Goodwood Delights with Historic Racers
Amidst the high-profile Formula One action and supercar shootouts the Goodwood Festival of Speed was the usual delight for historic motorsport enthusiasts with some wondrous cars tucked away in the paddocks, including several Le Mans winners, iconic 1950s single-seaters and classic vehicles from some of the more niche areas of motorsport.
The unique nature of the event was summed up for us by a moment on Sunday morning when, walking past some empty garage awnings, a noise from behind made us turn round to see a Porsche 917K in Gulf livery come round the corner and edge up behind us. An encounter with one of the most famous sports racers of all time was made complete when we realised the lucky driver taking the 917 up the hill that weekend was Stuart Hall, an old friend of us here at Historic Racing News.Com.
Sometimes, you wonder if a driver still competing today fully grasps the significance of the historic car he has in his care at an event. While some apparently have no knowledge of times past in their chosen sport, others are hugely interested in the history and jump at the chance to drive a special car – fortunately Stuart falls in the latter camp and even re-watched Steve McQueen’s Le Mans movie on the Saturday evening before his final run to fully immerse himself in the 917 experience.
Listen to Stuart talk to Paul Jurd moments after he stepped out the Porsche 917K here.
The event is about more than cars, Paul Tarsey encountered a company converting the famous Bedford Green Goddess old fire engines into classic racecar transporters. The classic looks hide a number of modern features, and the make-over can actually be applied to any period lorry.
Here Paul Tarsey talk to the creator of this new line in paddock vehicles here.
We hope our Goodwood gallery gives a taste of the breadth of the historic cars on show, click the gallery tab to see our imagery.
