Goodwood Revival

I suspect that most people reading this will have a good idea what the Goodwood Revival is all about, but for those of you that don't - it's no ordinary historic race meeting ... http://www.goodwood.co.uk/revival/event-itinerary/event-itinerary.aspx

Goodwood closed for contemporary racing in 1966, so when it was re-opened for the Revival 15 years ago it was unchanged from the 60's. It's very fast, there's no modern chicanes to slow us all down (the original, iconic, chicane does still exist of course - although they've replaced the period brickwall with something friendlier in case you do get it wrong...), there are a couple of strategic gravel traps, but essentially it's the same track my Dad raced on in period. Therein lies one of the key attractions for me ... I'm a Sussex boy - brought up within earshot of Goodwood, Dad raced (club racing only) here in the 50's and 60's - I'll try to scan a couple of photos later ... and was present at most of the big meetings including both the first and last. We came to Goodwood a lot when I was a kid, it was used for racecar testing, and this could be heard from our house, so Dad would bring us up occasionally to see what was going on; on Saturdays there were regularly sprint meetings, and we would often be found with a picnic under the trees in the paddock. Later I did my flying training there. I've attended every single Revival meeting bar one when I was out of the country, and in 2004 Dad was there for the last time - he died a couple of weeks later. My Elva is Sussex-built too.  Goodwood is special to my family for a lot of reasons, and to be invited to race there is a big deal for me.

The Goodwood Revival is no ordinary historic race meeting for other reasons too ... it's a massive 'show', the circuit looks largely as it did in period, there are no post-66 vehicles (including support vehicles) allowed, there are sideshows, period jazz/rockabilly bands, mock-ups of garages and pit scenes from earlier times, a period Motor Show; the aircraft displays, both on ground and flying are fabulous; plenty of the cars racing are worth into-7 figures ... and to get into the swing of it practically everyone makes an effort to dress in some form of period costume - some of them quite glamourous! My Mum, who spent a lot of time there in period laughs at some of the outfits, pointing out that Teddy Boys, for example, probably wouldn't have worn their garb to a motor race, and other such improbable combinations, and certainly she never went in high heels! Personally I have an old tweed jacket, antique checked shirt and tie combination that my wife will only let out of the house for Goodwood!

The race for Formula Junior cars is called the Chichester Cup, and it rolls through a 3 year cycle; this year it's the turn of the first generation of rear-engined cars with drum brakes, so from 1960/1. My Elva 200 falls into this group of course. Goodwood 'selects' the cars it wants to invite - it's the car that gets the invite, not the driver! Furthermore Goodwood likes to have a varied grid, so whilst it would be possible to have half a grid of competitive Lotus 18s, in fact there are just 4 and they are the most numerous of any type; they include John Delane, my usual sparring partner in the Lurani series, as well as my friend Robert Barrie, who I've been racing against in various cars since I started racing in 2004. Both are quick! Aussie mate Kim Shearn is driving too, but his Lotus 18 didn't get an invite, so he's got a drive in an Ausper. I'm the only Elva 200, but one of the rarer later Elva 300s is invited, in the hands of owner Chris Drake ... he could be very quick. There are a good number of cars and drivers that I don't know, or that I haven't seen very often, a lot of them are quick ... most of the cars on the grid seem to be Ford-powered, and not many BMC ... on a fast circuit like Goodwood the 12-15hp advantage enjoyed by the Fords could count for quite a lot ... to be honest, I'll be delighted just to be there and taking part, finishing the race is top of the agenda, as ever, and if we're well up in mid-field at the chequered flag I shall be over the moon!

Our qualifying is early afternoon on Friday (when it might be wet according to the current forecast ..) and our race is last race on Saturday. Giving us the chance to make the most of the hospitality on offer at the Ball on Saturday night - this year's theme is Wild West - more of that in a later post! When I raced here in 2011 my race was first thing on Sunday morning, so enjoying the Ball to the fullest extent was off the cards!

More later ...