Revival return gives motorsport a boost
THE stars came out for the Goodwood Revival’s return in late September and the fans flocked to see what has, since the circuit’s reopening in 1993, been perhaps the most evocative line-up of superb racing cars, motorcycles and an amazing line-up of drivers and riders to be seen anywhere in the world.
During the earlier 16 years of glory, which began in 1948 and ended in closure for actual racing in July 1966, though remaining a test venue, the circuit also saw tragedy as Bruce Mclaren was killed testing one of his cars there in 1972, and Stirling Moss had a top-line career ended by his big accident there in 1962 as he attempted a pass on Graham Hill.
The Goodwood circuit was finally reopened in 1998 with an annual ‘Revival’ meeting in September that 23 years later is the top British racing meeting, the Silverstone F1 Grand Prix apart.
The three-day meeting celebrated Sir Stirling’s life, BRM’S 70th anniversary, the Festival of Britain and much more, beginning with Friday’s 13 practice sessions, a parade of 65 hot rods and BRM racing cars and a tribute to the late Sir Stirling Moss interspersed between them before the evening one-hour Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy race for pre-1963 closed GT cars.
Thirty cars, with two drivers sharing, took to the track, from four Ferrari 250 short wheel base GT models and four Aston Martin GTS with a combined value nearing £100 million joined by no less than 10 E-type Jaguars, with AC Cobras, Porsche, Corvette and Lotus models also in the battle.
The Festival of Britain Trophy race opened Saturday, and the later parade, marking the 75th anniversary of the 1946 London Victory Parade and the UK fight against Covid, on Sunday of military vehicles totalled over 150, with everything from motorcycles Jeeps, support trucks, ambulances, fire engines, half tracks DUKW amphibious trucks, Howitzer field guns and a host of Achillies, Stuart and Sherman tanks rumbling around the circuit.
They were headed by massed military bands, with marchers from the fire and police services and NHS groups, with scarcely a dry eye in the circuit.
That Revival moment came from the Goodwood team led by Charles Henry Gordon-lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond & Gordon, who has masterminded the years of the Revival and the Festival of Speed since their inception.
The racing circuit traces the course of the perimeter track of the old WWII RAF airfield of Westhampnett, and of course the traditional Spitfires flew as they had in the war years, though thankfully now with displays of the historic fighters the priority.
The Festival of Britain Trophy race reprised the 1951 event, and fittingly the battle for the lead was between the ERA – English Racing Automobiles – of Mark Gillies and American driver Michael Gans, the frantic last-gasp overtake passing the pits on the final lap as the two-litre car of the Brit saw the SSA man lose out with just 1500cc.
Another ERA, the GP1 model of Duncan Ricketts, was third after a close encounter with a Talbotlago
at the chicane.
Race three saw the bikes on track for the first Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, 18 Manx Nortons pitted against Matchless, MV Augusta, BSA Gold Star, Aermacchi and Honda machines, ridden by aces John Mcguinness, Steve Parrish, Troy Corser, Steve Plater, Mick Grant and Michael Dunlop, to name but a few.
Race 1 was taken by Dunlop and Plater, who won race two as capably on their MV Augusta 500-3, Bardell and Haydon second on a Matchless G50 first time out. Russell and Rutter took the place in the second duel, their Manx Norton demoting the G50 pair to third.
Wales was superbly represented in the John Whitmore Trophy race for Mini Coopers, Llanelli’s Endaf Owens’s SH Engineering–owens Fabrications–caffi Rhiannon Cooper S zooming through at the start to take second.
He held that place for a long time, the Welsh driver having double Formula E champion Jean-eric Vergne in his two-driver entry, but sadly the team had to retire the Mini as it mysteriously lost power later in the 45-minute race.
Sixteen flat-out races took place over the three days.
Andy Middlehurst took the seventh win in the Glover Trophy at the wheel of an ex-jim Clark Lotusclimax after the leading Ferrari slid into the bank exiting the chicane.
The giant 7-litre Ford Thunderbird of Romain Dumas won the first St Mary’s Trophy race, car owner Bill Shepherd taking the second in the snarling T-bird.
Holding off seven mighty Ford GT40, Lola and Mclaren sportscars, Phil Keen took his 1964
Lotus-ford to victory. The Cottingham family Ecurie Ecosse Tojeiro Jaguar brought win number two after forging into the lead on lap seven in the Sussex Trophy fight.
The Chichester Cup and Richmond Trophy both ran in slippery conditions as rain fell, De-laroche taking the first in a 1960 Lola-ford as several others slid off, and in a superb showing of car control, Ben Mitchell gave 70th anniversary BRM a win in his 1957 Type 25.
The 1954 Kieft–climax GP car designed by Swansea engineer Cyril Kieft and now owned and raced by Nigel Batchelor also featured in the race but did not make the podium places.
The Brooklands Trophy race was a Fraser Nash benefit, duo Pittaway and Williams winning in the TT Replica as the 1928 Saloon ‘Owlet’ was astonishing to watch, almost constantly sideways and flat out on skinny tyres. Blakeney Edwards and Nick Swift were second.
The RAC TT for Sixties GT cars finally went to Olly Bryant and Darren Turner in the ex-salvadori red and gold AC Cobra. Jenson Button was third in another Cobra until a misfire retired the car.
David Hart’s Maserati took the Freddie March Trophy from 28 sports car starters, and for very young drivers the Settrington Cup for J4 pedal cars recycled from Austin steel off-cuts in the Bargoed factory was contested energetically by 60 future champions.
The Revival certainly revived spirits in this Covid-hit year, with all praise to the Goodwood organising team and all participants that made it a resounding success.