27.9.12

From 1948 until its closure in 1966 the former RAF Westhampnett at the base of the Sussex Downs was a prominent venue in global motorsport. Opened as Goodwood by the current Earl of March’s grandfather, its wartime contribution and that of its entrants and competitors is celebrated annually at the Revival.

Now in its fifteenth year, the meeting combines cars, planes, fashion and culture with some of the globe’s best historic racing and a Bonhams auction and with 146,000 attendees over the 3 days, many in ‘40’s/’50’s/’60’s dress, it was undoubtedly a weekend to remember. The on-track activity has received widespread coverage elsewhere, here were my personal highlights:

Born in Port Jefferson, New York on April 13th 1931, Dan Gurney began racing domestically in 1950 with self-built dragsters on Bonneville Salt Flats before graduating with considerable success to circuit racing in a Triumph TR2. In 1957 his driving of the Maserati based Arciero Special attracted the attention of Luigi Chinetti Jnr. and with the latter's sponsorship he competed in the 1958 Le Mans 24hrs in a 250 Testa Rossa.

He retired from his first Grand Prix at Reims in 1959 aboard the now outdated 246 Dino but raced in Formula One for eleven seasons - initially with Ferrari, then the Owen Racing Organisation (BRM) before joining Porsche AG, winning the 1962 ACF (French) GP; to date Porsche's only GP win as a constructor rather than a contractor. He next drove for Brabham, giving them their first GP win, before starting his own F1 team - AAR (Anglo American Racers).

In 1966 the much-admired Eagle TG1 appeared, built by the AAR (All American Racers) parent company in the USA. Powered by the iconic Weslake V12 engine the trio won the 1967 Belgian GP, but the team was under-funded. Gurney switched to a Cosworth DFV powered McLaren for the last three GPs of 1968 before sadly closing his team. His F1 swansong as a driver was three races for Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1970, sitting in for the injured Denny Hulme. In the USA AAR enjoyed considerable success, not least with their Eagle USAC Indy Cars but with Toyota in IMSA racing. Their most recent motorsport involvement is with the revolutionary Nissan DeltaWing.

Renowned for his smooth driving style, off-track modesty and engineering acumen, he also competed in the Indy 500 on nine occasions and also saw success Stateside in Trans-Am, NASCAR and Can-Am between '62 and '70. The versatile Gurney retired from racing in 1970, having started 312 races, in 20 countries, in 51 different makes of car, winning 51 races and achieving 47 podiums, and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.

To celebrate his achievement as a driver, constructor and entrant, the Revival organisers brought together an eclectic collection of cars associated with his career, including some driven by his racing contemporaries Sir Stirling Moss (Maserati Birdcage), Sir Jackie Stewart (Porsche 804), John Surtees (Lotus 29), Brian Redman (Eagle Weslake TG1), Bob Bondurant (AC Cobra) and led by his 1959 Scuderia Ferrari team-mate Tony Brooks, who chauffeured the very spritely 81 yr old Gurney in a Ferrari TR59/60. This was particularly apposite as Dan's best GP result for Scuderia Ferrari was in the notorious 1959 German GP at AVUS where he was second to Brooks and ahead of Phil Hill in a Ferrari 1-2-3.

In the Central Paddock (where gentlemen are required to wear ties) cars were arranged by marque including amongst others ERA, Maserati, Jaguar, Porsche, Aston Martin and Ferrari - catching my eye were fifteen Ferrari 250 GTOs. Meilenwerk Historic Racing's Citroen Le Tissier car transporter (complete with their AC Cobra entry for the Shelby Cup), Bill Ainscough's freshly rebuilt Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans and driven by road to Goodwood from Dusseldorf and back again.... Brooklands Trophy winner and Driver of the Meeting Max Werner, aboard his family's much raced Alfa Romeo Monza.

Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the AC Cobra with a single marque race named after company founder, the late Carroll Shelby; the fast and furious Shelby Cup included several illustrious names from single seater, GT and touring car racing - amongst others, former IRL champion and 1999 Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack, multiple Le Mans winners Vern Schuppan, Jurgen Barth and Henri Pescarolo, TV broadcaster Martin Brundle and current WTCC racer Tom Coronel.

Seventy five years after Auto Union and Mercedes Benz raced against each other at the 1937 British Grand Prix, Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre and Audi Tradition celebrated this significant anniversary by presenting a re-enactment of the Donington Park grid - five cars from each manufacturer, which were garaged in a specially constructed area of the paddock. "The Silver Arrows" from Audi were a type A, a type C and three D Types, shared by Jacky Ickx, Frank Biela, Nick Mason, Harald Demuth and Phillipe D'Ieteren ……and from Mercedes a W25, W125, two W154s (one from the Miles Collier collection) and the unique W165, demonstrated by Sir Jackie Stewart, Paul Stewart, Bernd Schneider, Jochen Mass, Karl Wendlinger and Rob Hall. The sight, sound and smell (methanol and toluene!) of these legendary racers, supported by cars which competed against them at the Derbyshire circuit were undoubtedly this year's highlight.

I visited the adjacent pre-1966 car park often during the weekend - the diverse display of more than 1000 collectors cars was undoubtedly worth the trip alone; evident from a German registered Horch and BMW 507, three Italian registered Ferraris, a Danish plated Maserati Sebring and a Swiss registered, Bertone bodied, left-hand-drive Jaguar XK150.

Attracting much attention in the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation display was the US military liveried, 1944 Consolidated PBY 5A Catalina "Miss Pick-up", a 1945 Douglas DC3 Dakota nicknamed "I'm here now" and my favourite, the Duxford UK based, 1951 T28a Fennec, "Little Rascal".

Special Awards

Rolex Driver of the Meeting – Max Werner.
Fastest Lap of the Meeting – Gary Pearson in the Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder in a time of 1:19.703.
Fastest Lap by a Lady driver – Sandra McNeil in the AC Cobra in a time of 1:37.396.
Best Presented Team – Alan Mann Racing.
Spirit of Goodwood Award – Miles Collier, Michael Bock and his team from Mercedes-Benz Classic, Thomas Frank and his team from Audi Tradition.
Will Hoy Memorial Trophy – Rauno Aaltonen.
Freddie March Spirit of Aviation – Beech Staggerwing owned by William Charney.
Earls Court Concours D’Elegance – 1938 Bentley 4.5-litre Embiricos Special owned by Arturo Keller.

Race results by TSL: click here.

Click here for a slideshow with additional pics.