Review: Goodwood Members’ Meeting

Members make some noise as part of an-all action weekend as the stars and their cars gather

’A vast selection of great Group A touring cars came out to play’

Aminute of noise in tribute to the late, great John Surtees was just one highlight of the 75th Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Many cars wore tributes to the 1964 Formula One World Champion, while Le Mans winner Richard Attwood, driving a Lola Formula Junior – John Surtees’ first racing car – provided one of the weekend’s highlights.

The weekend’s activities saw Simon Hadfield driving a Lola T70 to victory in the Surtees Trophy race ( last held in 2014) for sports prototypes that ran in the 1960s.

Other on-track action was largely dominated by touring cars from over the decades, from the thundering V8 rumble of the Ford Galaxies and Mustangs in the Pierpoint Cup, through to the Ford Capri and Rover SD1 battles in the always-sideways Gerry Marshall Trophy for Class 1 Touring Cars.

This year marks 30 years since the ill-fated World Touring Car Championship and a vast selection of great Group A touring cars came out to play. BMW brought along a couple of M3s and a 635CSi, plus 1987 WTCC drivers’ champion Roberto Ravaglia and former F1 driver Gerhard Berger. Ford Europe brought along an iconic Eggenberger Texaco-liveried Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth, while Patrick Watts and Robb Gravett took to the track in a pair of ex-BTCC MG Metros.

The Graham Hill Trophy, a 45-minute two-driver race for GT cars that raced between 1960 and 1966, was really captivating. Celebrity drivers such as Emanuele Pirro, Jochen Mass, Rob Huff and Nicolas Minassian starred in a diverse field that included a Ferrari 250 GTO/64 mixing it with Shelby Mustangs, AC Cobras and Jaguar E-type Lightweights.

The weekend may have been chilly, but the action was red hot.

Duncan Pittaway’s 1911 Fiat S76 ‘The Beast of Turin’ made its presence felt in the SF Edge Trophy, but ultimately victory went to Mathias Sielecki in a 1923 Delage DH V12, with the ‘Beast’ in 13th position. Goodwood Media/Jayson Fong PHOTOGRAPHY

Ex-Steve Soper cars were in abundance, but it was this Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth, brought over from Cologne by Ford Europe, that garnered the most attention. It competed in the 1987 DTM and Spa 24 Hours.

Among the cars associated with the late John Surtees was this Cherolet-powered Lola T70 that aptly took part in the Surtees Cup.

David Coulthard, Grand Prix winner and F1 commentator, drove a 1955 Mercedes 300 SL 417 on Saturday afternoon. Goodwood Media PHOTOGRAPHY