Snetterton Stage Rally
Snetterton
11 February 2025
The Snetterton Stage Rally Protyre Circuit Rally Championship is an event I look forward to. It has been, for the last few years, the season opener for the Pistonclick motorsports photographers. Meeting up and renewing friendships after the winter festive season, the Snetterton Stage Rally is a great event to kick the season off.
However, due to other commitments, ski injuries, and Snetterton’s location in Norfolk, a few of my teammates passed on this event. After an hour of driving down the A17, I understood their reluctance. I had not gotten past half distance, and my car was covered in mud and turnip juice from the many slow-moving agricultural vehicles.
Passing the time on the dreary A17, I reviewed in my mind the locations I would visit. Snetterton is a great circuit to spectate at as there is not much in the way of safety fences. It is therefore a great track for motorsports photography; check out our guide if you have not visited before.
Protyre Circuit Rally Championship
I have covered the Protyre Circuit Rally Championship many times, therefore I was confident I could cover this assignment on my own. I do look forward to the Stage Rallies held at the MSV tracks. You will see the same cars competing in the Circuit Rally Championship (CRC). However, local rally competitions are held within the CRC, so there is always a smattering of different cars to watch.
One of the other events running alongside the CRC at the Snetterton Stage Rally is the F1000 Junior Rally. This is a rally championship for young competitors in cars up to one litre. Toyota Aygos, Citron C1, and other small-capacity cars seem to be the weapons of choice. It is also a very cost-effective and sensible way of getting into rallying.
As there were a lot of entries in this class, the Junior Rally ran at the end of each stage on its own. This, for me, is good news as I could set myself up as a photographer, getting the angles right for the main event. Also, I might just have captured a WRC champion in the making.
Snetterton Stage Rally Track layout
We as a team watch, report, and review events from the perspective of the spectator photographer. We all pay for our entry, so we are not influenced by any sources; we say it how it is. Last year, I reported that the stage maps were not available prior to the event. This sounds like a minor detail but is quite important. Understanding where you need to be to watch the Circuit Rallying is important to your day’s enjoyment.
Let me explain for those that don’t go to this type of event regularly. The Protyre Circuit Rally Championship has 9 rounds at 7 different circuits. The Snetterton Stage Rally is the fifth round.
The organisers plan six to eight stages utilising all of the available surfaces. The standard track is used, in both directions, with tyre walls used as chicanes. Gravel access roads and concrete paddock areas are coned off to give the drivers a variety of surfaces to tackle.
What this means for the spectator and the rally crew is that after two stages, the course will be changed. At the Snetterton Stage Rally, there were six stages, so three different course layouts. So having the stage maps to hand is handy for the spectators. Enabling them to determine where to stand to watch the action.
I was very happy discovering the stage maps were available from the official Snetterton MSV website. The maps are also in the event program.
Snetterton Stage Rally Stage maps
Downloading the maps a few nights before to plan my visit added to the excitement. Men in particular like this sort of preparation. It’s all part of the experience of rallying. In the good old days of the Lombard RAC Rally, having an Ordnance Survey map was the number one priority for the serious rally spectator.
Having the stage maps, in a digital format, kind of brings back the experience of planning a trip to Killer Kielder. Standing in a pine forest is not the same as going to a circuit rally. But the CRC is convenient, safe, enjoyable, and you don’t have to walk for miles to see some action.
Parking at Snetterton
When I entered Snetterton for this event, I had two parking options. Overlooking the corner at Nelson or over the bridge in the centre of the circuit. I went for the central area, having picked Nelson the previous year to start my day. I wanted to be close to the off-road section, which, according to the maps, was just past the bridge.
Snetterton Stages
I had arrived in plenty of time, but there was still a good crowd already waiting for the first cars. Bang on time, the paddock came to life with the roar of those old-fashioned internal combustion engines (ICE). With the popularity of electric vehicles, it’s inevitable that they will make an appearance in club motorsports in the future. In the meantime, I will enjoy the noise and smells of the ICE, hopefully for years to come.
Gravel roads
The process of a stage rally is to progress as quickly as possible from point A to point B. Penalty points will be added for coming into contact with any of the circuit “furniture”. Watching the off-road section, it seemed that the teams were making a point of moving the cones as often as possible.
