A sudden influx of new blood – both in terms of the drivers taking part and classics on the grid – produced some of the most exciting historic racing to grace Goodwood in years, as the event celebrated its 18th birthday at the Chichester circuit from 11-13 September.
Among the newcomers was current British Touring Car Championship leader Gordon Shedden, joining fellow BTCC hotshoes Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan, who together with several contemporaries packed out grids from the St Mary’s Trophy to the RAC TT. Shedden took a Jaguar E-type to victory ahead of a pack of AC Cobras in the TT, winning his first race at the circuit, as well as battling hard with the Cortina of Andrew and Mike Jordan – one of many cars that was newly built for the event.
The most successful man to race at Le Mans, Tom Kristensen, also made a splash, charging from the back of the grid to take the chequered flag in Saturday’s St Mary’s Trophy. The Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt went on to finish first overall, thanks to a dominant drive from Henry Mann the following day.
It wasn’t all plain sailing, with a number of high-profile bumps and offs adding to the drama. The battle for the lead in the Richmond and Gordon Trophy came to a calamitous conclusion at the chicane, when a late dive up the inside of Rod Jolley’s Cooper-Climax T45/51 by Roger Wills resulted in heavy contact with the Cooper-Maserati of Tom Bailey, who had already had a spectacular excursion into the corn stooks earlier in the race. Incredibly, Jolley escaped the crash and powered home for the win.
Though they weren’t all driven in anger, the mesmerising sight of all six Cobra Daytona Coupes gathered on the grid for a parade lap was a highlight for many, with cars travelling from as far as Argentina and Japan to be at the event.
Another parade session was dedicated to the memory of Bruce McLaren and the 50th anniversary of his firm, featuring many of the cars driven and built by the racer and team boss in period. They included a Formula One Cooper-Climax, through to Aston Martin 212 and 214s, plus a Ford GT40 and his own prototype road car, the M6GT, driven by daughter Amanda.
