Goodwood Members’ Meeting (2024) - Goodwood Members’ Meeting

Ten years since the reinvention of the Members’ Meeting has seen this grow from a relatively low key (by comparison with the headline Goodwood events), into one of the most cherished historic meetings in the UK.

With a more relaxed, informal atmosphere than Goodwood Revival, where spectators are free to wander around the paddocks, basking in awe at the sensationally curated array of historic cars, the Members’ Meeting loses none of the hotly contested on-track action, whether Edwardian sports cars, 1960s GT and prototypes or 1980s touring cars.

The SF Edge Trophy, contested over two races, assembles by far the most diverse and entertaining field of competitors. The crowd-pleasing Fiat S76, dubbed the ‘Beast of Turin’ casts an immense shadow, belching flames from its 28.4 liter engine, sharing the track with titans of the Edwardian era, the Darracq 200HP, former World Land Speed record holder, a car so advanced in 1905, that it was faster than any airplane that existed at that point.

Drivers would suggest that these cars were not a handful, but more of an armful, as they wrestle these 100+ year old machines around Goodwood, on tiny tyres, bearing the brunt of heavy Edwardian metal. Both Julian Majzub and Mark Walker shared the honors over the course of the two races, as spectacular and entertaining races unfolded on both Saturday and Sunday.

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Ford Mustang, with an entry list which somewhat resembled a ‘who’s who’ of historic and contemporary motorsport, bringing together names such as Dario Franchitti, Jochen Mass, Jamie Chadwick, Tom Kristensen and Stig Blomqvist, the Ken Miles Cup was a single 45 minute race on Sunday, bringing together a field of first-gen Ford Mustang notchbacks, which all ran on sustainable fuel in an innovative twist, in line with the forward thinking team at Goodwood.

Ken Miles himself, well known for his input into transforming the Ford GT40 into one of the most successful sports cars of its time, was also instrumental in pushing the Ford saloon car into one of the most engaging sports cars in history. Losing none of the spectacle which mid-sixties Mustangs on track demonstrate, the sustainable fuel ensured that exhausts flamed and tyres squealed under the duress provided by the fast corners of the Goodwood circuit. It came as no surprise that hard battles ensued throughout the field, with the driver pairing of Mike Whittaker and Andrew Jordan claiming the win at the end of an enthralling race.

Unforgettable Demonstrations

The headline act for the 81st Members’ Meeting was the arrival of a sublime field of Can-Am cars, for two high-speed demonstrations over the weekend.

Heralded as some of the most extreme sports cars of all time, the laissez-faire approach to series regulations, loosely bound under FIA Group 7, twinned with the innovative ground effect style aero, employing venturi tunnels to effectively suck the cars down onto the track, made for fearsomely quick racing, and staggeringly impressive designs.

Dominated in the late 60s by Lola, then McLaren, before the Porsche 917 Spyder arrived on the scene, packing a mean 1580 horsepower in qualifying trim to rule for a couple of years before fuel consumption regulations were put in place, with Jackie Olivers championship in 1974, driving the Shadow DN4A Chevrolet, which would be the final iteration of the championship in its original form.

In the other dazzling demonstration, the late, great Niki Lauda was saluted as 2024 marks the anniversary of his first Grand Prix victory in the 1974 Spanish Grand Prix, and 40 years since the momentous 1984 season, where Lauda and Prost fought tooth and nail over the course of the Formula One season, to be separated by a mere ½ point, when Lauda won his third and final Championship.

Former McLaren driver Chris Goodwin took to the track in Lauda’s McLaren TAG MP4/2B, in which Lauda took his final Grand Prix victory at Zandvoort in 1985.

Formula One legend Gerhard Berger was once more behind the wheel of his 1989 Ferrari 640, which he raced in six Grand Prix that season.

Never one to leave anything out on track, Bergers hot lap on the Saturday, in a shower of sparks on the pit straight, caused irreparable damage to the floor of the 640, meaning that the demonstration run on Sunday was not possible.