Photographing the C1 endurance race at Donington Park

When your last two motorsport events are at Le Mans, it seems only natural to follow up with a 3 hour endurance for Citroen C1s. What – the city car last sold in 2022 and powered by a 998cc 3 cylinder engine producing 68 hp? Indeed – 49 entries lined up for their 4pm start at Donington Park. We reported on this race in 2020.

British Truck Racing – Citroen C1 Series – Max5 Championship – Legends Championship

A Relaxed Day at Donington Park

A leisurely drive up the M1 saw me arrive at around 11am to join the handful of spectators – I have never parked that close to the ticket booth! With action from 9am to 7pm there was plenty to shoot with decent sized grids for the other races. That’s a benefit of this sort of day – lots of action and lots of cars so you can practice your panning, try new angles and slower shutter speeds.

The plan for the day was to shoot the morning from the inside of Redgate / Hollywood, catch up with my friend Andre who was racing in the C1s over lunch and then work my way round anticlockwise from the Chicane in the afternoon. All went well to start with as the Formula Fords finished their race.

Fiesta Juniors Bring Early Drama

The Fiesta Juniors were next for their second race of the weekend. My sense of foreboding was confirmed when the PA said they had three red flags in qualifying, followed by a long safety car in the race on Saturday. However, the cars looked good and there was close racing.

However, our teenage tearaways discovered at the Chicane that three into one won’t go. With cars strewn all over the track, the red flag was thrown and the lunch break called early. Ten cars didn’t make the restart which in the event passed off without further incident. Hope the Bank of Mum and Dad is well funded!

C1 Qualifying Gets Underway

C1 qualifying was next. With some teams needing to get four drivers qualified in a 50 minute slot some good planning was required. Remembering to shut the tailgate properly is a pre-requisite – failure to respond to the black and orange flag led to a black flag and disqualification from qualifying for the driver of #338.

There’s a nice shot from the front of the pit garages as the drivers completed qualifying. Some clever spelling on show too, although I recall the C1 (along with close cousins the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 108) was actually built in Czechia.

The racing was using the National circuit, thus restricting the range of shots at the Chicane. There was a smallish grid for the PBS Brakes Endurance race but it did include a notable driver. Claude Bosi, Michelin starred chef, has shared drives with Tom Kerridge in the past. Claude was driving alone but if anyone is used to a long stint in a hot environment, it has to be a chef!

The Three-Hour Endurance Begins

Time to go C1 racing – hopefully they would behave and the Safety Car would not be required … actually – they were, just one short yellow mid-race.

I changed my plans slightly and walked across to the bank above Starkeys to get a shot of the first few laps looking back to the Old Hairpin.

Then walking up to the inside of McLeans. A full grid, a range of driver skills and experience, and closely matched cars means there is plenty to shoot. Add in the wide range of colourful liveries (and the occasionally plain car) and wonderfully photogenic alloy wheels and there is plenty of scope for the photographer.

The approach to Coppice offers a rear shot.

Onwards to my favourite spot at Donington, the inside of Coppice. A great place to get a panning shot – and slow the shutter speed. I had the step with me to clear the wall.

Finding New Photography Angles

I saw very few photographers all day. I could pick my spot – in this case through the fence on the outside of Coppice.

A relatively new location for me is the elevated Disabled Parking area between McLeans and Coppice – deserted, so I wasn’t interrupting anyone’s view. Sadly, the rear shot into Coppice allowed me to catch Andre’s car immediately after gravel went where it shouldn’t after he was pushed wide earlier in the lap. The PA reported that the team were setting about repairing the damage to get the car back out …

It’s worth saying that an FM radio is really useful as there are still places at Donington (and a few other circuits) not served by PA speakers. Alternatively, TSL – the live timing and results website tsl timing – often carries the commentary – if the phone signal and your data is up to it. It’s also invaluable when looking back at your photos! I walked down the outside of McLeans where there are a couple of through the fence shots.

Around McLeans and Craner Curves

Walking down to Schwantz there is a circuit access gate that gives a fence-free rear shot at McLeans.

I have tended to avoid the outside of the Old Hairpin and Craner Curves in recent years due to the fences – but as I’d got that far round and wanted to get back to the car at some stage, kept walking and taking photos.

What I hadn’t properly appreciated in the past was that there is that the spectator bank up towards the concrete wall gives a shot over the fence in the bottom section of Craner Curves – and the light was good too!

Race Finish and Photographer’s Notes

The race was close to ending and my phone buzzed – it was Andre to say that the #345 was back out to finish the race. Alas I was at Redgate and the sun was shining on the fence. The photo wasn’t anything to write home about  – but it would be wrong not to acknowledge the true spirit of endurance racing!

Photographing C1 Endurance Donington Park – Photographer’s notes

Lenses

• 70-200mm zoom for inside of Redgate / Hollywood and Coppice
• 500mm prime for all other shots

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Thanks to David Harbey for this report, Photographing C1 Endurance Donington Park. You can find more of Davids images by following the links below.