The 12th Goodwood Revival was a huge and complex event. Fifteen races for historic cars and motorcycles were just a small part of what went on over the four-day period. A Drivers’ Cricket Match started the ball rolling on Thursday with a proper garden tea party at Goodwood House, and everyone already in period dress.
For practice on Friday, enthusiastic spectators showed up by the thousands and the party got bigger all weekend. The racing was out on the track, but overhead, hundreds of vintage aircraft and WWII fighters put on fantastic displays. Celebrities of all sorts were in abundance, including U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Lord Peter Mandelson of the British government.
Photo: Pete Austin
There were celebrations for the 80th birthday of Sir Stirling Moss, the 50th anniversary of the Mini—with a mini-skirt competition thrown in—and the 75th anniversary of ERA cars. Nearly 100 cars that had been driven by Stirling Moss circulated in tribute to him on each day, and there was a massive moving demonstration of every type and derivative of Mini as well.
Goodwood’s Acting Guild produces Laurel and Hardy, George Formby, and other famous show business personalities who put on nonstop shows for the crowds. This year, horses from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna pranced among the dining tables at the giant gala dinner on their hind legs. This was followed by indoor fireworks in the hangar where the gala was held. Incredible.
Photo: Pete Austin
On the track, the quality of racing was superb. Racing highlights included the St. Mary’s race for saloon cars that this year was a great, two-part Mini-only event. Oliver Gavin and Nick Swift took the overall victory. Bobby Rahal and Adrian Newey won the RAC Tourist Trophy race in Newey’s lightweight E-Type, Rahal getting the weekend’s award for best drive in a closed car.
In other races, Ludovic Lindsay took the famous ERA “Remus” to victory in the Goodwood Trophy race, while the Madgwick Cup was claimed by Lukas Hüni in a Maserati A6CGCS, and Nicky Leventis and Bobby Verdon-Roe shared the winning Ferrari 246S Dino in the Lavant Cup contest. Martin Stretton drove his BRM P24 to an easy victory in the race for the Glover Trophy, while Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason won the Brooklands Trophy, his Aston Martin Ulster a mere 0.315 seconds ahead of Patrick Blakeney-Edwards’s Frazer Nash Super Sport.
Photo: Peter Collins
Richard Attwood bagged the Richmond Trophy, his Ferrari 246 Dino less than a second ahead of Frank Stipler’s Maserati 250F, and Derek Walker won the Chichester Cup in another close contest, his Terrier-Ford a slim 0.19 second in front of Mark Gilles in a Lola Mk2-Ford. For the Whitsun Trophy, Julian Branson’s McLaren M1B-Chevrolet outran Jon Minshaw’s Lola T70-Chevy, while Darren McWhirter won the Freddie March Memorial Trophy in his Lagonda V-12 Le Mans, and Ian Bankhurst took home the Fordwater Trophy with his TVR Grantura MkIII.
by Ed McDonough
