Goodwood, 17 - 19 September 2010
Thirteen, lucky for some, unlucky for others! It was certainly a
lucky number for those who attended the 13th Goodwood Revival
Meeting over the weekend of 17 - 19 September, as apart from
fantastic close racing, and the wide and varied peripheral
activities, the weather remained predominantly warm and sunny
throughout the weekend, despite forecasts to the contrary for the
Sunday. Apart from the regular activities, there was also a
celebration of 60 Years of BRM, a Tribute to John Surtees, who
made his car race debut at Goodwood in March 1960, and also a
poignant remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of
Britain. This latter remembrance was particularly apt for the event,
as the Goodwood circuit was built on the perimeter track of
Westhampnett airfield, one of those used during World War II as
an RAF fighter base. There were flypasts by a Lancaster bomber
flanked by Hurricane and Spitfire fighters, and at lunchtime on
Sunday, the Spitfire and Hurricane taxied up the main straight for
a remembrance service, that was concluded by the Royal Horse
Artillery firing a salute of remembrance, for those who had made
the ultimate sacrifice.
The meeting started on the Friday, with practice and qualifying
sessions for the fifteen race programme, as although the races
were numbered one to sixteen, there was no race number
thirteen, the organisers obviously not wanting to tempt fate too
much on the thirteenth running of the event! As usual there was a
spectacular array of cars and motorcycles making up the grids,
together with a host of star drivers from both the era of the original
racing on the Goodwood circuit, and a number of current drivers,
including some making their Goodwood Revival debut, like Audi
star driver, and eight times Le Mans 24 Hour Race winner, Tom
Kristensen. He swapped his Audi R15 TDI for an Austin A95 in
part one of the St Mary’s Trophy race, and continued his winning
ways in that. He also partnered Bobby Verdon-Roe in a Ferrari
330 LM berlinetta in the RAC Tourist Trophy Celebration race, but
the car unfortunately expired in the race before his turn came to
take the wheel. He had better luck in the Sussex Trophy race,
finishing 4th in a Ferrari Dino 246.
Amongst all the well known multi-million pound machinery, like
the trio of Ferrari 250 GTOs in the RAC TT Celebration Race,
there were also some interesting rarely seen cars within the
various grids. One of these was in the St Mary’s Trophy Race, an
intimidating black, wheel lifting, Russian Gaz Volga M21 saloon,
complete with a “KGB” registration plate and “Russian military
personnel” pit crew, hugely entertaining! It was to have been
driven by Renault’s Russian F1 driver Vitaly Petrov, but he was a
“no show”, so saloon car ace Paul Radisich took his place in
Race 4. In the same race was another communist block creation,
a lumbering lurid orange Tatra T603, with the most incredible twin
megaphone exhaust system imaginable. At the opposite end of
the scale to these two leviathans, was the miniscule Dreossi-
BMC Formula Junior car in the Chichester Cup race, built in
Canada around 1960-61 around an aircraft drop tank, with the
mechanical components coming from a variety of makes, it
finished 15th. There was also some “joy to watch” driving and car
control, probably none more so than Grant Williams in his Jaguar
MkI, on his way to victory in the second part of the St Mary’s
Trophy Race on Sunday. He had the car what seemed like
permanently sideways, with spectacular opposite lock power
slides from start to finish, kicking up the dust trackside as he just
held it on the island, with audible gasps from the crowd, who were
expecting him to lose it at any second, then relief when he took
the chequered flag, and tumultuous applause on his slowing down
lap!
The Goodwood Revival Meeting always provides exciting racing of
the highest order, so it is difficult to draw yourself away from the
trackside, but there are so many other things going on, that you
just have to do it occasionally to get the full Goodwood
experience. There is such a variety of entertainment, like the
period funfair, the Earls Court Motor Show, the March Motor
Works showrooms and garages, the air displays, the period
paddock atmosphere, the numerous “theatre acts”, the market, or
just people watching, it is amazing the efforts that people make
dressing in period costumes, the list is virtually endless, and
there is certainly no other historic race meeting that captures the
spirit like the Goodwood Revival Meeting. One of this year’s
novelties was a period Tesco supermarket, the company that
really brought American style shopping to the UK some fifty years
ago, and changed the face of the traditional British high street
forever, as they became larger and larger, and others followed
suit. The Goodwood formula is pure magic, and it is no wonder
that it is sold out every year, the vast crowds can escape for a
weekend of pure nostalgia and enjoy a real family weekend. The
petrol head of the family can enjoy the cars, and those not so
inclined, have a vast array of entertainment to keep them happy. If
you have never visited the meeting, make a note in your 2011
diary to check the dates of the next Revival Meeting, you won’t be
disappointed.
