CAR is reporting live from the 2008 Goodwood Revival meeting – the tenth anniversary of Goodwood’s period spectacular that partners the summer hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We’ve updated the website all weekend with photo galleries and reviews capturing all the action from track and paddock – with exclusive back-stage access to the legends and cars that make Lord March’s race event one of the world’s premier historic motorsport events.
SUNDAY, DAY 3: LIVE NEWS FROM THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL 2008
Another fantastic day at Goodwood Revival started off with a blessing from motor racing vicar Canon Lionel Webber and the Band of the Blues and Royals marching up the grid, followed by a stunning low-level air display by a Spitfire and a Mustang.
Racing got underway with the Fordwater Trophy, which launched off the grid under a perfect cloudless autumn sky.
The 1953 Frazer Nash Sebring of Patrick Blakeney-Edwards went straight into the lead, and then held on with a blistering pace and took the checkered flag.
The Richmond and Gordon Trophy race for F1 cars from 1954-61 was next to battle it out, with Rod Jolley taking the honours in a 1958 Cooper-ClimaxT45/51 after a nasty accident at the chicane where Jochen Mass’s Lancia Ferrari D50A flipped over, trapping the great man beneath his car. Mass escaped with just a cut to the forehead and bruising.
Always a firm favourite at the Revival is the Battle of Britain memorial flight which appeared right on time with a Hurricane, Lancaster and Spitfire in formation. It brought a lump to the throat of many a hardened race fan.
Incredibly, the mechanics had worked a miracle on the somersaulted Austin Westminster from Saturday’s St Mary’s Trophy race and it was back on the grid for the start of part two, this time with owner John Young at the wheel.
Justin Law was ahead on aggregate at the finish line in the Don Law Racing 1959 Jaguar MKI, after it was driven into a commanding position yesterday by Anthony Reid. But more incredibly was John Young’s race win on sunday after a great battle with the tiny A35 of Rae Davis.
A special mention
Every day over the Revival there have been special legends parades and today it was formalised with an award ceremony for the drivers. These included Moss, Stewart and Attwood, plus many more, while a stunning Spitfire was brought onto the grid to join them.
Billed by many as the highlight of the weekend, the RAC Club TT Celebration blasted away from the line for its hour-long two-driver antics. No re-fuelling is allowed and driver changes happen in the pit lane, under scrutiny from the marshals. Peter Hardman started out in the driving seat of the 1963 Sporting and Historic cars Ferrari 330LMB, handing over to Bobby Verdon-Roe who brought the car home to take top slot after the 60 minutes was up.
The Glover Trophy race was another epic battle, this time between James King in a Brabham-Climax BT7 and American Duncan Dayton in a BT11 with the lead changing many times, but it was King who won in the end.
The final race of the day was the Whitsun Trophy for Sport racers from 1963-66 and featured many of the greatest Le Mans cars in history. Jean Marc Gounon drove a GT40 as did Ray Bellm. The safety cars were brought out for a number of laps due to oil on the track and some of the cars overheated and retired, including (sadly) the 1963 Marina Rolls Royce with its 6750cc engine. When the racing finally got underway again Simon Hadfield won in a 1965 Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder.
One of the best weekend’s weather all year made the difference to what is a fabulous event and I’m certain everyone who was there this year will be back in 2009.
SATURDAY, DAY 2: LIVE NEWS FROM THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL 2008
Day two at the 2008 Goodwood Revival meeting dawned to another beautiful day with brilliant racing from the off.
First up were the pre-war to 1950 cars in the Goodwood Trophy. Ludovic Lindsay powered away from the front row in a 1936 ERA Remus and held on to first place despite valiant attempts by David Morris and Mac Hulbert, also both in ERAs.
The incredibly loud and proud 500cc Formula 3 cars were out next in the Earl of March Trophy race. Simon Frost in the Norton-powered Cooper MkII took the red flag after an entertaining race.
The Madgewick Cup kept the thrills coming with the lead changing three times during the 20-minute race. Michael Gans in a 1963 Lotus Ford 23B led at the start, but in the end it was Carlos Monteverdi who won in his beautiful Ferrari 206 Dino – with an average speed not far off 100mph.
In the skies, Goodwood spectators were treated to the sight – and sound – of a Lancaster, which pulled off banked turns that seemed to brush the tree tops.
Back to the racing
Back on track, the Sussex Trophy race was getting underway with sports cars from the ’50s and ’60s. Surprise winner was newcomer Jamie McIntyre in a Lister-Chevrolet Knobbly, ahead of Mark Hales in another Lister and Barrie Williams in the Tojeiro-Jaguar.
Next the saloon cars were out in the St Mary’s Trophy race – this was part one while part two was held on Sunday. The line-up of names reads like a Who’s Who of motor racing, with Moss, Pirro, Bell, Attwood, Pescarolo and Tambay among the starters.
The race was stopped with minutes to go after an over-enthusiastic encounter at the chicane between Tony Jardine in the tiny A35 and John Fitzpatrick in an Austin Westminster. The Westminster ended up on its roof.
The Chichester Cup for Formula Juniors cars was hotly contested with Michael Hibberd taking the chequered flag in a 1963 Lotus 27.
The final race of the day was the big one, being billed as a 90-minute race in the spirit of the Goodwood nine hour races of 1952-55. As the sun set, it was an astonishingly quick partnership of Pirro and Graham that won in the stunning Austin Healey 100S, amongst a field of much quicker C Types and Aston DB3Ss.
A fitting end to another brilliant Goodwood Revival day. Come back to CAR Online soon for the full review of Sunday’s action.
FRIDAY, DAY 1: LIVE NEWS FROM THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL 2008
Dawn rose bright and clear this morning to usher in the tenth anniversary of the Goodwood Revival. There was talk of strange crop circles around the historic Goodwood race course, but of rather more interest to Team CAR was the retro rocketships lining up to race at this year’s event.
The unseasonally beautiful weather stayed all day and proceedings got under way with gangs of mods and rockers on their bikes and scooters blasting around the Sussex track. This bit of auto theatre – a typical Marchian flourish – was followed by a packed schedule of practice for the ever increasing race card. The Revival now has an astonishing 16 races over the weekend.
First out of the blocks were the entrants for the Goodwood Trophy race. There’s plenty of new talent this year, including a post-war Bugatti Type 73C, one of only five made and never raced before, and the ultra-rare Maserati 8CLT. We find it heartening that owners are prepared to unleash such historic and priceless machinery on one of Britain’s most punishing race circuits. Goodwood is famed for offering drivers in a pickle plenty of hard stuff, where optimists might reasonably hope to find run-off…
Magnificent men in their flying machines
The Freddie March Spirit of Aviation concours for aeroplanes was added last year and the 2008 event attracted an intriguing array of planes from all over the world, including the amazing recreation of the giant bi-plane Vickers Vimy.
Back on the track there was a great line-up for the Goodwood Legends parade. World champion Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss were two of the star drivers, the latter driving a Cooper 500 similar to the one he won his first race in at Goodwood 60 years ago. There was also a tribute to Tony Brooks, who won the 1957 British GP in a Vanwall and went on to become a works Ferrari driver.
That might be enough to fill the entire event for some historic races – but the Goodwood Revival promises plenty more over the rest of the weekend.
Come back to CAR Online for a round-up at the end of Saturday and Sunday. Don’t forget to click on the gallery above to read the captions on each pic
Click here for your chance to win Goodwood’s first official calendar – shot by James Mann