Goodwood: 73rd Members' Meeting

Pedal to the metal

Pre-war bruisers and Le Mans prototypes are among the mechanical monsters on display, as Riddle enjoys trackside thrills at Goodwood

Article by Marion Graham Photography by Andy Barnham

On Saturday the 21st March, for the first time in more than 25 years, a modern Grand Prix car - a Mercedes AMG W04 driven in 2013 by current Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton - raced around the Goodwood Motor Circuit, which was originally opened in 1948 by Frederick Gordon-Lennox, the 9th Duke of Richmond.

Like his grandson, the incumbent Lord March, the circuit’s founder was fanatical about cars, even committing the decidedly un-aristocratic act of training as a mechanic while working for Bentley before taking over the running of the Goodwood Estate - and he would most certainly have nodded his approval as FIA World Endurance Champion Anthony Davidson got behind the wheel. He was able to show off the W04’s breathtaking pace in a “handicap” race with a Mercedes W190 300 SEL AMG and the brand new Mercedes AMG GT S Supercar.

Handicap racing was a major feature of the Members’ Meetings held at Goodwood between 1948 and 1966. During this period, racing legends such as Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart forged their careers on a circuit which was laid upon the perimeter track of a Second World War RAF airfield.

The showcase race, staged with event timing partner IWC Schaffhausen, saw Grand Prix winner Jochen Mass set off first in the Mercedes W190 300 SEL AMG that finished second at the 1971 Spa 24 Hours. Twenty seconds later, another ex-F1 star, Karl Wendlinger, gave chase in the brand-new Mercedes-AMG GT S supercar, while another 40 seconds passed before Davidson got underway.

Two laps later, the trio ran nose-to-tail into the final bend. Then, in an astonishing display of just how speedy an F1 car is compared with even the fastest road machine, Davidson powered past both rivals as he exited the chicane, reaching the finish line first.

Other moments of note at this year’s meet included a demonstration of the incredible “high-airbox” F1 cars of the mid-1970s, a celebration of the McLaren F1 GTR (which won Le Mans 20 years ago) and races between touring car legends such as Rob Gravett, Steve Soper and Matt Neal.

These are halcyon days at Goodwood. The annual meeting for thrill-craving motorists abruptly came to a halt in 1966 and lay dormant until 1993, when Lord March and his father, the 10th Duke of Richmond, decided to revive it to help to generate income for the estate. The first modern-era event, in June 1993, saw 25,000 spectators on the first day of the Festival of Speed - more than 12 times as may as the 2,000 they originally predicted.