I headed first to Coram and spent the morning there. There’s a range of shots available and you can, at most events, drive round in your car.

Using the 200-500mm zoom on the monopod, I started with shots as the cars exited The Bombhole and headed towards Coram. Dust can be kicked up as the cars run wide and there was a pleasing heat haze.

There’s then a shot as the cars drift round Coram. For most of the day, I was using slower shutter speeds which, along with the heat haze, gives a number of the shots a softer feel.

Turning the camera round gives a superb angle on the cars as they lean on their left hand tyres (and get the right hand tyres off the tarmac). Adding in a bit of Dutch Tilt can give a really dramatic photo. 

Careful choice of background is important here. On this day, there were artic trailers parked up ready for the BSB round the next weekend and care was required to avoid them.

The Subarus were running round together and provided a more interesting photo on a testing day where most of the cars were coming round individually on their own. Walking further round, gives the pitlane as a backdrop (and a few of Snetterton’s bright red rubbish bins !).

There is spectator banking at the exit of Coram which allows for both a shot back to Coram or a panning shot as the cars head towards Murrays. Yes, that is ex-F1, Indycar and Le Mans racer Mark Blundell in the number 8 car.

I then walked up the spectator banking opposite the pitlane. The lack of fencing on the outside of the track is a delight for photographers and even though there is fencing on the pit wall, at a slower shutter speed, this can give a good effect. 

It’s also hard to beat a car livery based on the traditional works BMW colours !

A shorter afternoon session started at the exit of Murrays on the inside of the track. This will undoubtedly be the scene of much frantic action come the racing. No one was really attacking the kerbs as perhaps they would in a race situation. I swapped to the 70-200mm zoom for the afternoon.

I then walked up to the banking between Riches and Palmer. One of the attractions of the test day was the re-appearance of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta driven by Rob Austin. The team are taking a year out of the BTCC with a view to returning in 2020. 

Then it was off to Brundle for my final shots of the day. With the closeness of the track, it provides a really good panning shot – although the marshal’s post is in just the wrong place !

So, a pleasant day aided by warm sunshine, a bit of a breeze, no charge to get in and a decent lunch in the paddock café, Tyrrells. There’s a BTCC tyre test at Thruxton in mid-August which is tempting – more opportunities for photos of cars riding the kerbs and having fun at the chicane.