Indoor racing

[QuadJunkies]

Im going to take a stab at shooting indoor Motorsport events again this year and I could use some pointers on settings.,.
I am HORRIBLE with flash still. Ive had so little time to learn it this year-now I need it! lol

When shooting with the Rebel XT last season,seemed like the only mode I could get to work with me at all was set to P mode .theres ALOT of flouresent lighting in a small,very cold (unheated)area with lots of shadowsin an indoor arena. Ill be shooting ATV,dirbike and Karts racing on a loose soil mix and alot of fast action!
I had my ISO cranked all the way,shutter was just about too low to hold the camera. Flash made everything look blue ,especually when the building gets alot of exhaust trapped in the building.
This has been the toughest thing to figure out how to shoot and not end up with 70% of my shots blurry.Its also the one race that sucks my batteries quickly with the cold weather. Temps can get down into the 10's...
to top it off, GRAIN... lots of grain in my shots..

Id love some pointers from those who have experience in this type of photography.Im determined to sell a few shots this winter so I need to make them look good.
I shoot with the 2.8 and a few with my 50mm.

[JSPhoto]

With the Rebel there isn't too muchyou can do with the lighting you have, but here are some things to try:
1: adjust your WB for the lighting, get it close and you can fix it in post processing. possibly shoot in raw which can give you more leeway in PP.
2: keep an eye on the histogram, especialy if you change positions
3: have lots of batteries, probably two or three sets and your charger. I keep a charger in the vehicle I drive and always have 3 batteries for winter jobs.
4: keep the batteries warm! they last longer if they are warm
5: make sure your camera is kept either in the warm or in the cold so it doesn't get humidity in it which will damage the circuits.
If your viewfinder tends to fog up you can get an anti-fog version....but don't fallover when you find out how much they are. I think mine was $70
Also watch your cards, some do not take the cold well. I use the Extreme duty cards as they can handle extreme heat or cold.

JS

[QuadJunkies]

I think last year I went threw 10 batteries and 8 Lithiums in one night. lol
Not sure how Ill keep them warm. I do carry most of them on me, so they are bundled in my coat.
This wk end will be in the low 30's so thats good!

[JSPhoto]

Keep them in your pockets or in your coat, you coald also use a pocket warmer as some have had luck foing that.

JS