Mallory Park
Mallory Park photographic guide

Mallory Park Photographic Guide


3 January 2023


Address: Church Rd, Kirkby Mallory LE9 7QE

Telephone: 01455 502214

Email: info@realmotorsport.co.uk

Website:  https://www.malloryparkcircuit.com

Where to take photos at Mallory Park Park.

Mallory Park is a small race circuit located next to the town of Kirkby Mallory and to the west of the city of Leicester in the UK. Previously hosting British Touring Cars and the British Super Bike series, these days its 1.35 mile track for car events and 1.41 mile for motorcycles welcomes more club and track days than the headline motorsports events.

With noise restrictions limiting the number of racing and test days Mallory can host in a calendar year, and the performance of modern top flight machinery, means it is unlikely that the blue riband events will ever return to this circuit. This is a shame as Mallory is great for the spectator photographer as there is little in the way of safety fencing to obscure your view.

If you are looking for events to photograph at Mallory I can recommend the season finale Race of the Year. This sees a mixture of club sport racers pitched against professional motorcycle racers competing for the Race of the Year trophy. 

The second event to try out that new camera gear you got for Christmas is the Boxing day event - The Plum Pudding. A mixture of car and motorcycles will keep you entertained and help knock off a few holiday pounds as you walk round the track.
Race of Remembrance 2023

Plum Pudding 2023 Mallory Park

Report by David Harbey

28 December 2023

PistonClick Motorsport Photography

Plum Pudding Races - Mallory Park

Report by David and Andrew Harbey

27 December 2022

PistonClick Motorsport Photography

Plum Pudding Races - Mallory Park

Report by David and Andrew Harbey

December 2019

Race of Remembrance 2023

Race of the Year 2022

Mallory Park

23 October 2021

PistonClick Motorsport Photography

Race of the Year 2021

Mallory Park

24 October 2021

PistonClick Motorsport Photography

Race of the Year 2018

Mallory Park

21 October 2018

The Track

Arriving at the circuit is an event on its own. The small carpark at the entrance is a parking option but fills up quickly. You have two other parking choices, track side or the paddock. The main entrance leads you to a perimeter track with parking areas around the outside of the track allowing you to sit in your car and watch the racing if the weather is inclement; there are no covered grandstands at Mallory. 

The second option is to park in the paddock area. This is only allowed if you are taking part in a motorsport event as part of a team or a track day, however I have parked here in the past. I wouldn’t recommend parking here as you are restricted on when you can leave the track as you need to access the circuit to leave. 

To get to the paddock to the right of the main entrance is an access gate that takes you onto the circuit at Shaw's Hairpin. Head down the track towards the John Cooper Esses and you will see the entrance to the infield and race control / hospitality and the pits to your left. 
I would recommend the first option, trackside parking near the bridge and then heading into the paddock area on arrival. It's always a good idea to take a walk round the paddock to see who is taking part in the days' racing and capture a few pictures. 

You can also do this during the lunch break, but the light will be much harsher at midday and the vehicles will be pristine in the morning before the racing starts. Also this is where the restaurant is located so if you haven't already fueled yourself for the day's activities now is an ideal opportunity. 
Classic Bike
This guide will take you around the circuit using the map below. The areas indicated on the map will have a corresponding example of the type of shot you can expect to get at each location. 

You will need a standard motorsports 70-200mm zoom lens and it is highly recommended that you also have a superzoom to hand. However, a tele-photo kit lens in the will work for Shaw's Hairpin, Bus Stop and the John Cooper Esses.
Mallory Park map
Area 1 John Copper Esse's

Map

The first area we will look at is area 1 on the map - the John Copper Esse's, a fast right hand corner located a short walk from the restaurant . A telephoto lens up to 200mm will be sufficient here with most of your photographs being taken around the 150mm mark. You can shoot towards Edwina's as they exit the bend, freezing the action or fast panning. 
Try reversing the shot up the hill towards Shaw's Hairpin. I would concentrate on the first two and look to step back and try getting the Armco in some of the pictures for a different view.

