The 2011 calendar was the same size and 2010’s and overall pretty similar except for some noticeable typography changes that were a result of reader feedback. Some found the light Univers typeface difficult to read from a distance, so I went with a heavier font for the days of the week and adjusted other fonts to reflect that main change. We also added the locations of the circuits.

Riders featured: Colin Edwards, Michel Fabrizio, Nicky Hayden, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Max Biaggi, Ben Spies, Dani Pedrosa, Toni Elias, Casey Stoner, Shoya Tomizawa.

This calendar shows yet another stage of evolution in that it contains not only track shots but images from pit lane as well. Of the seven calendar editions, the 2011 calendar is one of my favorites because of several images included in the photo selection, the first being the cover image. This shot of Aoyama’s Interwetten Honda warming up in pit lane is one of the most satisfying photos in my collection and also one of my favorite calendar covers.

It’s not only the split second of exhaust gas caught in time, nor the cowboy-like bow-legged posture of the figure in the background, nor the bright colors of the super-heated curving pipe, nor the fingerprints on the golden metal that win me over. The main detail I like is the number of tiny mystery bits that are being blown out of the pipe in this moment, minute threads of, what? Dust? Condensation? Who knows? But they look almost like the bits that fly off a dried dandelion flower when you blow on it in just-right light. There are so many little things that happen with MotoGP bikes that we usually don’t see, I’m thrilled when an image, mine or someone else’s, captures one of these moments.

The portrait of Michel Fabrizio prompted a good number of emails/comments, not all of them from Fabrizio fans, who voiced some level of objection, but also from those who liked the change of pace.

This was the first time that during the photo selection we faced certain new considerations. For each photo we picked to show on a given month, we wanted one that fit what David wanted to talk about in his commentary, while also showcasing my photography, while also being an image that people would want to have dipsplayed on the wall for an entire month. The Fabrizio image fit the first two criteria. I still have my doubts about how gracefully it fit the third.

That shot was also the first black and white image we used in the calendar. It was joined by two other black and white shots, one being of Hervé Poncharal embracing Ben Spies at Silverstone (another personal favorite), and the other being a portrait of Shoya Tomizawa just after winning the inaugural Moto2 race at Losail. Each time I look at these two images, the first fills me with joy, the second breaks my heart.

Incidentally, the 2015 MotoMatters calendar can be purchased here.

Up next on the following page, the 2012 calendar: