Goodwood, that is ”Glorious Goodwood”, is an enigma. It somehow combines one of Britain”s great country houses (and estate ” 12,000 acres of rolling Sussex Downs), horse racing at its best, a former wartime RAF airfield still in use for general aviation, and finally a motor racing circuit and hill climb course. It has been the home of the Dukes of Richmond for 300 years.
ABTN does not get invited to the ”horsey' event, but the aviation and motor racing does warrant a summons which we are quick to take up.
The first weekend in September has for the last ten years hosted the Goodwood Revival motor sport event ” 100,000 or more people and a combination of motor racing, motoring history and even flying. In fact the best way to the circuit is to book a flight from Coventry with Air Atlantique”s Classic Flight DH Dragon Rapide, as it positions down prior to a series of joy riding flights.
Goodwood is 60 miles from London via the not very good A3 (which is being dramatically improved around the Devil”s Punch Bowl at Hinehead) and some tricky local roads. Getting in is no problem with the parking well organised.
Portsmouth is more or less due west and Southampton Airport, an easy 35 miles away.
Awards were handed out throughout the weekend, with ten glamorous ladies going home with floral bouquets and bottles of Veuve Clicquot Champagne on Saturday, for the best-dressed females at the event. Irishman Joe Dible was honoured with the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation trophy for his delightful Foster-Wikner ”Wicko” aircraft, flown in as one of 26 entrants in the inaugural pre-1966 aircraft Concours d”Elegance, which proved to be a big hit with the Revival visitors.
The Spirit of Goodwood Award deservedly went to Bill Murray and Larry Miller for their near super-human efforts to sort out their Shelby Daytona Cobra in time for the TT race. Having flown the car over from the US and then blown the engine, they located a replacement in London, commandeered a helicopter to retrieve it, assembled an engine hoist in the paddock and changed the V8 through the night on the eve of the race, and then made the start.
One feature of the weekend was a celebration of the Ford Cosworth DFV engine, first raced at Silverstone 40 years ago by the legendary Jim Clark (some would say the world”s finest all round racing driver) and Graham Hill (father of Damon for the younger reader ” and regular flyer into Goodwood). The DFV went on to win 155 out of 262 races between 1967 and 1985. Its last ever F1 Championship race was the Austrian Grand Prix of 1985 with Martin Brundle, now a most respected TV commentator, in charge of a Tyrrell. He did not finish, and in fact, while an accomplished driver, he never did win a Formula 1 race.
A tribute was paid to Roy Salvadori, now 85, one of the first British drivers to feature in international motor racing in the immediate post-war years.
Following some exceptionally fine motor racing, at the close of the successful meeting, Lord March handed out the prizes to the race winners. The spectacularly quick Desire Wilson received the Fastest Lap by a Lady Driver award for her efforts aboard the Willment Cobra Coupe in the RAC TT Celebration: she was sublime in the monstrous V8 GT car. The Fastest Lap of the Meeting award went to Frank Sytner (at 106.94mph) for his drive in the Lola T70 during Saturday”s Whitsun Trophy. The Best Presented Team award went to Chris Williams and Neil Turner for their novel interpretation of the 40 years of the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album at the Goodwood Ball on Saturday evening.
The Will Hoy Memorial Trophy presented to the driver who puts in the best performance in a closed-cockpit car went to Jamie Boot. Punted out of the lead on the first lap of the Fordwater Trophy, his drive through to second place at the flag will live with anyone who witnessed it.
But there could only be one winner of the Rolex Driver of the Meeting ” Jean-Marc Gounon. The manifestly enthusiastic Frenchman, who only experienced historic racing for the first time at last year”s Revival, starred in everything he drove ” and he drove a lot. After putting on an epic display of car control in the St Mary”s Trophy, winning on the road on the Saturday encounter, he came away with a thoroughly deserved win in the Sussex Trophy with Sir Anthony Bamford”s Aston Martin DBR2 on the Sunday too.
Plans for next year”s Goodwood Revival (and also the equally exciting hill climb Festival of Speed) are already under way for 2008, the tenth anniversary of the first meeting in 1998. Watch the website and put the dates in your diary. http://www.goodwood.co.uk