GOODWOOD TRACKDAY

You can enjoy a private St Mary’s Trophy race

FROM THE MOMENT the flag dropped to reopen the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1998, one race at the Revival has captured the public imagination like no other. The St Mary’s Trophy for pre-’66 saloon cars offers a feast of old-school doorhandle-to-doorhandle racing and, despite the pilots now being household names rather than the Historic clubmen of 20 years ago, it retains its appeal to the grassroots. It says a lot about Historic racing fans, and the British in general, that despite the roster of famous drivers and the priceless grids of legendary machinery drawn to Goodwood, it is the humblest, most attainable race on the card that has most enchanted spectators.

It will come as welcome news to anyone who has been gripped by those epic tin-top battles and thought ‘I’d like a go at that’ to learn that now you can. Goodwood’s Revival Racing Experience offers punters a selection of eight St Mary’s Trophy-inspired cars as part of a private Revival-style experience. And while it’s not yet available as a public event, there’s nothing to stop a well-funded group booking the unique experience for a private occasion, be that for a big birthday, a stag party or just simply for the hell of it.

Accepting an invitation for a media-only staging of the event didn’t take too much persuasion, the opportunity to drive some fabulous cars proving irresistible. Perhaps of even greater interest is the work that has gone into creating an experience such as this, not least the challenge of sourcing, preparing and running a fleet of classic racing tin-tops for punters who may not have any previous experience of such vehicles, or even driving on track. And then supervising them as they get to grips with a selection of machines, each with its own quirks and bereft of stability control, anti-lock brakes or other electronic aids, on a famously fast and unforgiving track with very little run-off. All this with an explicit instruction to ‘drive these strippedback cars as hard as you dare!’ A bold premise, but can it really hope to deliver a true taste of the Revival?

Upon arrival at the Goodwood paddock, the sun is shining and there’s an autumnal freshness to the air. The grandstands and other set dressing for the real Revival have recently been packed away, a more compact version arranged around the ’60s-decorated Jackie Stewart Pavilion somewhat overshadowed by the cars parked outside. Starting with the smallest,

there’s a Mini-Cooper MkII alongside a properly racylooking MGB, a not-strictly-Revival-compliant Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, a BMW 1800 tiSA, a LotusCortina, a Porsche 912, a Jaguar Mk2 and – looming over the lot – a hulking great Ford Falcon. These definitely aren’t set dressing either. Recreation or not, the 1800 tiSA is an FIA-papered car, the Alfa Romeo has a long competition career in Portugal under its belt, the MGB has been a race car since the late 1970s and the Porsche has been converted from rally campaigner to track car. All are caged and harnessed. This isn’t going to be some sort of easy-going parade around the circuit in carefully cossetted classics.

Goodwood’s chief instructor David Brise is master of ceremonies for the track activity and closely involved with the sourcing and running of the cars through on-site affiliate Woodcote Racing Classics. If his surname has a ring to it, that’s because he comes from fine motor racing tradition, his grandfather a stock car champion while his father and uncle both enjoyed motor sport success in the ’70s, the latter ultimately tasting F1 glory before his untimely death alongside Graham Hill and three fellow Embassy Hill team-mates in the fateful 1975 plane crash. David is an expert in Goodwood’s particular eccentricities, and his expertise as an instructor and passion for classic racers comes across loud and clear as we enjoy a pit walk in which he talks us through the cars we’ll be driving. First of all though, where did he find them?

‘I knew exactly what I wanted for the fleet,’ he grins, ‘and we chipped away at it as we went along. It was a case of finding cars that were already full race-ready machines or road cars in solid condition with no rot and capable of being turned into race cars with a bit of basic preparation like brakes, suspension and the rest.

‘Once we got them together we just had to go through them mechanically with a fine-tooth comb, installing cages and harnesses and making sure they could cope with both driving on the track and idling in the pitlane.’ The search went far and wide, the BMW having been sourced locally while the Alfa Romeo was found in Portugal and the Porsche plucked from an international competition career that included safari rallies and other Historic events across Europe.

The hardest to find? ‘Amazingly it was the Mini,’ reflects Brise. ‘We bought one, realised it wasn’t what we were after, looked at several more, eventually found this one and rebuilt it from scratch. That’s the one that owes us the most money.’

Beside the safety equipment and sensible track-prep such as quality brake fluid and heat-resistant pads, there is a ‘control’ tyre in the shape of Avon CR6ZZ radials, which have an appropriately retro look but prove capable in the wet and grippy in the dry. A little too grippy in the case of the Jaguar, which runs Vredesteins on the basis that the lateral generated by the Avons would start breaking wheel spokes and driveshafts. Other than that, the only real precaution is the fitment of variable Omex rev limiters, adjustable by the instructors and typically capped 1000rpm short of the redline to control speeds and give what Brise describes as ‘something in hand’ should someone wrong-slot or otherwise risk buzzing a motor.

Instructing in cars of this nature can’t be for the faint of heart, especially given that the nature of the days means a huge variance in experience and driving standards. Brise shows a pro’s tact and pragmatism, reflected in the carefully selected instructors chosen to ride shotgun. ‘You know pretty quickly what kind of ride you’re in for,’ he reckons. ‘Sometimes you get a sense of how comfortable they are behind the wheel before they even switch the engine on – there’s a certain smell of fear in some people! More scary are the ones who fancy themselves a bit. Someone who thinks it’s all too easy can be a challenge, but we know how to make sure everyone gets the most out of it and the cars all come back in one piece.’

The Falcon proves a surprise hit because its automatic gearbox is popular with rookies – it’s one less thing to worry about. The V8 noise is a big attraction too. Brise and the team have considered a manual conversion with a Borg Warner T10 they have on the shelf in the workshop, but think they’ll keep it as an auto for the less-experienced attendees.

Enough chit-chat though – there’s driving to be done! The Jaguar seems a sensible starting point to get in the mood, this 3.4-litre car dating from 1960. It has retained its leather ’n’ walnut interior, and the only real Opposite Revival Racing Experience offers an authentic Goodwood experience and atmosphere without the thronging hordes.

‘more scary are the ones who fancy themselves a bit – someone who thinks it is all too easy can be a challenge, but the cars all come back in one piece’