MSN Circuit Rally Championship Round 3 - Part Two

Donington Park - Report and images by David and Andrew Harbey

5th December 2021

David Harbey writes:

Although stage maps were not available until the day, I had already picked up that the Esses Tunnel would be used as part of the route from the stage back to the service area. That might compromise one of my new favoured spots at Donington, I thought.

It was worse than that – spectators were allowed through the Paddock Tunnel to the infield but then restricted to a small area between Goddards and the start line.

No access to the inside of Redgate, Hollywood, Craners, Old Hairpin, McLeans and Coppice. At that point I wasn’t feeling the love; moving cars soon helped though with an overhead view on the loose surface that formed the last part of the stage with a typical MSN Rally mix of a brace of modern Fiestas, a rare Alfa Romeo 33 and PistonClick friends Race Performance Puma.

Time to consign the 70-200 to the camera bag (actually Andrew grabbed it to replace the 70-300 he had been using) and get out the big guns – the 200-500 superzoom - for a trip round the outside of the circuit.

Unlike the last time we were at Donington for a rally, all six stages were running the “wrong” way round the track which has the superb bonus for us snappers of the gaps in the fence allowing a head on / front three quarters shotsans fence; maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all …  We had cars heading into Redgate –

Escorts at Hollywood with the last of the autumn colours behind them …

Brief sunlight so that the crew’s faces can clearly be seen as they attack the Craner Curves …

During the gap between stages 4 and 5 (nominally the lunch break but my sandwiches had been consumed a long time prior), it was time for the long walk to Coppice.

We were rewarded with a new angle as the cars exited the tyre barrier chicane – again unhindered by fencing …

The sun was setting fast by now and we were to benefit from a few minutes of glorious light. Looking back to McLeans included the two RAFMSA teams in suitable liveries and a three wheeling BMW with the famous Munich manufacturer’s racing stripes …

Then the light got even better with a rainbow to boot - in this case it was a warning of what was to come for SS6 !

The final stage of the day was greeted with drizzle – caught in the headlights of dominant winners #1 - Frank Bird / Jack Morton. By now it was dark and the ISO was shooting ever upward...

Andrew Harbey writes:

A chilly day was expected for the Dukeries Rally at Donington and it definitely delivered, with a good breeze meaning lots of layers were required. A small shower earlier in the day meant the camera cover came out, with the later rain requiring it to be left on until the end of the day.

The inside of the circuit had limited access due to the stage layouts, but it gave a chance to see the cars and drivers tackling the short gravel section with non-gravel tyres. This produced some sideways action, particularly from the Mk2 Escorts (as expected!).

I moved around to the outside of Redgate where the stage exits the Tarmac Lake and heads to the entrance to the race track at Redgate. There’s a great close up shot of the cars here.

Then the long walk down towards the Old Hairpin and all the way round to Coppice during stages 3 and 4, before heading back up towards the paddock during Stages 5 into 6.

The rain had already started to fall as Stage 6 began, with the sun having set and the darkness arriving. A damp, wet surface made for some slippery conditions, along with the chance for a bit of spray in some photos as the cars went by.

So, for the rest of the rally, I returned to the left-hand corner where the cars left the paddock and went out onto the circuit; I increased the ISO and slowed the shutter speed.

This gave some longer exposure action shots, with the lights on the cars and behind in the paddock producing different patterns and lines.

As can be seen with the #94, the flash from another photographer's cameras can also be used to create an interesting photograph !

The Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship is back at Donington in March. The next round is the MGJ Engineering Brands Hatch Stages on the 15th January 2022.

Thanks to David and Andrew Harbey for this report which you can share with your friends on Social Media.