Historic racing is a mainstay of the national racing landscape, and perhaps no more so than at the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit which will once again hold its Members' Meeting this weekend.
An eclectic mix of cars from throughout the decades are set to take the track at some point over the coming days, from 1950s GT cars to more modern single-seater machinery.
Here are Autosport's top picks for what to watch out for ahead of the big event.
1. Lotus genius across the board
Colin Chapman’s Lotus marque was the most successful across Goodwood’s 71 contemporary era Members’ Meetings, from 1949 to 1966. ACBC’s feisty lightweights carried drivers to 129 victories. Closest rival MG scored 45, 15 before Chapman opened his account in a MkVI in July 1953.
For Lotus fanatics, the MM features six streamlined Elevens plus a 17 and two rear-engined 19s in the Robert Brooks Trophy race alone. Scottish pro Andrew Kirkaldy holds the trump card in Sandy Watson’s Eleven, the agility of which coupled with his apex speeds should be sufficient to outrun the opposition. Danish veteran Otto Reedtz-Thott and countryman Jakob Holstein exercise the two-litre Climax FPF-powered 19s.
Elan 26Rs will be outgunned, but not outhandled, in the Graham Hill Trophy, although Nicks Fennell and Padmore (the latter sharing Robin Ellis’s Shapecraft coupe) are out to claim the scalps of larger-engined cars.
Japan’s Katsu Kubota drives his Ford V8-engined Type 30 in the Surtees Trophy prototype showpiece. Andrew Thorpe, Werner Pircher and rapid Italian Enrico Spaggiari uphold Lotus honour in the 1000cc F3 set, named for period MM 7 to 41 winner Derek Bell.
2. Lola Mark 1 quintet reunited
Five Lola Mk1s will contest the sportscar race named for Robert Brooks, who died last year. The auctioneer extraordinaire won the Sussex Trophy race at the first Revival Meeting (1998) in a Lotus 15 with its rear wheelarch flapping.
Four of their histories are intertwined with the venue. Designer Eric Broadley rolled the prototype (BY-1, built in Byfleet) at Madgwick, third time out, at the 31st MM. Christopher ‘Dickie’ Le Strange Metcalfe won the first era finale at the 71st MM on 2 July 2 1966 in Bromley-built BR-32, previously raced by Tom Hart and Jack Paterson.
Susan Ahlers has long owned BY-1, entered for husband Keith’s regular co-driver James ‘Billy’ Bellinger. Fellow preparer Nick Finburgh saddles the Adams family’s car, in Metcalfe’s black livery.
The first Lola raced in the USA, in agent Allan Ross’s hands, BY-2 was reacquired by Broadley in 1985. Bought from him by period Goodwood racer Robs Lamplough, ‘Lulu’ is entrusted to the versatile Ben Mitchell.
Sir John Chisholm’s BR-21 contested the 1962 Whitsun Trophy and won that day’s handicap in first owner Lord Angus Clydesdale’s hands. Crashed in practice for the 1963 Singapore GP, it was bought by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon (then Lord March) in the 1990s.
3. Works Sprite in Weslake Cup
The appearance of Julian Ellison’s newly acquired works (Donald Healey Motor Company) Austin-Healey Sprite, in which Timo Makinen/Paul Hawkins finished 18th at the Sebring 12 Hours in 1966 (pictured), is an exciting focus for the Weslake Cup race. Paddy Hopkirk/Andrew Hedges subsequently raced it at Le Mans but retired.
The BMC A-Series engine is synonymous with motorsport success, and tuning guru Harry Weslake’s work in developing its cylinder heads for competition made the accessible unit an obvious choice to power models from a host of British GT car manufacturers in a buoyant marketplace.
Much international success fell largely to Sprite derivatives from the corporation, notably the hallowed Sebring Sprites raced by Stirling Moss, Clive Baker, Roger Enever and others. It’s no surprise that they will comprise a third of the grid. Also in the line-up are Ashley, Lenham and Speedwell Sprites, plus a Williams & Pritchard bodied MG Midget.
The pace of the Turner Mk1s should not be underestimated, particularly since Le Mans veteran Darren Turner is piloting one. Two Ogle GTs, a Deep Sanderson and a Rochdale Olympic with outright lap record holder Nick Padmore up are in the mix.
