This series of photographs by Benedict Redgrove showcases vintage safety gear worn by drag racing drivers, borrowed for the photoshoot from the world famous Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing.
Drag Racing is one of the most dangerous forms of motorsport, in fact if measured in fatalities per mile, it’s possibly the single most dangerous sport in the world.
Much like jazz, drag racing is a largely American creation that has since become popular around the globe. It relies on highly-stressed engines that often produces multiple times more horsepower than a Formula 1 car – all of which is unleashed in a fraction of a second as the car launches 1/4 mile down the strip.
Engine explosions are commonplace, often detonating with no warning, throwing chunks of engine and burning liquid fuel across the track and into the driver’s cockpit – resulting in a need for comprehensive fire protection.
This series of images is called “Dragster Drivers”, it’s a collaborative effort between well-known photographer Benedict Redgrove and creative studio INK. Each of the drag racing suits is fitted to a mannequin and photographed in front of a black background, giving the images a surreal, almost sci-fi feel.
If you’d like to see more from Benedict Redgrove you can click here, to you can click here to see more from INK.
All Images ©2018 Benedict Redgrove
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
