Ferrari and Guild promote contest for novice motorsport photographers

Ferrari UK has unveiled a photography competition to promote emerging motorsport photography talent, that in the process will help the Guild Benevolent Fund.

Six carefully selected entrants will be invited to take part in a guided motorsport photography experience, hosted as part of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK event at Silverstone from 22nd-24th May. 

According to Ferrari the initiative reflects the Prancing Horse’s commitment to creativity and talent within the motorsport community, offering aspiring photographers the opportunity to gain professional experience within a live racing environment.

Each photographer will receive official media accreditation from Ferrari North Europe and will benefit from structured guidance, mentoring and practical support from experienced motorsport photographers during the race weekend. 

Each photographer will be asked to submit their best images from Friday and Saturday’s on-track action. The best of these images will be printed on to canvas and put on public display in The Wing at Silverstone on the Sunday, when they will be evaluated by a team of judges to decide an overall winner of the competition.

The victorious photographer will be invited to work as part of Ferrari UK’s photographic team at the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, held at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya from 19th-22nd November, with the winner’s images shared on the @FerrariUK Instagram account as part of the brand’s coverage of the event.

The winner will also receive one year’s complimentary membership to the Guild while the canvases showcased at Silverstone will be available to purchase, with all funds being donated to the Guild Benevolent Fund. 

To enter the competition, photographers must submit a portfolio of three motorsport images, accompanied by a 300-word written statement. Entry will be open to professional photographers looking to take a step forward in the motorsport arena.

The entry deadline is 7th April and full details can be found on the website.

Big Day Out 2026 grid filling up

More than half of the 60 available places at the Guild’s ever-popular annual track day on 15th April have now been taken up, reports John Griffiths, adding that prospective participants should not delay in getting their entries in.

With entry fees for the event at Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire pegged yet again at just £75 for Guild members, £125 for invited guest drivers and £15 for on-track passengers, the ‘BDO’ continues to represent a major bargain when matched against all commercial track day operations.

These prices are being maintained despite the Guild unfortunately again seeking a prime sponsor for the event, stalwart supporter Simon Branney unable to convince his bosses at Geely Auto to back the Big Day Out. 

Better news is that our esteemed President, Nick Mason, will again be able to hold close-of-play tea at his nearby home, despite his many commitments overseas with his band Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets.

With great Guild friends and top-ranked drivers such as Mike Wilds happy to come along to provide on-track advice to those seeking to hone their circuit skills, it’s no surprise that Castle Combe is the most popular event on the Guild’s motoring calendar. 

Proceedings start with sign-on at 8.30am, with breakfast available in the excellent café. If you plan to arrive the afternoon before, the paddock will be open for motorhomes/cars/trailers until 6pm for overnight stayers. There is a range of hotels and prices within a 10-mile driving distance.

You can book your place by downloading the entry form here and emailing it to John Griffiths. If you have any queries give John a call on 07767 301223.

Invitation renewed to RAC Concours 2026

The Royal Automobile Club has announced that its Club Concours will return this summer after the success of the inaugural event last year – and Guild members are among the invitees.

The 2026 Concours will be held at the club’s Woodcote Park estate, near Epsom in Surrey, on Wednesday 8th July. A select group of car clubs and motoring organisations are being invited to join the club in celebrating motoring excellence. 

According to the RAC this year’s Concours categories span the full breadth of motoring history; “from elegant, picnic-perfect estates to pristine historic race machines, with mascots and spoilers certain to capture the imagination of both guests and our expert judges – the cars and motorcycles competing for top honours will create a truly unique and dazzling display”.

Ticket bookings can be made directly with the Royal Automobile Club here – to secure tickets, members need to select ‘Guests of invited clubs’ on the tickets page and enter a dedicated club code which can be obtained by emailing General Secretary Melissa Chadderton.

London to get new motor show

Yet more show news; in the most recent edition of News Briefs published on 14th February we reported on plans for a new Motorsport Expo at the ExCel Centre in London on 26th-28th February next year – now it has been revealed that a general motor show will take place at the same venue, on the same dates.

The event, taking the name of the London International Motor Show, will, according to organisers, bring together leading manufacturers, cutting-edge technology and thousands of visitors for a major celebration of the industry’s past, present and future.

