With a quieter weekend in the world of motorsport, historical racing enthusiasts will be taking to Goodwood in the UK en-masse for a display of historic racing like no other.
The event, which began yesterday, pays tribute to the Goodwood Motor Circuit which operated from 1948 until its closure in 1966. The cars on track will also represent this era.
A number of categories will compete over Saturday and Sunday, a full track schedule being supported by a range of off-track activities, including air displays, the outdoor ‘Revival Cinema which features films based in those decades and the famous Bonhams Auction, where a range of historic cars go under the hammer.
This years Bonhams Auction features a unique selection of Automobilia for collectors to get their hands on, including a 1922 ‘Strasbourg’ Sunbeam Grand Prix racer, a 1952 Aston Martin DB3 sports racer and Bruce McLaren’s early 1960’s Cooper-Zerex-Oldsmobile, the car which was one of the founding competitors of the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Team throughout that decade.
On-track, Saturday’s racing will begin with a track parade of Austin 7’s, followed by a practice session for the Sussex cup.
The Sussex cup is one of a number of categories to feature, with 1955-1961 world championship sportscar’s. Included are the likes of a Ferrari 246S Dino, Jaguar D-Type, Lotus 15 and the famous Lister Knobbly.
The Madgwick Cup will also take to the track come Saturday in a display of 1948- ’55 sports-cars fitted with engines under 2.0L. Cars you can expect to see in this series include the Lotus XI, Osca MT-4 and even the early Maserati A6GCS.
Then there’s the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy for the motorcycle enthusiasts, a race of two-wheeler’s spanning the 1950’s.
The Goodwood Trophy is yet another category in competition, automobiles from when the circuit first opened in 1948. Among the cars we can expect are “Maserati 6CMs, Alfa Romeo P3s and more on track,” the Goodwood Revival website reveals.
Aside from these categories, a number of other cups and trophies will be competed for at the event, including the Freddie March Memorial Trophy for cars which featured through the years of the Goodwood Nine Hours, the Glover Trophy for small-engined Grand Prix cars from the 1960’s, the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy for pre-1963 GT cars and the Chichester Cup for rear-engined drum-braked Formula Junior cars.
The list of competitions is simply huge, with the Lavant Cup sure to entertain with a field of over 30 MGB’s taking to the track.
The Whitsun’s Trophy is seen as the fastest race of the Revival festival, a display of sports prototypes from 1960-1966 set to feature cars such as Lola T70, McLaren M1A, GT40’s and McLaren M1B’s.
Finally, the Richmond & Gordon Trophies will be competed for by 2.5-litre front- and rear-engined Grand Prix cars from 1952 to 1960, whilst the RAC TT Celebration will thrill with closed-cockpit GT and prototypes from 1960-1964, including Jaguar E-types, AC Cobras, Porsche 904s and even TVRs.
Aside from all the unique competition’s, a range of famous drivers will also take to the track over the weekend, with Jenson Button in a Jaguar E-Type in the RAC TT Celebration, our very own Scott Dixon alongside the legendary Dario Franchitti, also in an E-Type but in the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy, and Sir Jackie Stewart in a 1966 BRM P83.
A full schedule of racing can be found on the Goodwood Revival website, with all events streamed live on the Goodwood YouTube channel.
Saturday’s proceedings begin at 8pm New Zealand time until the concluding Spitfire display at 5.55am.
Sunday also begins at 8pm NZ time, but concludes at 7am with a tribute to the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Banner Photo: Drew Gisbson/ Collectors Car World
