Racing greats battle through the rain at spectacular 2024 Goodwood Revival: report

Over there is nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen chatting in the marshalling area. A moment later, 80 children are pedalling their little Austin A40s like crazy, then Spitfires dive out of the Sussex skies, superchargers screaming. There’s Jackie Stewart and Martin Brundle re-opening the re-located Tyrrell Racing Organisation shed, Dom from TV’s Repair Shop giving a masterclass, a smart women in seamed stockings trying on a vintage fur coat, and for the privileged few, an incredible winter wonderland tableau in the Drivers’ Club.

The scenes come so quickly it’s almost difficult to process them, but it’s obvious that the organisers’ huge vision and imagination, coupled with a hands-on attention to detail makes the Goodwood Revival the most successful, best attended historic race meeting on the globe.

We could go on and on: the V16 BRM firing-up; massed Beach Buggies; traders selling everything from grease guns to greenhouses; straw plaiting and embroidery workshops; bands like the Delray Rockets and the Hicksville Bombers. There’s a Tazio Nuvolari look-alike complete with tin trophy and in the motorcycle paddock we spot Isle of Man TT heroes Michael Dunlop and John McGuinness – the two-wheel brigade aren’t forgotten at Goodwood.

Then there is the front gate tableau, this year a scene from the Wild West complete with period stage coach, Goodwood’s ’60s meter maids – Rita is dishing out red parking tickets. There is food of almost every kind from upmarket burgers to a delicious coconut curry – although no fish and chip van in evidence. Walking into the paddock tunnel in a state of anticipation, there are a couple of electric buggies coming in the opposite direction. In the passenger seat of the first, the 88-year-old Duke of Kent, in the second his brother Prince Michael. Only at Goodwood.

That’s why it is so successful and a huge boost to tourism too. the number of international spectators far outnumbers the British Grand Prix.

The event was a sell-out, of course, all three days. On Friday the south of England was pelted with heavy rain showers, just about everyone got muddy and bedraggled but kept smiling — no way were they missing it. History was made too with the whole field running on sustainable fuels.

In the run-up to the event the Duke of Richmond caused some controversy with a very firm address on the internet highlighting the long-running saga of historic car preparation and particular the use of the latest space age materials and technology and basically cheating. Get caught, warned the Duke, and you won’t be invited again. But where do you draw the line? Eliminate all the continuity cars, replicas, re-chassised, re-engined machines and the grids would be a lot thinner – it is a discussion for another day.

Sussex Trophy

Serious track action at the Revival always starts with a one-hour race into the dusk and for the first time in a decade the honour went to the Sussex Trophy for world championship sports car and production sports racing cars that raced between 1955 and 1960. In effect this should turn out to be a battle between various Listers in varying guises and Lotus 15s.

Usually a shorter affair, this time the race mandated two drivers and last year’s winner Oliver Bryant in the family Lotus 15 set out to confuse everyone. For a start he only managed to qualify ninth, unhappy with his tyre choice in the streaming wet conditions. When the flag dropped, he charged past about six cars before they got to Madgwick Corner.

Except that it wasn’t Bryant but his Scottish co-driver Andrew Smith who had discarded his regular open face helmet and borrowed Bryant’s full-face spare in a ruse that had the commentators confused. Although Smith has shared Bryant’s Cobra in the past, this was his first time in the 15.

Andy Willis from pole and Roger Wills were at the front in their Lotus 15s together with the fastest of the Listers of John Spiers in his original Costin-bodied car. After an early safety car, Smith started to challenge and found a way past Wills.

After Bryant took over, the lead expanded to a huge 45 seconds at the flag – a dominant win by the Anglo-Scot pair. Nigel Greensall took over the Spiers car and the duo finished second just ahead of former Aussie Indycar racer James Davison and Roger Wills – these two only having met for the first time earlier in the day.

Rob Hall shared Andy Willis’s Lotus 15 to fourth place ahead of Saif Assam and Gordon Shedden in a Lister Knobbly. Two newcomers to the historic scene finished sixth and seventh. Former Formula Ford and Formula Renault Champion Scott Malvern with Nick Jarvis (Lister) just beat Johnny Mowlem and Bonamy Grimes (Lotus 15). In practice the car gave Le Mans veteran Mowlem a big scare when the brake pedal snapped.

Goodwood Trophy

Saturday morning dawned dry for the 20-minute Goodwood Trophy race for grand prix cars and voiturettes of a type that raced between 1930 and 1951 – but basically the cars that raced in the very first Goodwood meeting in 1948. Pat Blakeney-Edwards in the Frazer Nash Fane Special revelled in the streaming wet track and qualified first ahead of the fleet of ERAs with Mark Gillies — four times a winner here with Dick Skipworth’s R3A second. Back in the day three BRM V16s once filled the front row here at Goodwood. For this race there was one – the fabulous Hall and Hall continuity Type 15 Mk1.