Visitors are promised a traditional motor show experience enhanced by modern, interactive features. The show will feature the latest models from major brands, new technologies, live demonstrations and test drive opportunities.

The 2027 edition will place particular focus on the industry’s transition from internal combustion engines to hybrid and fully-electric vehicles. Exhibitors will showcase the newest hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models, alongside innovations in software, connectivity and mobility services.

The show organisers say that a combined format placing the event alongside Motorsport Expo (which they are already calling the UK’s largest motorsport exhibition) and Car Culture UK,  focused on modified and aftermarket vehicles, will significantly increase overall attendance and broaden the demographic reach, attracting enthusiasts, families, fleet buyers and industry professionals.

More details, including exhibitor announcements and ticket information, will be released in the coming months and published on the show website. The media contact is Event Director Stephen Maitland-Oxley.

Guild authors take centre stage at Race Retro 2026

Guild members were out in force at the annual Race Retro historic motorsport show, held at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry on 20th-22nd February, with two of our authors spending time on the venue stage being interviewed about their new works.

Jon Saltinstall described his recently published book Lella Lombardi – The Tigress of Turin, a biography of the Italian driver who competed in 17 Grand Prix and in 1975 became the first and so far only woman to finish an F1 World Championship race in the points.

Meanwhile Guild committee member John Brooks found himself uncharacteristically in the limelight with his new book Le Mans 2000-09: The Official History of the World’s Greatest Motor Race. 

The show again proved a major success, no doubt benefiting from the traditional season-opening motorsport show, Autosport International, not taking place this year. There were more stands and an increase in attendees, this year’s visitors numbering close to 25,000.

As well as the indoor car displays, trade stands and a packed auction, Saturday and Sunday saw live action with a rally stage in the grounds of Stoneleigh Park.

The 2027 Race Retro show is set to take place on 19th-21st February, exactly a week before the new Motorsport Expo event in London described in the last issue of News Briefs.

Jon Saltinstall (above) was suitably interrogated by fellow Guild member Guy Loveridge and resident host Chaz Draycott, while John Brooks paused from signing copies of his new book for a photo with Rebecca Leppard of promoter Eventageous PR. Photos: Michael Stokes and Simon Hildrew

Fancy tackling a hillclimb?

Who fancies taking the Sisyphus Challenge? The Guild’s 2026 driving tour is going uphill all the way (writes John Griffiths).

The dates are Friday 8th May to the morning of Monday 11th May. Yes, that is unusually early for the Guild’s traditional touring event but there is a reason for it. We’re going hillclimbing – at Shelsley Walsh, said to be the oldest unchanged motorsport venue in the world (Don’t press the panic button yet, for the weekend has much more in store…)

If you don’t have a competition licence, a valid driving licence will do just fine –  Motorsport UK will not demand that you don a race suit and all the other fireproof clobber as if you’ve got a starring role in the Backdraft movie remake. Yes, you’ll need a helmet and your arms must be covered and no shorts worn, but there the regulatory stuff ends.

You can enter any car you like. You can take a helmeted passenger. You can go as fast as you like or, if you really must, take it easy all the way to the top. You will not be officially timed, nor are there prizes for FTD (fastest time of the day) or similar. 

For this is a fun hillclimb weekend – to be precise, it is the hugely popular Hagerty Hillclimb and this year the Guild will be partnering with the multinational insurance group in sharing the enjoyment alongside some truly spectacular GTs, single-seaters and other exotica.

On the three-day event and prior to Guild members’ Sunday on-track action, there will be a start option on the Friday for some of Jeremy Clarkson’s former colleagues at his pub, The Farmer’s Dog, followed by a full Saturday for hopefully up to 30 crews on scenic and challenging drives through the Malvern Hills around Shelsley Walsh and the approaches towards Snowdonia, with stop-off visits to be announced.

For the first time, the event is seeking to cater to two categories of entrants: Remember that the once-traditional annual ‘Euro Classic’ driving tour, the Guild’s main motoring event of the year, came to an end because of its relentlessly rising costs – on the later events the climbed well over £1,000. It had become unaffordable to far too many Guild members, not least our younger members – who are, let’s face it, both the Guild’s and Hagerty’s futures.

