Photographing the Walter Hayes Trophy

The Walter Hayes Trophy, a prestigious non-championship event, is the world’s largest annual gathering for Formula Ford 1600 cars. Held every November at the Silverstone National Circuit in the UK, this knockout-style competition attracts over 100 professional and amateur drivers from around the globe. 

The event is named in honour of Walter Hayes. A former journalist and key executive at Ford. Hayes played a pivotal role in creating and funding the successful Cosworth DFV V8 Formula 1 engine and establishing the Formula Ford category itself.

Three of the PistonClick team went along to photograph the Walter Hayes. Two as spectator photographers, one shooting as an accredited photographer. David Harvey’s report shooting from in front of the wire will be published on the site soon. RPW Photography and I shot all of our images through the safety fence. 

Walter Hayes – the details:

Venue: The races primarily take place on the 1.6-mile Silverstone National Circuit.

Format: The competition spans two days, typically a weekend, and features a series of qualifying heats and elimination races. The top 36 drivers then compete in a Grand Final.

Cars: All competing cars are Formula Ford 1600 single-seaters powered by the 1600cc Ford Kent engine. This ensures a level playing field and intense, wheel-to-wheel racing.

Formula Ford 1600: This is the primary and most prestigious category at the event. The single-seater racing cars adhere to a strict specification, including chassis from various makes (such as Van Diemen, Ray, Mygale, and Spectrum) and the 1600cc Ford Kent engine. These rules level the playing field, making the racing highly competitive.

The Legacy: inaugurated in 2001, the Walter Hayes has grown in prestige since then.  Past competitors include current and former high-profile drivers like Josef Newgarden, Jamie Chadwick, and Jan Magnussen.

The Walter Hayes Trophy is one of the most sought-after awards in Formula Ford racing; it marks a significant and celebratory end to the Formula Ford racing season.

Walter Hayes Overview 

The PistonClick team has spectated and photographed the Walter Hayes Trophy in recent years. Our main takeaway from previous visits to this event is the huge entry list and close competitive racing. Formula Ford race cars are mostly equally matched in horsepower, the handling setup and driver skills and bravery make the difference. Slipstreaming and late braking are the name of the game at the Hayes, as long as it not too late.

What this means is the racing is very close, sometimes too close. As the Hayes is a stand alone and the last Formula Ford event of the year the racers have nothing to loose so put their all into the races. As a spectator this is what we want, what I’m not so keen on is the amount of racing incidents. There were lots of safety car deployments, a few restarts and a lot of recovery work for the Marshals. 

The competitive nature of the Hayes means it is inevitable that racing incidents will happen. We captured and reproduce the images here as there were no serious injuries, except for pride, fibreglass and bank balances.

Walter Hayes Results

The combative nature of the Walter Hayes has resulted in eight different winners in the last eight years:

2018: Michael Moyers (GB)	2022: Joey Foster (GB)
2019: Jordan Dempsey (IRL)	2023: Chris Middlehurst (GB)
2020: Oliver White (GB)	2024: Rory Smith (GB)
2021: Max Esterson (USA)	2025: Jason Smyth (GB)

In its 25th anniversary year the Walter Hayes Trophy added another new name to the list, Team Dolan’s #26 Jason Smyth won the main event. Oldfield Motorsport’s Connor Willis won the “last chance” race.

Walter Hayes Trophy Final

Rank	Driver	Team
1	Jason Smyth	Team Dolan
2	Andrew Rackstraw	KMR Sport
3	KC Ensor-Smith	KMR Sport
4	Luke Cooper	Swift Cooper
5	Jordan Kelly	Team Dolan

In the Carl Hamer Trophy, #119 Mark McKenna emerged victorious.

#77 James Clarke was victorious in the Janet Cesar Memorial Trophy.

#89 James Willians won the Monoposto Reprise IT Tiedeman Trophy.

Hitek Alfa Romeo & Italian Intermarque Championship Race 1 saw #40 James Thwaites in an Alfa Romeo Giuilietta secure the win. Race 2 went to #57 Barry McManohn in an Alfa Romeo Giulia.

The Mutton Grand Prix

Joining the Alfas in the closed wheel racing was the Mutton Grand Prix. This is a race worthy of closer inspection for the motorsports photographers. Without a doubt the Mutton Grand Prix is one of the most obscure races out there that you have probably never heard of. 

First held in 1947 at the  Silverstone airfield, before Silverstone became a race track. During that “unofficial” race an unfortunate sheep met its end after being hit by one of the racers.

A homage race was run this year with the most diverse grid I have ever seen in a competitive motorsport race. A Nissan GTR, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 to more humble Austin A35 and Mini Coopers all raced together in a grid of 32 cars you would not normally see together. 

The Mutton Grand Prix was an excellent example of how motorsports have progressed over the years. Watching the GT-R and Lamborghini race against cars from the 1960 was awesome. The speed difference has to be seen trackside.

All of the races looked like they were having a ball in their own battles while keeping an eye open for the much more powerful cars. I’ve never seen a race where there is a moving chicane, I have now! Charlie Kennedy in the Nissan GT-R R35 inevitably crossed the line first even after spinning out at Luffield.

Photographic Post Script 

Photographing the Walter Hayes is one of those odd ball events. A one off race meeting that that’s doesn’t appear on many photographers radar. Unless you have history with Formula Ford and therefore for a fan, it can pass you by. 

As a motorsport photographer I have a real appreciation for racing. The Walter Hayes is an event that you can guarantee you will get to see real motor racing. The skill and bravery of the racers in mostly equal race cars is great to watch. To say I had a grin on my face for most of the day is an understatement.

An entry fee of £20 for Sunday for a full day of racing is very reasonable. Combined with the ability to drive into Silverstone and park around the circuit makes this event even more enjoyable. Shoot a race, jump into the car and head for a different location puts a whole new perspective on Silverstone.

Taking all of this into consideration, you as a photographer will be able to capture some very nice images from lots of different locations. Keep your calendar clear for early November next year and check out the Walter Hayes Trophy. You can get a head start by reading our motorsports photographers guide to Silverstone here.