Commercial Photography: Twister Aerobatics Team at Barbados Festival of Speed 2017
Back in October 2017 the Twister Aerobatics Team embarked upon its first mission to the Caribbean. After many months of planning, it was finally time for the 2017 Barbados Festival of Speed.
Just a matter of weeks before, much of the Caribbean had been devastated by hurricanes Irma and Maria. Barbados, being the most easterly of the chain of islands, avoided the carnage.
As we touched down in Bridgetown, the humanitarian effort that was being led from Barbados was obvious. Several Royal Air Force transport aeroplanes were parked on the ramp.
The team comprised our intrepid leader Peter Wells, his wingman Chris Burkett and myself. We would be joined later in the trip by Pete’s wife and Chris’s wife and son. As is the norm on these trips, I wore several hats in addition to my photographic one: chauffeur, crew chief, team manager, and, for this one, even air traffic controller (since the venue from which we would operate had none).
The morning after our arrival, we were still waiting for the Twisters to be cleared by Customs. We took advantage of the few spare hours we had to wander along the beach in front of our hotel in Rockley. It was a stunning morning and the views picture perfect.
The beautiful white sands of Rockley, Barbados.
It was equally beautiful as the sun set.
After meeting with our host, it became clear that we were unlikely to receive the aeroplanes that day, so we elected to head to the Bushy Park circuit (where the Barbados Festival of Speed would be held, and from where we would operate) for a look around – there is, after all, only so much you can tell from Google Maps.
Bushy Park, Saint Philip Parish, Barbados
As our taxi driver rounded the corner and the circuit came into view, the bank in the south-western corner, immediately beyond our preferred ‘runway’, came as something of a surprise! After pacing out the distances, Pete was content that it was still doable. Phew!
Twister Assembly
We would still have to wait until lunchtime the next day for the aeroplanes to be handed back to us, but we did at least feel better for seeing the circuit.
Having received the aeroplanes, we immediately set about the process of reassembling them. The heat and humidity made this a less straightforward task than is normally the case. Not only was it taking its toll on us, all the joints on the aeroplanes had expanded and made some already tight fits impossible. We managed to get one Twister fully assembled and successfully ground run, but the other would have to wait for the cooler temperatures of the following morning.
Test, Familiarisation & Promotional Flights
Despite our 0800 arrival time, it was already warm. We still had to resort to brute force to get the second aeroplane assembled, but get it assembled we did. There was just time for a short test flight before Pete and Chris headed to Bridgetown to start to publicise the Barbados Festival of Speed. They would fly there again later in the day to give the public a taste of the pyro show. Pete & Chris were also very keen to see what the circuit looked like from above at night with the floodlights turned on and how it would affect their eyes. As it transpired, it was all good.
The Bushy Park floodlights were actually very, very good indeed. Chris Burkett is pictured getting airborne in the Twister beneath them
The Barbados Festival of Speed booking was for three displays: the standard daytime aerobatic routine; the standard night pyro routine; and, most excitingly, a car v plane race around the circuit! Not only that, the driver would be none other than Jenson Button, and he would be driving a Radical sportscar!
Clearly this wasn’t something that was just going to magically happen, so both Pete and Chris flew a few times the next morning to familiarise themselves with the layout and to try to find the perfect racing line for them. They could not stay within the confines of the circuit itself (even the Twister’s turning circle isn’t that tight, and Pete was adamant that he wouldn’t get into a position where he was blindsided by a lighting pole), so some compromises had to be made. The race concept made for some incredible photo opportunities – undoubtedly some of my favourite ever Twister pictures.
Pete Wells in a Twister familiarising himself with the Bushy Park circuit
Few venues provide the opportunity to look down into the cockpit like Bushy Park does! Pete Wells hard at work in the Twister
It was obviously important that both pilots were familiar with the track, in case Pete was unwell. Here’s Chris Burkett having a go
Meanwhile, the motorsport element of BFOS continued to build.
The Twisters straddle a Lamborghini in the pits at the Barbados Festival of Speed.
The Maloney Family
The Bushy Park circuit is owned by Mark Maloney, an incredibly successful Bajan businessman and petrolhead. The original track was built by sugar cane plantation workers in 1971, but it was fully refurbished and reopened in 2014. The reopening saw the staging of the Top Gear Festival, with Messrs Clarkson, May & Hammond joined by Lewis Hamilton!
The love of motorsport is shared by the whole Maloney family, and Mark’s brothers Sean and Stuart regularly compete with their sibling in a Radical race series.
Zane Maloney Racing
Sean’s son Zane Maloney is 14 years old and has already competed around the globe in go karts. It would be fair to say that there is a good deal of optimism about Zane’s long-term potential, with a strong belief among his supporters that he could go all the way to Formula 1. At BFOS 2017 he would race several times, in karts and also in a Formula 4 car against Jenson Button in a Radical.
Zane Maloney learning the Bushy Park circuit again in the Mectech Formula 4 car.
Zane Maloney & Jenson Button at the 2017 Barbados Festival of Speed
We wanted to provide some ‘different’ pictures for his portfolio, so we headed out on to the circuit with Zane and the Formula 4 car. Initially we just parked up the Twisters behind, but then we let them get airborne for some really fun stuff!
Zane Maloney poses with the Formula 4 car he would race against Jenson Button as the two Twister aeroplanes fly low overhead.
Later in the afternoon, Pete flew a trial race against one of Bushy Park’s own, Orry Hunte in the Radical. Chris managed to blag his way in to the passenger seat, which, by all accounts, was an experience in itself! In order to make it a proper race, the only way it could work (because of the extra distance Pete was having to travel around bends) was for the car to throw in an extra orbit of one small part of the track. It wasn’t perfect, but it did make for a great spectacle and a genuine race.
