Gumball 3000 2011

Gumball 3000 was back in London for 2011 and this time taking over Covent Garden. Kicking off mid-week in order to catch the Monaco grand prix, the party started at the brand new Playboy Club - so new in fact that it was still to officially open to the general populous.

An early start on the Thursday morning saw all the cars lined up round the famous Covent Garden market square and with very few people around at that hour I was able to capture all the cars without the crowds that would later descend. The line of Bentleys against the historic building looked fantastic however the highlight for me was another British marque, Aston Martin. A brand new Aston Martin One-77 with an amazing wrap was taking part this year. This was only the second time I had seen one on the move, the other one being a year ago when the launch car took to the public roads for the first time - see here. Photos taken, people met and crowds starting to arrive it was time to find a vantage point to capture the cars leaving.

This being the first time at Covent Garden it took a few attempts before I was able to find a suitable spot away from the crowds and traffic and so the wait began. After a few false starts and lost cars Max rounded the corner in his cameo-wrapped Rolls Royce. Being England, it was a mixture of sun, light rain and heavy showers, all of which made for some great pictures and, during the heavy rain, a lack of people in the way. I think the photos make up for missing the celebrities and start line shenanigans, hope you all agree.