What a race it turned out to be! British-born VW USA PR boss Mark Gillies made the best start and pulled away. But late in the race Mark had to manage an oil surge problem while Ian Baxter, last year’s winner in the Alta 61 IS, put on a spurt as he got more confident of the track conditions and halfway through the last lap was able slip past the ex-Raymond Mays ERA.

The BRM moved up to third early on before the V16 got rather smoky and was spitting out flames. So, Rob Hall nursed it home to eighth. Second in the early laps but eventually third was Frazer-Nash expert “PBE” who has had a ten-year battle to sort the Fane Special, a former Brooklands lap record holder. Top ERA preparer David Morris was fourth but Monaco Historic winner Paddins Dowling in Remus could only finish sixth.

Fordwater Trophy

Saturday’s second car race was the Fordwater Trophy, a 25-minute race for production-based sports GT cars of a type that raced between 1955 and 1960. This included a superb collection of MGA Twin cams, including ex-works cars and Elva Couriers but on the front row 100/6 of Tim Crighton, the Jaguar XK150 of Marc Gordon of and the Morgan Plus 4 of Charles Morgan, grandson of the company’s founder. On the warm-up lap there was a hint of Friday’s rain returning.

After a safety car intervention, the early battle between ex T-Car racer Crighton and Marc Gordon continued for a final 15 minutes; the pair regularly swapping the lead. Crighton’s bonnet popped up, held only by its leather straps, but it didn’t worry him. Then a crash down the field brought out the red flag with Crighton in front but the result was based on the previous lap, so the winner’s trophy went to Gordon. Battling without a second gear and a misfire, former BTCC race winner Sam Tordoff was third in the JCT600 Porsche 356.

John Surtees tribute

Lunch time featured a John Surtees Celebration with bikes — including an MV Agusta ridden by the legendary Giacomo Agostini — and cars including a trio of 1960s Ferrari single-seaters and the Tyrrell Cooper Formula Junior car in which “Big John”, world champion 60 years ago, made his four-wheel debut in 1960 – at Goodwood of course. Before the parade there was a heartfelt and eloquent tribute by the Duke of Richmond.

St Mary’s Trophy

The afternoon opened with Part 1 of the St Mary’s Trophy for saloon cars from 1960 to 1966. The Saturday race was reserved for an incredible line-up of star professional drivers – including six Le Mans winners, seven-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson and BTCC front-runners with the owners/amateurs taking over for Sunday.

Heavy rain in qualifying played into the hands of the Minis of Alex Buncombe and Steve Soper. But with a dry track it was three-time Nürburgring 24 Hours winner and factory Audi racer Frank Stippler who established himself at the front in the lovely Cologne-based Furiani Racing Autodelta Alfa Romeo Guilia GTA. Stippler, who started his career in an Alfa 30 years ago was challenged by BTCC Championship leader Jake Hill racing Graham Bryant’s Plymouth Barracuda for the first time.

Stippler brought it home with a 3.4 sec victory ahead of Hill, who just held off Romain Dumas in Bill Shepherd’s Ford Galaxie. It was a phenomenal drive from the Frenchman, who had missed practice and started on the back of the grid. Another Le Mans winner, Marcel Fassler, was fourth and Tom Ingram fifth in a Lotus Cortina. Andrew Jordan took fifth in another Alfa.

Part 2 of the St Mary’s Trophy on Sunday — the penultimate race of the weekend — had mainly the owners at the wheel. Bill Shepherd used the 7-litre grunt of his Galaxie to power into the lead and was never headed despite the efforts of Max Chilton in his “new” Lotus Cortina, Nick Swift and his Mini, Chris Ward in the Jaguar Mk2 and the Galaxie of Gregor Fisken.

So, on aggregate in this pro-am battle the overall win went to the Dumas/Shepherd duo making it four years in a row for the Anglo-French combination. Second was Stippler and Furiani while Gregor’s drive backed up the efforts of Jimmie Johnson for third place overall.

Madgwick Cup

Next up on Saturday was the Madgwick Cup, a 25-minute race, for 1955 to 1960 sports-racers up to 2.5 litres. On the pole Miles Griffiths in Philip Walker’s 1500cc Lotus X1, a rare ex-works car raced at Le Mans in 1957 by Colin Chapman and a previous winner of this event. Keeping Griffith honest was Andrew Hibberd, better known as a Formula Junior racer, in Harinda da Silva’s 11 – another ex-works car which raced at Le Mans in 1958 with a little 750 cc engine. Sadly, he pulled off on lap 4.