Chris Burkett getting to experience first hand what it feels like to be driven around the Bushy Park circuit
Pete & Chris once again flew a pyro display over the seafront in downtown Bridgetown at sunset, while ex-Formula 1 driver Will Stevens got to grips with a number of the cars he would be driving the following day.
Will Stevens test driving the Ferrari 458 ahead of the Barbados Festival of Speed
Back at the hotel, Mrs Wells, Mrs Burkett and Burkett Jr had arrived!
Saturday, 14th October – Barbados Festival of Speed 2017
2017 Barbados Festival of Speed day itself could not have dawned much worse than it did. Torrential rain was falling from the sky as we made the drive to the Bushy Park circuit. Standing water was several inches deep in places and lumps of palm tree lay in the road. It really did not look great for us, particularly since our performance margins were already narrow.
Our first task was to sit down with Jenson Button, who had only arrived on the island the previous evening, to brief him for the race. I’m sure it’s been said before, but what a nice bloke!
Team leader Pete Wells briefs former-Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button ahead of the car v plane race
The Twisters had been scheduled to open the programme, but the organisers very wisely decided to re-jig the running order. It remained fluid throughout. There was scope for it to break mid-afternoon, and it thankfully did.
Pete & Chris got airborne to hold for their daytime display but were concerned that another squall was about to push through. Again, to the organisers’ credit, they put a hold on the next ground-based activity, which meant the boys could get straight on with their display.
Pete & Chris performing their daytime Twister Aerobatics Team display at the Barbados Festival of Speed
Jenson Button – Car v Plane Race
The compressed programme did mean that we ended up performing two VERY quick turnarounds. Pete was soon back out for the big one – the race against Jenson.
Pete Wells smokes Jenson Button at the end of the car v plane race at the Barbados Festival of Speed
This video from Paul Wallace, aka Supercars of London, should give you a feel for just how awesome it was!
Jenson & Pete pose for a picture after the car v plane race at the Barbados Festival of Speed
Jenson seemed to enjoy it, too, Tweeting the following:
The Tweet Jenson Button posted after the Barbados Festival of Speed car v plane race.
That just left the pyro show to bring down the curtain on our contribution to the 2017 Barbados Festival of Speed.
The Twisters glow red as they’re illuminated by the pyrotechnics at BFOS 2017
The Twister Aerobatic Team pyro display really is a thing of beauty
The Twisters looked great under the Bushy Park skies
The Bushy Park lighting stanchions made for some very different night-time shots
Races continued well into the evening, before proceedings were brought to a close by the crazy Banger Boys!
The Maloney brothers are among the drivers on the grid for the Radical sportscar race at Bushy Park
Despite the challenges posed by the weather, it had been a pretty special day.
Packing Away
We got the aeroplanes disassembled the following morning, but the weather once again took a turn for the worse in the afternoon. We had hoped to get the Twisters back into their containers, but it was so slippery that it just wasn’t safe to do so.
It didn’t take Pete, Sally and I long to finish things off the next day, which left us free to go exploring.
Bottom Bay & Oistins
We first headed to Bottom Bay, which was beautiful. Located on the Atlantic coast, the seas are very rough and not a place you would want to go into the water.
The beautiful Bottom Bay, Barbados, shot with a 30-second exposure
We headed further up the coast in search of a lunch venue, but everywhere was shut. Back south it was, to Oistins, a place we’d heard many good things about – particularly the Friday ‘fish fry’. There were rows of shacks selling amazing food for very reasonable prices. It was superb and was somewhere we returned to twice more. The views weren’t too bad either!
Pete & Mrs Wells wander along the beach at Oistins
After that it was back to the hotel to grab our swimming gear. The Burketts were already out there, armed with goggles and snorkels, making the most of the aquatic life sitting on a reef. There were so many different colours of fish….
Bridgetown
The Wells clan and I wandered around Bridgetown the next morning, where we met an amazing gentleman called Alex. He had a huge interest in aviation but hadn’t attended BFOS as he (and lots of other people) had heard it had been called off due to the weather (apparently there was an Instagram hoax that significantly reduced attendance figures). As well as sharing a passion for aviation, he was also incredibly intuitive and worldly wise. The planet needs more people like Alex!
The Jollyroger party boat moored up in Bridgetown
Alex, an incredibly intuitive and intelligent man we met in Bridgetown
Rest & Relaxation
In the afternoon, Pete had arranged for us all to go out on a boat for drinks, food and snorkelling. The weather, again, wasn’t the best, but that didn’t dampen our spirits, and again, it was a fantastic experience. We don’t always get to have ‘down time’ on these trips, which makes it all the more special when we do!
The whole Twister Aerobatics Team for Barbados Festival of Speed 2017 – even me!
That wasn’t the end of the fun, though. The next morning – my last in Barbados – we all returned to Bushy Park once more, this time with the sole intention of having our own go kart race. After proving to be an abject failure the first time we raced in Bahrain, Pete sought professional advice, and his extra knowledge paid off in spades here. I could only manage the second best lap time, while also experiencing a blow out!
Our final task was to present Zane with a framed memento of our time with him. As it transpired, he, and his mum, would be on my flight home. Their journey would continue into Italy the next day, where Zane would race.
Twister Aerobatics Team leader Pete Wells presents Zane Maloney with a memento of our time at the 2017 Barbados Festival of Speed
It really was an awesome trip, and I sincerely hope we’ll be back for the next one!
Karl
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