A sensational all-Porsche race for classic 911s and Freddie Hunt’s run in his father James’ Hesketh grand prix car were the highlights on a day when racing dominated proceedings at the Goodwood 73rd Members’ Meeting.
Under bright blue skies, the second and final day of the Members’ Meeting featured a nine-race programme featuring everything from 1920s Grand Prix Bugattis to early Can-Am cars; one of which – a Lola driven by Nick Padmore – set a new outright lap record.
The significance of the Members’ Meeting, now in the second year of its revived format, could be seen in the quality of both cars and star drivers present. The Porsche race – the John Aldington Trophy – featured the very 911 that Vic Elford borrowed from to win the world’s first rallycross event in 1967 – and Le Mans winner Richard Attwood. Both were soundly beaten by former British Touring Car champion Andrew Jordan.
Another BTCC champion, Matt Neal, triumphed in a thundering Chevrolet Camaro he shared with David Clark in the Gerry Marshall Trophy race for Group 1 touring cars and there were also victories for some of the greatest names in motor racing history, such as Maserati, Lola, Lister and BRM.
As on Saturday, there were superb high-speed demonstrations of Group C Le Mans racers, McLaren F1 GTRs and high-airbox Formula 1 cars; the highlight of which was an unexpected appearance by Freddie Hunt behind the wheel of a Hesketh 308 previously raced by his father – 1976 F1 World Champion – James.
Honours in the battle for the Goodwood House Trophy were taken – for a second year running – by Methuen, Captained by former BTCC ace Anthony Reid.
Sensational on-track displays featuring 1970s high-airbox Formula 1 cars, McLaren F1 GTRs and Group C Le Mans monsters featured heavily on the opening day of the Goodwood 73rd Members’ Meeting.
On a typical early spring day – bright but cold – events of Members’ Meetings past were evoked by non-stop on-track action as over 400 historic racing cars circulated among the half-a-million daffodils planted around the Goodwood Motor Circuit.
A unique demonstration featured the largest on-track collection of McLaren F1 GTRs ever assembled; including Derek Bell in the yellow, Harrods-sponsored car he raced at Le Mans in 1995 plus racing legends Kenny Brack and Steve Soper.
The 1970s high-airbox F1 contingent included incredible Ferraris, McLarens, Tyrrells, Lotuses and even Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jarier reunited with the Shadow DN5 he last raced 40 years ago; while the Group C demonstration featured recent F1 driver Max Chilton behind the wheel of the Nissan R90CK that Mark Blundell took to pole position at Le Mans in 1990.
Racing in the dark is nothing new to Goodwood and the day came to an end with the GT cars of the 30-minute Graham Hill Trophy racing through the dusk, headlights ablaze. A fitting winner was the AC Cobra of Emanuele Pirro and Sean Lynn following a blistering start by the five-time-Le Mans winner and Goodwood favourite.
“I race with passion,” said the Italian. It was a fitting comment to end of a great day that also featured victories for Andrew Wilkinson (Lynx-Ford Mk3) in the Taylor Trophy and Nigel Garrett (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) in the qualifying race for the Gerry Marshall Trophy.
For the first time in over 25 years, a modern grand prix car, the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 W04 raced in 2013 by current World Champion Lewis Hamilton, was driven around the Goodwood Motor Circuit.
A highlight of the opening day of the 73rd Members’ Meeting, the car – driven on this occasion by FIA World Endurance Champion Anthony Davidson – showed off its tremendous pace in a ‘handicap’ race with two other sensational Mercedes.
Handicap racing was a major feature of the earliest Members’ Meetings, and in Saturday’s track moment, staged with event timing partner IWC Schaffhausen, grand prix winner Jochen Mass set off first in the brutal Mercedes-Benz W190 300 SEL AMG racing car that finished second at the 1971 Spa 24 Hours.
Twenty seconds later, another ex-F1 star, Karl Wendlinger, gave chase in the brand-new Mercedes AMG GT S road car, while another 40 seconds passed before Davidson got underway.
Two laps later, the trio ran nose-to-tail into the final bend. Then, in an astonishing display of just how quick a Formula 1 car is compared to even the fastest road machine, Davidson powered past both exiting the chicane, reaching the finish line ahead of both rivals.
