Cyprus Rally 2010: Special Stage 7 (Agioi Vavatsinias 2) at Vavatsinia. Car no. 22, a Subaru Impreza N15 crewed by A. Al-Kuwari and S. Prevot, 5 November 2010
I really wanted to pack one more special stage of the Cyprus Rally 2010 into the day, so after my tarmac experience with the first pass of the Agioi Vavatsinias stage, I studied the map carefully to find another way in for its afternoon re-run.
That led to me going to Vavatsinia to check out the action there. The road through the village had been closed for the rally, and one of the marshalls helpfully suggested ‘go up there’ to find two ‘chicanes’. A stiff walk uphill found what I guess were his ‘chicanes’ – actually hairpin bends. And yet more tarmac.
The whole village had turned out for the rally, with people sat on every conceivable vantage point to watch the action.
As the time passed 4pm the setting sun started to dip towards the hillsides in the west and the choices of location reduced by the minute. I took up position on one of the hairpins, but it wasn’t ideal. Dirt tracks make for much more exciting pictures!
As the cars came through, so the sun set. Not to be thwarted, I kept turning the ISO up, but when it got to a combination of ISO 800, f2.8 and 1/5th second, I declared it game over. Amazingly the pictures taken still work, thanks to panning as the cars roared past.
Check out all my pictures of FxPro Cyprus Rally 2010.
