Sep
30

Britcar Pt.3

I arrived at the track on Sunday morning to be met with torrential rain. But it’s not all bad, it makes from some fantastic photos.

The race was coming to a close, and it was quite clear that the field had been thinned out overnight. The rain also made life tough for the more powerful cars in the field, who were constantly losing their rear end through Maggots.

 

My personal favourite car was still going strong, it seemed.

 

As was the Bauhaus Aston Martin, which was impressively contending with the GT3 cars in the field.

 

The cars came through to a stunning finish, with the field in their final order. It was great to see such camaraderie between all of the drivers!

Britcar is another event that’s now on my annual list of things to do! In 2013, I want to try and cover as many long-distance endurance events as possible.

Sep
25

Britcar Pt.2

 

As sun set, I made my way back to the paddock. And as soon as I got through the gate, I came across this beautiful Ford GT40. Now, it was obviously a replica, but still an awesome find in the paddock.

 

By now, the race was well underway, and the teams were settling in for a long night.

 

Pit strategy is as critical in endurance racing as it is in any other form of motorsport – as soon as the car is stopped in the box, everything is go.

 

Possibly the most dangerous part of a pit stop is refuelling.

 

Once the car is topped up, the car takes off, back into the night.

 

Sep
23

Britcar Pt.1

Britcar 24 at Silverstone is the first time I’ve ever attended, let alone photographed, a 24 hour endurance race. It won’t be my last.

Silverstone is a vast circuit. I’ve never shot the full track. Even as a spectator at the British Grand Prix in 2007, I’ve always been situated in the Brooklands complex of the circuit.

I absolutely love the varied mix of cars running in the Britcar 24. This classic Porsche was my personal favourite, with a beautiful GT-86 and a Honda Jazz tied for second place.

Silverstone is an odd circuit for me. I’m very used to being close to the cars, but the large, F1-minded runoff areas mean that I’m actually a huge distance from the cars. Except at the entry to the famous Maggots complex. The cars enter at blistering speeds, it’s a great feeling.

 

There’s a true beauty to racing cars. Sometimes, it’s hard to find. But I’ve yet to photograph a race-built car that I’ve turned away from. The way this chrome-painted Aston Martin GT3 reflected the late afternoon sun put a huge smile on my face.

There’s nothing better than to be bathed in warm light, while race cars tear past you. It’s something I’d only previously experienced while at Pikes Peak, but here, at Silverstone, it happened again.