As the teams pushed for the fastest times, it was inevitable that the cars would come into contact with things they shouldn’t. Cone bashing and rearranging the circuit furniture continued all day in the challenging, damp, cold conditions.
Paddock
The paddock area, with its access roads, was one of the trickiest parts of the course. It was also one of the best places to spectate from.
The Romans had the right idea when they built amphitheaters. A raised area for the fans to watch the action unfold on and a largely flat “stage” for the gladiators to do battle. The paddock area is somewhat like this with great views. It, therefore, is one of the best places to take photos. I visited this part of the stage on two occasions to watch the cars go clockwise and anticlockwise.
The corners at Brundle and Nelson
After the first two stages, I checked the maps and headed for the outside corner at Brundle. On the way, I passed one of the control points. I hung around to take some photos and check the cars out. You will have plenty of time between stages to get to a new location.
The marshals were working hard, but it takes time to rearrange the track and recover vehicles. I used this time to capture some photojournalist shots to add to my motorsports portfolio.
Arriving at Brundle, you have a great view of Nelson and a little further away, the off-road section. The cars would be attacking the circuit in the wrong direction on this stage. A split was located opposite. This allowed the lower-seeded cars to join the track at speed safely. At nearly 100 teams taking part, there was a continuous flow of cars to keep me occupied.
The coroner at Nelson was my next stop. Located only a short walk from Brundle, it has the distinctive Snetterton raise curbs. I was hoping for the cars to take this corner BTCC style. Cars hitting the curb and raising the wheels off the ground was the shot I wanted.
I got a few but not really what I was after. I could have hung around waiting for the shot, but I wanted to experience the rest of the track before the winter sun dropped too low in the sky.
The corner at Palmer
It’s all about following the sun for the spectator photographer. I wanted to visit the corner at Palmer before the light faded away. The maps indicated a chicane, sweeping corner, and elevated banking. This would give me a great view of Richies and the Senna straight.
There are quite a few good viewing areas at Palmer, and you can see a lot of the track. The downside is that it’s a rather exposed location. The cold was now starting to creep into my bones, so I called it a day. I skipped the final stage held in darkness, but I was pleased with what I had captured on my trip to Snetterton.
Photographic Post Script
As the light started to fade away, I headed to the main car park to swap out my muddy boots for the drive home. As I walked, I considered my visit to the Snetterton Stages. Overall, it had been a very pleasant visit.
The circuit rallying was entertaining as it always is, and Snetterton is one of the better circuits for taking photos. The good-sized crowd added to the atmosphere, and it was good to see so many fellow photographers enjoying their hobby.
A gate price of £22 is a reasonable fee for a day’s motorsport entertainment. Pre-booking can save you a few pounds and will get you into the circuit a little quicker as you have a dedicated lane at the entrance.
I can recommended the CRC Snetterton stages for the spectator photographer. Open pits and service areas enable you to capture a variety of reportage images. The lack of safety fences at Snetterton gives you great unobstructed views of the action. If you want to see more photographic examples of the Snetterton Stages, there is a Facebook group dedicated to this subject.
Camera equipment I used for this report was my standard Nikon D500 DSLR and a 70-200mm f2.8 lens. I took a 200-400mm f4 VR2 and a short lens with me, but they were not needed. I had a 1.4 teleconverter in my pocket when I needed a bit more reach, mostly at Palmers. A crop sensor camera works well at Snetterton, but if a full-frame camera is in your bag, you will need a super zoom lens.
Snetterton Stages Results
We are not a results service, but here are the class winners for the Snetterton Stages 2025.
| Car # | Class | Driver/Co-Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Michael Igoe/ Will Atkins | Citroen C3 Rally 2 |
| 28 | B | Stephen Johansen/ Colin Stephens | Subaru Impreza |
| 4 | C | Barry Morris/ Tom Hutchings | Darrian T90 GTR+ |
| 23 | D | Mick Jowers/ Ben Jowers | Ford Escort |
| 26 | E | Chris Woodhouse/ Lucy Wilding | Peugeot 208 R2 |
| 45 | F | Jon Bray/ Darren Styles | MG ZR Trophy |
| 81 | J | McKenzie Snowden/ Jonathan Turnbull | Skoda Citigo |
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