Motorsport

Goodwood ready for a classic

Fans of classic motor racing will be heading to West Sussex this weekend.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Jonathan Gill

30th August 2007

Now firmly established as the world’s most popular historic race meeting, the spectacular annual Goodwood Revival not only recreates many of the sport’s most golden eras, but also offers exceptional wheel-to-wheel racing around a nostalgic circuit, virtually untouched by the modern world.

With drivers such as grand prix legend Sir Stirling Moss and Le Mans winners Derek Bell, Richard Attwood and Jackie Oliver taking part, the jewel in the event’s crown will be the one-hour, two-driver Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration race.

Nowhere else will you see such an impressive grid of super-rare GT cars racing in anger, driven by stars of the past and present. Sunday’s grid will feature a breathtaking line-up worth around £30million, which will include lightweight Jaguar E-Types, Ferrari GTOs, AC Cobras and Aston Martin project cars.

The Revival relives the glory days of the Goodwood Motor Circuit, which ranked alongside Silverstone and Brands Hatch as one of Britain’s leading racing venues between 1948 and 1966. During this time, it hosted non-championship F1 races, as well as top-class saloon car and sportscar showdowns.

The event turns the clock back to those heydays with a mouth-watering array of races for cars and bikes that originally competed at the circuit during the Fifties and Sixties. But the event is far more than an evocative historic race meeting; it’s more like a magical film set, with many visitors joining in the spirit of things by dressing up in clothing from the era. Period air displays and a ban on modern vehicles from within the circuit’s perimeter further enhance a truly theatrical atmosphere.