Testing at Goodwood is more than just preparation for the cars and the mechanics. For us photographers, it’s a playground.
On a race weekend, Goodwood has its own unique rhythm — crowded paddocks, strict schedules, and only so much time to move between the best vantage points. It’s all about instinct, reacting quickly, and capturing the story as it unfolds.
But on a test day, the atmosphere changes. The track feels more open, the paddock less hectic, and suddenly there’s room to experiment. You can scout unusual angles, take the long way around, or wait for that one shot you’d never risk when cars are running full sessions.
It’s a chance to slow down, to try things that might not work — panning at a slower shutter speed than usual, experimenting with framing, or even finding new perspectives around the circuit that you’d simply miss when the pressure is on.
And that’s the beauty of it: every idea tested here is something you can bring back into the intensity of race days. Testing is where you sharpen your creativity, not just your technical skills.
So while the teams refine setups and chase lap times, we as photographers get our own kind of test session. The difference is, instead of data, we’re chasing frames — and each one brings us closer to telling the full story of Goodwood, in all its eras.