GridXtreme founder and editor Ron Overall reflects on his first media-credentialed weekend at the Silverstone BRDC Classic, the nerves, the lessons, and the quiet moments that make motorsport photography and journalism worth pursuing.
There are moments in motorsport that you watch from the outside, and then there are moments when you are fortunate enough to stand inside the world you have spent years following.
For me, the 2026 Silverstone BRDC Classic was one of those moments.
As the founder and editor of GridXtreme, I arrived at Silverstone not simply as a fan, but as a photographer and journalist with a responsibility to tell the story of the event through my own eyes and, importantly, through my camera.
Being granted media access was a proud moment. GridXtreme is an independent motorsport platform, and every opportunity to build its reputation is something I take seriously. Walking into Silverstone with a camera around my neck and press responsibilities in mind was a very different experience from attending as a spectator.
Suddenly, the details mattered.
The atmosphere in the paddock. The sound of engines being fired into life. Mechanics working around the cars. Drivers preparing themselves. The conversations taking place away from the track. Even the moments between sessions had a story to tell.
The photograph nobody else notices
And that is what I have learned about motorsport photography and journalism: sometimes the best photograph isn’t necessarily the one showing a car travelling at 150mph.
It can be the mechanic concentrating on a tiny adjustment.
It can be a driver walking towards the garage.
It can be the expression on someone’s face after stepping out of a car.
It can be a quiet moment that nobody else notices.
Silverstone adds another dimension
Silverstone itself adds another dimension.
There is something different about standing at a circuit with so much history behind it. Knowing that some of the greatest drivers and races in motorsport history have taken place on the same tarmac makes you appreciate the responsibility of documenting what is happening today.
It was about learning
For me, the BRDC Classic wasn’t just about taking photographs.
It was about learning.
Learning how a professional motorsport environment operates. Learning how to position myself as a photographer. Learning when to put the camera down and observe what is happening around me. Learning how journalists and media professionals work within the restrictions and opportunities presented by a major event.
Why I created GridXtreme
Most importantly, it reinforced why I created GridXtreme.
I didn’t create it to pretend to be something it isn’t. I created it because I genuinely love motorsport and wanted to create an independent platform where racing, photography, people and stories could come together.
The Silverstone experience gave me the opportunity to put that ambition into practice.
Finding where you belong
There were undoubtedly moments of nerves. When you are walking around an event alongside experienced photographers and established media organisations, it is easy to question whether you belong there.
But then you lift the camera, find the shot and realise that you are exactly where you wanted to be.
That was perhaps the biggest lesson I took away from Silverstone.
Building credibility
You don’t build credibility by simply saying you are a journalist or photographer.
You build it by turning up, doing the work, respecting the people around you and producing something worth reading or looking at.
The 2026 BRDC Classic gave me an opportunity to do exactly that.
Motivation and what comes next
I left Silverstone with photographs, memories and a much greater understanding of what it means to work within motorsport media.
But I also left with something more important: motivation.
GridXtreme is still developing. There is a long way to go, and there will undoubtedly be challenges along the way.
But standing trackside at Silverstone, camera in hand, I knew that this was the direction I wanted to continue taking.
From a fan watching motorsport to a photographer documenting it.
From writing about racing to actually experiencing the environment behind the scenes.
The BRDC Classic wasn’t simply another event on the calendar for me.
It was a milestone.
And, hopefully, the beginning of many more stories to come.
Silverstone Content Hub
SEE THE WEEKEND IN PICTURES
The full photographic archive from the 2026 Silverstone BRDC Classic is in the GridXtreme gallery, with 187 photographs spanning 16 classes and 42 teams, all credited to Ron Overall.
187
Photographs
42
Teams
16
Classes