“Sit up class and pay attention-Bentley look to the front! Rolls stop talking to Royce and tell that new Italian pupil Ferrari to stop doodling sketches of prancing horses on his exercise book. Alfa don’t keep pulling Delahaye’s hair she doesn’t want your attentions, I know you think you’re a bit of a Romeo but you’re here to learn.” This is the parallel universe that is Goodwood Circuit down in West Sussex, UK where nostalgia and eccentricity collide head on, and the school bell has rung to start the 80th Members Meeting. Crazy as it sounds this exclusive weekend that annually celebrates motorsport’s history and heritage has a British boarding school ethos at its core, and there is plenty of eccentricity to be found in a British boarding school!
Only Goodwood Road Racing Club members and Fellows, of which there are around 18,000, can attend and invite guests making the Meeting less crowded than public events. All members, race drivers and visiting celebrities are assigned to one of four Houses and are encouraged to take part in competitions around the circuit ranging from axe throwing and laser clay shooting, to off-roading in classic Land Rovers to earn ‘House points’ with the racers needing to finish in the highest position possible to gain their points. Crazy? Possibly. Eccentric? Defiantly. Popular? Undisputedly. Thousands attend annually to be entertained by fantastic racing and unique on-track demos … the House games just add to the fun.
Without the self-imposed period restrictions of the Revival, the Members’ Meeting is free to explore a wider gambit of motorsport history and for 2023 the spread was over a 100 years with cars from the beginning of the 20th century to the 2000s taking part. On track action is divided between races and high-speed demos as circuit safety limitations do not permit racing by relatively modern, high-powered beasts.
Four demonstration runs were staged on both days with the widest ranging being 60 years of the Porsche 911 rarely seen monsters, even less in action, included the 1973 Targa Florio winning RSR, 1979 Le Mans 1st placed 935, the 1982 Daytona dominating ‘JLP-3’, 1998 911 GT1-98 paraded by Tom Kristensen with a total of 21 historic 911s circulating each day filling the air with the sound that only comes from a Porsche racing engine.
Outstripping the 911s in terms of sheer numbers was the GT1 display, 24 of these top-flight racers from the early 21st century took to the track each day. Le Mans class and GT1 race winners, including the likes of the Aston Martin DBR9, Ferrari 550 GTS, Maserati MC12, Chrysler Viper GTS-R and Lister Storm lapped at indecently fast demo speeds.
Famously known for being the first turbocharged F1 car to win the drivers’ World Championship two Brabham BT52s returned to the Goodwood Motor Circuit. The cars were reunited with their designer Professor Gordon Murray and team manager Herbie Blash ahead of the special demonstration. ‘Returned to Goodwood’ because in 1983 Goodwood was used by Brabham as their test track and local folklore has it that during one of those sessions Nelson Piquet set the outright circuit record lapping in just under 1 minute! “I remember that day,” says Herbie Blash, “I’d like to think Nelson went round in under a minute, but it seems no one made a note of it! I clearly remember the circuit manager jumping up and down, running around saying the lap record had been broken.” It’s also possible that Nelson cut one of the corners on the far side of the track but let’s not spoil a good story with that. On Saturday, Riccardo Patrese was reunited with his #5 South African GP-winning BT52 and was joined by David Brabham at the wheel of Nelson Piquet’s #6 chassis to lap Goodwood again. On Sunday, with Karun Chandhook at the wheel, #5 had a little hesitation requiring the marshals to propel it back to the pits where it was soon revived by the BMW mechanics.
Great racing punctuated the events throughout the weekend commencing with a two-parter for motorcycles that raced pre-1983 Dan Jackson came out on top astride his 1981 Harris Yamaha TZ350, both races hosted some nail-biting overtakes but fortunately the leathers stayed intact. Race 2 for the Gurney Trophy, a two driver 45-minute dash for Sports Prototypes raced between 1960-66, was full of incidents and close racing, victory eventually going to the Lynn/Franchitti GT40 despite a 10-second penalty for an under-time pit stop. Second spot went to the Chevron BMW of Kirkaldy/Hall in-spite of a drive-through penalty for an overpopulated pit stop. A spin onto the grass while lapping back-markers didn’t stop Griffiths & Sheddon from snatching 3rd place in their GT40 by half a cars length from the Meins/Huff GT40.
