Celebrating the People of the 2015 Goodwood Revival

The Goodwood Revival 2015 took place 11-13 September at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, set in the rolling hills of the Earl of March’s beautiful West Sussex estate.

Held less than four weeks after the Monterey Classic Car Week in California, the Revival offers a unique window into the classic car world. Ostensibly a weekend of classic car racing, it in fact celebrates all things from 1948 to 1966, the active years and ‘heyday’ of the circuit.Attracting 150,000 people each year it has proved phenomenally successful. According to Lord March, founder and host of the Revival: “The people are the event.” This is not to be interpreted too literally – the venue and the cars are key constituents. They are the catalysts without which there would be no foundation for the event. Yet the human component is significant; it is an integral part. The original decision to turn an airfield perimeter road into a racetrack was born of one individual’s passion for motor sport. And the cars that raced on the circuit in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s came from the designer’s pen, rather than computer models.

The connection with the past at the Goodwood Revival extends beyond the activities on the track. The spectators flocking to the circuit to celebrate this golden age of motor sport meticulously marry their outfits and accessories to the timeless appeal of the era. Visitors are encouraged to dress in period apparel — 1966 or earlier — and to take part in the similarly themed entertainment in and around the historic West Sussex race track. The Goodwood Revival is not simply an event for the drivers – it is a true spectacle, a celebration of life gone by.

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Senior Photographer Julien Mahiels documented the 2015 Goodwood Revival with the following wonderful selection of pictures that give readers a strong sense of the overall ambience at this year’s event. To see more from Julien, visit julienmahiels.net.

People of the 2015 Goodwood Revival – Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture)