The Time Attack Series has been quietly ticking over this season. Although the economic downturn (is anyone else sick of hearing about the recession?) is making its presence felt in all aspects of life, motorsport does seem to be getting hit that little bit harder.
However, it doesn't mean that those who are still giving their all to race each weekend are holding back.
Cadwell Park has often eluded me in the past, but I finally got to shoot this incredible race circuit. It has earned the nickname 'Mini-Nurburgring' for good reason you know.
Having often fallen victim to the early morning Modified Live traffic, I made it to the event earlier to scout out the paddock as the the crews began preparations for the event.
I absolutely adore the UK Time Attack Series, although budgets are relatively restricted, it doesn't stop the competitors having their immaculately prepared and presented.
The MSV circuits have pretty strict noise regulations in place so whilst some were adjusting their cars to pass the decibelometer thingy …
… others were fighting the clock in an attempt to get their cars up and running.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the UK Time Attack Series, it's split into two main classes on track before being further divided down into different subclasses. Club Challenge and Pro / Club Pro are the two main categories.
The sub-classes are then divided by aspiration, drivetrain and engine capacity. It seems confusing enough on paper but it's pretty easy to navigate the timesheets and decipher who is competing against who.
Round one winner Duncan Graham's Impreza along the K Sport Impreza of Paul Doyle, who are both competing in the top tier Pro class.
Former Seat Supercopa cars seem to be popping up in a lot of different series' around Europe at the moment and it's no surprise why – fast and reliable straight from the box.
The voice of Time Attack (and Modified Live, EDC, Ford Fair, Trax, Japfest etc …) Bryn Musselwhite was kind enough to show me around his new hotel on the road. It even has a karaoke machine in the back !
He also shared some of the incredible on-board footage he captured from Al Clark's M3 at Awesomefest, chasing Remmo Niezien around the Mallory Park circuit at night.
As the morning wore on, the activity around the paddock began to slowly increase …
… with more cars emerging from their hiding places.
Last minute checks completed, the paddock began to fill with the sound of thousands of horsepower on idle as the warm up sessions kicked off on track.
The Pro R Impreza of Jon Mathers was one of the quicker looking cars in the early morning. Jon would be competing in the Club Challenge class in the 4FI sub-class.
Watching the cars flow around Cadwell Park is quite the sight to behold.
The dips and rises of the course make for a very photogenic race circuit.
You can see even here how the track majestically (that's bit too flowery a word) flows around the landscape as David Coe enters the Hall Bends.
The Mountain is probably the most famous aspect of the Cadwell Park Circuit, it's literally like driving into a wall such is the severity of the incline.
With the morning sessions wrapping up, everyone was beginning to get an idea of just how hard they needed to push if they wanted to come away with the points at Cadwell Park.
We'll be back shortly with part two of our Time Attack Series coverage from Cadwell Park …
-
Paddy McGrath