Dane Jakob Holstein in the ex-UDT Laystall 2-litre Lotus 19 was chasing Billy Bellinger for second but lost it coming out of the chicane and crashed heavily. Fortunately, Holstein climbed out uninjured, but the safety car was deployed. The race went green with two laps to go Hi-Tech Motorsport boss Griffiths took his third successive Madgwick Trophy win by 5 seconds from the Lolas of Billy Bellinger and Nick Finburgh.

Whitsun Trophy

The Whitsun Trophy was next a 25-minute race for unlimited sports-racing cars up to 1966 – effectively early Can-Am cars. It was the fastest race of the weekend. Last year this was a highlight of the meeting with a stunning battle between James Davison in Brad Hoyt’s McLaren M1B and Oli Bryant in the ex-Dana Chevrolet Lola T70. It’s difficult to believe the monsters are almost 60 years old.

The pair from the previous year were on the front row separated by Nick Padmore who placed the unique Hamill SR3-Chevrolet second. Miles Griffiths had to ditch his trophy from the race before to join the second row in Julian Bronson’s M1A together with Alex Brundle in Miles Poulton’s T70 Spyder.

Davison in the ex-Revson/Skip Barber McLaren made the best start on a track with some damp patches and was opening a gap when, on lap three, there was a safety car for a stranded competitor. On the restart the 2023 Davison/Bryant battled re-commenced, both had grassy moments but then Davidson had suspected transmission failure and pulled off.

So, Bryant motored off into the distance to repeat his 2022 win with Padmore a distant second but he slid off at Lavant trying to lap a backmarker. So from tenth on the grid John Spiers came up to second in his M1B , Fred Shepherd threw away third in the 7-litre Shelby Cobra gifting the final podium slot – his first at Goodwood – to Adam Sykes in the McLaren M1A. The best non-Can-Am car was seventh-placed Adrian Newey in his GT40.

Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy

Closing out an action-packed Saturday was the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy – a 45 minute two-driver race for pre-1963 GT cars including no fewer than six Aston Martin DB4GTs and ten Jaguar E types.

Richard Meins and Rob Huff were on the pole in Richard’s Jaguar E-type ahead of the Buncombes’ E-type and supercar dealer Tom Hartley Junior in the purple Cobra he was sharing with Andrew Jordan. But Hartley jumped the start and meanwhile NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson made a brilliant get away from ninth. Within a couple of laps he was not only leading in the ex-Moss DB4GT but pulling away.

Then there was a long safety car period, some confusion and congestion in the pitlane but none of it concerned the US superstar who smoothly handed over his friend and three-time Indy 500 winner Franchitti. He continued in the lead as the next three cars on the road were given 50 second time penalties for pitting when the pit was still closed. The great Tom Kristensen and Gordon Shedden were both affected and it damaged their podium chances.

Franchitti brought the Aston home for a great win ahead of the John Spiers/Nigel Greensall Cobra and, despite the jump start penalty, the Hartley/Andrew Jordan “Dragonsnake” Cobra was listed as third ahead of the similar car of Gregor Fisken and Chris Ward.

Earl of March Trophy

Sunday morning saw the sun trying to sneak out of the clouds but there were plenty of wet patches on the track as a full field of 500 cc motorcycle-engined Formula 3 cars, racing at the Revival for the first time in four years, appeared for a ten-lapper.

Although the field was predominately Cooper, we counted about 17 different makes. With a rolling start, pole position man Shepton Mallett’s young Tom Waterfield started to pull away and Pat Blakeney-Evans’ step-nephew was looking uncatchable in the Cooper-Norton Mk 8 when a brief course car intervention closed the field.

It started to rain heavily on just one half of the track. Waterfield’s job was made easier when Alex Wilson’s chain broke in his Cooper-JAP and the safety car came out again and with, the deluge continuing, the race was red flagged after just five laps. So, a win for Waterfield from George Shackleton and Andrew Turner. A Cooper one-two-three for the Earl of March Trophy.

Richmond & Gordon Trophies

With the track virtually flooded there was a considerable delay to the start of the Richmond and Gordon Trophies race for 2.5 litre Grand Prix cars built from 1954 to 1960. Will Nuthall in Giorgio Marchi’s ex-works Cooper-Climax T53 lowline has made this event his own in recent years and was fresh from his back of the grid to win at Silverstone two weeks earlier. The race started under the pace car but when they were released Nuthall came under early pressure from Hall and Hall team manager Andy Willis in the BRM P48 and they swopped the lead a couple of time until the BRM ran wide onto the grass.

