Motoring Days Out - Shelsey Walsh #ChronosAndCars
UK Days Out - #ChronosAndCars
It's 6am on a bright Sunday in March, the first day of the British Summer and time for the second #ChronosAndCars meet (following the first in November)
After a quick cup of tea, my family and I jumped into the car to head over to Shelsley Walsh, the legendary hill climb venue in Worcestershire. This location is one of the oldest motorsport venues in the world, with the first event being held in 1905.
The #ChronosAndCars event is organised by Shami Kalra, the owner and founder of Omologato watches (win one for free), a brand “conceived out of our passion for Motorsport and the love for the iconic historic liveries that adorn it”; and respected automotive photographer Rob Overy - someone who’s work I admire and aspire to.
One of the perks of a #ChronosAndCars event is a complimentary hot drink; the restaurant at Shelsley was a perfect place to enjoy this (although you're forced to resist the temptation of a delicious cooked breakfast!).
This was my first time to Shelsley Walsh and I have to say it did not disappoint, we arrived just after 9:15 and were greeted by members of the Midland Automobile Club who run the venue. The members received the attendees with a warm welcome, we were directed to the parking area situated in the paddock area, which is made up of what they call "sheds". These reminded me of the iconic motorsport photos prior to the fancy pit areas of today's racing circuits - the already parked cars looked fantastic lined up in this way.
So onto the vehicles, #ChronosAndCars' focus is to bring together some of the most exotic cars the motoring world has to offer, this event proved to be no different, as lined up in front of the restaurant was a McLaren P1 MSO edition, its panels left unpainted to reveal the fantastic carbon fibre beneath, Shami’s very own Porsche 911, a Ferrari La Ferrari and a stunning Ferrari Dino.
All the super car brands were present at the meet, and in almost every colour of the rainbow. An immaculate Honda NSX, Jaguar Project 7 and an perfectly original Mk1 Golf GTI in Lhasa Green whose owners had owner the car for over 25 years were some of my personal favourites.
For this event, a few celebrities from the motorsport world were also in attendance, one of whom was former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld, who is now driving in Formula E, in a Mahindra Racing car that this year will be sponsored by Omologato. I had the chance to talk to Nick and found him very approachable and easy to talk to, he even obliged to letting me grab a photo of him with my daughter. Other attendees were Freddie Hunt the son of motoring great James Hunt, Richard Attwood who won the 1970 24 hours Le Mans race in a Porsche 917, British racing driver Marino Franchitti and Katie Milner the UK’s most successful junior racing driver.
Also on show was a car from Arrinera, the stunning Hussarya GT, it was incredible to get so close to the car, but what we didn't expect was to see Nick Heidfeld take it up the hillclimb circuit. What a machine. It was also brilliant to see the La Ferrari go up, a superb piece of modern technology and what a sound!
#ChronosAndCars is a fantastic event and has a great old boys club feel to it. It’s also good to get to talk to fellow car and photography enthusiast’s in a relaxed environment, where all the car owners are perfectly happy to tell you about their wonderful machines.
Thanks again to both Shami and Rob, for organising the event and the superb staff and marshall’s at Shelsley Walsh for making a great day a fantastic day.
Looking forward to the next one, to be held at Porsche in Hatfield, I imagine tickets will go like hotcakes to this great car meet.
Thanks for reading.
Jasper Shadloo, JKS Photo
All images kindly provided by JKSPhoto.net, for more visit their website or follow on instagram or facebook.
To follow #ChronosAndCars search by their hashtag or follow them on twitter.
Further Reading
Car Journeys With The Family - Tips For Success
Car Journeys Packing Checklist
BONUS VIDEO: Shelsey Walsh in 1946