Goodwood Revival 2009
‘The Revival is theatre’ explains Lord March as he sums up the enduring appeal of this unique event. The Goodwood Revival attracts everyone who loves classic motor sport but it also fascinates those of us who want to recreate and relive the past, perhaps because it brings to mind those happier times of our youth when we aspired to owning these wonderful machines. Nostalgia plays a large part in our appreciation of classic motoring and this event in which everyone makes such an effort by wearing the right clothes, driving the right cars and having the right accessories, takes us directly back to a simpler time. I have attended most of the Revival meetings and the magic endures. I still get a particular thrill arriving in the car park among so many superb classics and after putting on my battered Panama hat, I’m full of anticipation as I stride towards the entrance gates.
Avro Vulcan provided a stunning display over the circuit
Sir Stirling Moss with Lady Moss. Sir Stirling celebrated his 80th birthday just before the Revival on the 17th September
Fifty years of Mini cars was celebrated at Goodwood with special parades
Madgwick Cup A McQueen Quattlebaum in 1954 LECO MG Sport
The format of every Revival is slightly different and there is always something new to stir the emotions, this year an Avro Vulcan V-bomber swooped and dived around the circuit appearing and disappearing behind the buildings with a deafening roar from its engines; watching this awesome sight I was transported straight back to my childhood in the 1950s.
This year’s Goodwood Revival celebrated several landmark anniversaries, fifty years since the introduction of the Mini in 1959 and the eightieth birthday of legendary racing driver Sir Stirling Moss on the 17th September.
The Mini’s 50th anniversary provided a great excuse to celebrate the iconic car and also the iconic mini skirt that defined the 1960s. The car was celebrated with a two-part St Mary’s Trophy race on Saturday and Sunday and a special parade with Mini race cars, rally cars and various other Mini derivatives including Mr Bean driving his own Mini saloon from his armchair mounted on the roof.
In keeping with the Mini theme the 1960s were evoked by groups of mini skirted young ladies dancing in a mock up of Carnaby Street complete with a London bus and even more Minis all decked out in Union flag livery. Saturday was designated Ladies Day and on-the-spot prizes were on offer for the best-dressed ladies in their mini-skirts, a typical non-politically correct touch that defines the spirit of the weekend.
Another inspired idea was this year’s special guest the NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin who dropped into the Revival on Sunday by UH-1 Huey helicopter. After being met by Lord March and driven around the Goodwood circuit in a large 1960s convertible Ford Thunderbird, he joined Sir Terence Conran, James May and others to help judge the annual Freddie March Spirit of Aviation award; a concours d’elegance for pre-1966 aircraft, which was won by a Bucker BU133C Jungmeister owned by Mark Rijkse.
Also on Sunday a special birthday tribute was paid to Sir Stirling Moss by Lord March then Buzz Aldrin made a speech of congratulations after which Lord March’s sister gave a rousing rendition of ‘Rule Britannia’, then the Royal Horse Artillery fired off a cannon salute. As the horses and limber wagons made their way off the track 80 cars gathered (one for each year of his life) for a special parade, these were just some of the different race cars that he has driven over the years among them were Jaguars, Astons, Maseratis, and Lotus with some other interesting mounts such as the JAP engined Morgan Three-Wheeler (his first car), various Kiefts, even a Berkeley Sports car, a Renault Dauphine, and a period Go-cart bearing number 7.
Another celebration of note was that it has been fifty years since Barry Sidery-Smith first raced at Goodwood in an Austin Healey 100-4 and half a century later he’s still competing with his Le Mans MGB and he took part in the Fordwater Trophy. Barry is well known to the MGOC as the regular competitor at the Le Mans Classic and Spa.
On the Track
The Madgwick Cup on Saturday morning had a impressive field with a number of special bodied MGs, the LECO-MG Sport, Dargue-MG, Cooper MG T21, Jacobs MG Coupé Lester-MG, Cooper MG T10, Lester-MG, Parson MG, Playford MG and Tojeiro MG Leonard Special. The race was won by Lukas Huni in a Maserati A8GCS with Nick Wigley in Tojeiro-Bristol and Patrick Blakeney Edwards in Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica, the highest placed MG was Alexander McQueen Quattlebaum who finished ninth in the LECO MG Sport.
