Gallery: Mike Groom's Moments of 2017
Mike Groom has ben a regular, and very welcome photographic contributor to HistoricRacingNews.com, and we asked him for his 'moments' of 2017:
"As I’m having a short break, it’s given me the opportunity to look back at 2017 and particularly, the Historic Racing.
"The start of the year didn’t go exactly to plan and I missed the Goodwood Members meeting. However, by May things were back on track, literally, with a rather full year planner courtesy of The Vintage Sports-Car Club. As usual, meetings at Castle Combe featured quite regularly as, this year I had the pleasure of sponsoring two teams. This has been a pleasure and also allows mutual promotion on social media. Trackside access was achieved with the support of HistoricRacingNews.com, to whom I’m very grateful.
"So, which was your favourite, I hear you ask. For location, I have to choose the VSCC Meeting at Mallory Park in August. In 2016 I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to capture the demise of Mark Walkers Darracq. This year I pondered if I’d see the return of this beast, but it was not to be. It would seem that the rebuild is somewhat more substantial than originally envisaged. My disappointment was relieved somewhat by the appearance of another beast, in the form of The Beast of Turin, which made some runs around the paddock. One of my photographer friends even hitched a ride! Mallory is a great location for a chat to the competitors and one or two candid paddock shots too. I had to shoot the whole of this meeting using a telephoto lens with a broken autofocus mechanism too. This was an interesting challenge with a good outcome, so I’m featuring a few favourite shots from a packed program of races.
"For variation, my favourite meeting has to be the Castle Combe Autumn Classic. If you’ve not been, it’s like a laid back version of the Revival. The weather was a challenge with a wet start, giving me an unintentional fog filter effect with droplets of mist on the lens and harsh sunshine afterwards, a typical autumn event! Highlight of the day has to be the demonstration runs of the celebrity cars, including the unmistakeable sound of a proper Formula One car. The racing was equally enjoyable and close, often seeing me located at Quarry Corner for those moments where the ideal racing line wasn’t possible! The more exuberant drivers were given a great cheer from the Quarry Hardcore. Quarry corner also gave me the chance of refreshment with a local cider from the bar there, but you have to be quick as it usually sells out fast.
"I’m looking forward to capturing more moments of racing with the help of Historic Racing News in 2018. I’m filling my year planner as we speak!"
