The Stars of Darley Moor

8 - 9th October 2022

Photographing the motorcycle racing at Darley Moor is a double edged sword when it comes to enjoyment. I love it as it’s a great little track with unobstructed views of the action with a great atmosphere, and for the final meeting of the year, the “Stars of Darley”, a big crowd.

The event is also tinged with a little sadness as it was the last meeting at the track this year and unofficially announces that the motorsports season as a whole is coming to a close. The final rounds of the British Superbikes is happening next weekend, then the race of the year at Mallory.

It will then be time to dust off the big coat as winter is coming and we head off to photograph the various types of winter motorsports,with rallying and beach racing being top of our list.

So making the most of the weak autumn sunshine which were blessed with last weekend, I headed to the lovely Derbyshire countryside to spectate and photograph the Stars.

The Stars are invited racers that don’t usually race at the Darley club meeting. It’s an open class race for a one off prestigious trophy, with racers from different classes from 600cc to 1000cc competing over two races - one on Saturday, the other on Sunday.

The motorcyclists competing in the headline event come from two sport bike disciplines, road racers and circuit racers. The road racers heading up the list were led by Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness MBE riding a Honda Fireblade. I always enjoy watching McPint race. He makes going round a track appear effortless and is always good for a wheelie or two.

Out on a pair of  Buildbase Suzukis, Richard Cooper and Leon Jeacock were the front runners in the Stars race. Cooper had the best of the racing on Saturday leading from pole to flag. On Sunday Leon Jeacock took the lead early in the race, but Cooper soon passed him to take the chequered flag for a second time, winning the Stars trophy.

Richard Cooper, the former multiple  National Superstock 1000 Champion, has now won the Stars race a record seven times between 2008 and 2022.

It could have been more but for a nasty accident in 2020 at Donington which curtailed his racing career at the time.

I for one would like to see him back in the saddle. He is certainly still fast but just seems to do the odd appearance these days

Don’t take my word that Coops is fast, he will be at Brands Hatch this weekend. A one off ride on the BPE Yamaha by Russell Racing in the British Supersport Championship for the final round of the British Superbikes season at Brands Hatch is a great opportunity to show his class, which I’m sure he will.

It wasn’t all about the stars at Darley. There was a lot of club racing to watch, with eight championships being claimed on Saturday and four more on Sunday. As with most club competitions, there were loads of different machines out on track.

The venerable CB500s were out in force, and trust me they are not slow in the right hands. Yes, that is #47 Coops out on the commuters' favourite! They were mixed in with other motorcycle classes, so it was a little confusing for my one off visit of the year but you could still work out who was winning.

There were a variety of different classes out from forgotten eras to sidecars, so loads of machines to watch and if you carry a camera, photograph. There is a full guide to taking photos at Darley here.  It’s also not a bad guide if you are just spectating. If you can see the track to take a nice picture it also follows that it’s going to be a good place to spectate.

Photographic Post Script

David Harbey - Stars of Darley 2022 - My Select Seven

Darley Moor has a particular place in my motorsport history. My Dad used to help run the Sunday School at Wyaston Chapel in the 1960s and some days, as we were leaving, we could hear the bikes racing at Darley Moor. I didn’t, however, make my first visit to Darley Moor until 2019 - half a century later ! 

Yes, it’s an old WW2 airfield but it has been developed well over the years and forms a great location for club racing. Here’s my Select Seven from Saturday of the 2022 Stars at Darley meeting.

Richard Cooper on his Suzuki 1000. No, it’s not pin sharp. Yes, it’s shot at 1/60 second. Coops is accelerating out of the Hairpin into the left kink before the Pope Straight. I like the sense of movement. Other vital statistics - 300mm, f9, ISO64

Max Cook on his Yamaha 600 at the Hairpin. The same settings as Cooper above and again using the 300mm PF lens; really pleased to get Max’s helmet in decent focus.

There’s a trend in some circles for darker, slow shutter speed shots to emphasise movement. This is Max Cook accelerating out of Paddock Corner towards the finish line using the 70-200mm zoom at 1/60 second, 70mm, f22, ISO160

1/60 Pah ! How about 1/30 ?  John Barnett’s Honda CB500 leaving the Hairpin. You definitely have less “keepers” at that speed - although I suspect the latest top of the range mirrorless can probably nail it every time and make you a cup of tea at the same time ! We are probably heading into the world of acquired taste at this sort of shutter speed ! This is the 70-200mm zoom at 102mm, f13 and ISO64

Time to break out the 500mm PF and shoot through the fence at the Hairpin as the riders take the left kink at the end of the back straight. Love the autumn colours and the light; not so keen on the portaloo but at least it’s green to try to blend in.

I’m a sucker for a bright livery, so Josh Daley on his Kawasaki 1000 gets lots of attention. A relatively fast 1/250 second, 500mm, f11 and ISO250