What the Monaco GP is to Formula 1 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans is to sports cars, the Goodwood Revival Meeting is to historic racing enthusiasts. Every year since 1998, on one of the first three weekends in September, the Goodwood Circuit in southern England has been transformed into a unique show stage.
On the legendary race track, the wheel of time is turned back six to eight decades at a time. Everyone is part of this theatrical event, drivers, spectators and the many helpers in front of and behind the scenes. Seeing and being seen is just as important here as in Monaco and Le Mans, everything revolves around racing, but without the right audience it would never be as effective. What goes on here, whether on or off the racetrack, is unique and doesn't need much explaining to insiders.
No other circuit on this planet is driven faster with historic vehicles. Whereby historic is an elastic term, as the range extends from really old and correspondingly valuable cars, GP motorcycles and airplanes to completely new constructions based on original models. The 40,000 or so spectators in attendance each day don't care, these vehicles are at least as visually and acoustically attractive as they were in the days when national races and major international events were held at Goodwood from 1948 to 1966. Launched in 1998 by Lord March, the grandson of the circuit's founder at the time, Freddy March, the revival celebrated its 20th staging last weekend.
Difficult conditions on the first day
The small anniversary - 2018 marks 20 years of the Goodwood Revival - was not a great year in terms of weather alone. On the first day, the rain only stopped during the afternoon, meaning that most of the practice runs took place on a wet track. And when the riders lined up for the first race on Friday evening, it was pouring again...
Difficult conditions for the 27 driver duos with their GT cars, as seen at Goodwood until 1962. What Swiss driver Urs Müller had already noticed in qualifying and feared for the race came true: "Thanks to their more modern rear axle with inboard brake discs and independent suspension, the Jaguar E cars simply have better grip in these conditions than all the Ferraris and Aston Martins. On our DB4GT, the wheels spin on the straights even in fourth gear...".
Not surprisingly, after an hour, the Jaguar teams triumphed seven times, led by Jon Minshaw/Phil Keen. Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen took over the almost identical 1961 E-type of his poorly-starting partner in eighth place only and, thanks to his great race to catch up in the last quarter of an hour, took second place 11.2 seconds behind.
Only Alain de Cadenet and Christophe Van Riet were able to avoid being lapped by the Jaguar pack with their Ferrari 250 GT SWB in eighth place. Frank Stippler and David Franklin in the silver SWB of Swiss collector and racing driver Arnold Meier would certainly have done the same had they - like a few other competitors - not lost a full lap due to a curious safety car phase...
Thomas Studer and Conrad Ulrich finished two laps down in 20th place in their 1961 Ferrari of the same age, with Urs Müller and daughter Arlette in the 1960 Aston Martin 38 seconds behind in 22nd place.
Sunshine on the second race day
On Saturday morning, the weather showed its friendly side, with rain only setting in again in the course of the afternoon. The spectators were the first to enjoy a great duel for victory in the Chichester Cup for rear-engined Formula Junior racing cars with drum brakes from 1958 to 1962. At times, the fights were also held off the track, with Stuart Roach in an Alexis-Ford Mk3 narrowly prevailing over Peter de la Roche in a BMC Mk2. Ivo Goeckmann finished a good fourth 35 seconds behind in his Jolus-Ford.
Drivers from the island also set the tone in the Madgwick Cup for smaller sports cars from 1955 to 1960. Here too, turf and asphalt surfaces next to the actual track were actively used to gain or defend positions. Miles Griffith took victory in a superbly moving Lotus-Climax Eleven ahead of the Canadian Dion Kremer and the second-best Brit Ian Dalglish in an equally motorized Lotus 17. Ralf Emmerling finished the 14 laps in a good tenth place in his Elva-Climax MkV.
Three screeching MV Agustas
An impressive intermezzo between the car races and automobile demonstrations was provided by the daring motorcycle pilots with their machines up to 1966. The screeching sound of the MV Augustas, three of which were at the start, was an acoustic treat. The fastest MV soon retired with a defect while leading the first race, whereupon ex-GP starter Mick Grant flew the Italian flag in second place together with Gary Johnson.
Victory in the first race went to a Matchless G50, in the second race on Sunday to the British duo McWilliams/Fitchett, who also won the overall (33 laps) with their Norton Manx 500, 13 seconds ahead of Johnson/Grant. The best of the four BMW duos was seventh-placed Klaus Ottlinger/Lothar Singer in a 1963 BMW Kaczor R50S.
Two thrilling races with touring cars from the fifties
The winner of the traditional St Mary's Trophy for touring cars, which this year was reserved for cars from the 1950s, was also determined in two races. In the wet qualifying session, the small 1300cc Austin A40s were four in front, with British touring car stars Andrew Jordan, Rob Huff and Matt Neal taking the front row of the grid for Saturday's race, which lasted just under half an hour.
