Classic & Sports Car Magazine

1 May 2014

Such is the international acclaim for ‘the Goodwoods’ (the Festival of Speed and Revival Meeting), to have been there from the beginning has acquired a certain cachet. Thanks to my dad being desperate to see a 250F run again in anger, I’m fortunate enough to be able to say “I was there” about the first FoS in 1993 but, to my eternal regret, I didn’t make the inaugural 1998 Revival. So as soon as the 72nd Goodwood Members’ Meeting was mooted, I knew I had to go. The initial stipulation that all-comers had to be GRRC members made that tricky, but when the rules were relaxed I snapped up a ticket because the first time is always special: those who pitch up share that sense of anticipation, waiting to see what Lord March has in store. And what he had was racing, pure and simple. Stripping away most of the theatrical elements focused your attention on the track, where fresh grids created an all-new spectacle (see p26). Everyone was there to see one thing only: a good day’s motor sport – with the bonus that you could get a great vantage point anywhere around the circuit, and access to areas that are usually reserved for VIPs was unrestricted. So congratulations to His Lordship, and roll on the 73rd. Hopefully next year it will retain that ‘club meet’ feel but be opened up to allow other enthusiasts to see what all the fuss was about. ALASTAIR CLEMENTS