GOODWOOD REVIVAL SEPTEMBER 2008

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Last weekend, and for the tenth year in succession, Lord March and his team staged their fabulous Revival meeting, all had thought Goodwood reached perfection about five years ago yet it still gets better and better. This ‘step back in time’ weekend, held at an immaculately restored 1960's circuit nestling in the parkland of Lord March's Goodwood estate, has become a ‘must visit’ event on the Historic Racing calendar with participants and spectators alike travelling from all over the world to be there. Brian Reed, Historic Motor Sport Administrator for the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, said’ It's the best event of this type that I've been to, this is the second year in succession that I've made the trip from Aus to be here’. Michael Lerch who had crossed the Atlantic from Vermont to watch his 1952 Fraser Nash Targa Florio being raced by Andrew Hall commented ‘If I'd known it was this good I'd have come to all of them’.

What makes the Revival so good? Well its history for a start, it was sixty years exactly the day before this years meeting that motor racing first started at Goodwood. Add to this a circuit and all its buildings perfectly restored back to their 1960's configuration with all the vehicles allowed inside the track required to be of mid-1960 vintage, and when the visitors started to get in on the act and dress in period the event was made. This circuit and setting attracts the finest Historic Racers and their cars, the grid for this year's 1 hour-two driver T T race alone was valued at circa £85 m by auctioneers Bonhams, consequently with such a mouth watering array of Ferraris, GT 40s, Cobra Coupe's, Maseratis and ERAs many of the great names from the past are tempted out of retirement to race again, this year Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart, Bobby Rahal, Henri Pescarolo, Jean-Marc Gounon, Jochen Mass and Emerson Fittipaldi couldn't resist. Goodwood is only licensed to run races for pre 1970 cars as it is not deemed safe for modern machinery- but who wants modern when you can watch a 1960 Ferrari GTO in four wheel drift through Woodcote corner!

For the first time in several years the organisers staged a twilight race, in the spirit of their original Nine Hour races of the 60's, running now for ninety minutes the cars were racing into the setting sun lights ablaze. The Revival is not only about racing and this year Lord March and his team had converted on of their buildings to represent London's Earls Court exhibition centre as it was in the 1950's, inside the ‘Motor Show’ circa 1959 was staged but with a twist, each stand featured a ‘cars of the future’ section allowing a glimpse of how things would look in 2008. But for this weekend visitors were not interested in what 2008 might be like, after all one pundit predicts that by then the world banking system will be falling apart, the 1950's were all about Rock ‏N' Roll or Trad Jazz and sure enough Goodwood was peppered with groups blasting out Blue Suede Shoes or Give Me Doctor Jazz. Every detail is covered even down to the ‘Grid Girls’ dressed of course in Mini Skirts with legs going right up to their----hem line, all mechanics wear white or brown overalls with no sign of a Tee Shirt or Builders Cleavage anywhere, if your not in tweeds or a twin set you better look out for the fashion police.

You can be forgiven for thinking that an event which caters for 50 year old cars driven by ‘Racers’ who, in many cases, are past their prime and watched by thousands of ‘Anoraks’ who like dressing up in old clothes would be dull and boring-not a bit of it! The ‘Anoraks’ are there to have a good time, the ‘Racers’ throw their priceless cars around the circuit in a way that Lewis Hamilton can only dream of, not always without incident but fortunately most of them have pockets deep enough to put any damage right, consequently the weekend has a magic all of its own.

So next year in September when the Retro Fairy is flying over West Sussex sprinkling her magic dust be there to catch a little of it, OK the 1950's and 60's were never quite his good, but who cares, just enjoy!

Article and Photos by Roger Dixon www.rogerdixonphotography.com