A 360 camera was strapped to a British Superbike: see the Insta360 ONE R in action

Last year an Insta360 ONE X was strapped to the fuel tank of a 1000cc superbike during a hot lap of Norfolk’s Snetterton race circuit and now it’s the Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition’s turn. Motorsport photographer Amanda Leeming used a GoPro accessory mount to attach the compact Dual-Lens 360 camera to the faring of British Superbike rider Peter Hickman’s BMW S1000RR.

This decidedly compact 360 camera provided a unique 360-degree perspective of the bike’s front wheel and a stomach-churning view of the tarmac during tight left-hand turns. The 5K 30fps footage was edited in Insta360 Studio 2020, which allows users to control how the frame pans, before it was exported in full HD via Adobe Premiere Pro.

The run took place on Saturday August 22 during a free practice session at Snetterton Circuit for Round 2 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Onboard footage is the closest most racing fans will ever get to experiencing the thrill of pushing a machine that can output well over 200bhp and hit blistering speeds of 200mph to the limit. The dynamic nature of 360-degree footage makes for a more visceral point-of-view experience.

An Insta360 ONE R was strapped to the superbike of Isle of Man TT lap record holder Peter Hickman. (Image credit: Peter Hickman)

Amanda told Digital Camera World: “Insta360’s FlowState Stabilization is amazing – I couldn’t believe the difference. You don’t have to spend 15 hours colour grading the ONE R’s footage either and the form factor means it’s better for use in tight spaces.

“We did learn that the mount needs to be precisely 90 degrees below the camera. If it’s slightly off you can see the mount, which is just about visible in the video. It’s a learning curve though, and you have to think differently. We attached the camera on its side, which I was instinctively reluctant to do, but when you’re shooting 360-degree footage keeping your frame level just doesn’t matter.”

The Insta360 ONE R with Dual-Lens 360 weighs just 130.5g and measures 72mm x 48mm x 43mm. The Insta360 ONE R is available in a variety of editions and bundles. This includes the Twin Edition Motorcycle Kit, so you can record onboard footage of your own motorcycle adventures.

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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