Barry Sidery Smith in the Fordwater Trophy holding off the pursuing Porsche
The Mini’s suffered a high rate of engine failure
Fordwater Trophy – Dave Saunders at the wheel and Nikki Saunders by side of the ex-works MGB
The Fordwater Trophy on Saturday afternoon had an interesting grid with MGs from Dave Saunders’ ex-works MGB and Colin Pearcy in a competition MGB and Julius Thurgood in a 1963 MG Midget. These were pitted against four Porche 911s and four Lotus Elites, two Ginetta G4s, a Warwick GT, an Austin Healey 3000, a Marcos, a Turner MKII, a Triumph TR4, a Morgan Plus Four, an Elva Courier, an Elva Courier GT, Alfa Romeo Guiletta SS and SZ plus a TVR Grantura MKIII and a Lightweight TVR Grantura MKIII.
As the race progressed Karsten Le Blanc in the Healey 3000 and Ian Bankhurst in the Grantura gradually eased their way clear of their pursuers as Keith Ahlers’ Morgan fended off the attentions of Roger Wills’ Lotus Elite. With eleven laps run, Le Blanc made a mistake at the chicane which allowed Bankhurst’s Grantura to close right up on the back of the Healey. However, for several laps the TVR couldn’t quite catch the race leader but with just two corners remaining the Healey ran wide and Bankhurst got in front to claim a crowd-pleasing victory. Barry Sidery Smith was the first MG home in ninth place after battling with the Porsche 911s throughout the race. A pretty good showing for the MG against so many lightweight fibreglass bodied, high power to weight ratio cars.
Fordwater Trophy – Julius Thurgood with his 1963 MG Midget
Andrew Taylor driving Peter Green’s MG K3 in the Brooklands Trophy
Barry Sidery Smith and his wife Pam celebrate 50 years since his first race at Goodwood
The 1934 MG N-type of Mark Piercy and 1933 J4 of Geraint Lewis moving up to the collecting area before the Brooklands Trophy
Classic style is everywhere at the Revival
Bobby Rahal shared the E-type with Adrian Newy and they won the RAC TT Celebration
Sixties fashion to celebrate the Mini and mini skirt
Sir Stirling Moss in a special parade of his race cars
Patrick Blakeney-Edwards pursues Nick Mason’s Aston Martin
The Brooklands trophy on Sunday morning had an impressive field with two MG K3s, an MG N-type, and a J4. This race is always a great spectacle and this year was no exception with a bravura performance by Patrick Blakeney-Edwards in his Fraser Nash Super Sports who thrilled the crowd with characteristic slides through the corners as he fought his way back up through the pack twice after making two pit stops to top up his radiator. Despite Blakeney-Edwards’ valiant efforts he finished second to Nick Mason in his Aston Martin Ulster, the car Nick started racing in 35 years ago. Andrew Taylor finished sixth in Peter Green’s MG K3 while the other K3 driven by Brandon Smith-Hilliard finished in 15th place, Lewis’ J4 was 23rd and the N-type retired with mechanical problems.
Other racing highlights included the thrilling St Mary’s race for saloon cars, which this year was held exclusively as a Mini-only race to honour the 50th anniversary of Britain’s most popular small car, with Oliver Gavin and Nick Swift taking a well deserved victory. The £150million car grid for the RAC Tourist Trophy Race also made for an exciting race, with Bobby Rahal and chief Red Bull Formula One team engineer Adrian Newey taking the chequered flag. The exciting Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy motorcycle race featuring a Le Mans-style running start was won by a slim margin by Wayne Gardner and John-Lee Pemberton riding a 1966 matchless G50.
The Revival has gone from strength to strength and the crowds have increased, this year there was a record attendance in excess of 134,000 which is great for the organisers but made getting around rather more difficult than in the past. However, the event retains its unique appeal and there really is nothing to match it for atmosphere in the historic racing calendar.