Jon Nicholson tells the story behind his fast-paced motorsport photos

machine is a project about speed and the passion for cars and racing. It is the culmination of many years of motorsport experience and includes locations from Formula 1 to Le Mans and everything from desert road trips in the USA to banger racing in an English market town.

The recordings were made all over the world and were influenced by various racing events and thematically linked to the history of racing.

Over the course of my career I have worked with some of the most legendary motorsport teams such as Ferrari, McLaren, Stewart and Williams and have had unparalleled access to leading figures.

However, my focus is never just on personality, but also on how people prepare for the upcoming gladiator moments.

I have met people whose passion for cars and motorsport is unrivalled: people who travel the world in search of the perfect drive, be it on a straight road, on a dirt track or on a modern Grand Prix race track.

I have met some who give everything just to race on the weekend. They work hard and even harder on their car just to get a little faster. The stories behind their love for racing touch me. I admire people who never deviate from their goals and share their passion and dedication.

machine tells of the freedom, excitement, teamwork and poetic essence of this unique sport. These atmospheric images take you behind the scenes and show you every aspect of the world of motorsport, from the energy of grassroots banger racing to the spectacular excitement and passion of the Grand Prix.

As such, machine is both a social commentary and a unique photographic journey.

Growing up, I had a book called At Speed ​​by Jesse Alexander, published in 1971. It was a big coffee table book and I loved the large format images, but also that it was about the people driving them, not just the cars. At Speed ​​was a big inspiration for me as I compiled the images I had collected over the years for the exhibition and my own book. I didn’t have a specific plan, but the story behind Macchina just kind of unfolded before my eyes.

I have used Nikon cameras for the last 40 years, starting with a Nikon F3 film camera and later the Nikon F4 and F5. When digital came along, I first used the D3, D3S and D3X and started using the mirrorless camera Z 7 and Z 9.