Goodwood Revival

[Jeff Higgins]

Just got back. Another one checked off of the old bucket list.

My son Alex and I:

[tdw28210]

Was locked and ticketed for the 2020 event and we all know what happened. . Was it all that you hoped it would be?

[Jeff Higgins]

That and more. Absolutely overwhelming, but in a very good way.

One could spend all three days merely trying to get to all of the vendor tents and other attractions and never be able to see all of them. There were that many of them, literally hundreds. It became apparent that there were two distinctly different sets of people attending, those there for the racing and those there for everything else. Some intermixing, of course, but almost as if it were two separate, but related events.

Since there was no way to do both, we elected to watch the racing, and did so from points all around the circuit. Three very long days, with the action on the track pretty much unbroken the whole time. And, yes, they do race - these are no parade laps. The official, in period course record was something like a 1:20.5, shared by Clarke and Stewart in the last GP held there in 1965. The up to 1965 Can-Am cars were running 1:19's. Other classes were running just as hard. What a joy to watch.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Does Alex ever think that he's looking into a mirror when he's actually looking at you?

[Rusty Heap]

It's GREAT to have a bucket list.


Some people are lame on the couch.


You gotta dream it before you can do it............some people are just asleep at the wheel.


Not Higgins!

[ramonesfreak]

wow. congrats. on my bucket list too. been watching it on youtube.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

That and more. Absolutely overwhelming, but in a very good way.

One could spend all three days merely trying to get to all of the vendor tents and other attractions and never be able to see all of them. There were that many of them, literally hundreds. It became apparent that there were two distinctly different sets of people attending, those there for the racing and those there for everything else. Some intermixing, of course, but almost as if it were two separate, but related events.

Since there was no way to do both, we elected to watch the racing, and did so from points all around the circuit. Three very long days, with the action on the track pretty much unbroken the whole time. And, yes, they do race - these are no parade laps. The official, in period course record was something like a 1:20.5, shared by Clarke and Stewart in the last GP held there in 1965. The up to 1965 Can-Am cars were running 1:19's. Other classes were running just as hard. What a joy to watch.

That's really fantastic. Goodwood is a bit of a bucket list item for me as well. Congrats on checking it off!

Oh, and we're going to need more pics and more written about the experience. It sounds insane. I've noticed on YT that there's the hillclimb which seems insane and has an insane variety of machines. And then there's the circuit racing. I hadn't realized that there were that many vendor tents and attractions. I think I'd have a hard time choosing between the hill climb and circuit racing, but I would probably prefer the circuit racing. The sexiest racing to me is always the vintage stuff. I went to the USGP the first year it was at COTA and while the normal race was awesome, the vintage stuff was by far the best.

[Icemaster]

Sooo.....

If you had a limited bucket list - and yes, I know likely an unfair comparison - would you lean towards 24 Hours LeMans or Goodwood?

[herr_oberst]

Wow. First Isle of Man and now Goodwood.

Fantastic British bookends

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Icemaster

Sooo.....

If you had a limited bucket list - and yes, I know likely an unfair comparison - would you lean towards 24 Hours LeMans or Goodwood?

Isn't there a "historic Le Mans" of some sort too?

While Le Mans is iconic, I have to assume that you probably have better access to more spots on the track in Goodwood. But maybe I'm wrong. I'd think that going to the one where you could get the better visibility of the cars at various points on the track would be the way to go.

[Jeff Higgins]

It's important to understand that there are two distinctly different events held at different times and different places at Goodwood. The Festival of Speed is held in the spring, where the the Revival is held in the fall. The former is not held at the racing circuit, but rather at Goodwood House. The hillclimb runs up its driveway. Entirely different cars are featured at these events as well.

The Festival of Speed features cars right up to the modern era, where the Revival is restricted to cars of the period during which Goodwood was an active racing circuit, 1948-1965.

Goodwood began as an RAF Spitfire base during the war. It sat unused after the war until 1948, when the 9th Duke of Richmond, one Freddie March, purchased it. He was a racer, and noticed that the perimeter road might make a wonderful circuit. So he started holding races there, right up to and including Formula One.

By 1965, however, the cars were beginning to outpace the circuit. Goodwood is a very open, flowing circuit, like the old Monza, where the relatively slow cars of the day could stretch their legs a bit. By 1965 the pace of development concerned Freddie, and he closed the circuit for racing. It sat unused as a racing circuit (F1 teams, and others continued to test there) until 1998 when his grandson, the 11th Duke of Richmond, had a brilliant idea...

Why not reopen the track, but simply restrict it to the cars that originally ran there? A "revival" of sorts? And, while we're at it, keep the old atmosphere alive, with period dress and all of that. And thus was born the Goodwood Revival as we know it today. The cutoff for participation is 1965, and will never change. There is a dress code to get in. It's just one huge step back in time carnival, with vendors hawking everything from brand new restored bespoke E-Types to the finest tweed jackets to period clothing for the ladies.

