
GT cars gathering in the collection area for the Graham Hill Trophy
Fortunately April 10th dawned bright and clear. It was an early start for myself and my son Toby. The trip from Norfolk to West Sussex is pretty much 3 hours exactly and we wanted to get the most from our single day ticket. Six months ago we had attended the postponed 2021 event but this year it was going to be different. In 2021 we had the whole family in tow plus girlfriends and we found a hotel close by so we could overnight and enjoy the Saturday night party. The Members’ Meeting is split over two days with the Saturday being mostly practice sessions but with the bonus of a late finish, with DJs and bands playing and food stalls and bars remaining open until 10pm. This was the first time we had attended on the Sunday which is the day of racing. It’s never just motor racing when going to Goodwood, it’s a fully immersive experience in its unique atmosphere. The Duke of Richmond realised early on that if his events were going to be a success he had to reach beyond attracting the diehard racing enthusiast. So there is an inter house competition, not just for the drivers but for all those attending. When you receive your tickets you are allocated a house and by entering the various games you earn points, these are then counted up at the end of play on Sunday to determine which house has won. Last year we threw ourselves into duck herding, air rifle shooting and ferret roulette (yes honestly). We came away having had a great day but I realised I’d hardly watched any racing so this year, my son and I were determined to make amends.

Richard Wilson’s Maserati 250S is prepared for the Peter Collins Trophy
Arriving in the Spring sunshine we had made good time in my son’s Alfa Giulietta, but the racing had already started. To try and not miss any of the track action one almost has to be blinkered when progressing through the car park, McLaren prototype super car over there, classic Alfa and Jaguar MK 1 to the left, latest Aston Martin Vantage to the right, oh what’s that? ‘Just’ a pre war Lagonda…
The gardeners must have been putting in the overtime over the last few months because thousands of daffodils were in full bloom around the circuit. The manicured grass banks and light blue signage creating a wonderful spring ambience. It’s a cliche to highlight the attention to detail when talking about how Goodwood presents its events but it is awe inspiring.
We arrived to catch The Sopwith Cup, a 20 minute race for saloon cars of a type that raced up to 1956. Basically this is where you see the shopping cars of the ’50s being flung with abandon round the circuit.
The Sopwith Cup for pre 1956 saloons
Goodwood excels at creating incongruous racing images, how about a Cadillac coupe barging itself like an oil tanker through the pack leaving the two stroke rattle of a Saab 93B in its wake. VW Beetle? Yes as well as a rather crisp sounding Morris Minor that was battling up front with a Nash Metropolitan. Julian Balme’s Lincoln Cosmopolitan came dangerously close to rearranging the chicane but the win went to the Standard Vanguard Six of all things.

Porsche 956s & 962s ready for their high speed demonstration.
Through the tunnel and into the paddock area we are greeted by the Porsche Group C / Le Mans cars. 17 examples of what many see as the pinnacle of sports car design were parked in the evocative Goodwood garages. Beyond in the paddock, we were allowed to peruse at leisure, no special passes needed or ties to be worn as is the case at The Revival. Where to start? For me it was the MG Midgets, Austin Healey Sprites and BMC A Series powered cars of The Weslake Cup. If drivers have racing goals The Weslake Cup is mine as it is the perfect race for my Lenham Le Mans Coupe. Sebring Sprite, Ashley GT, Speedwell Sprite, Turner MK1s, almost every incarnation of these beautiful small capacity GT cars seemed to be present. Unfortunately we had missed the race but I was pleased to see the winners laurel on the bonnet of a Lenham GT.

Mike Haigh’s Lenham GT was 2nd in the Weslake Cup.
Gordon Murray, the famed F1 designer and creator of the original Mclaren F1 road car, used the Members’ Meeting to launch his new design, the T.33. At last year’s meeting he launched the T.50 and this returned to shepherd the V10 Formula 1 cars onto the track for their high speed demonstration. The noise these cars made from the late ’80s early ’90s sheared across the Goodwood aerodrome. I thought it wasn’t long ago I was watching these cars on the TV on Sunday afternoons but my son was quick to remind me it was before he was born, he’ll be 21 this year. The grid walk, open to all spectators, allowed us all to get up close to these F1 machines and respect must be given to the owners for allowing selfies, videos and inquisitive hands to touch their investments. The Duke of Richmond took this opportunity to address us all and express his shock at the invasion of Ukraine. Instead of the Union Jack being flown the Ukrainian flag would be used instead and there were a number of donation points which he hoped we would use.

