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2017 Goodwood Revival – Race Results Round-up

Photos source: Goodwood Press – credits: Drew Gibson Nicole Hains, Nick Dungan, Jayson  Fong

The rain may have dampened the ground but it didn’t dampen the spirits this weekend as the 19th Goodwood Revival meeting steamed through a full programme of classic racing reminiscent of the 1946 – 1966 style and era to a sell out audience. Conditions were tough for many of the races as we skip through the weekends race results.

Sussex Trophy – Sports racing cars 55 – 60

A superb drive by Sam Hancock saw his take his first victory of this race in the Tim Samways run 1960 Ferrari 246S in treacherous conditions. Oliver Bryant led the pack in the early stages of the race in the Lotus 15, with David Hart in the Lister Jaguar ‘Costin hanging on. With everyone struggling for grip, Hancock gently tiptoed through the pack and swept past Oli on the Lavant Straight.  Leaving Oli Bryant to take 2nd and it was James Cottingham who finished in 3rd in the Tojeiro Jaguar.

Glover Trophy – 1.5-litre Grand Prix cars

Historics star Martin Stretton claimed victory in the Glover Trophy race for 1.5-litre Grand Prix cars aboard his Lotus 24.

Former works Nissan touring car driver Andy Middlehurst made the early running aboard his Lotus 25, with Stretton rarely more than a second behind.

Fastest man on the sodden track during the first two laps was 1970 Le Mans winner Richard Atwood in his BRM P261, the septuagenarian visibly gaining on the Lotus duo ahead of him after a tardy start.

Unfortunately, his charge was blunted following a trip through the gravel trap at Lavant. Middlehurst led until three-quarter distance of the 20-minute trash, but had no answer for Stretton who reveled in the testing conditions.

Formula Junior star Sam Wilson was third in Alan Baillie’s Lotus 24. Attwood, meanwhile, put on a brilliant recovery drive to finish fourth.

RAC TT Celebration Highlights – Closed cockpit GT cars 60 -64

Michael Gans and Andy Wolfe claimed victory in the action packed TT Celebration race, but their Cobra wasn’t the car that finished first on-track.

JD Classics Jaguar E-type duo Chris Ward and Gordon Shedden had appeared set for a sensational third consecutive win, having been made to work hard for it by the father and son team of David and Oliver Hart in their AC Cobra.

Pole-sitter Ward fluffed the start and was swamped by the pack on the run to the first corner. It was a Cobra 1-2-3 at the end of the first lap, with Ward recovering to fourth at quarter-distance. He soon worked his way through the pack, his highly-developed Jaguar spending most of the time sideways in pursuit of the Hart family AC.

Ward had moved up to second place a third of the way into the one-hour race, and was first to stop once the pit window opened shortly thereafter. Hart Sr stayed out for a further lap.

The Jaguar and front-running Cobra were rarely more than a fraction of a second apart until three-quarter distance, leaving their pursuers trailing in their wake, only for Hart Jr to receive a five second penalty for clipping the chicane.

It was of little consequence as the teenager’s awe-inspiring performance came to an abrupt end with ten minutes left to run after the car caught fire. Fortunately, damage was minimal.

Shedden continued to build on his lead, the E-type looking slightly less pristine at the end of the race at the beginning. With five minutes left to run, Ward and Shedden were given a 30-second penalty for a prior clash with the Bryant/Smith Cobra which demoted them to second place.

St Mary’s Trophy- Saloon cars that raced up to 1959

In Saturday’s race GT star Frank Stippler dominated the opening installment of the St. Mary’s Trophy double-header, leading home BTCC veteran Jason Plato home by 18.5-seconds after 25 minutes of racing. The German’s Jaguar MK1 initially vied with Andrew Jordan’s improbably quick Austin A40, but the former British Touring Car Campion retired his car shortly after half-distance. Stippler ran unopposed thereafter, with Plato’s bucking Austin A105 coming home in the runner-up spot despite a deflating tyre late in the day.

All eyes, however, were on the battle for third between Austin A40 duo, Rob Huff and Michael Caine. The tin-top stars were never more than a few inches apart, routinely swapping places on each lap. Caine just held on, a late challenge by Tom Kristensen’s monstrous Ford Thunderbird ending with barely two minutes left to run after the car’s exhaust threatened to fall off. The Dane hadn’t driven the car before the race and had steered it from the back of the field with gusto.

On Sunday in part 2 : Richard Meaden emerged victorious following a race-long battle with touring car veteran Mike Jordan.

Richard Shaw took the early lead, only to spin onto the grass on the approach to St. Mary’s. The race descended into a two-car battle between Meaden’s Alfa Romeo Giulietta Ti and Jordan’s improbably quick Austin A40 thereafter.

The sparring partners were rarely more than half a car length apart, although a safety car period after Neil Brown crashed his Austin A35 at Woodcote bunched up the order.

At the restart, Meaden and Jordan continued from where they left off, with Jordan inadvertently pushing the Alfa onto the grass, before Meaden gave his rival a little nudge going into Woodcote and assumed the lead. Jordan wasn’t finished, though, and soon asserted himself once again.

Meaden took the lead on the last lap amid the traffic and clung on to the flag.

Jordan said later: “That was epic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Richard’s car was faster in a straight line, but mine handled better.”

Meaden added: “I had a massive moment at Fordwater and thought I was finished, but we came back and nipped ahead. That was a great race. I loved it.”

Aggregate victory went to the Nick Naismith/Jason Plato Austin A95 Westiminster.

Richmond Trophy – front-engined Grand Prix cars of the 1950s

Tony Wood batted away the competition and the weather to win the Richmond Trophy for front-engined Grand Prix cars of the 1950s.

