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Gary Kimber

Goodwood MM77 - a Magical day


This years' Members' Meeting at Goodwood was the 77th in the history of the Circuit, but only the 6th since it was revived with the 72nd running in 2014. The event has rapidly gained a reputation for great racing and, with all the additional demos etc, a status of 'one not to be missed'.

I have never been lucky enough to make it to one of these meetings, having been to quite a few Revival meetings, but I really like Goodwood and the show it always provides.

This year, I was very lucky as I was given an entry ticket for the Saturday - I was thrilled when advised the ticket was available and would have started turning cartwheels IF I was fitter than I am.

An early start was necessary and I didn't have a problem with that. I set off at my planned time and had a pleasant trip to Goodwood, following the signs directly to the car park - this bit a nice surprise as I was parked nearer to the circuit entrance than when I have been to the Revival, meaning i could easily return to my car at lunchtime and therefore carry less stuff with me.

I made my through the pedestrian tunnel, to reach the Paddock area. Here my senses were assaulted immediately, as I was greeted by the sight of a good number of LMP cars that were due for demo at the end of the day.

A Le Mans winning Bentley, and similarly a Porsche, then a one time factory run Audi, plus a variety of other makes. A short walk round the corner brought me to the display of later to be demo'd Nascar cars. The next display was one I had been wanting to see - 5 examples of the wonderful Porsche 917 sports car racers from the 1970's.

Turning around, I really didn't know where to look first- there were wonderful old cars everywhere - covering a wide variety of racing disciplines and spanning many years of history.

Eventually I made my way to the area where the 60 Minis were assembled, as they were made ready for the special celebration races.

Having looked around further, I made my way back through the tunnel to get trackside before the action started. I opted for the exit of Woodcote for my first stop, a spot I haven't previously watched from.

The McLaren Cars parade of various models of the sporty road cars was the first track action I witnessed - with the new McLaren Senna GTR stealing the show and looking stunning.

Next up were two qualifying sessions for the Minis - one for each of the two 40 car groups. Woodcote turned out to be a good spot to see these little cars being cornered hard.

The Gerry Marshall Trophy cars followed the Minis, theses being Saloon cars from the 60's, 70's & 80's that would have raced in the British Touring Car series at those times. Ford Capris, Rover Vitesses, Ford Escorts & Fiestas, plus BMW, Minis, and the thundering Mustangs and Camaros.

Further qualifying sessions followed, as the various classes set their times for the grids for Sunday races.

These were interspersed with demo laps to add to the interest.

The first demo was the Nascar cars - thunderous, rumbling engines and, with too much power quite easy to slide around especially as tyre temperature was at a premium on a relatively cold day. Later, the 917's stole the show - though sadly only for 3 laps, when I would have appreciated more laps and the chance for them to open up a bit more. They made a wonderful sight and sound, with the Gulf liveried one bringing back great memories from my childhood.

A little later, there was also a demo of BMW ProCars that had formerly raced as a support series for the F1 Grand Prix back in 1979.

After all the qualifying had been run, it was time for three races.

The first two were the Heats for the Minis, with the top 15 from each race going through to the Final on Sunday. Fast and furious action was guaranteed and much anticipated, as the entry was packed with top names for this form of racing. Both races were as hugely entertaining as had been expected.

While the first didn't really have a lead battle, the second was fought out between two drivers who clearly respected each other. The racing was close and very fast, but without any bumping or rubbing that you often see in some other classes. A big round of applause to two quick Nicks - Padmore and Swift. Padmore was debuting a newly built car, completed only the previous Monday by Mondosport and benefitting from Swiftune power, and took 2nd at the flag having qualified it on pole.

The 45mins Gerry Marshall Trophy race was next up, featuring two drivers per car and therefore mid race pitstops. An enthralling race eventually saw victory claimed by the Rover 3500 SDi of Neel Jani & James Wood, following the DQ of the Mustang of Craig Davies & Andy Newall.

The race finished in the dusk, with headlights required before the finish.

The last track action for the day, was the LMP demo - the sight and sounds of these sports cars zooming around Goodwood in the gathering darkness bringing a great day to a close.

A steady drive home followed, as I reflected on the many wonderful sights I had seen on a magical day which had stirred many memories.

I have one great friend to Thank for the chance to experience this day - though I won't mention his name, but he knows who he is and he knows I enjoyed it immensely.

I have a good many more photos than I have highlighted in this post, with many of the cars In the Parnell Cup, the Graham Hill Trophy, The Minis, Tony Gaze Trophy & John Duff Trophy plus the demos. I also look forward to the possibility of being able to return for the wonderful Historic Racing Festival that is the Goodwood Revival in September.

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