Blessed with balmy spring weather at the weekend, Goodwood’s 83rd Members Meeting recalled that epic summer of 1976 when British heroes ruled on two wheels and four.
James Hunt snatched the F1 world championship at the last minute in Fuji Japan and Barry Sheene claimed the first of his two 500 cc world titles and track demonstrations recalled both these larger-than-life British icons.
Hunt’s sometime racing driver son Freddie was on hand to drive father’s victorious McLaren M23, as was Hunt’s former McLaren team manager some fifty years ago, New Zealander Alistair Caldwell (above).
Another British F1 icon feted was Jenson Button, recalling how he sensationally scooped the 2009 world championship in what was originally Honda’s Ross Brawn designed RA109 before becoming Brawn’s eponymous BGP 001 title challenger when Honda withdrew from F1. Brawn ran this small team on a shoestring budget.
Button, who retired as a professional driver last November, delighted Goodwood’s knowledgeable crowd by lapping in the wailing 18,000 rpm Mercedes Benz V8 power car complete with its innovative and controversial, double-decker diffuser, key to the RA109’s success before rivals caught on!
Unfettered by the theatrical razzamatazz surrounding the Revival meeting, the Members meeting caters for smaller spectator numbers, with no grand start line presentations or cigars only pure racing.
Touring cars are longtime favourites and the Super Touring era, 1995–2000 was perhaps its pinnacle, perfectly capturing the mantra ‘race on Sunday, sell on Monday’ among tin-top makers, Vauxhall, Ford, Renault, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Peugeot, Datsun, Honda et al.
But by 2000 it was reckoned to cost £10M for a 2-car team, so manufacturers started pulling out, which required a rapid change of regulations by governing body TOCA.
The Super Touring epoch also produced heroes from sometimes bitter on-track rivalry. Suffice to say personalities have now mellowed and hatchets finally buried, nevertheless, the much-anticipated shoot-out was deadly serious with lots of friendly needle exchanged among combatants in the Assembly area.
Who can forget the rancour following John Cleland’s Cavalier coming together with Steve Soper’s BMW at Silverstone or Matt Neal and Jason Plato swapping paint just about everywhere but they’re now all bosom pals! The shoot-out was won by former world touring car champion Rob Huff in a 2000 Vauxhall Vectra.
Later driving his own E-Type Jaguar Jenson Button won the 20-minute Phil Hill Cup race for GT & Sports Prototypes 1964-66 despite intense pressure from a 250LM Ferrari and Ford GT 40 with more cylinders and horsepower, but the 2009 F1 champion’s inch perfect driving style prevailed. Other star drivers included 5-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, 3-time Indy winner Dario Franchitti and F1 driver Jan Magnussen.
Expertly run by the British Automobile Racing Club, the Duke of Richmond & Gordon with his Goodwood creative team again delivered a memorable Members meeting, reintroduced 2014 with its origins back in 1948 when the Sussex circuit first opened. Goodwood’s suite of 2026 events will continue with the Festival of Speed 9-12 July followed by the full-fat Revival meeting 18-20 September.
© Words Ken Davies & images courtesy of Mike Stokes & Ken Davies
