Photographing the VSCC Spring Start at Silverstone 20-21 April 2024

Report by David Harbey

The Vintage Sports-Car Club (VSCC), which celebrates it’s 90^th birthday this year, covers a wide range of motoring disciplines from driving tests and touring events to hillclimbs and race meetings. The traditional season opening race meeting is the Spring Start at Silverstone which for 2024 ran over two days. A VSCC race meeting will typically include races from invited clubs – in this case HGPCA, 500 Owners Association and FISCAR.

With racing on the National Circuit due to start late morning each day after practice sessions, I made the short journey to my local track (25 minutes door to door) and negotiated the new online app-based ticketing system successfully.

The weather promised to be cool, nay distinctly chilly, in the breeze and cloudy on Saturday. I was resigned to mostly shooting through the fence (it’s Silverstone); first port of call the exit of Becketts behind the Village grandstand. With the 70-200mm zoom and a slowish shutter speed, a good panning shot can be achieved.

Swapping to the 500mm prime plus 1.4 teleconverter and leaning close to the fence, there’s a good shot of the cars heading on to the Wellington Straight. The backdrop, scaffolding for the Becketts grandstand, is pure Silverstone.

For the next set of races, I planned to shoot from Luffield. Standing on the step at the left hand of the terracing there’s a clean shot over the fence of the cars in mid corner. Or rather, there was. New, higher fencing has appeared over the winter with a V shape at the top – that’s the afternoon’s plans thwarted. So, more shooting through the fence it is from the terracing round the corner.

The usual rules – as close as possible, try to be at 90 degrees to the fence and use the largest aperture you can. Try to avoid when the sun is shining on the fence (that’s why you may find occasional areas of matt black on the fences).

The VSCC had a treat in store – the James Hunt Hesketh F1 car would some demonstration laps at lunch time. I’ve seen some “demos” where the owner has pootled around. Hurrah, Callum Grant (not the owner, but with approval) was driving with considerable enthusiasm as the DFV howled through Woodcote.

Back to pre-war cars for the next race with Alfa Romeo to the fore. With careful cropping the worst excesses of some of the fences can be removed.

Moving further along the fence line and zooming out, one can pay tribute to the fabulous folk in orange who ensure that our enjoyment can take place.

The HGPCA (Historic Grand Prix Cars Association) provided two races each day. The first for pre-1961 cars had a small but competitive field with the “American” contingent to the fore. The two Kurtis Indycars (#9 and #77) are allowed to compete as the World Championship included Indianapolis for several years. The cars been adapted over the years to British circuits where you don’t just turn left four times on the “oval”. The #28 is a US built Scarab F1 car which arrived just as the Brits started the rear engined revolution – and the rest is history !

Add in an ERA, Maserati 250F, Cooper Bristol and BRM (that made an early exit) for a glorious looking and sounding field.

Before the second HGPCA race for pre-1966 there was the Patrick Lindsay Memorial Trophy race. A small but competitive grid on the short National Circuit provided entertaining racing. Most of the races proved that power + low grip = entertaining racing. Add in that the cars could run unsilenced – even better!

Something of a specialty with the VSCC is that they run handicap races. Driver and car performance is assessed and an appropriate time-based handicap allocated. Typically, the slowest set off first and have least laps to complete. If the handicapper (and competitor) perform as expected, they will all arrive at the finish at about the same time. The first race was for the slower drivers.

I decided to look into my own handicap (Silverstone’s fences) and walked round to Brooklands where there have been changes. A large mound has been created in the corner at Brooklands for “events” and the fence has been slightly re-profiled.

This location is a favourite for shots of bikes and riders at seemingly impossible angles. The area under the spectator rail has been fenced in meaning that standing right up to the fence is clearly not encouraged. There is also a double layer of fence at my eye-line so an ungainly crouch is required. The results are reasonable – especially as you can get the BRDC as a background rather than acres of empty grandstand.

The HGPCA pre-1966 race was next with the entry dominated by Coopers although we did end up with four manufacturers in the top five places after a frantic race with dicing up and down the field. Cars were elegant in those days (safety however was a different matter …). I had moved to the fence looking back to the BRDC near the marshal’s post at Luffield in. It’s a double step and 2 metre monopod, long lens spot.

The day finished with a fast handicap. I decided to end the days shooting with a rear shot of the cars in Luffield.

Sunday 21 April 2024

Sunday dawned clear and bright but with a breeze. I started out with the idea of only shooting fence-free shots for the day – it didn’t last. However, I did re-visit the terracing on the outside of Copse towards Maggotts and before the Escapade development. There, on the top level with double step, 2m monopod, and long zoom lens you can shoot the cars coming out of Copse fence-free – hurrah ! The FISCAR (Fifties Sports Cars) were practising as I set up – and the sun was shining.

The first race on Sunday was the slow scratch race for pre-war cars. Some were slow but the leading Riley and Aston Martin had a great race long battle.

I moved towards Copse where there’s a spot in front of the grandstand close to the fence – well, that’s the day’s aims gone for a burton ! – with a view back up towards Woodcote. There was heat haze yet I didn’t feel that warm.

But then, why not make the heat haze work for you – may I present the impressionist’s view of Silverstone …

Lunch break on Sunday brought another demonstration – this time of F5000 cars. If you aren’t familiar with these cars from the late 60s/early 70s, they are essentially F1 type cars with big American V8s in the back. They were driven with some enthusiasm – and noise. These shots are from the raised viewing mound on the inside of Copse and on the step to clear the fence.

I headed down to the inside of Becketts where a similar over the fence shot can be achieved, although it has a building site (Escapade) in the background. I wasn’t really feeling the love there so moved to my “behind Village grandstand” location from Saturday in time for the 500 Owners race. These are 50’s racers powered by 500cc motorbike engines.

I stayed there for the pre-1961 HGPCA race. This featured many people’s car of the day – the delightful Alfa Romeo Alfetta which looked and, of course as an Alfa, sounded glorious.

Returning to Luffield, the F5000 demonstration continued with very fast hillclimber Alex Summers getting in many laps in the family Lola, while James Baxter was out in the green Cooper.

The pre-1966 HGPCA provide yet more close racing.

The FISCAR rounded out my day so it was off to Brooklands to try out some panning with the new fencing. It’s OK, but I would not want to be shooting here any earlier in the day with the likelihood of sunlight on the fence producing unwanted ghosting.

A good weekend photographing the VSCC on the race track. The first round of the VSCC Speed Championship is a sprint on May 5^th at Curborough – something of a contrast to Silverstone. It’s on the short list for things to do that weekend.

A final personal word. It is, in some quarters, fashionable to knock Silverstone for their focus on the F1 Grand Prix that has produced walls of fencing, vast desert-like run-offs and closed grandstands at other meetings. Drive to Survive has, it seems, been beneficial to attendance and demand for tickets at the Grand Prix even though the cost has sky-rocketed.

Silverstone do seem to be solely following the F1 money and disregarding their past and alienating their historical fan base who enjoyed a range of high-profile races. There were over 70,000 spectators at Imola for the WEC (Le Mans cars) race this weekend; Silverstone used to have a 6 hour / 1000km race. The current WEC drivers would, I am sure, love to return to the undoubted challenge of the Grand Prix Circuit. Even with the fences, I’d go to that too …