Goodwood, 18 – 20 September 2009
The Goodwood Revival Meeting is THE place to be for classic
motoring enthusiasts in September, and the 12th edition only
served to confirm this with numerous celebrations and
anniversaries being featured, together with some fantastic racing
activity on the track and spectacular air displays in the sky
above. As always period dress is an important ingredient to the
overall atmosphere of the gathering, and year on year the number
of attendees who go to great length to look the part seems to
grow, such that those in T shirts, jeans and trainers are becoming
the odd ones out. Paddock access is restricted to those in
“proper” attire, so there is an incentive to play the game. The
weather even played its part in the proceedings, as those frocks
don’t look quite so good doused with water, and despite a poor
forecast, the meeting was run in predominantly bright, warm and
sunny conditions.
Sir Stirling Moss celebrated his 80th birthday a couple of days
prior to the event, so it was only fitting that his becoming an
octogenarian was celebrated in fine style, by leading a cavalcade
of 80 cars, with which he had been associated, in his Tourist
Trophy winning Aston Martin DBR1. After a speech by Lord
March celebrating Sir Stirling’s racing career, and a further tribute
from soon to join the “80” club, American astronaut Buzz Aldrin,
at lunchtime on Sunday, there was a deafening eight cannon
salute by the Royal Horse Artillery to bring the celebration to a
close, prior to the afternoon’s races. The Mini turned fifty this
year, and it seems incredible that the little “pocket rocket” has
been around for half a century. The model’s golden anniversary
was celebrated not only by an enormous parade of numerous
Minis and variants on the theme, including the “Outspan Orange”
advertising car, plus Rowan Atkinson in his Mr Bean role driving
from the roof, and a two part Mini only race, but also by mini-skirt
clad grid slot girls. Fortunately they left the grid before the cars
had to start, otherwise they would have been too great a
distraction and nobody would have moved!
The two part Mini race for the St Mary’s Trophy provided
spectacular action in both parts, the first on Saturday being for
celebrity drivers, including Rauno Aaltonen, Prince Leopold von
Bayern, Derek Bell, Jochen Mass, Jackie Oliver, Bobby Rahal
and Vern Schuppan to name but a few, which was won
convincingly by Chevrolet Corvette works driver Oliver Gavin,
whilst battle royal raged behind him between a spectacular Darren
Turner, works Aston Martin driver, and “Whizzo” Williams, who is
guaranteed to thrill despite his three score years and ten, with the
race finishing in that order. The car’s owners took over the driving
for Sunday’s race, and despite there not being any “names” they
put on an equally exciting show, with the owner of Saturday’s
Oliver Gavin driven car, Nick Swift, showing a clean pair of heels
to the rest of the field, to take the aggregate victory.
Races for a range of categories formed the sixteen race
programme, including the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy
motorcycle race, the Brooklands Trophy for pre-1939 sports cars,
the Richmond Trophy for 1950-60 front engine Grand Prix cars,
and the jewel in the crown of the event, the Royal Automobile TT
Celebration race for closed GT Cars in the spirit of the RAC TT
races between 1960-64. This was its usual great race, with a
multi-million pound grid, including no less than six Ferrari 250 GT
SWB berlinettas, three 250GTOs, a 330 GTO and a 330 LM
berlinetta, plus five AC Cobras, four lightweight Jaguar “E” Types,
an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato and their Project 212 model
within the field. After a great early battle between the
Pirro/Verdon-Roe driven 330 LM berlinetta, the Gounon/Hardman
driven 250 GTO/64 and the Rahal/Newey driven “E”Type, it was
the latter that emerged victorious, with the 330 LM finishing 2nd
after the 250 GTO/64 retired with a misfire, the final podium place
going to the Hall/Wolfe driven AC Cobra.
Aside from all the exciting track action, there were a whole lot of
other peripheral shows, like live music in a number of locations,
the strolling “theatre acts” like “Haurel & Lardy”, the road works
gang, “Dad’s Army”, the Mods & Rockers, spivs, the “Glam Cabs”
girls, a seedy looking “Russian Spy”, to name but a few. Add in
the steam funfair, the large vendor area, the dedicated pre-1966
car park, the Bonham’s auction, the vintage air display concours,
pleasure flights, along with the aerial displays, and there was
something for everybody. The aerial displays are always a great
attraction, and this year apart from WWII fighter planes and
others, included the only fully operational Vulcan bomber in
existence. This flew over on both the Saturday and Sunday
afternoons, its quad jet engines drowning the noise of the racing
engines on the track, a real spectacle, it was worth being there
just for that!
David O’Neill
09/2009
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