This was set in the Earls Court Studio adjacent to the Motor Show of the same name, which also featured a
period Mini and the new all-electric model. There was also a celebration of the Cooper Car Company, with a
parade of cars built by the company, which introduced the rear engine configuration to F1 in 1957, ranging
from the 1937 Cooper-Austin No. 1 which Charles Cooper built for his then 12 years old son John, through to
a 1968 Cooper-BRM T86B, with a number of Grand Prix winning examples along the way. 2019 also marked
the 60th anniversary of Aston Martin winning the World Sportscar Championship, fittingly in the final round of
the series in the RAC TT at Goodwood. Thus there was a celebration of this occasion with demonstration runs
by cars that took part in that race. It was famous for the pit lane fire that burned the then leading Aston Martin
of Stirling Moss and Roy Salvadori, so Stirling Moss was put into the sister Shelby/Fairman car, and took the
necessary race win for Aston Martin to take the title. There was also a re-enactment of the pit lane fire for
further effect, although on this occasion it was carefully orchestrated theatre with smoke canisters!
Theatre is all part of the magic of the Goodwood Revival Meeting, and one always wonders what new twist
there will be on the theme each year, apart from the perennial favourites like Gasoline Alley, the “Glam Cabs”
girls, the military camps, the “Mods & Rockers” and the road working crew. This year there was also
“Carnaby Street” and “Abbey Road” scenes as a hark back to the “Swinging Sixties”, where the former was
the youth fashion Mecca, and the latter the home of the EMI recording studios, where the Beatles recorded
songs that took the world by storm, and along with a number of other bands changed the face of popular
music, and alongside it the place of youth in society forever. The Drivers Club has a different them each year,
and this year it resembled a holiday caravan park from the fifties or sixties: where they found all those old
caravans is anybody’s guess! There were also all the other popular features including the Walls Ice Cream
“beach”, with ice cream served from a vintage Rolls Royce ice cream van, a Bonhams auction, “Over The
Road” with its array of vendors, fun fair, Butlins roller skating rink, and classic car parking area, plus plenty
more besides.
As if all the foregoing wasn’t enough to fully occupy you for three days there was a fifteen race programme,
ranging from a pair for classic 19660-66 motorcycles, another for pre-war Bentley sports cars as a celebration
of the Marque’s centenary, through ‘50s saloons in the St Mary’s Trophy Race, to the thundering Cobras,
E-Types and the like in the RAC TT Celebration Race on the Sunday afternoon. Almost without exception
there was plenty of close racing, opposite lock skills, a few spills, fortunately none more serious than some
modified metalwork and bruised egos, that kept thousands glued to the fences around the circuit throughout
the weekend.
In closing, there was also a more sombre side to the weekend, with a commemoration of the 75th anniversary
of the D-Day landings in June 1944 in World War II, with a massive display of, and demonstration run by,
vehicles that took part in the invasion of Normandy that changed the face of the war. One was amazed at the
variety of vehicles involved, and that was obviously without the boats and aircraft that also took part, and the
logistics of the whole operation, including the number of personnel deployed, particularly in context of the
period in which it took place. At the same time one was also very much aware and sobered by the thought of
all those that gave their lives, or were seriously injured, in the operation on both sides of the battle.
Race Podiums
Race 1. Kinrara Trophy – Closed Cockpit GT Cars Over 3 Litres Before 1963
1st - #12, Ferrari 250 GTO Replica, Pearson / Smith
2nd - #6, Aston Martin DB4 GT, Turner / Hadfield
3rd - #29, Ferrari 250 GT SWB/C Berlinetta, Franklin / Lips
Race 2. Fordwater Trophy – Roadgoing Sports & GT Cars 1960-66
1st - #26, Lotus Elan S1, Robert Barrie
2nd - #20, Mini Marcos, Nick Swift
3rd - #3, Triumph TR4, Josh Files
Races 3 & 10 Combined - Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy – Motorcycles 1960-66
1st - #78, MV Agusta, Lee / Johnston
2nd - #90, Manx Norton, Hickman / Clews
3rd - #16, Matchless G50, Bardell / Haydon
Races 4 & 14 Combined – Saloon Cars 1950-59
1st - #77, Austin A40, Minassian / Jordan
2nd - #29, Volvo P544 S, Cleland / Rainford
3rd - #138, Austin A40, Fassler / Manderson
Race 5. Goodwood Trophy – GP & Voiturette Cars 1930-51
1st - #11, Alta 2 Litre, Gareth Burnett
2nd - #4, ERA A-Type R4A, Nicholas Topliss
3rd - #9, ERA B-Type R11B, David Morris
Race 6. Glover Trophy – 1.5 Litre GP Cars 1961-63
1st – 25, Lotus-Climax 25, Andy Middlehurst
2nd - #7, Lotus-Ford 20/22, Simon Diffey
3rd - #31, Lola-Cosworth T60, Ben Mitchell
Race 7. Sussex Trophy – World Championship & Production Sports Cars 1955-60
1st - #24, Lotus Climax 15, Roger Wills
2nd - #16, Ferrari Dino 246 S, Sam Hancock
3rd - #33, Lister Jaguar “Knobbly”, Jon Minshaw
Race 8. Earl of March Trophy – 500cc F3 Cars
1st - #5, Cooper-JAP Mk5, Peter de la Roche
2nd - #67, Kieft-Norton CK54, Gordon Russell
3rd - #29, Cooper-Norton Mk5, Chris Wilson
Race 9. Richmond & Gordon Trophies – Front Engined GP Cars 1952-60
1st - #18, Lotus-Climax 18, Sam Wilson
2nd - #14, Cooper-Climax T53, Gary Pearson
3rd - #4, Cooper-Climax T51, Tom Dark
Race 11. Brooklands Trophy – Pre-War Bentley Sports Cars
1st - #14, 4.5 Litre Blower 1929, Martin Overington
2nd - #19, 4.5 Litre 1927, Oliver Llewellyn
3rd - #24, Speed Model 1925, Ben Collings
Race 12. TT Celebration – Closed Cockpit GT Cars & Prototypes 1960-64
1st - #2, AC Cobra, Wilson / Lotterer
2nd - #47, AC Cobra, Shepherd / Dumas
3rd - #18, Lister-Jaguar Coupé, Wakeman / Treluyer
Race 15. Whitsun Trophy – Unlimited Sports Prototypes Up To 1966
1st - #44, McLaren-Chevrolet M1A, Karun Chandhok
2nd - #46, Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spider, Mike Whitaker
3rd - #52, Crossle-Oldsmobile 55, Cameron Jackson
Race 16. Freddie March Memorial Trophy – Goodwood 9 Hour Cars 1952-55
1st - #18, Jaguar D-Type, Gary Pearson
2nd - #16, Jaguar D-Type, John Pearson
3rd - #25, Maserati 250S, Richard Wilson
Keith Bluemel
09/2019
|