4. Frazer Nashers honour AFP Fane
Archie Frazer Nash’s eponymous creations of the 1920s and 1930s guarantee spectacular action wherever they compete and the opportunity to celebrate the exploits of Alfred Fane Peers Agabeg who – usually as AFP Fane – successfully showcased the marque in racing and hillclimbing.
Heading an extraordinary field of chain-driven Nashes at Goodwood is the raucous supercharged Nurburg that Fane raced at the Nurburgring in 1932. Restored by the great Dick Smith from a kit of parts in 1960, it is raced by son Andrew, who also competes in rear-engined Coopers.
Top drivers include Patrick Blakeney-Edwards and double FIA Thoroughbred GP champion Martin Stretton in 1935 Monopostos, American Fred Wakeman, Eddie Williams and young Tom Waterfield in earlier Super Sports. The extrovert Dougal Cawley (Ford-powered Piglet) and Julian Grimwade’s gruff Alvis-engined Norris Special will be up there too.
AFN Ltd, which imported BMWs to Great Britain from the 1930s, went on to achieve remarkable success at Le Mans post-war with its own cycle-winged sportscars powered by Bristol’s evolution of the straight-six BMW engine – and imported Porsches from 1954.
5. Collins’ 1950s sportscar heaven
Peter Collins cemented his place in Goodwood history by winning, with Pat Griffith and against the odds, the inaugural Nine Hour race in August 1952 in an Aston Martin DB3. The reliable Astons also beat Jaguar’s hares in 1953 and 1955 for a clean sweep of the three gruelling enduros [it wasn’t run in 1954] and the 1958 and 1959 RAC Tourist Trophy races.
Jaguars are out to turn the tide in the Collins 1950s sportscar race. Gary Pearson leads five D-types and three C-types into battle against the Maserati 300Ss of Dutchman David Hart and German brothers Josef-Otto and Stephan Rettenmaier, plus Ferrari 250TR/290MM-mounted American Mike Malone.
Darren Turner and Martin Hunt are out in wieldy HWM-Jaguars, while Katarina Kyvalova is back with her ex-Bertie Bradnack Cooper-Jaguar T33 and James Thorpe brings his Lister ‘flat-iron’, also XK powered.
Christopher Mann’s glorious Alfa Romeo 3000PR ‘Disco Volante’ and Bill Shepherd’s Ford Thunderbird ‘Battlebird’ represent opposite ends of the aerodynamic spectrum, in a field that includes Alain Ruede’s Cunningham C4R and Nick Jarvis’s cycle-winged Allard-Cadillac J2X.
6. Exotica gunning for GT glory
Graham Hill’s victories in Goodwood’s last two world sportscar championship RAC Tourist Trophy races in 1963 and 1964, driving Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s Maranello Concessionaires’ Ferrari 250 GTO and 330P respectively, are remembered in the double-driver pre-1966 GT showpiece.
The Netherlands is very strongly represented, by two prancing horses and a Bizzarrini. Marino Franchitti partners Nicky Pastorelli in Piet Roelofs’ 250 GTO/64, while Yelmer Buurman joins Olav Glasius in his shapely 250 LM.
The quickest combo may, however, be David and Olivier Hart in their mighty Chevrolet-powered ‘Bizza’ 5300GT. Two of the three svelte Porsche 904 Carrera GTSs are crewed by Le Mans 24 Hours winners. Richard Attwood shares with Olivier Blanpain and Emanuele Pirro with David Clark, but Oliver Bryant/Andrew Smith may win the marque battle also involving Franck Trouillard (906).
The Ford V8-powered AC Cobras and TVR Griffith 400 (Guy Smith/Mike Whitaker) specs have been reined-in this year, which may favour the quickest Jaguar E-types. Wolfgang Friedrichs has Simon Hadfield finishing in his Aston Martin DP214 as usual. Anthony Reid saddles a thuggish Cheetah-Chevrolet.
7. Europeans chase Bell Cup F3 prize
Single-seaters made their Members’ Meeting debut on 27 September 1958, when Tommy Bridger (Cooper-Norton MkIX) won the 500cc F3 race. Three weeks later he made his only world championship appearance in the season-closing Moroccan GP, driving British Racing Partnership’s Cooper T45, but was eliminated in a fiery multi-car crash.
Formula Junior joined the MM roster in 1960 – the fabled race won by Jim Clark (Lotus-Ford 18) from poleman John Surtees (Tyrrell Cooper-BMC T52) – then 1000cc F3 in 1964. Local star Derek Bell’s F3 wins in 1964 and 1965, in Lotus 31 and 4, earn him the race title as the ‘screamers’ return.