Like I said, too much, really, to see and do in only three days. The racing is spectacular, and intense. And very, very accessible to the spectators, with great viewing all around the circuit. I would highly recommend going to anyone even remotely interested.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

It's important to understand that there are two distinctly different events held at different times and different places at Goodwood. The Festival of Speed is held in the spring, where the the Revival is held in the fall. The former is not held at the racing circuit, but rather at Goodwood House. The hillclimb runs up its driveway. Entirely different cars are featured at these events as well.

The Festival of Speed features cars right up to the modern era, where the Revival is restricted to cars of the period during which Goodwood was an active racing circuit, 1948-1965.

That explains a lot. I'd never noticed the "Revival" vs "FoS", but now that you mention it, yes, I remember seeing both mentioned, and it makes sense that they are 2 different events at 2 different times. I knew one was on a circuit while the other was on the driveway. Good to know the difference!

Goodwood began as an RAF Spitfire base during the war. It sat unused after the war until 1948, when the 9th Duke of Richmond, one Freddie March, purchased it. He was a racer, and noticed that the perimeter road might make a wonderful circuit. So he started holding races there, right up to and including Formula One.

By 1965, however, the cars were beginning to outpace the circuit. Goodwood is a very open, flowing circuit, like the old Monza, where the relatively slow cars of the day could stretch their legs a bit. By 1965 the pace of development concerned Freddie, and he closed the circuit for racing. It sat unused as a racing circuit (F1 teams, and others continued to test there) until 1998 when his grandson, the 11th Duke of Richmond, had a brilliant idea...

Why not reopen the track, but simply restrict it to the cars that originally ran there? A "revival" of sorts? And, while we're at it, keep the old atmosphere alive, with period dress and all of that. And thus was born the Goodwood Revival as we know it today. The cutoff for participation is 1965, and will never change. There is a dress code to get in. It's just one huge step back in time carnival, with vendors hawking everything from brand new restored bespoke E-Types to the finest tweed jackets to period clothing for the ladies.

Like I said, too much, really, to see and do in only three days. The racing is spectacular, and intense. And very, very accessible to the spectators, with great viewing all around the circuit. I would highly recommend going to anyone even remotely interested.

Crap, now it's moved up my bucket list (which is entirely virtual and in my head).

[Jeff Higgins]

Probably two of the most valuable cars there, a 250 GTO and the "Breadvan":







The first two Le Mans winning GT40's.



A 1960 250 SWB/C, repaired after heavy contact with another car on Friday:

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

A 1960 250 SWB/C, repaired after heavy contact with another car on Friday:

Amazing! I think you should have put repaired in quotes since it appears the repairs were made with duct tape.

Really amazing cars, and that you're able to get so close...

[tdw28210]

The #2 GT40 comes back to Charlotte now after summering in Europe. Same for the 917/30 that has been at The Peterson. Their home base was refurbed over the last 5-6 months. Hope to see it in January.

[ted]

Fun Jeffe!

[jhynesrockmtn]

Glad you got to see it. One of my buddies is a member. He runs with SOVREN, mostly in a Lotus 23, but also races a FV and Formula Ford. He was at Goodwood to co drive the Zerex Special in 2021, but got sick and missed the event. Hopefully he'll get another shot to drive there at some point. I'd love to visit and maybe will get to in the future. So great you got to share that with your son. Cheers!

[Jeff Higgins]

One of the kind of cool things that is relevant to our interests was the field of 1964 and 1965 911's. They were all running an alternative "sustainable" fuel, I believe the one being developed by Porsche and Exon/Mobile. Speaking with a number of owners and mechanics in the pits, it was interesting to get their take on it. In some cars, it was literally "plug and play", in others it required significant re-jetting. All are running Solexes, by the way, since Porsche didn't switch to Webers until, what, 1966?

[Jeff Higgins]

Everyone's favorite race of the weekend is, of course, the Settrington Cup. With a former race winner now competing in Saloon cars, it is now considered an official "feeder" race for the larger classes at the Revival.

These are the most heavily scrutineered cars of the race meeting. And for good reason. Competitors have been disqualified for such elaborate cheating as entirely carbon fiber shelled replicas, suitably weathered and "rusted" so as to appear original. Pedal cranks have been lengthened for greater torque and shortened for higher rpm, gear ratios changed, and God knows what else.

Open to four to ten year olds in original Austin J40 pedal cars:

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Everyone's favorite race of the weekend is, of course, the Settrington Cup. With a former race winner now competing in Saloon cars, it is now considered an official "feeder" race for the larger classes at the Revival.

These are the most heavily scrutineered cars of the race meeting. And for good reason. Competitors have been disqualified for such elaborate cheating as entirely carbon fiber shelled replicas, suitably weathered and "rusted" so as to appear original. Pedal cranks have been lengthened for greater torque and shortened for higher rpm, gear ratios changed, and God knows what else.

Open to four to ten year olds in original Austin J40 pedal cars:

Fantastic!