Text David O’Neill
Images Peter Singhof www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
09/2010
Race Results
Goodwood Trophy (Race 1)
1st # 28 Mark Gillies ERA R3A
2nd # 6 Matt Grist Alfa Romeo Tipo B
3rd #21 Frank Stippler Maserati 6CM
Chichester Cup (Race 2)
1st # 4 Benn Simms Elva-Ford 200
2nd # 85 John Chisholm Gemini-Ford Mk3A
3rd # 1 Chris Drake Elva-Ford 300
Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy (Races 3 & 11)
Race 3
1st # 12 Ian Bain/ Steve Brogan Norton Manx
2nd # 7 Duncan Fitchett/ Norton Manx Jeremy McWilliams
3rd # 14 Stuart Tonge/ Michael Neeves Matchless G80 CS
Race 11
1st # 7 Duncan Fitchett/ Norton Manx Jeremy McWilliams
2nd # 12 Ian Bain/Steve Brogan Norton Manx
3rd # 14 Stuart Tonge/ Michael Neeves Matchless G80 CS
Aggregate
1st # 12 Ian Bain/Steve Brogan Norton Manx
2nd # 7 Duncan Fitchett/ Norton Manx Jeremy McWilliams
3rd # 14 Stuart Tonge/ Michael Neeves Matchless G80 CS
St Mary’s Trophy (Races 4 & 12)
Race 4
1st # 7 Tom Kristensen Austin A95
2nd # 48 Stuart Graham Jaguar MkI
3rd # 22 Tiff Needell Jaguar MkVII
Race 12
1st # 14 Grant Williams Jaguar MkI
2nd # 48 Richard Butterfield Jaguar MkI
3rd # 5 Richard Postins Austin A40
Aggregate
1st # 14 Bell/Williams Jaguar MkI
2nd # 48 Graham/Butterfield Jaguar MkI
3rd # 7 Kristensen/Naismith Austin A95
Whitsun Trophy (Race 5)
1st # 98 Andrew Smith Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder
2nd # 36 Roger Wills McLaren-Chevrolet M1B
3rd # 12 Martin Stretton Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder
Madgwick Cup (Race 6)
1st # 17 Joe Twyman/ Lotus 15 Roger Wills
2nd # 15 Ewen & Jamie McIntyre Lotus 15
3rd # 3 Mark Clubb/ Martin Stretton Cooper-Climax T59 Monaco
Gordon Trophy (Race 7)
1st # 7 Nick Wigley Cooper-Climax T51
2nd # 14 Roger Wills Cooper-Climax T51
3rd # 24 Enrico Spaggiari Cooper-Climax T53
Freddie March Memorial Trophy (Race 8)
1st # 7 Darren McWhirter Lagonda V12 LeMans
2nd # 16 Nick Wigley Cooper-Jaguar T33
3rd # 24 Nigel Webb Jaguar C-Type
Fordwater Trophy (Race 9)
1st # 16 Nick Swift Mini Dart
2nd # 17 Shaun Rainford Lenham GT
3rd # 33 Gordon Elwell Austin Healey Sebring Sprite
Richmond Trophy (Race 10)
1st # 5 Gary Pearson BRM Type 25
2nd # 99 Barrie Williams Ferguson-Climax Project 99
3rd # 12 Richard Attwood Ferrari Dino 246
Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration (Race 14)
1st # 18 Peter Hardman/ Jean-Marc Gounon Ferrari 250 GTO/64
2nd # 1 Oliver Bryant/ AC Cobra Nicolas Minassian
3rd # 17 Justin Law/ Anthony Reid Lister-Jaguar Coupé
Glover Trophy (Race 15)
1st # 9 Richard Attwood BRM P261
2nd # 21 Frank Sytner Lotus-Climax 24
3rd # 25 Andy Middlehurst Lotus-Climax 25R
Sussex Trophy (Race 16)
1st # 15 Jamie McIntyre Lister-Chevrolet “Knobbly”
2nd # 2 Bobby Verdon-Roe Aston Martin DBR1
3rd # 32 Gary Pearson Lister-Jaguar Costin
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