The first, important, lower-cost category is aimed at the younger or otherwise more financially-challenged. It is based on a two or three-night stay at a Premier Inn nearby to Shelsley Walsh, at a cost of £215-£250 for a crew of two over three nights, or around £150 for a two­-night option.

It is up to individual crews whether they wish to apply for a driving entry to the hillclimb at a standard cost of £125 (although entry fees are under discussion with Hagerty), or to spectate or passenger with other Guild members at £15 per head.

If you opt for this category, your Friday will comprise a scenic drive to your Shelsley Walsh hotel, meeting up with friends and colleagues for an informal evening. On Saturday morning, you will have a short drive to a second hotel to meet up with the second-category contingent for a joint departure on the full day’s scenic driving. At end-of-play, each contingent returns to their respective hotels for an informal evening’s dining/socialising.

Those taking the two-night option can either forego Friday evening and drive straight to Saturday’s driving day departure or drive home after the hillclimb ends on Sunday afternoon.

Please note that apart from Premier Inn stay and hillclimb entry, in this category all spending, including all meals, will be discretionary. 

The second category is aimed at widening members’ shared experience by appealing to traditional ‘Classic’ loyalists and those who wish to enjoy a more formal (not to say more expensive) three-days of Sisyphus, hopefully without too much pushing (classics or otherwise) on the hill or elsewhere.

This category will be limited to a maximum of 15 crews, 10 of which have already signed up, with a start in early afternoon at The Farmer’s Dog. Providing he’s not dragged away to film more sheep, Jeremy hopes to be around to catch up with old lags, er, former colleagues. Then it will be on to the Brockencote Hall country hotel, 11 miles from Shelsley Walsh, for an informal evening.

On Saturday morning there will be an all-crews departure for the driving day from Brockencote Hall. On Sunday, all convene at Shelsley Walsh, requiring those driving the hill in time for mandatory drivers’ briefing (details to follow later). We are currently exploring whether a joint farewell evening might be held at Brockencote Hall. 

For this category, the hotel fee for three nights including breakfasts will be around £500 per crew. It’s an elegant country hotel in 70 acres and worth a Google. An alternative option to include dinner on all three nights at around £40 a head per night is in the offing.

During Sunday expect at least three, and up to five, hillclimb starts, leaving plenty of time to explore Shelsley’s lovely old buildings, a great bar (0.0% Peroni on ice cold draught plus huge choice of all the sinful) and a great cafe/restaurant.

During the day – time and location to be confirmed – a couple of informal briefings will be held. One will be from Hagerty, to give a teach-in on the motivations behind its multi-faceted foray into the world of motoring enthusiasts via its drivers club – the Bicester centre, the events programme and not least the magazine – which should be of interest to Guild journalists. 

The other will be a welcome from a principal of Shelsley Walsh, which has been around, as Autosport’s Marcus Pye once put it, “since Big Ben was a wristwatch” – it’s spent a century blending into the woodwork. What an opportunity to shed light on the challenges being faced by motor sport, Shelsley itself and the nature of, and drivers behind, its relationships with the wider world. 

So that’s the Sisyphus Challenge in a biggish nutshell. This has been a difficult event to organise and taken rather than longer than planned, but should be hugely enjoyable for all. Please email your request for an entry now to John Griffiths. If you have further questions I can be reached on 07767 301223. Don’t hang about – there will be a combined entry of 30 crews, 15 in each category. 

  • For those Guild members who don’t know their Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a god condemned to forever push a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll down again…

Benefit found in Belgium

Guild member Julian Parish has been in touch to tell us about a recent visit he made to the national car museum of Belgium, Autoworld Brussels.

Julian told us that the museum has a regular programme of different exhibitions – currently it is featuring Mercedes-Benz. “It’s easy to reach by Metro if you come to Brussels by train (Eurostar).

“They offer free entrance to journalists and were happy to accept my Guild membership card. You even get a free drink in the café, so I am enjoying a Belgian beer as I write this!”

The museum was founded in 1986, initially displaying the extensive automobile collection of the Mahy family, which at one time numbered more than 1,000 vehicles. Today more than 300 vehicles are on display at any one time – for more details check out the website.

Photo: Clemens Vasters/Wikimedia Commons

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Eric Dymock 1934-2026

Guild members will no doubt be saddened to hear of the passing earlier this month of renowned motoring and motorsports journalist and author Eric Dymock. Ray Hutton has kindly penned the following tribute to Eric.

