Alan Healy Memorial Rally Cadwell Park

31 March 2023

A misty morning greeted the PistonClick team as we set off for Cadwell Park to photograph the penultimate round of the Alan Healy Memorial Rally, which is part of the MGJ Circuit Rally Championship. We as a team have been following the MGJ and its predecessor the MSN Circuit Rally Championship for quite a few years. It has always been an enjoyable championship to spectate at, being well run and most importantly having a great mix of rally cars. 

However, at last Sunday’s meeting quite a few of the top teams had decided not to rally at Cadwell. Clashes with other events over the bank holiday weekend might have had something to do with the depleted field.

Also Will Igoe and Will Atkins in the red Citroen C3 Rally 2 are running away with the overall and class A championship and are effectively unassailable, which might have had an influence on the top seeded teams’ decisions.

Whatever the reason, there was still a great selection of cars in the depleted field with a few new (to me) cars that had decided to run. It is not uncommon for different teams to be at the different rounds of the MGJ Circuit Rally Championship. This is because different motor clubs organise the individual events, so local teams will enter for local honours but do not participate in the overall championship.

Cadwell hosts two of the MGJ Circuit Rally Championship rounds, this particular one was organised by the Border Motor Club.

The MGJ championship is held over 9 one-day circuit-based stage rallies at 6 different tracks with each competitor’s best 6 scores to count. All of the available tarmac is used, including the track in both directions, slip roads, paddock and access roads and at a few locations, small off road sections. Therefore, the spectator/photographer gets to watch the cars attacking the track from different viewpoints.

With all of these different locations to snap the competitors you are spoiled for choice, but making that choice of where to take your pictures or just soak up the action can be challenging.

With nine stages being run there was quite a lot of changes to the direction of travel and to what part of the circuit was being used. The only way to work out what was going to happen next and where would be the best place to spectate was to buy a programme - £3 to you.

Once we had checked the programme and worked out where and in what direction stages one and two would be run , we headed for the end of the Park Straight. This would be the only time the cars would be going the “wrong” way round this corner.

As it was still a bit misty with low clouds it meant that the sun was not a consideration; it usually is for the many photographers that turn up for this event, and shooting into the sun is not good for taking photos.

Being seeded number 1, Will Igoe and Will Atkins were the first to appear through the gradually receding mist. They have posted six meeting wins so are now this season’s champions with one round to go. Watching them through the early morning mist it was easy to see why. Smooth but aggressive they flew through Park like they were on rails. 

To be fair, so did most of the other top seed A Class cars, but the stand out car for me in the less powerful four wheel drive Class B was the Ford Escort Cosworth of Craig McIntosh and David Jackson.

However, it was #25 Sir Andrew McAlpine and Mark Jones in the equally iconic Subaru Impreza S12 who would go on to win the Class B battle. Craig McIntosh and David Jackson were second with #26 Stephen Johansen and Charlie Stephens in another Subaru Impreza third. 

It was a little more entertaining as the Class C two wheel drive cars appeared, hanging the back out and putting on the style. James Garner and Jordan Joines were victorious in the #7 Darrian GTR with #6 Alasdair Stables and Neil Jones in the Vauxhall Chevette HSR, #10 Stephen Sawley and Rob Johnson were third in a Ford Escort.

With over 60 competitors in six different classes running there were plenty of cars to watch take on the mini Nurburgring. There are loads of great locations to spectate from at Cadwell so we moved to the lower end of the track and checked out Hall bends to the Mountain.

MSV have been busy here constructing a new building in the staging area, probably for VIP viewing at the larger events as there is a veranda on the track side.

Using the staging area road from the paddock is one of the usual modifications to the track layout that is utilised in this championship. It was a little different from the previous year, with the spectators being pushed back a little further from the action. There was still enough space to grab a few shots here and watch the cars take this tricky bend. 

In Class D we spotted Adam Jones and Tom Jones in a nippy black Peugeot 206 GTi 180 representing the Royal Air Force Motorsports Association. My shooting buddy for the day watched them take out a tyre wall at Hall bends. “Did you get the shot?” I asked later when we met up. “Nope, I had the wrong lens on” this statement is number 12 from the big book of photography excuses - one I have used on many occasions!

However, a quick chat online and we bring you the in-car footage which we have made family friendly! Adam has written a few words for us about his day competing at Cadwell. 

Adam Jones Race Report: Alan Healy Memorial Rally

The 31st of March marked an eventful day for me and the RAF Rally Team as we took on the challenges of the Cadwell Alan Healy Memorial Rally.

Stages 1 to 5 unfolded smoothly, providing valuable seat time and boosting my confidence behind the wheel. However, stage 6 proved to be a test of that newfound confidence as I pushed a little too hard over a crest, resulting in an unfortunate collision with a tyre wall.

This mishap caused damage to the radiator and a headlight, but thanks to the swift and heroic efforts of our service team, we were back on track within a mere 20-minute service interval, ready to tackle stage 7 with renewed determination.

Just when we thought the drama was behind us, stage 8 brought an unexpected twist. A deceptive fuel gauge led us to believe we had a quarter tank left, only to realise mid-stage that we had run out of fuel, adding a humorous anecdote to our rally experience!

Despite these challenges, the car experienced misfires and power fluctuations throughout the event, indicating the need for an engine swap before our next outing. As we reflect on the highs and lows of the Cadwell Alan Healy Memorial Rally, we remain committed to overcoming obstacles and pushing forward as a team. Here's to the lessons learned and the adventures yet to come!

Moving down to the track I was lucky enough to have the correct lens when Alex Stubbs in the Ford Escort Mk2 came in hot at the bottom of the mountain, rearranging the tyres for the following competitors.

The final round of the MGJ Circuit Rally Championship will be the Altratech SMC Stages at the Anglesey Circuit on the 14th of April. The team have enjoyed the rallying this season and there might be one or two more articles before we switch fire to the traditional summer season of two and four wheel Circuit racing.

Photographic Post Script

As I have done for the last few reports I used the Nikon D500 with a AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR without any teleconverters this time. At Cadwell Park when photographing cars the standard 70-200mm motorsports lens is fine for most of the track, as you can see with the results I produced.

My shooting buddy used the same kit with a 2x teleconverter supplementing it with the AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR. This 300mm lens when attached to a crop body camera gives you a perceived image magnification over a standard full frame camera, so it’s great for motorsport photography.

Canon crop bodies have a 1.6x crop sensor, while Nikon, Sony, Sigma and Pentax are 1.5x and Panasonic and Olympus are 2x. They can also be called DX, APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras.

The 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens when used on a Nikon D500 gives you a focal length of 450mm (300mm x 1.5), add a 1.4 teleconverter which the 300PF handles very well and you are now at 630mm with a lens that is very small, light and very portable. The only down side is the fixed focal length of a prime lens - the latest DSLR Nikon 70-200mm has the zoom ring at the front of the lens allowing very quick changes in focal length, great for when an incident happens. 

As with all camera/lens combinations there is a trade off. At Cadwell the 70-200mm f/2.8 is spot on, but for my next assignment at Donington for the British Super Bikes it will not have the reach, whereas the 300mm f/4E PF will, just!

I should take the 200-400mm f4 to Donington, however I might just take the Nikon D500 with a AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR and see how I get on. Stand by for some massively cropped/tiny pictures of motorbikes in our next report!