The race wasn’t without drama with Nick Adams’ Ferguson losing a wheel off the line, the car tobogganing off course in a shower of sparks.

Miles Griffiths led initially aboard Philip Walker’s Lotus 16, building up a five-second lead by quarter-distance. Unfortunately, the car was forced into retirement shortly thereafter, which left last year’s winner Julian Bronson in the lead in his Scarab-Offenhauser from Wood with Lotus man Joaquin Folch-Rusinol in third.

Wood muscled his way in front with ten minutes left to run and managed to move away from Bronson who was baulked by backmarkers. The Scot’s margin of victory after 25 minutes of thrilling racing in damp conditions was 0.9-seconds.

Brooklands Trophy – Pre 1939 Sports Cars

Sunday’s race programme got off to a flier as five drivers took turns leading the Brooklands Trophy for pre-1939 sports cars.

Pole-sitter Patrick Blakeney-Edwards blasted into an early lead aboard his Frazer Nash ‘Owlet’, only for a clip to work its way loose from its carburettor which necessitated a visit to the pits.

Mercedes man Thomas Kern assumed the lead, only to lose it almost immediately to Mark Gillies aboard Richard Skipworth’s Aston Martin.

The ex-pat Englishman’s time at the front lasted only a few seconds before he was swallowed up by Niklas Halusa’s Zagato-bodied Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 Monza. Making up ground was Christopher Mann in a similar car.

The veteran ace briefly headed Halusa only to be black-flagged for dropping oil on the track. Halusa assumed the lead with only five minutes left to run and the Austrian wasn’t headed thereafter. His margin of victory over second place man Gillies was 7.8-seconds. 

Freddie March Trophy – 1952-55 Sports cars

Chris Ward continued from where he left off to take his second win of the day in the Freddie March Memorial Trophy race for 1952-1955 sports-racers. The former Silverstone chief instructor started his Cooper-Jaguar from the last row of the grid and tore through the field in stellar fashion. The veteran moved into the contention at Madgwick on the last lap after deposing long-time leader, Aston Martin DB3 driver Rob Hall.

It was a blistering performance for Ward who steered the silver Cooper on its bumpstops in contrast with the super-smooth Hall. Both drivers drove brilliantly to pull clear of eventual third-place finisher, teenage sensation Richard Woolmer in Matthew Collings’ brutal HWM-Cadillac.

Ward said: “It was great fun. Rob drove a great race and placed the car perfectly. He certainly didn’t make it easy for me.”

Whitsun Trophy – Sportscars and prototypes pre66

Ford GT40 ace Chris Ward put on a bravura display during an eventful 25-minute Whitsun Trophy race for unlimited sports-prototypes. The race was started on a sodden track, with the safety car being brought after before the first lap was up after Roland Lewis crashed his Hamill SR3. The race was restarted with 12-minutes left to run, with Ward blasting past pole-sitter Nick Padmore’s similar GT40 shortly thereafter, power-sliding his car in murky conditions to extend his winning margin to 4.9-seconds over his pursuer. Lola T70 man Mike Whittaker was third, with Mike Jordan guiding his GT40 from 29th place to fourth by the flag following a polished drive.

Ward said later: “What a fantastic race, I couldn’t believe how slippery it was. The GT40 was spinning its wheels every time I changed gear. It was just a case of trying to find grip where I could, not that there was much to be found.

Goodwood Trophy – Grand Prix and Vioturette 1930 – 51

American charger Michael Gans mastered tricky conditions to win the Goodwood Trophy for 1930-1950 Grand Prix and Voiturettes. Pole-sitter Paddins Dowling had looked like a likely challenger for outright honours, but his ERA tangled with former winner Mark Gillies’ similar car during the early running with both machines being eliminated on the spot. Last year’s victor Callum Lockie driving Sean Danaher’s Maserati 6CM was also in contention, only to lose pace during the early running. Then the rain came down and Gans asserted himself at the front, from fellow ERA runner David Morris, with Lockie recovering to third.

Kinrara Trophy – pre63 GT  – 60mins 2 drivers

Jaguars dominated the Kinrara Trophy which kicked off the on-track action at the 2017 Goodwood Revival Meeting. GT stars Phil Keen and Jon Minshaw emerged victorious in the amended results, with E-types blanketing the top seven places. Gregor Fisken and last year’s winner Tom Kristensen placed second, barely a second behind the victors.

Madgwick Torphy – Sportscars and prototypes between 55 – 60

Miles Griffiths drove a millimetre perfect race to win a thrilling Madgwick Cup on Saturday morning. The front row starter blasted his Lotus Eleven into the lead from the front row and was never headed over the next 20 minutes. Behind him, Dion Kremer had an eventful outing in his Lotus 17, running second during the early running only to have an off-road excursion which bundled him down the order. He clawed his way back to battle with Ian Dalglish’s similar car for the runner-up spot, and survived a moment at Woodcote late in the race to claim second barely half a car’s length ahead of his pursuer.

Chichester Cup – Rear engined Formula Juniors 58 – 62

Stuart Roach put on a stellar display of car control to win the Chichester Cup, which kicked off Saturday’s on-track action at the 2017 Goodwood Revival Meeting. The veteran charger led from pole position to the flag, only losing the lead momentarily shortly after half-distance to eventual second place driver Peter de la Roche. It was a scintillating battle, as Roach’s Alexis wasn’t able to shake de la Roche’s BMC Mk2 as they streaked ahead of the chasing pack. Last year’s winner Michael Hibbert had looked like a possible winner during the early running, only to spin out of contention with seven minutes of the 20-minute race left to run. Roach survived a late scare after being forced onto the grass by an errant back marker without losing the lead.

Full results can be found here

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