This is a popular location for the spectator photographer with plenty of room to move around to try slightly different angles. At the end of a race don’t start to review your images or leave the location if you are capturing motorcycles. This is a prime location for the victory wheelie as the riders exit Edwina's, be prepared.   

Area 2 Edwina's Inside


Map

Edwina's number 2 on the map is a nice (relatively) slow part of the circuit mainly used for the motorcycle events. Here you will be able to capture the bikes approaching the chicane and tipping into the corner, so it's a great opportunity for some slow action shots. 


A telephoto lens like a 70-300mm is all that you will need here; I used a Nikon f2.8 80-200mm. A shutter speed of 1/320 of a second will give you some background and wheel spoke blur and keep the subject sharp. Once you have these shots in the bag drop that shutter speed to add more background blur and the sensation of speed.  


If it’s a car event Edwina's chicane might not be in use so you are limited to fast panning. As you can get quite close to the action a short focal length lens can be just as affective as a long tele-photo especially if you are venturing into the very low shutter speeds area.   

Area 2 Edwina's Outside


Map


At some events you will be able to cross the track at Edwina's between races and shoot from the outside of the corner. If the track is not open its a long walk but its a good location to spectate and photograph the races.

Area 3 Stebbe Straight

Map

The next area we are going to look at is Stebbe Straight area 3 on the map. I would recommend a lens up to 300mm for this part of the track as you can capture some nice images by standing back near the lake and getting some of the foreground in the image. It goes without saying this will be a very fast panning area, so the closer you are to the Armco are the harder it will be. I used a 200-500mm lens for this area.

Mallory Park photographic guide
Area 4 and 5 Charlies

Map

Number 4 on the map is Charlies. This area is generally out of bounds for spectators but if you are an accredited photographer, is a great area. Coming straight at you with some speed there is little point in panning, so up the shutter speed to freeze the action. 
Mallory Park photographic guide
Area 5 the inside of Gerrard's


Area 5 the inside of Gerrard's is right on the bend and close to the action, so if you only have a long lens you will need to stand back, otherwise get down next to the Armco and get up close and personal with the riders. Again it is generally out of bounds for spectators.
Mallory Park photographic guide
Mallory Park photographic guide
Area 6 Holding area / Paddock

Map

Shooting areas 1 - 5 will probably take you up to lunch where you can walk the paddock again capturing the mechanics at work.
Next to the bridge is the holding area where you can grab some interesting shots before the racers head out onto the track.  
Area 7 Shaw's Hairpin

Map

From the holding area cross over the bridge and head off to Shaw's Hairpin. This is a cracking spot to capture head on motorcycle shots, the riders can get very close to the wall as #47 Richard Cooper demonstrates. However, this area is not so good for action shots of cars as they are going a little slow but you can capture the vehicles in the background as they depart Shaw's adding the sensation of speed.

There is raised banking here so look out for different angles as you are close to the action so all of your lenses can be used here to different effect. There is also a handy wooden bench to take the weight off in-between races.
Area 8 Bus Stop

Map

Mallory is one of the few tracks where you can get close to the action without a lot of safety fencing getting in the way. The Bus Stop is one of those areas. A wide angle and a short tele-photo lens is all that you need here. 

Look out for the side cars as they will kick up the passenger side wheel as they hit the apex to the bend. 

This is also a good spot to capture overtaking at motorcycle events - for the brave racers only.
Area 9 and 10 Outside of Gerards

Map

Another great location as you can shoot up to the start/finish and get an unobscured view of the first corner mayhem. The raised banking allows you so shoot down onto the racers and gives you a great view of one of the two lakes on the inside of the track.
Moving around to area 10 you will need a very long lens as the run off area is quite large, for good reason. As you are looking North the light here is great on a sunny day and the racing can be exciting on this fast right hand corner. 

There are a few angles here for you to try out. Keeping the subject in the bottom of the frame can be effective if you can include the lake in the background. 
That concludes our photographic guide to Mallory Park. Hopefully we will be back trackside, when the Covid 19 restrictions have been lifted, to add to these guides and bring you reports from the spectator photographers view point. Until then stay safe. 

Photographic Post Script.

I would like to thank the following photographers for the images to produce this guide.
Keith Adcock
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