First Members' Meeting race of 2019 is confirmed – the Edwardians are back!

| 25 Oct 2018
Classic & Sports Car – First Members' Meeting race of 2019 is confirmed – the Edwardians are back!

Love watching a grid full of drivers wrestling aero-engined monsters from the dawn of the 20th century around Goodwood?

Yes, so do we, which is why we're pleased that the SF Edge Trophy is the first race that's been revealed for next year's Members' Meeting (6-7 April).

The contest was absent from this year's event, having previously being run in 2016 and 2017.

And being slightly later than the 2018 edition, we're hoping there will be less snow underfoot next spring, although given the colossal engines and the sheer physical effort of manhandling these cars around the track, we're not sure if the drivers will notice!

Classic & Sports Car – First Members' Meeting race of 2019 is confirmed – the Edwardians are back!

The ‘Beast of Turin’ has a four-cylinder, 28.3-litre engine

Indeed, it's these engines that are an essential part of the race's appeal.

Back in 2017, the combined engine capacity of this contest's grid was an enormous 234 litres.

To put that into context, that's an average of 8.6 litres per car – and the famous 'Beast of Turin' Fiat S76's engine is a massive 28.3 litres!

"These Edwardian cars are a real challenge to drive, let alone race. Many of them feature rear brakes only, and the driver normally has to manage an external gearlever with no synchromesh on any of the gears," said Goodwood's Motorsport Event Content Manager, Matt Hearn.

"Added to that they will need to manually pressurise the fuel system on the move. Then there’s the skinny tyres and solid rear axle, which makes the cars want to oversteer.

"You’ll see drivers in a lofty seating position, looking over a long bonnet, wresting with enormous steering wheels, trying to keep these beasts in a straight line. It is quite possibly one of the most unfamiliar-but-exciting spectacles of the weekend."

Tickets for the 2019 Goodwood Members' Meeting, as well as the Festival of Speed and Revival, go on sale on Monday 5 November.


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