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Another thrilling weekend of racing took place at this year's Goodwood Revival, with heavy showers adding to the excitement—visibility was poor during some of the races and the track was greasy, so drivers' skill was really put to the test, with one or two spins here and there. The racing started on Friday evening with the Sussex Trophy for world championship sports cars. The slippery, rain-soaked track apparently did not upset Andrew Smith and Oliver Bryant, who drove their 1958 Lotus-Climax 15 to victory, ahead of the 1959 Lister-Jaguar Costin of Nigel Greensall and John Spiers.
Saturday dawned with the Goodwood Trophy for 1930s and '40s voiturettes, with Ian Baxter just claiming the chequered flag in his 1937 Alta 61 IS after a close-fought battle with Mark Gillies in the 1931 ERA R3A. Patrick Blakeney-Edwards completed the podium with his 1935 Frazer Nash single-seater. Part I of the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy followed. Remarkably, Michael Russell and Michael Rutter, with their 1954 Norton Velocette MSS, started at 27th on the grid and shot to victory, leaving the 1954 Matchless G80 of Dan Jackson and James Hillier to finish second. Davey Todd and Herbert Schwab had started on pole in their 1928 BMW R63 Kompressor but retired with mechanical trouble, leaving the last podium spot open to the 1954 Vincent Black Shadow of Ben Kingham and Josh Brookes. Part II of the Sheene Trophy on Sunday commenced with a Le Mans start, and Duncan Fitchett was first to get away, but despite excellent racing had to accept disqualification due to a technical infringement. Russell/Rutter were again victorious, with Todd/Schwab managing second and Kingham/Brookes again third.
The Fordwater Trophy delivered plenty of excitement, as the 1958 Jaguar XK150 coupé of Marc Gordon duelled throughout the race with the 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6 of Tim Crighton, but Gordon edged across the finish line a tenth of a second ahead. The last-minute retirement of Paul Woolmer saw Sam Tordoff's 1953 Porsche 356 take third. The St. Mary's Trophy Pt. I saw Frank Stippler get away from pole in the 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA. The Mini of Alex Brundle darted up from fifth to challenge him, but ended up falling back behind larger machines. Jake Hill's 1965 Plymouth Barracuda perpetually challenged the Alfa, but perhaps the most impressive drive came from Romain Dumas, in the 1963 Ford Galaxie 500. He started from the back of the grid and ended up just missing second by 0.008s. Part II started with Nick Swift's 1965 Mini Cooper S on pole, followed by Chris Ward's 1960 Jaguar Mk. II and another Mini, with Bill Shepherd's 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 menacing them from the next row. Shepherd quickly charged into the lead, and Max Chilton in the 1965 Lotus Cortina nipped through to finish second, just 0.6 after the Galaxie claimed first.
The Madgwick Cup for 1950s sports cars blended Lotuses with Lolas and Coopers. Miles Griffiths had a relatively untroubled run from pole to chequered flag in his 1957 Lotus-Climax 11 LM150, followed by the 1958 Lola-Climax Mk. I of Billy Bellinger and the 1960 Lola-Climax Mk. I of Nick Finburgh. The Whitsun Trophy suffered from some of the worst of the weather, and some drivers pushed a little too hard—several of those near the front of the pack lost out when they overcooked a corner and span off. A controlled Bryant drove his 1966 Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder to victory, followed by the 1965 McLaren-Chevrolet M1B of Spiers and 1965 McLaren-Chevrolet M1A of Adam Sykes.
Saturday closed with the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy with Jimmie Johnson and Dario Franchitti in the 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT storming through from ninth to first in the first lap, and onward to victory, despite a 10-second penalty. Greensall/Spiers claimed second in their 1962 AC Cobra, but a false start and subsequent penalty forced Andrew Jordan and Tom Hartley Jr. to accept third in their 1963 AC Cobra Dragonsnake.
The first of much torrential rain on Sunday afflicted the Earl of March Trophy for Formula 500s. Tom Waterfield's good start in his 1957 Cooper-Norton Mk. VIII was enough to secure victory as the race was called off after two laps as track conditions steadily worsened. It was a Cooper hat trick, with George Shackleton second in the 1957 Cooper-Norton Mk. XI and Andrew Turner third in the 1955 Cooper-JAP Mk. IX.
The Richmond & Gordon Trophies for Formula One cars of the '50s and early '60s began with the safety car, but was let loose after the first lap. William Nuthall in his 1960 Cooper-Climax T53 scuffled with the 1960 BRM P48 of Andy Willis for a long time, but Nuthall escaped after Willis misjudged Lavant and also accrued a penalty, knocking him off the podium. Charlie Martin, also in a 1960 T53, came second, and Spiers was third in a 1955 Maserati 250F.
Following disqualification from the practice sessions, Bryant/Hill started from the back of the grid in their 1964 AC Cobra, but managed to charge through the rain-sodden field but the 1964 TVR Griffith 400 of Tom Ingram and Mike Whitaker followed them very closeley and eventually overtook, to knock them into second at the chequered flag. The Glover Trophy, a commemoration of the non-Championship Formula One races for 1960s 1½-litre cars opened up after an early red flag, with four potential winners: Ben Mitchell in the 1962 Lola Mk. IV, Andy Middlehurst in the 1962 Lotus 25, Martin Shaw, and Joe Colasacco in the 1965 Ferrari 1512. In the end, Mitchell and Shaw dropped back, leaving Middlehurst to win with Colasacco just 0.03s. behind him, with Mark Shaw's 1961 Lotus 21 taking third.
The weekend was concluded with the Freddie March Memorial Trophy, for cars that participated in the 1952-55 Goodwood Nine Hours races. Shepherd's Ford Thunderbird 'Battlebird' started in the lead, but suffered a mechanical retirement. That left Hill in the 1954 HWM-Jaguar to duel with Richard Woolmer in the 1954 HWM-Cadillac, and it was Hill who prevailed thanks to a neater, if less spectacular, driving style. Scott Malvern was left alone to take third in his 1952 Allard J2X.
Once again, Matthew Pitts was there to capture the action in all its soaking glory.
Photographs: Matthew Pitts Photography