MICHAEL HOLDEN
INTRODUCTION 2020… who could have predicted that?! Like many others, my plans for this year were heavily disrupted… a lot less motorsport events, no photo-shoots abroad – it has been a very unusual period to say the least. At the same time though, I still managed to shoot a selection of events. I’ve treated every shoot like it was my last, making sure I always came away with a set of photos that captured the drama and excitement of the racing. Amazingly too, there were a few positive moments in 2020! During the first lockdown, I made the top 50 (out of thousands of entries) in Top Gear’s photography challenge, and I also won bronze in the inaugural World Sports Photography Awards! Both moments were hugely uplifting, and certainly made me feel like I’m mingling with the pro’s now. Let’s see what 2021 brings – but in the meantime, enjoy the photos.
Michael Holden Owner of MPH Photography & Design
AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL 9 th - 12 th January National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham The annual pilgrimage to the NEC is a perfect chance to catch-up with the motorsport community after the Christmas break and see what the new racing season brings. But what I enjoy most is spending my time in the Live Action Arena, using the lighting effects for some colourful panning shots.
CAMBRIAN RALLY 8 th February Great Orme, Llandudno For this year’s rally event, I decided not to go into the forests this time (I have a love/hate relationship with those shoots) and instead photograph the Great Orme stage. I didn’t feel I took full advantage of this place last time when I shot the Wales Rally GB here in 2018, so with better planning I put myself in a photogenic place and took it from there.
RACE RETRO 21 st - 23 rd February Stoneleigh Park, Coventry Again, another great pre-season event to not only catch-up with some familiar faces, but to also enjoy some rally cars make a lot of noise and throw all sorts of shapes. Worth standing in the cold for hours.
NETWORK Q RALLY REVIVAL 28 th - 29 th February Chester Racecourse, Chester Rednal Karting, Oswestry Oulton Park, Cheshire A brand-new event for 2020, this rally was all about rekindling the memories of yesteryear in a relaxed format. Starting at the Chester Racecourse on Friday night (the same location where Colin McRae and Derek Ringer celebrated winning the 1995 World Rally Championship title), the next day involved a tour around iconic rally venues. This was a wonderful, easy-going event that I would love to cover again in 2021.
AND THEN LOCKDOWN HAPPENED...
TIME ATTACK CHAMPIONSHIP 11 th July Oulton Park, Cheshire After over four months of not shooting at a racetrack, motorsport events could finally begin again in early July – and Oulton Park’s first event was the Time Attack Championship. With media passes very strict, I only attended as a spectator which meant no access to the paddock. Despite this, the day was all about finally shooting some track action and enjoying some much-needed normality.
MASTERS HISTORIC FORMULA ONE WEEKEND 18 th - 19 th July Donington Park, Derby My first media event post-lockdown, and I’ve never been so excited to cover a race meeting! There was a superb mix of cars in action, ranging from classic Minis to modern prototypes! The two FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship races where the best set of races I’ve seen for a long time. I was hoping to see these classic cars at Monaco or Le Mans this year, but this weekend was a great substitute.
INTELLIGENT MONEY BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP 1 st - 2 nd August Oulton Park, Cheshire Shooting for Jakob Ebrey Photography Top-flight national racing could finally get underway and I was part of Jakob Ebrey Photography’s (JEP) team to cover the Intelligent Money British GT Championship’s opening round. These cars at this track are the perfect combination – so many cracking spots to show these cars off at their best. And it’s even better when the lighting gets good…
KWIK FIT BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP 22 nd - 23 rd August Oulton Park, Cheshire Shooting for Jakob Ebrey Photography It was the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s (BTCC) turn to tackle the Cheshire circuit, and unfortunately due to media restrictions I was only able to cover one day. Whilst I did miss raceday, standing on the inside of Cascades during the BTCC qualifying session was an even greater rush than the races themselves. Full commitment, sound vibrating through your body – what a thrill!
HSCC OULTON PARK GOLD CUP 29 th - 31 st August Oulton Park, Cheshire Another one of my favourite events from 2020. Spending three days at this racetrack with exquisite machinery, exploring the scenic hotspots and soaking in a great atmosphere was the perfect escapism from the global pandemic.
BRDC BRITISH F3 CHAMPIONSHIP 19 th - 20 th September Donington Park, Derby Shooting for Jakob Ebrey Photography Joining the JEP team once again, amazingly I didn’t cover a single Intelligent Money British GT Championship session during the whole weekend! Instead I was told to focus on the BRDC British F3 Championship, which was still just as exciting to capture. It was also good to photograph some newly-crowned champions too, especially the way this year was going.
KWIK FIT BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP 10 th - 11 th October Croft, Darlington Shooting for Jakob Ebrey Photography My first time at this track and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Granted, it’s an old-school venue that may not have the scenery of other circuits, but the clouds certainly made up for it! On another note, I was very grateful to enjoy a full BTCC race weekend. With spectators banned from attending and media restrictions being tight, I feel like one of the lucky ones to see the action first-hand – and contribute to the championship with my photography.
BARC NW RACE MEETING 31 st October Oulton Park, Cheshire Unfortunately, this was to be my last event of 2020 after new restrictions came in swiftly after. A pretty miserable day weather-wise, but the rain does make for some fabulous pictures. It was nice though to finish the day with a spectacular golden light session, just a shame I couldn’t utilise at more events in November. C’est la vie…
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