Ellie Majumdar has been named as the winner of the inaugural 2026 Motorsport Photography Competition run by Ferrari in association with the Guild.

Over three intense days of trackside photography tuition and competition during the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK event at Silverstone, Ellie impressed the judging team with her selection of images, as well as her enthusiasm, commitment and creativity. 

The judges also highlighted Ellie’s ability to take on new ideas and to try new techniques to improve and create powerful, impactful images. 

As competition winner, Ellie will join the @FerrariUK social media team at the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, held at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona, Spain from 19th-22nd November. She will also receive one year’s complimentary membership of the Guild.

Ellie described the competition as a great opportunity to meet with and talk to other photographers, while also pushing herself to do her best. She added: “I’ve wanted to succeed in the industry for a long time and, while the journey has been long, this win has been a fantastic reminder that I’m on the right track.”

The competition also aided the Guild Benevolent Fund as entries produced by the finalists were displayed during the weekend and available to purchase, with all proceeds going to the Fund. And Ferrari has also indicated that the competition will return, suggesting keen professional photographers keep an eye on the @FerrariUK social media channels for details about next year’s competition.

The Guild badge was evident at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party on 6th May, proudly worn by guest and Guild member Elvis Payne.

Elvis co-founded the Reliant Motor Club 10 years ago – the Princess Royal is an honorary member of the club, having been a long-time fan of the company’s products, owning several Reliant cars, and wrote the forewords to two of Elvis’ books, The Reliant Scimitar and The Reliant Motor Company.

Elvis told News Briefs that he and his wife Caroline had a fantastic time at the King’s Garden Party. “Whilst we saw the King and Queen from a distance, Buckingham Palace had very kindly arranged for us to be introduced to HRH The Princess Royal – the Princess spoke to us about Reliant and that its vehicles are something that we will never see manufactured again.

 “Whilst I have done so in writing in the past, it was an honour to be able to thank her face-to-face for writing the forewords in my books. She mentioned that Reliant had an interesting history.”

A relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable weekend brought Guild members together for this year’s Sisyphus Challenge (reports James Male), the event over 8th-11th May combining great roads, good company and a wonderfully varied selection of machinery.

Conceived by Guild committee member John Griffiths, the evolution of the Guild’s traditional touring event was based around the popular Hagerty Hillclimb at Shelsley Walsh, the Guild partnering with the multinational insurance group to deliver a fun event. (Ed’s note: the challenge’s rather appropriate name comes from Greek mythology – Sisyphus considered himself smarter than the gods so was condemned to forever push a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll down again…).

The Challenge began at the aptly named Classic Motor Hub, which proved the perfect rendezvous point for lunch and a briefing ahead of the weekend. Our arrival was quickly overshadowed by a helicopter landing just behind us, its passenger there to test drive a stunning Ferrari 250 SWB sitting proudly on the forecourt. Sadly, neither would be joining us for the remainder of the weekend, but the tone was well and truly established.

From there, the group made its way to Brockencote Hall Hotel for dinner and an overnight stay ahead of Saturday’s hillclimb action. My little Abarth 595, usually confined to London’s 20mph zones, relished the opportunity to stretch its legs across the British countryside – is there anything better on a sunny afternoon?

Saturday again brought glorious weather and a visit to the legendary Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb, organised by Hagerty. The event struck a lovely balance: large enough to provide a fascinating array of cars, yet compact enough to retain a friendly and accessible atmosphere.

One of the highlights was the excellent access to the paddock and viewing areas, allowing spectators to follow cars almost the entire way up the famous hill. The entry list provided an entertaining mix too, from historic rally cars and heavily-prepared specials to Mazda MX-5s and bog-standard Mini Coopers enthusiastically attacking the course. Tickets to tackle the hill itself were also accessible, with several members taking up the challenge.

Combined with the superb weather and relaxed nature of the event, it made for an excellent day of fun, unpretentious motorsport at its purest.

The group later returned to Brockencote Hall for another excellent evening, this time enjoying the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant. Unfortunately, I had to head back to London on Sunday morning, missing the group driving day and final dinner, but the weekend certainly left me wanting more ahead of next year’s event.

A running joke throughout the weekend was that the Sisyphus Challenge could do with an injection of youth. As the youngest attendee, I feel duty-bound to issue a rallying cry to some of the Guild’s less-seasoned members. It proved a fantastic way to meet fellow members, expand my network and enjoy some wonderful driving roads and motorsport, and with multiple cost options available – I hope to see even more faces there next year.

We are sure all involved in the event will join us in thanking organiser John Griffiths, seen here doing some organising… Same again next year, John?

All photos by Jeff Bloxham

A capacity complement of drivers and guests made for a memorable Big Day Out at Castle Combe on 15th April (writes Guild Chair Simon Harris).

And despite a lunchtime downpour hitting the Wiltshire circuit, many were keen to explore the limits of their cars in the wet.

Event sponsor KGM Motors UK was unable to attend as logistics and previous commitments made some cars and staff unavailable, but the Guild is extremely grateful to KGM Communications Director Vanessa Cox for effectively saving the event at the 11th hour.

The eager crowd of members and friends was welcomed to the circuit by Castle Combe Racing Club Chair and Guild member Ken Davies, and were then given a safety briefing before being allowed on the track.

Notable vehicles among the entry included an RML GT Hypercar, brought along by member Richard Postins. This was tried by various attendees either behind the wheel or in the passenger seat, many reporting to be blown away by its capability.

Unusual attendees also included an Aston Martin DBR1, Ferrari 612 and Allard P1, alongside a strong complement of Mazda MX-5s, Alfas, BMWs and Porsches.

More than half of the drivers this year were guests, although there were still many familiar faces among the non-Guild member attendees.

While the weather made those out on the track more cautious in the afternoon, there were still vehicles circulating at 4pm before the group decamped to Guild President Nick Mason’s nearby home where he hosted tea.

Huge thank-yous go to Vanessa Cox at KGM, John Griffiths for taking on the arduous task of registrations and coordinating track sessions, assisted by non-Guild member Olly Sanders, who many will know from previous events at the circuit.

We are also grateful for Nick for again hosting a splendid tea – as a token of appreciation we presented him with a canvas image of the EMKA BMW M1 he raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1982, taken by Guild photographer Jeff Bloxham.

The Le Mans image was particularly memorable as that year, one of Nick’s co-drivers was Pink Floyd manager Steve O’Rourke.

Early indications are that Big Day Out will run again in 2027, as it continues to represent unrivalled value as a friendly and convivial track day for members and guests.

Photos by Jeff Bloxham and Michael Stokes

Kieron Maughan of Rockstars Cars, a web resource that researches which celebrities “drove what and when”, has been in touch in the hope a member might be able to identify a piece of work (above and below) from our late renowned member Phil Llewellin.

“I wondered if you could help with the conundrum we have around this particular magazine article,” Kieron wrote. “The article is believed to date from early to mid-1968 and could be a main car magazine. It also could be a Sunday supplement.

“It was written by Phil Llewellin – as you will know Phil was a prolific writer for Car magazine, but this isn’t from Car. There was an article in that magazine on the car, by an uncredited writer in 1969.”

Kieron added that member Giles Chapman is also on the hunt for the piece. There have been suggestions it could be from a Sunday-type magazine in 1968 and Kieron believes it could be The Telegraph Magazine.

If any member can assist Kieron can be contacted here.