Another 2-part race was the S.F.Edge Trophy for Edwardian cars this provided a fantastic collection of vehicles, many from manufacturers long since gone. With only a two-speed gearbox Mark Walker’s 1905 200hp Darracq was always slow off the line, while Julian Majzub raced away into the lead in his 1916 Sunbeam ‘Indianapolis’, but with arms-full of opposite lock Walker scythed his way through the field snatching victory from Julian by a car’s length in both heats.
Three races made up the competition for the Gordon Spice Trophy contested by Group 1 Saloons that raced between 1970-82. Over 2.8 liter cars raced in heat one with those up to 2.8 liters in heat two, both heats could only be described as fast and furious with the top 15 finishers from each regardless of dented bodywork going into the final on Sunday afternoon. This eclectic mix of cars and capacities took off from the grid for the final race of the weekend many using the grass to gain advantage at Madgwick corner and battled on for half the race until Mark Wilson rolled his VW Golf bringing out the red flag. After the restart, Rob Huff and Jack Tetley swopped places for the lead lap after lap and coming into the final corner, Woodcote, they were side by side Tetley ran wide crashing into the tire wall leaving Rob with just the chicane ahead before victory.
A similar fate struck Ray Mallock in the Formula Junior race as he spun away his lead on the final lap gifting a win to Stuart Roach in the 1960 Alexis-Ford MK2. The Nuvolari race for Sports Racing Cars up to 1939 and provided a grid of classic Astons, Bentleys, Alfas, Frazer Nash and Talbots victory eventually going to Richard Bradley in his 1936 Aston Martin Speed ‘Red Dragon’.
A race-long dice for second place in the Gaze Trophy kept the spectators enthralled with John Ure and Cliff Gray swopping places constantly in their Frazer Nash Le Mans Replicas. Gray eventually came out best behind Vincent Jannsen’s 1953 Healey 100/4. In the Salvadori Cup race for Sports Racing Cars 1955-60, there were similar antics this time for third place with Michael Gans Lotus-Climax 15 just managing to keep Shane Brereton’s Cooper-Climax ‘Monaco’ at bay. Martin Stretton took first place with his Lister ‘Knobbly’. Jaguar E-Types, Lotus Elites and Aston Martin DB4s made up the majority of the field contesting the Moss Trophy providing some very close racing but none were able to keep pace with James Cottingham in the 1962 AC Cobra.
Thirty, yes 30, MK1 Ford-Lotus Cortinas filled the grid for the Jim Clark Trophy 2-driver race, amazingly there were no serious incidents on the first lap as the field sorted itself out. Throughout the race places changed constantly as these 60-year-old saloons danced and slid their way around Goodwood’s sweeping curves with only a little in race panel beating. Much of the entry had celebrity ‘hotshoes’ behind the wheel for part of the race familiar names such as Mass, Chilton, Franchitti, Brundell, Kristensen and Brabham but despite their best efforts it was the Dickenson/Jordan duo that took the honors. Bearing in mind that Andrew Jordan was the 2013 British Saloon Car Champion perhaps the result was to be expected.
Designer Gordon Murray used the event to unveil his latest creation a spider version of his T33 Cosworth powered V12 which was followed by Dario Franchitti lapping the circuit in the closed cockpit version.
The party got going in true Goodwood style on Saturday evening as the GT1 demonstration closed the event with a sunset extravaganza, signaling the start of the much-loved Members’ Meeting party, a spectacular firework display, live music and fabulous food and drink was a real celebration for Goodwood Road Racing Members and Fellows.
As for those House points Darnley House made it to the top in 2023 but changes are afoot, House Captains Nicolas Minassian (Aubigny), Anthony Reid (Methuen), Jochen Mass (Darnley) and Emanuele Pirro (Torbolton), who’s sterling work has seen them champion their teams for an incredible 10 years, are retiring and handing over the baton ahead of the 81st Members’ Meeting next year. The 2024 event will be joined by new House Captains Dario Franchitti, Gordon Shedden, Andy Priaulx, and Tom Kristensen.
School will convene again in 2024 don’t be late when the bell rings otherwise you’ll get a detention.