“On a spring day in 1962, Jackie Stewart had arranged a private track session at Oulton Park. He recalls that he drove down from Scotland with three friends – a local golf champion, a motor trader and ‘Scotland’s newest motoring journalist’. On that day, Jackie decided to become a professional racing driver and the journalist was set to launch a career that showed him to be among the very best in his profession. His name was Eric Dymock.

Eric died on 18th January at the age of 91. It is fitting that only a year ago, his own publishing company should produce a new edition of the book that he co-wrote in 1970: Jackie Stewart World Champion. Eric’s journalism started with The Hamilton Advertiser – the Jaguar E-Type was one of his first road tests – but not long after the Oulton track day he moved to London to join The Motor. 

After three years on the road test staff, with weekends assisting the sports department, Eric took the bold step (for the 1960s) of leaving to become freelance. He travelled around Europe with the Grand Prix circus, reporting for The Guardian and others. His friendship with fellow Scots Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart gave him a head start with the racing community and his stories benefitted from a greater insight than his Fleet Street rivals.

In the following years Eric’s portfolio widened, with a general motoring column in The Observerand, subsequently, News International’s Sunday newspapers. He wrote scripts for TV motoring programmes from Thames TV, Australian Broadcasting and the BBC, including the first version of Top Gear, and was a regular contributor to Going Places on BBC Radio 4. 

While motoring editor of The Sunday Times, he revived and chaired the Fleet Street Motoring Group, an exclusive luncheon club which hosted captains of industry and the movers and shakers of the motoring scene.

Books of motoring history were a sideline at this busy time but in 1990, Eric and his wife Ruth established Dove Publishing to produce Eric Dymock Motor Books, a series of comprehensive marque histories, and other titles. He was awarded the Guild’s Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy in 1997 for Saab – Half a Century of Achievement and in 2008 for The Complete Bentley. 

Eric was particularly proud of Jim Clark, a biographical tribute published in 1997, so it seems appropriate that, in 2004, he was awarded the Jim Clark Memorial Award by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers honouring Scots who have achieved excellence in the field of motoring.

Eric had a healthy scepticism of politicians and environmentalists and was never afraid to speak his mind. Always well informed, his writing combined the clarity of a good journalist with the friendly conversation of a true enthusiast. 

He was a precise and skilful driver, fast whenever the opportunity arose, and the perfect companion for those long-distance test drives that the more adventurous manufacturers staged in the 1980s and 1990s. I know, because he and I chatted and laughed our way to the ends of the earth – well actually, to the Arctic North Cape and across deserts in North Africa. Good times with one of the finest motoring writers of the era.”

Eric’s funeral will be geld on Thursday 26th February at Lea Fields Crematorium, Gainsborough Road, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 5PL, starting at 12.30. The service will be followed by a gathering at The White Swan, Newark Road, Torksey Lock, Lincoln LN1 2EJ. Eric’s wife Ruth says that all are welcome – she can be contacted here. 

Click here if you’d like to donate in Eric’s memory

Jeff Bloxham kindly forwarded the excellent image below, showing Eric at the centre of a jovial gathering of colleagues at the Guild dinner in 2009.

Entries open for Big Day Out 2026

Yes, it’s that time again – the Big Day Out is ready to roll (writes John Griffiths). This year’s day of track action at Castle Combe circuit near Chippenham will be held on Wednesday 15th April and a link to the entry form can be found here. When completed please return the form either via email or by post to John Griffiths, 18 Old Ferry Drive, Wraysbury TW19 5EW.

The day has a new principal sponsor for 2026 – following many years of stalwart support from Alun Parry and Suzuki, for which we offer huge thanks, new to the UK brand Geely Auto has taken up the baton, its PR operation now led by another major supporter of the Guild, Simon Branney.

Thanks greatly to Geely, entry fees are unchanged from last year despite the circuit fees having almost doubled. So it’s £75 for Guild members, £125 for their guest drivers and £15 for passengers. These fees remain at an exceptionally low level compared with commercial track days – the Big Day Out is a strictly non-profit event, with any surplus that may arise being directed to the Guild Benevolent Fund.