Previous victors Andrew Hibberd (Brabham BT18) and American veteran James King (Chevron B17) head the entry. Historic F3 champion Jeremy Timms (ex-Reine Wisell Chevron B15) has proven pace, as does FF1600 hotshoe Horatio Fitz-Simon who drives Mike O’Brien’s B15, dormant for many years.
Delightfully, this pack is enhanced by continental European racers Leif Bosson (Brabham BT28), Francois Derossi (Chevron B17), Thierry Gallo (Tecno), Werner Pircher (Lotus 31), Mauro Poponcini (Cooper T76) Enrico Spaggiari (ex-John Miles Lotus 41X) and Christoph Widmer (Brabham BT18A).
8. Gerry Marshall Trophy
Always a modern Members’ Meeting highlight, the Gerry Marshall Trophy celebrates the greatest British showman of his era and the Group 1 Touring Cars he loved. Once seen never forgotten is how fans recall the big man wagging the tail of a Ford Capri 3.0S or Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
As ever, the contest should be closely fought between the quickest Capris and swashbuckling V8s. Triple BTCC champion Gordon Shedden, Darren Turner, Alex Brundle and Alex Buncombe join past masters Emanuele Pirro and Stuart Graham among the Chevrolet Camaro posse.
Andy Priaulx and Jason Plato fly the Blue Oval flag sharing Ford Mustang Boss 302s. Goodwood rookie Erik Comas represents Rover – in French compatriot Rene Metge’s Marlboro/Air Inter Supertourisme SD1 – alongside David Brabham and Marino Franchitti.
Bentley’s Le Mans winner Guy Smith saddles Mike Whitaker’s Autocar Capri, but will have to fly to beat the similarly mounted Jake Hill, Rob Huff, Stig Blomqvist and Tiff Needell in Saturday’s ‘pro-am’ enduro. Nic Minassian/Nick Padmore will surprise in the lone BMW 530i, and there are giant-killing Mini 1275 GTs and a VW Scirocco if the going is slippery.
9. Sopwith’s racing endeavour remembered
Tommy Sopwith (1932-2019), for whom the 1950s saloon car race is named, started competing at Goodwood in 1953, driving a Jaguar XK120, then progressed to Cooper sportscars. On 18 June 1955, he won three of the 18th Members’ Meeting’s eight races, two in a Cooper T39 ‘Bobtail’, the other in his Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire.
Having won all but one round of the inaugural British Saloon Car Championship of 1958 in a 3.4-litre Jaguar, Sopwith narrowly lost out to class winner Jack Sears in a shootout to decide the title’s destiny at Brands Hatch in Riley One-Point-Fives.
Old Stoic Sopwith – son of aviator and America’s Cup yacht racer Sir Tom – was a successful Brighton car dealer whose Equipe Endeavour was among Britain’s top private teams. Driving its Jaguar E-type, Graham Hill famously won on the model’s competition debut at Oulton Park in 1961. The team bowed out victoriously at the end of 1962.
The field for Sunday’s race appropriately features three Jaguar MkVIIs and spans Renault 4CV to Lincoln Cosmopolitan via MG YB and Jowett Javelin. Can anybody catch Jason Kennedy’s Lancia Aurelia B20GT?
10. Formula 1 and Porsche 956/962 demos
The shrill note of V10 engines, particularly the Mercedes-Benz unit in a McLaren MP4-15 raced by Mika Hakkinen in 2000, will transport onlookers back to Formula 1’s 1990s and early 2000s era as grand prix cars from 14 marques take to the 2.4-mile circuit on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Splitting them into two groups will give drivers the space to sizzle down the straights of what was a popular F1 testing venue in the 1970s and 1980s Cosworth DFV era, after Goodwood’s 19 years as arguably the world’s most hospitable contemporary racing circuit were over. The provisional ‘grid’ harbours Ferrari F399, Brabham BT60B, Leyton House CG901 and earlier McLarens.
Sportscar racing’s Group C epoch of the 1980s was all about Porsche for many enthusiasts. They will relish seeing and hearing towards 20 of the flame-belching turbocars charging round the track. Five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell (who achieved golds in 1982, 1986 and 1987 with Rothmans Porsches) and Tiff Needell (third for the Japanese Alpha Racing Team in 1990 with Anthony Reid and David Sears) are among the drivers.
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