Lack of crowds meant you could get really close to the track action..
What is key with The Members’ Meeting is the lack of restrictions for spectators. For The Graham Hill Trophy, a 45 minute two driver race for GT cars that raced up until 1966, we managed to watch from the gantry inside the circuit at the end of the start / finish straight. I can’t think of any other circuit where you are so close to the track itself, with no catch fencing or armco to impede your sight, so close in fact that you can feel the Cobra V8s reverberate through your chest as they brake for Madgewick corner. As they diced for first place the speed of the E Types of Jon Minshaw and Rob Huff as they entered Madgewick was awe inspiring. I had particular interest in Ian Burford’s Chevrolet V8 powered Cheetah. I bought my Lenham from Ian and I knew the time, effort and sacrifices he’d made getting the brutal beauty to the grid. Sharing the driving with Anthony Reid they were super competitive, the Chevrolet V8 sounding wonderful. Reid managed a lap of 1’28’’ which is incredibly quick. Unfortunately a fuel leak meant a DNF but it’s a car that is obviously going to be a potential front runner in the future. Minshaw took the win sharing the car with the young Phil keen who seems to have a talent for piloting extremely quick historic cars.

The rare Chevrolet V8 powered Cheetah, designed to beat the Cobras.

Ian Burford moments before his Chevrolet Cheetah leaves the Assembly area
Lunch. Probably the trickiest decision of the day. There’s The Great Hall which is the closest thing to dining at Hogwarts that you’ll get, then there’s the Members’ Market where an eclectic mix of street food is served whilst live bands perform. The Forge serves high end burgers and hot dogs from their barbecue as well as marshmallows to roast on the numerous fire pits around the circuit. We chose fish and chips from The Daffodil, an enormous marquee decked out in rustic fashion with hay bales, horse saddles, farm equipment and … daffodils. We could hardly find time for a mouthful as we witnessed an impressive drive by Olly Bryant in The Surtees Trophy. Contested by sports racing prototypes that raced between 1960 and 1966, Bryant threaded McCall’s Lola T70 Spyder through the pack with sublime overtaking manoeuvres to challenge Rob Hall’s McLaren – Chevrolet for first on the last lap. Arriving at Lavant corner at ferocious speed Bryant saw an opportunity to take a run up the inside of the McLaren and it worked. The crowd audibly gasped at the overtake and the driving skills they were witnessing.

Olly Bryant took victory on the last lap in the Lola T70
The A.F.P. Fane Trophy took us back to the pre war years of sports car racing with a race purely for Frazer Nashes. Slow and pedestrian after the V8 prototypes? Not at all. These cars are sheer entertainment to watch. Chain driven with a solid back axle, the only way to get these cars around corners quickly is to get the back end sliding and steer it with the throttle. To see it done well is like watching an artist at work. Two such practitioners were on the front row, Patrick Blakeney-Edwards and Martin Stretton. Stretton is now known as a lead driver in historic Formula 1 cars but I remember him honing his skills in a Frazer Nash in VSCC events. It was going to be close but we never saw it play out fully as the race was red flagged and finished prematurely due to a serious accident. Patrick Blakeney-Edwards took the win and made it two with a win in the Varzi Trophy, a race for Franco-Italian GP, Voturette and historic racing specials that raced between 1928 and 1935. An amazing grid of Alfa Monzas, Bugattis and Delahayes. Julian Majzub always races interesting cars and his 1931 Maserati 26M was a thing of sheer beauty, wearing the patina of every one of its 81 years with pride. Max Sowerby was racing a favourite of mine, the ex Richard Black Talbot T23 – a beautifully proportioned special. Although trying to cure overheating problems in the paddock beforehand Max had a superb race, out performing Bugattis to challenge the leaders. Behind Patrick Blakeney-Edwards in Peter Neumark’s Monza was the crisp sounding Delahaye 135 of Ross Keeling – the strongest performance from a Delahaye I think I’ve seen.

Max Sowerby readies his Talbot T23 for the Varzi Trophy.
After such a feast of historic cars you thought it couldn’t get any better, but it could with The Peter Collins Trophy. No fewer than five D Type Jaguars, three C Types and three Maserati 300S’s. These were the sports racing cars that competed between 1948 and 1955. In practice James Thorpe had put the Lister-Jaguar ‘Flat Iron’ on pole by over a second. The ever cheerful James was on fine form and from the moment he dropped the clutch at the start he wasn’t truly challenged.

James Thorpe takes the win in his Lister Jaguar in the Peter Collins Trophy.
The day was rounded off with prize giving in The Great Hall where, true to the inclusive spirit of the event, everyone was invited. Applause and cheers were given to individual winners but it was the celebration of motor sport itself, and the camaraderie within it, that made the Goodwood Members’ Meeting such a unique and special event.
We returned tired and exhausted to the Alfa for the journey home. We realised we hadn’t taken part in the tug of war, laser clay pigeon shooting or axe throwing (!) but we had been determined to get our racing fix and this is what we achieved. I guess it proves that to do justice to the The Goodwood Members’ Meeting you really should go for the whole two days.
Do please check out the video of our Goodwood Members’ Meeting trip by selecting ‘Videos’ from the main menu. Thanks.
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