Pedals to the metal

‘While reek’, ‘some yoke’ and ‘light ‘er up there’… These are common phrases heard against the backdrop of revved up engines in Omagh every other Friday.

A large part of our rural life is the agricultural and mechanically-inclined thinkers who enjoy nothing more than customising their vehicles and meeting up with like-minded people for a show.

More often than not, at the displeasure of town residents and police, these motor messiahs meet at various spots around Omagh for impromptu car shows.

The most infamous ‘show’ is the Friday night bus depot car park meetings.

A perfect location for car fiends, it has plenty of parking, it’s a big wide open area, and most importantly, it features a straight runway to max out speed before coming back on to Bridge Street.

Many not involved in the ‘car scene’ voice their objections to the perceived bad character of the individuals involved.

However, when you attend an event like it, you get to see the joy it brings for locals.

I had the privilege of being invited to attend such a ‘Big Meet’ event at the start of 2022 – although I didn’t have much interest in cars at the time.

However, three of the friends who would be joining me on the night certainly did: One had an Audi A3, one rocked up in a Vauxhall Astra and the other showcased a pristine royal blue BMW 1 series – their pride and joy.

We made it as far back as the memorial garden before being met with tailbacks due to the sheer volume of cars trying to enter the depot car park.

After around 15 minutes of waiting and observing the crowds through the iron bars, we made it in and parked up not far from the entrance.

This place was a mechanical zoo; there really was a vast variety of different cars, trucks, vans and everything inbetween.

Beyond the make and model, it was fascinating to see the subtle – and not so subtle – modifications made to some of the cars.

Purple undertints, yellow headlights, tinted windows, custom number plates, suspension that scraped against the smallest of stones on the tarmac.

The car society ran their own shared understanding of traffic regulation that contradicted weekday rules – but it worked, and it was efficient for the purposes of this impromptu show.

The route was almost like an airport runway: One side was used for the cars to taxi along before reaching the long stretch.

Once at the start of this long stretch of road, cars – one by one – would put the pedal to the metal and soar out of the car park, before slowing right down before the turn to Bridge Street.

Aside from the fixation on the cars itself, the atmosphere between the car lovers was immense.

The air was filled with this rebellious and free giddiness; a group of young men and women congregating over their sheer simplistic enjoyment of motor vehicles.

Irregardless of being strangers, they were more than content to approach eachother and show off their cars and modifications.

And despite me not being involved in the driving (obvious, by the fact I was brandishing a camera around my neck!), many of the participants were overjoyed to show me their driving abilities.

After conversing with the lads and ladies, I positioned myself near the end of the car park, anticipating the cars to pass me for a photo.

Many racers saw this as an opportunity to show off, and to the anguish of my eardrums, the rapid backfire from the exhaust was a sight to be seen – and heard.

It was certainly a high-energy and ecstatic chance to develop my photography in such a scene; capturing the sleekness of the cars whilst also showing off their performance.

The low-light setting paired with the quick movements of the vehicles posed quite a challenge – I didn’t quite know where to keep the shutter speed, but I was also hesitant to raise the ISO to avoid too much grain.

Although when it came to editing, the darkness actually added to the moodiness of the photos; creating a coolness to the shiny metal bodies of the vehicles that shimmered under the car park lighting.

Aside from the photography, it was an eye opener into this inner society which is often frowned upon by those not in it.

The perception that these ‘boy racers’, who are often accused of bad behaviour and reckless driving, was broken when actually speaking face-to-face with them.

They are not out to cause trouble; they don’t actively seek to be a nuisance to residents.

These are just people within our society who are passionate about their love for cars, and enjoy the simple act of skillfully operating their cherished mechanical projects of pride.