Over the last couple of months, I have been sitting back and enjoying the variety of work from all over the world on Speedhunters. But now that spring has sprung in the UK, last weekend I found myself at historic Goodwood Motor Circuit to kickstart the new motorsport season.
Goodwood is more than a circuit or a hill climb – it’s an entire experience that is quite difficult to summarise in words. As the season opener, the Goodwood Members’ Meeting is limited to the loyal members of the Goodwood Road & Racing Club.
For a photographer, this means smaller crowds, which can be good or bad depending on what type of photographer you are. People add context to the cars we shoot, but when it gets overcrowded, shooting can be tough. You require a lot of patience, something I lack.
The first rule of Goodwood is to get there early. Scenic sunrises are a real treat here, but this being the UK and the weather being akin to a kid throwing a tantrum, it doesn’t always work out. It did not work out for me on Saturday morning as the sky was grey and cloudy.
Goodwood Motor Circuit is unique in that everyone has a lot of access. There are only a few places within the circuit where you will be turned away. Of course, accredited photographers have a bit more access when comes to shooting trackside and in the assembly areas and pits.
The most popular photography spots are Pit Straight, The Chicane, the Super Shell building at Woodcote Corner and the paddock.
I think the paddock is the best place to start in the morning, as it’s not crowded – mostly just the teams preparing their cars for the day of racing ahead. It is very atmospheric too, and with a touch of morning light, just magical.
The gates usually open at 7.30am, with the first action on track from around 9:00am, so there is plenty of time to explore the paddock. It also provides a great opportunity to hear many cars do a cold start, which if you are like me will be music to your ears.
When the first race is about to start, competing cars will start making their way to the assembly area. The road here is off-limits unless you are an accredited photographer, but there is a small stretch where anyone can shoot.
I enjoy shooting at the assembly area as the drivers and the mechanics do their final touches before the cars go out on track. Most cars will be pushed up to this point, so this is where many engines are fired up. It can get very noisy quickly. This is also a good place to get some portraits of the drivers as they get into their cars or sit waiting.
The main straight is a good place to be when these cars go out, as some will slide around on their cold tyres.
Madgwick Corner provides a great opportunity to shoot cars as they speed along the main straight before slowing down.
Goodwood’s pit lane is small and gets crowded very easily. The pit wall is a great place to photograph cars coming out of The Chicane and speeding past. While the general public isn’t allowed in pit lane, you can climb the stairs and look down on it from above.
I have not been successful in getting a good panning shot here as the cars can fly by very fast, but it is a great spot to cover the action within the pits, like a mechanic doing a quick repair or a driver swap.
A counterclockwise walk from the main straight, either through the infield or outfield, will take you to The Chicane. This is an overused spot, which I am guilty of overusing. It’s not hard to see the appeal though, as it is one of those places where cars slow down to a crawling pace, which during a race also means they bunch up nicely.
My favourite spot? That would be the infield between Woodcote Corner and The Chicane. The cars slow down for Woodcote and then again for The Chicane, which gives you a great chance for panning shots.
There is a mound in the infield where people usually sit in deck chairs which is great for atmospheric shots of people enjoying a relaxing day while watching motorsports. If you are brave enough, this is the perfect spot to get those sweet panning shots through people. It is also great to get the Super Shell building in the background.
The dugout in front of the Super Shell building on the outfield of Woodcote Corner is only for accredited photographers, but if you manage to get into the building itself, the windows provide a great place to shoot from. This is a photographer’s favourite for those sunset shots, so it can get busy. It is also a great spot to get photos of cars spitting flames as they downshift from Lavant Straight into Lavant Corner.
I wanted to try something different this year, so I walked further counterclockwise towards Lavant Straight and Lavant Corner during sunset. It was quiet and would have been a great spot to shoot the sunset if it hadn’t been hidden by a large cloud.
As for the event itself, the 81st Goodwood Members’ Meeting had some magical moments. I really enjoyed seeing 20-plus Can-Am cars rip around the circuit.
The amount of work and ingenuity that went into these cars in period is mind-blowing, so the opportunity to see them on track during a demo run was just too good to miss.
Being an admirer of classic F1 cars, it was great to see Niki Lauda’s McLaren MP4/2B running around the circuit.
But the best of them all was Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari 640, piloted by the legend himself. I stood at the pit wall during the demonstration, and hearing the V12 engine roar as the car blasted past gave me goosebumps.
Chaydon has a few spotlights from the 2024 Members’ Meeting on the way, so look out for those in the coming days.
Jathu Thillai
Instagram: jtoncars
www.jtoncars.uk
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