HSCC Meeting - Cadwell Park - Some Different Views

[KennyG]

A bit of a POTN members day out and even spotted someone my side of the wire wearing a POTN vest, although he said he didn't frequent the forum, just liked the vest.

The HSCC (Historic Sports Car Club) hold race meetings at most of the circuits in the UK and it is a chance to see some of the cars that raced in yesteryear still performing on the track. They are doing what they were built for, not spending their days polished up and on show.

Here are some shots from my side of the wire, taken at some odd places and with unusual angles. I was going to post a picture of our POTN members in action, but I can't find my mosaic plug-in for Photoshop to block out their faces, saving their anonimity. The light was horrible and varying from minute to minute, with ISO's all over the place.

Now, this driver appears in my HSCC shots year after year, and he still does not look 100% happy doing what he does:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-06.jpg

This is one of the unusual angles I referred to:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-04.jpg

I like to get them in bunches, and that leading Lotus 20 looks gorgeous:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-07.jpg

A classic Cadwell Park mountain shot of a truly classic car, the Jaguar XK 140C:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-08.jpg

The race winning Brabham BT16, cresting the rise towards the hairpin:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-10.jpg

I'll sneak this in for Glenn:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-11.jpg

Not everyone got it right on the day as this Elan driver demonstrates:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-17.jpg

Something this big squeezing round the hairpin is an interesting sight:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-19.jpg

Porsches do it slightly different. A good example of car dynamics in action:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-21.jpg

Winner of the Historic Formula Ford race in his Lola T200:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-23.jpg


Anglesey next weekend and the prayer mat is out for a dry day - some hopes!

[Wazza]

Some great angles there, particularly the first few.
Varying light is always a challenge, especially when shooting in manual. I realised that over the past weekend, shooting the V8 Supercars at Pukekohe. Usually I would shoot AV mode, keeping it in a sharp lens range, and keeping the shutter speed at a decent speed.

[badgerbaiter]

nice! it looks like you are standing in the middle of the track on a couple of them!

[KennyG]

At Cadwell you are very close to the action in some places, too close at one or two points on the circuit. I got covered in feathers when a Formula Ford slammed into a pheasant crossing the track.

Here are a couple more I like:

That lovely Lotus cresting "The Mountain":
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-26.jpg

A Martini liveried Porsche:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-27.jpg

And back to that angle that is starting to grow on me with the light behind the car:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-30.jpg

[badgerbaiter]

i especially like that last one

looks like a very pretty place to take pics, and if you get a free pheasant dinner too then its got to be a bonus

i notice from some other pics on the forum, that the bikes take off over the brow on one hill.. do the cars do the same?

[KennyG]

Most of the cars that are allowed to run at Cadwell don't get up enough speed to totally lift off. F3's leave the track exiting Deer Leap at Oulton Park, as do FR and PA. Something to do with aerodynmics as well as the speed.

[dengli]

Looks like you had a bit of Sun at Cadwell Ken. It was grey all day at Mallory with enough drizzle to wet the track a little.

Those contre jour shots are very nice - a lovely angle - but my pick of the bunch would be the #4 the Jaguar and #9 the Porsche. Both have got great dynamics.

[Cadwell]

Mmmm.... there are some nice angles off where us normal mortals cannot reach! Good stuff. I particularly like the Lotus at the top of The Mountain. Fantastc DoF on that shot.

[Dave_G]

Next on my list of places to visit: Cadwell (park, not our esteemed moderator and disguise wearer...)

I also love the uncluttered backrop to the Lotus.

It's nice to have full time guys here, thanks Ken. Your shots are great, and your posts are always something for me to take notes from!

*removes nose*

[Simon Harrison]

Good capture with the Autograssing Elan.

The shot I like the best is the last one you posted. I like the positioning in the frame a lot, and for that particular angle, prefer the single car look to the multiple cars. Now that shot with a really dramatic sky rather than the flat grey one we had for most of the day would make it really spectacular.

Cheers,

Simon.

[KennyG]

The Lotus shot was a three quarter pan with the 300 and the background being so faraway tends to blur more giving that unusual effect. I have a few that are similar of different cars, but that's my favourite.

I had to set a lot of shots in context and that's why you see backgrounds that are obviously Cadwell and multiple cars so the shot can be used in general to show an HSCC race. The context element why MSV tend to use my Lodge shots more than others, or my Brands shots coming into Paddock looking back to the start/finish. I even made sure I got green/white Armco in the frame, a Cadwell 'signature'.

With a blue sky and polarizer that shot would be very different Simon. It would have to be before too many leaves on the trees though.

Hmm... Glen didn't comment on the pan shot. I had better not say anything and maybe he won't notice.

[Dave_G]

Oh he noticed it, just chose to ignore it..

[GMosher]

Oh, Ken. How i've missed seeing your images. :)

[GSH]

Oh he noticed it, just chose to ignore it..


In a "lalalala <fingers in ears> i'm not listening" sort of way....

Any chance you could shoot with your eyes closed Ken?. Give us mere mortals a chance ;)

[Gadget-Guy]

Great to see some more of your excellent pics ken,is the car in the pan shot a TVR Tuscan? Shame to hear that they are stopping producing cars.

[andrewc]

The TVR is a Vixen. The original Tuscan (there have been 4 Tuscans to date) looked virtually the same but had a Ford 302 cu in V8 fitted. The original Tuscan was a hasty rename of the TVR Griffith which came into being in the same way that the AC Cobra was born - the American Importer (Jack Griffith) wanting to put a V8 into the Vixen/Grantura. My dad's recently acquired another Griffith (has had a number of oddball cars over the years)

There was a Dayona biker who said he felt safer on the banking at Daytona, on his bike at 200mph than he did sitting parked up in his TVR! They're fast cars but can bite...

[KennyG]

I once set off down a wet country lane in a Griffith and when I booted it I found myself looking back the way I had come. Very twitchy and not for the feint hearted. It wasn't mine by the way and the owner, who was a passenger, was very impressed as he thought I had done a deliberate J turn. I of course corrected him - cough, cough.

Watching half a dozen Tuscans racing the other week reminded me of how beautiful they are on track and how they used to have one of the most entertaining championships going. Sad day when there are no more of them running... sad day.

You can go from beauty to the ugly beast quite easily with cars. The Triumph TR series never lit my lamp, but if they are well sorted they can turn in a decent performance. A TR5 being hounded by a TR4A:
http://www.motorpix.co.uk/images105/cp-32.jpg

[Dave_G]

nice shot that, shame the TR4 looks so awful, the TR6 was (is) a much better looking car.