Third placed John Spiers, who goes so well in the wet in his Maserati 250F, was tipped into a spin at the chicane by a recovering Willis. Nottingham’s Nuthall raced to his third successive victory in this event. Willis recovered to finish 14 seconds behind Nuthall but was then penalised by 20sec for the incident with Spiers. That moved the lowline T53 of Charlie Martin up to second and the recovered Spiers to third – first of the front-engined cars, which included the Ferguson P99 and a Scarab.

Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration

Late morning and lunchtime were filled by the pedal car race, a superb display of 75 years of the Jaguar XK engine and the second of the motorbike races. Then it was back to car racing with one of the key races the Royal Automobile Club TT celebration for both closed cockpit GT cars and prototypes in the spirit of the 1963 and 1964 TT.

Harrison Newey, sharing with Dad Adrian put their Lanzante-prepared E-type on pole ahead of Mike Whitaker senior sharing with BTCC ace Tom Ingram in the TVR Griffith, with the rare Lister-Jaguar Costin coupe of Tom Kristensen and owner Fred Wakeman third. There was controversy too, Oli Bryant’s ex Alan Mann Cobra was sent to the back due an infringement with a bolt on the front roll bar – which had been the same for twenty years and never previously been declared illegal.

Adrian Newey got the best start but the Cobra of Andrew Smith (sharing with Dario Franchitti), from row 3, catapulted to the front. From the fourth row Richard Kent sent the famous Dick Protheroe CUT7 Jaguar low-drag around the outside of Smith. By lap 5 Bryant had carved his way up to a magnificent fourth from 27th.

After the pitstops it was Alex Brundle in the lead now in the Pearson Engineering prepared CUT7 but a grassy moment saw Jake Hill, who had taken over the Bryant Cobra closing in on him while Dario had taken over the Smith Cobra. Hill closed on Brundle and there was brief contact at half distance, but a safety car gave the pair a breather and closed up the field on the now dry track.

At the restart, V8 Detroit grunt won over Coventry straight six power and Hill chased into the lead while behind there was some great racing amongst the likes of Tom Ingram (in the TVR) , Franchitti, Andre Lotterer in Bobby Verdon-Roe’s Cobra, and Tom Kristensen in the Lister for the remaining podium places. But then TK and Brundle were given penalties for leaving the pits too soon.

In the closing stages Ingram in the TVR had a huge push and hunted down his BTCC rival Hill. Three laps from the end, he sneaked by on the grass at Madgwick but a lap later got a clean pass on the Lavant Straight and held on to win by 0.6 sec. Smith and Franchitti claimed third. A stunning race and history repeated – WW2 fighter pilot Tommy Bridger won with this same TVR at Goodwood some 60 years earlier.

Glover Trophy

Next up a 25 minuter for the Glover Trophy for 1.5 litre Grand Prix cars that raced between 1961 and 1965. The wet practice didn’t suit Andy Middlehurst, with the Monaco Historic winning ex Jim Clark Lotus 25 R4 owned by John Bowers and run by Classic Team Lotus. He was looking for his ninth Glover win but only started fifth.

Andy Willis led from the middle of the front row in the ex-Jackie Stewart BRM P261 but spun off on lap 3 at St Mary’s and backed it gently into the bank. The safety car came out but picked up the fourth placed car. With a big oil slick and Dan Collins’ Lotus 21 damaged at the side of the track, the only option was a red flag.

The cars re-formed and because of a countback Willis was back on the pole. But it was Mark Shaw in the Lotus 21 who led, with Middlehurst second and American Joe Colasacco in Larry Auriana’s fabulous flat 12 Ferrari 1512 charging through. For the final laps Middlehurst and Colasacco repeated their many Monaco battles but the man from Greenwich Connecticut just could not find a way past the car dealer from St Helens. Glover Trophy win number nine for Middelhurst. Shaw finished third with Andy Willis fourth.

 Freddie March Memorial Trophy

Bringing the whole magnificent meeting to a close was the Freddie March Memorial Trophy, 25 minutes for cars racing in the spirit of the Goodwood 9 Hours – which meant mainly ’50s Jaguars and no fewer than four HWMs: two of them on the front row with Jake Hill on the pole. Richard Woolmer was second ahead of Scott Malvern in the Allard J2X.

Woolmer’s Cadillac-powered car made the best start but Hill in Jonathan Turner’s Jaguar-engined version soon picked him off and Hill took the win – partly making up for just missing out on the earlier victory in the Cobra. Malvern took a distant third with Argentina’s Mathias Sielecki coming home fourth in the famous Aston Martin DB3S 62 EMU – the car which finished second at the Le Mans in 1955.

The Goodwood Revival is a massive show with so many outstanding aspects but at the heart of it is the racing and this year the track action was simply stunning.