On a dry surface, however, it didn't take too long for Frank Stippler in the more powerful and equally spectacularly moving Jaguar MK1 to "snuff out" everyone. The German, who has always performed strongly at Goodwood for years, celebrated another individual triumph, which the fair British crowd applauded. Jason Plato, another touring car star, took second place in the Austin A95 Westminster ahead of the two smaller A40s of Michael Caine and Rob Huff, who fought an exciting door trap duel for third place.
Tom Kristensen, who started from the pit lane in a Ford Thunderbird without a practice lap after a clutch failure, also received applause. A hanging exhaust put an end to the Dane's race to catch up three laps before the end, when he already appeared in the rear-view mirror of the two Austin A40s battling for third place.
In the second race on Sunday under cloudy skies, the owners got behind the wheel of their 50cc touring cars themselves and went one better in terms of spectacle at the front. The lead changed hands several times between Mike Jordan in the Austin A40 and Richard Meaden in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Ti driven by Steve Soper in 6th place the previous day. Meaden had the better end of the deal with the red Italian.
Fifth place behind two Jaguar Mk1s was enough for Nick Naissmith to take the overall victory ahead of Soper/Meaden on Saturday thanks to the good preparatory work of Jason Plato. Stippler's British partner John Young did not compete on Sunday due to a defect in the fuel system after the finish on Saturday, which the team was apparently unable to rectify.
The first victory for Michael Ganz from Switzerland
In the Goodwood Trophy for pre-war racing cars, the British ERA drivers were in a class of their own in both Friday's wet qualifying and Saturday's (dry) race. The two fastest drivers retired shortly after the start on an oil-smeared track as they were unable to get their English Racing Automobiles (ERA) going. The amazing Alta with Gareth Burnett at the wheel took command, which was soon snatched from him by Michael Gans in his ERA R1B and, to his own surprise, never relinquished it as the drizzle set in.
"I had chosen a different line on the oily track and was able to overtake some of my rivals. When it started to rain, I thought it was all over, because the constantly oversteering car was difficult to drive. I then held back without driving slowly," said the native New Yorker, who lives in Wollerau, Switzerland, explaining in impeccable German how he achieved his first long-awaited victory at Goodwood.
Urs Müller presented a special vehicle in this field. It took more than ten years to restore his 1938 Maserati 6CM, which the man from Basel got running in Goodwood for the first time so that he could start a race in it. The Scuderia Ambrosiana with the legendary drivers Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cortese once used this racing car with a 1500 cc supercharged engine. When the originally red car came into the possession of the Brazilian Count Manuel de Teffé, he took it back to his home country, gave it the yellow-green national colors and won the GP of Brasilia, among others.
"It's a car with a really great history," enthuses today's proud owner.
Unsurprisingly, he didn't take the slightest risk in the wet practice session or when it started to rain in the race, but still cut a pretty good figure in tenth place in this 29-car field. "It was extremely slippery. The Maserati is running superbly, but I still don't have the right confidence, either in the car, myself or the track in these conditions. But it's still a lot of fun."
Four seconds ahead of the Swiss driver, Josef Otto Rettenmaier crossed the finish line in eighth place in his Maserati 8CM, with Klaus Lehr in the Talbot-Lago Type 26C around a minute later in 14th place.
Dominant Ford GT40s in the rain
The conditions were even more difficult for the drivers with their powerful sports cars in the Whitsun Trophy after the thunderstorm. Eight (!) Ford GT40s and a Lola T70 Spyder in second and tenth position occupied the first four rows of the grid.
After an accident on the starting lap, the safety car initially set the pace. After the car was released, Silverstone racing instructor Chris Ward, a frequent winner everywhere, rushed to first place with a lead of almost five seconds over Nicholas Padmore. In third place, Mike Whitaker in the open-top Lola was able to leave another four Fords well behind him on the wet track, as he had done in practice.
As soon as he got out of the GT40, Ward swung into the cockpit of a Cooper-Jaguar T33 to contest the following race of the sports cars from 1952 to 1955 (as they were once seen at the Goodwood Nine Hours). On the drying track, he found his conqueror this time in compatriot Rob Hall in an Aston Martin DB3. The laurel wreath for third place went to Richard Woolmer (HWM-Cadillac).
Two German-speakers on the Brooklands podium
The first race of the second race day, which remained almost dry until 4 p.m., seemed to be a clear-cut affair for Patrick Blakeney-Edwards. In rain practice, the Briton and his small Frazer Nash Saloon "The Owlett" had outpaced the second fastest in the field of pre-war cars reminiscent of the legendary era of endurance racing at Brooklands by a full seven seconds. After a few laps of the race, however, he had to make a quick visit to the pit crew, who got the 1500cc engine running again with a quick intervention in the carburetor.
A trio of Niklas Halusa, Christopher Mann and Mark Gillies were initially in contention for victory. Because Mann's Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 Monza had an oil leak, race control black-flagged him out of the race. When Gilles had to ease off the throttle too much on his Aston Martin Brooklands while lapping, Halusa was rid of his most persistent pursuer. The result at Goodwood was a rare victory for an Austrian in a superbly driven Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM. "Mr. Halusa really did a good job," Gillies paid tribute.
