and inclusion with the report in the Manawatu Standard newspaper, once they are sent the night is finally over, Goodnight Kiwi time.

Last year “GT” joined forces with Chris Morris to establish Sportsimages, a move that made a great deal of sense because they followed the same sports and had their own websites, Chris also having an active motorsport background via Drag Racing strip at Thunder Park.

The concept of Sportsimages is a one stop shop where people can find photos of speedway and other motorsport by visiting a single website. In a very short time Sportsimages has gone from strength-to-strength, there are now seven team members to give the best possible photographic coverage of speedway at the Palmerston North, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne tracks.

Glenn Taylor admits to being a hard core sidecar supporter, he was the class representative at Meeanee and a club committee member with local racer Craig Bowler his first hero, he also started the sidecar.net.nz website to promote the class. He makes an interesting observation that the sidecar people have changed dramatically in more recent years – the characters have gone and there are now people competing from all walks of life, including white collar workers, and the presentation of the teams is much more professional.

But there has been more to speedway in Glenn’s photographic life, jetsprinting posed a new challenge at one time, now he covers the winter road racing series for the Victoria Motorcycle Club and has done the New Zealand V8 touring cars.

It’s been a fascinating personal journey as there’s been special link with his career path both on and off the tack, his uncle raced was a sidecar road racer and his uncle’s brother a photographer who allowed Glenn to work in his studio after school.

The secret to being an award winning photographer?? Glenn says – “Having good gear and learning to read a race are the key elements. Listening to the noise of both the crowd and the engines are also good indicators of what’s happening. Of course, you can’t always be looking in the right place at the right time”.

When talking of change he would like Speedway New Zealand to follow other motorsport codes and have accredited photographers only cover meetings, at some meetings the infield is overrun with camera wielding people who are simply taking personal shots, getting in the way of the professionals and taking too many risks.

Based in Napier and a staff photographer at the local “Hawkes Bay Today” newspaper, Glenn Taylor stands among the very best in his profession and he rarely misses the real action. Armed with $20,000 worth of cameras and lenses GT continues to capture the magic moments and dramatic shots that are such an integral and unique part of speedway – long may that continue….