World of Speed

In his work group World of Speed, Johannes Huwe's pictures show the speed fanatics' own world on the “Great Salt Lake” in California in an almost fantastic way. El Mirage Salt Lake is 16 miles north of Highway 18, where all roads end. A deserted and unreal place in the Mojave Desert with daytime temperatures around 45 degrees and an average of 150 mm of precipitation per year.

It's teeming with rattlesnakes and films like Terminator 2 and Lethal Weapon were filmed here. Stars like Madonna and U2 have used this bizarre area as a backdrop for their music videos. They are called “Land Speed ​​Racers”, the mostly daring men in their self-built racing cars. All you have in mind is the stop clock and the finish line, with the same goal of setting a new speed record in the next race.

“Land Speed ​​Racer” is the last motor sport bastion that is still in the hands of amateurs. The participants in the races are diverse - from simple car mechanics to millionaires - who arrive in the desert with an entire team and truck. Legends like Gene Winfield, who built various vehicles for Hollywood films such as Star Trek, Blade Runner and Batman, take part in the races.

In addition to achieving a new personal best, another goal is membership in the 200 Mile Club or even 300 Mile Club. Their proud members can often be recognized from afar by the words “200 Mile Club Member” on their T-shirts. However, the T-shirts are only available to qualified “land speed racers” – upon presentation of their club ID. Photographing the event represents a particular challenge for the photographer and the technology. The heat and dust take a toll on the equipment. It is even more difficult to take portraits of the drivers with their vehicles after the race. Due to the sandy ground, braking is done with a braking parachute. Exactly where the racing car comes to a stop in the desert requires a lot of experience.

The photographer then has little time to reach the pilots and their vehicles in his underpowered rental car. Once there, you only have a very small window of time to take your portrait, as within a few moments a security vehicle begins to check the integrity of the driver and vehicle. The images in the “World of Speed” series were taken with a medium format Hasselblad camera.