Thomas Kern also earned it. The German brought his Mercedes-Benz 710 SSKL (the L stands for the lighter version of this model) home in third place, 33 seconds behind the field. "I've been driving this car for almost 30 years and it's especially wonderful to drive here," said Kern, delighted with his laurels.
Tec-Mec-Maserati wins the GP front-engined car race
An Italian brand also came out on top in the Richmond Trophy for Grand Prix and formula-free racing cars from 1952 to 1960 with front engines. Initially, it looked like Miles Griffiths in the Lotus-Climax 16 would win, until he turned into the pit lane after four laps with a defect.
For Julian Bronson, Tony Wood and Joaquin Folch-Rusinol, who were battling behind him, victory was suddenly at stake. With a lead of 919 thousandths over Bronson's Scarab-Offenhauser and 1.284 seconds over the Spaniard's Lotus-Climax 16, Wood retained the upper hand in the Tecnica Meccanica-Maserati. The Brit's third victory at Goodwood, but the first in this impressive field. "This car is fantastic, I love driving it," beamed Wood. Folch was also happy with his third place, which he owed not least to Classic Team Lotus. "They managed to solve a gearbox problem in such a way that I got over the full distance reasonably well."
Lukas Halusa, the brother of the winner of the previous race, was the best-placed of the five drivers with original Maserati 250Fs in seventh place, 1:05 minutes behind Tony Wood. Stephan Rettenmaier, in 18th place, lost two laps in his 250F, while Helmut Gassmann, in 20th place in the Connaught B-type, lost three.
The second triumph for Michael Gans
Like the touring cars, the GT cars from the early 1960s were manned by professionals and experienced historic racers, who took turns at the wheel in the one-hour RAC TT Celebration Race. As in the previous year, the Jaguar E-Type of Britons Gordon Shedden and Chris Ward was in pole position and crossed the finish line first, as it did in 2015 and 2016.
However, because Ward, who had made a poor start, had been a little too reckless in his race to catch up and had sent a Cobra driver into a spin at high speed ("I didn't do it on purpose"), the duo were rightly handed a 30-second penalty. This still resulted in second place.
Michael Gans from Switzerland, whose AC Cobra had been safely driven over the distance by Britain's Andy Wolfe, thus achieved his second and well-deserved triumph on this gray weekend. Third place went to Frenchmen Nicolas Minassian and Ludovic Caron in a Shelby Cobra. Wolfgang Friedrichs and Simon Hadfield finished tenth in Friedrichs' Aston Martin Project 212, just like a year ago.
Unfortunately, Frank Stippler and Andrew Newall were unable to take the second grid position achieved by the German in a Ferrari 250 GTO/64, as the Briton spun into the barriers in the second qualifying session after an evasive maneuver, crushing the rear of the valuable Italian.
The pair were allowed to start from the back of the grid in the SWB used by Stippler in Friday evening's race and brought it home in 14th position. "It actually went quite well apart from worn tires towards the end of the race," said Stippler, "but we weren't competitive in this field with this replacement car. So it was still a nice success."
Stormy end
Just as the Formula 1 racing cars, as they were used during the last Goodwood era until 1965 with the GP stars of the time at the wheel, were about to race, the long-feared rain set in, accompanied by squalls.
The best Brits seemed to be in their element as they fought a beautiful, lap-long duel for the prestigious victory with cars that Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart once triumphed with at Goodwood. Martin Stretton in the Lotus-BRM 24 managed to take revenge for the victory he so narrowly missed out on last year. After initially taking the lead, Andy Middlehurst in the Lotus-Climax 25 had to concede defeat to Stretton, who is fast in any historic racing car.
The final race of the 2017 Goodwood Revival Meeting, which was reserved for the large-volume sports cars from the era of the 1955 and 60 World Championship races, was also a British affair. In front of an astonishingly large number of spectators holding out in the rain, Sam Hancock proved not only his driving skills but also his cleverness at the wheel of Nick Leventis' Dino Ferrari 246S. "The car has a high windshield - you either lie flat and look through it, or you sit up and look over it. And that was the best recipe in this rain and the spray from the many opponents, I just had to loosen the belts a bit to make it possible at all..."
So the Goodwood Revival Meeting 2017 ended in rather British weather conditions, but this could hardly dampen the good mood. After all, there is no better historic racing anywhere in the world, including the Le Mans Classic and the Oldtimer Grand Prix. That's why it doesn't really matter who wins one of the 15 races - everyone deserves to win.
And if you're wondering how you can experience this spectacle on and around the archaic racetrack live yourself, then get in touch with the author - he knows all about it too ...
Almost 500 pictures from the Goodwood Revival 2017
Please take a look at the many photo galleries ( top left) of the Goodwood Revival 2017. We have published almost 500 photos.
