British Sidecar Cross and Quads Championship from FatCats Motorparc

Report by David Gowshall

27th June 2021

My 2021 season has involved photography of the 2-wheel and 4-wheel variety so far, and I was desperate to take in some 3-wheel action this weekend.

Unable to get a ticket for the BSB / British Sidecar Championship meeting at Oulton Park, thanks to Boris, I was hoping the BEMSEE meeting at Cadwell Park would provide me with my shot of sidecar action, but unfortunately, it was solos only. 

I took to the internet in the vain hope of finding something and, lo and behold, came up with British Sidecarcross championship, with the added bonus that it was taking place less than 40 miles from my home, at FATCAT Motoparc, east of Doncaster.

The journey, the majority of which was on what must be the most boring motorway in Britain, the M180, seemed to go quickly, and it wasn’t long before I was turning off Junction 4 of the M18 to a venue I have never visited before.

Turning into the impressive entrance gates I travelled down the long drive before glimpsing a landscape with a remarkable similarity to the surface of Mars.

After parking up and climbing the spectator bank which overlooks the circuit, I was greeted with a myriad of banked corners, humps, bumps and hairpin bends, formed in red clay, all well within the range of my Sigma 150-600mm telephoto lens.

The only trouble was, with no machines out on the course, I didn’t know which direction they would be appearing from.

Help was soon at hand when morning practice sessions got underway, although it was still very difficult to remember the combinations of corners, and outfits were appearing and disappearing all over the panoramic view I had of a large part of the circuit.

The action provided endless options for shots, although panning was a “no-no” as no outfit followed anything resembling a straight line, either horizontally or vertically. 



To be honest, it soon became apparent, “panning”, normally used to give a sense of moment and speed on tarmac circuit, was not required, as the outfits and the positions their “pilots” and passenger got into, did that more than adequately.

This was the second round of what is planned to be a five-event championship in 2021, after the 2020 campaign never got underway, due to COVID restrictions.



The championship is likely to be fought out by defending 2019 champions Stuart Brown / Josh Chamberlain (#888) and Jake Brown / Joe Millard (#2), and based on Sunday’s event it will be an intriguing and very competitive season for them both as they dominated the first championship race of the day.

With no race programme or public address system available, it was a little confusing initially but thankfully most of the crews can be identified as they carry their names emblazoned on the back of their shirts.

It was short and sweet visit for me, which was forced to end mid-afternoon, but as a bonus, I was able to take in the first race of the 2021 British Quads Championship, which was running concurrently with the Sidecarcross event.

Like the sidecars, they provide interesting subject matter for the motorsports photographer, with lots of colour and some impressive action to capture. 

The circuit layout gives endless opportunities to take shots, and with no barriers or safety fence, it’s possible to get very close to the action.

The overriding impression I took away from the event was just how physically demanding it must be to compete at this level.

As result of my visit to FATCAT Motorparc I will definitely be back in 2022, when hopefully the sun will shine. 

Next weekend will be a busy one for :DEEGEE: Motorsport Photography, who will be at Donington Park on Saturday covering the World Superbike and World Sidecar Championships, and on Sunday at Cadwell Park for the Classic Racing Motor Cycle Championship.



Fingers crossed the weather plays ball!!

You can see more of David’s work here