Goodwood Members' Meeting Races and Timetable Announced
Fresh from planting 100,000 new bulbs to join the host of golden daffodils that will flutter and dance around the Goodwood Motor Circuit by March next year; the Goodwood have today revealed the races that will make up the 76th Members’ Meeting programme on March 17th-18th.
The four-month countdown to the fifth edition of the modern-day Members’ Meeting, formulated to recreate the 71 such club-focused events that took place at the circuit from the late 1940s to the mid- ‘60s, is very much on. The racing next year will include a mixture of familiar drivers and riders alongside a smattering of new names to keep excitement high and give a new selection of cars a chance to compete wheel to wheel around the legendary West Sussex track.
The 12-race schedule, which starts on Saturday afternoon after the qualifying sessions and runs all through Sunday, offers a stunning array of single-seaters, GT and touring cars and motorcycles that’ll thrill fans of all ages and persuasions
Ronnie Hoare Trophy
Named after Ford dealer-turned Maranello Concessionaires frontman Colonel Ronnie Hoare, who ran a succession of Ferrari GT racers at home and abroad, the meeting’s opening race caters for road-going sports and GT cars of a type that raced internationally between 1963 and 1966. Expect to be able to ogle Ferrari 275 GTB/Cs, Porsche 911 and 904 Carrera GTSs and Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ1s.
Gerry Marshall Trophy
Run in memory of British saloon-car king Gerry Marshall, whose big build, big personality and big skill wowed racegoers in the 1970s and ’80s, this two-part thrash for Group 1 saloon cars of a type that raced between 1970 and 1982 is always epic. Chunky Rover SD1s, slippery 3.0S Ford Capris and grunty Chevrolet Camaros will battle hard in Saturday’s two-driver, one-hour feature and again in Sunday’s 15-minute sprint, with Triumph Dolomite Sprints, VW Golf GTIs and Mini 1275GTs snapping at their heels.
Caracciola Sportwagenrennen
Under the Varzi Trophy name in 2017, this race for sports-racing cars of a type that raced up to 1939 takes on the identity of the Caracciola Sportwagenrennen for 2018. Named after pre-war Grand Prix hero and three-time European Drivers’ Champion Rudolf Caracciola, it will feature glorious and eye-wateringly valuable machinery such as the Mercedes-Benz SSK, Alfa Romeo 8C Monza and BMW 328.
Derek Bell Cup
Creating a superb spectacle as they screamed around the Motor Circuit in close formation during each of their previous three visits, the one-litre Formula 3 cars of a type that raced between 1964 and 1970 will be back in 2018 for the hotly contested Derek Bell Cup, named after the Goodwood favourite and local ace who cut his teeth in the formula in period. A packed grid of Brabhams, Marches and Tecnos, among other iconic names, are sure to recreate some of the magic.
Hailwood Trophy
Motorcycles joined the Members’ bill in 2016 with the Hailwood Trophy for 250cc and 350cc Grand Prix motorcycles of a type that raced between 1970 and 1984 – and were a huge hit. The two-stroke, smoking bikes, the majority of which are variations of Yamaha’s classic TZ350, will be returning in 2018 for another epic contest for the Hailwood Trophy in honour of the late and very great Mike ‘The Bike’ Hailwood.
Gurney Cup
The big-banger, Can-Am-style race for sports-prototypes of a type that raced between 1960 and 1966 is the fastest of the weekend and for 2018 is named after legendary US racing all-rounder and friend of Goodwood Dan Gurney. In its four previous iterations, the race has pledged its allegiance to fellow Can-Am heroes John Surtees and Bruce McLaren. This time, however, Gurney, who won races for Lola and McLaren, will have his name up in lights once more. Ford GT40s, Lola T70 Spyders and McLaren M1Bs are sure to make the Goodwood ground shake!
Bolster Cup
Spiritedly-driven, spindly specials, whose speed and acrobatic antics belie their age and, in some cases, cubic capacity, have been a hit since they joined the bill in 2016 in the S.F Edge Trophy. This time, the racing specials of a type that raced up to 1939 will do battle for the Bolster Cup, in honour of Autosport Magazine’s founding technical editor John Bolster, one of the pioneers of the innovative and free-thinking specials movement. It’ll be a classic David v Goliath affair, with GNs, Rileys and Morgan Super Aeros taking on a massive, 12-litre V8 Hispano Suiza Amilcar and a 27-litre V12 Delage!
Moss Trophy
It wouldn’t be a Goodwood meeting without Sir Stirling’s name on it. Britain’s greatest all-rounder and period Goodwood hero lends his name to the Moss Trophy for closed-cockpit GT cars in the spirit of the RAC TT races of 1960-1962. Ferrari 250 GT SWBs, Jaguar E-types (steel-bodied only) and Lotus Elites will look the part in the race’s return after a three-year absence.
Hawthorn Trophy
Named after Britain’s first Formula 1 World Champion Mike Hawthorn, the race for front-engined Grand Prix cars of a type that raced up to 1958 will feature authentic Cooper-Bristol Mk2, Connaught A- and B-type and Maserati 250F machinery just like the ‘Farnham Flyer’ raced before becoming a Ferrari title winner at the age of 29.
Sears Trophy
‘Gentleman Jack’ Sears was a saloon and sportscar great during the 1960s, winning two British Saloon Car titles. Memories of his battles with F1 heroes Jack Brabham, Jim Clark and Graham Hill in massive V8 Ford Galaxies will be rekindled in the Sears Trophy for saloon cars of a type that raced between 1958 and 1963. Lotus Cortinas, Mini Cooper Ss and Ford Anglias and Galaxies will make a welcome return for the first time since 2014.
Salvadori Cup
Grand Prix racer and Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori had an enviable record at Goodwood, winning numerous races in a variety of machinery. The final race of the 76th Members’ Meeting, for World Championship sportscars and production sports-racing cars of a type that raced between 1955 and 1960, will take his name and feature rumbling Jaguar D-type, Jaguar- and Chevrolet-engined Lister and Tojeiro-Jaguar endurance racers. The perfect way to finish!
Saturday Race Schedule:
Race 1: Ronnie Hoare Trophy (20 mins)
Race 2: Gerry Marshall Trophy, part 1 (60 mins – two drivers)
Sunday:
Race 3: Caracciola Sportwagenrennen (20 mins)
Race 4: Derek Bell Cup (20 mins)
Race 5: Hailwood Trophy (20 mins)
Race 6: Gurney Cup (20 mins)
Race 7: Bolster Trophy (20 mins)
Race 8: Moss Trophy (45 mins)
Race 9: Gerry Marshall Trophy, part 2 (15-min sprint)
Race 10: Hawthorn Trophy (20 mins)
Race 11: Sears Trophy (20 mins)
Race 12: Salvadori Cup (20 mins)
Alongside the racing will star daily high-speed demonstrations of Formula 5000 single-seaters and Group 5 ‘Special Production’ sportscars. Thunderous Lola, McLaren and Surtees machines, all powered by Chevrolet V8 powerplants with BMW 320s, Ferrari 512 BB/LMs, Lancia Beta Montecarlos and Porsche 935s guaranteed to spin wheels and spit flames for fans.
Tickets to the 76th Members’ Meeting are available now to Goodwood Road Racing Club Members and to members of the GRRC Fellowship.