Because of his extensive overseas commitments with his band A Saucerful of Secrets, we don’t yet know whether our President, Nick Mason, will be able once again to host another of his greatly-enjoyed end-of-play teas at his nearby home – a highlight of the day for us all (huge thanks Nick). What we are pretty sure of is that if our greatly-respected President can, he will.

As regulars know, Castle Combe allows a maximum of 12 cars on track in any one session. In order for all participants to have adequate track time (2 x 15 mins in the morning, 2 x 15 mins in the afternoon plus 2 ‘free’ sessions at end of play) the total number of drivers is limited to 60. 

Would all intending participants note that Guild members have first call on these places, and that only if driving slots remain vacant can guest drivers be accommodated. Past experience, however, suggests that such places are likely to be available and guest drivers and passengers will be heartily welcomed.

It is inevitable that some entrants may wish to make changes/substitutions to cars, Guild or guest drivers or passengers as the day itself draws near. We’ll do our utmost to accommodate, as in the past, but we do request they be minimised. Entrants may also enter more than one car, subject to spaces being available.

A reminder that helmets are mandatory on circuit. Please bring your own if possible – the circuit may have some for hire, with disposable liners. 

Final instructions will be issued a couple of weeks before the day itself. Please get your entries in as early as you can. There will be no formal closing date but a flood of entries in the final week or so won’t be all that welcome! The ‘final’ will cover timings, noise testing (under 100dB), the mandatory safety briefing, refreshment arrangements and other relevant details. 

Formal proceedings will start around 9am with the driver briefing and the circuit opening for first sessions at 10am. All drivers and passengers are required to sign on at race control, with drivers also being required to show driving licences.

Should you wish to arrive during the afternoon/evening before the event, the circuit paddock will be open until 6pm (latest!) and motorhomes/trailers are welcome to occupy it overnight, as per a normal pre-race meeting evening. At 6pm, however, the circuit gates will be locked, no ifs or buts.  

For others planning to arrive the evening before, there are four hotels within easy or relatively easy reach of the circuit: Travelodge (M5 services) and Premier Inn, Chippenham (both modestly priced) plus the Castle pub/hotel and Manor House Hotel, both in Castle Combe itself (the latter two a lot more credit card-melting). The Castle has 12 bookable rooms and an excellent restaurant, with lots of parking at the Manor House golfing hotel, which also owns the Castle. If enough participants book rooms, it may be possible to have an informal pre-event social evening/dinner there or at an alternative venue elsewhere. 

Entry fee payments should be made to the bank account of the Guild of Motoring Writers Ltd, sort code 20-72-33, account no. 90429309.

The Big Day Out is always a great deal of fun – if you haven’t joined us before, why not come along this year? 

Encouragement for aspiring authors

If your New Year resolution was finally to get round to writing a book, there will be words of advice and encouragement at the ‘Meet our Authors’ event being organised by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust on the afternoon of Saturday 21st March at Bicester Motion.

‘Meet our Authors’ promises to be a relaxed gathering where writers and publishers whose work has been supported by the Trust will reveal how they go about producing a book and the highs and lows of getting it printed and on to the bookshelves. The intention is that there should be informal discussion involving the whole audience, so that first-timers can benefit from the experience of established authors and anyone interested in motoring history can enjoy. 

Speakers will include Guild members Michael Edwards, who has written and published a series of books on De Dion, Paul Skilleter, who needs no introduction as the Jaguar expert, and prolific motor sport author Ian Wagstaff. They will be joined by David Knowles, whose book on Syd Enever of MG has just been published. 

Guild member and MSMT Trustee Giles Chapman, author of more than 60 motoring books, and MSMT vice-chairman Peter Card will moderate the discussion – and make sure everyone gets a good hearing!

Guild Vice President Ray Hutton, who chairs the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust, told News Briefs that a number of those who attended the Trust’s Self-Publishing Workshop 18 months ago had said that they especially valued the personal contact with book publishing professionals.

“So we thought to arrange a more informal get-together,” Ray added. “Meet our Authors is a Saturday afternoon gathering where intending authors and others interested in motoring history can mingle with established writers and publishers and gain from their experience. And it will be held in the Hagerty Clubhouse at Bicester Motion, the epicentre of the classic and historic car world. Come and join us!”

The attendance fee is £12. Numbers will be limited, so if you would like to reserve a place, a booking form is available on the Trust website.