Goodwood Revival

Sportscar star Emanuele Pirro wins TT Celebration after thrilling Jaguar E-type dice

The fourth Goodwood Revival Meeting, on August 14-16, served up a spectacle of the highest quality, with racing that on occasion took breath one’s breath away. The downside was that rather more cars than one might have expected limped away with accident damage. The highlight was Emanuele Pirro’s drive in the TT Celebration. Not because it was flashy, but because it was stylish and measured, and undertaken in the knowledge that his friend, Alex Zanardi, lay gravely ill in hospital. In the circumstances, Pirro was a model of professionalism and gentlemanly behaviour. He has vowed to return, and we sincerely hope he does. P.F.

Goodwood Trophy (12 laps)

A robust John Ure made it four out of four for ERA in this race for 1948-55 Formula One, Formula Two and Formula Libre cars, his hard-fought victory in Peter Mann’s R9B following on from Ludovic Lindsay’s hat-trick in ‘Remus’. Ure made good use of the vacant grid slot ahead of him pole man Gregor Fisken electing to start his misfiring Cooper-Bristol from the tail of the field in the interests of safety to take the lead. He was chased hard by Rod Jolley’s Cooper-Bristol, and the pair took turns at the front until the latter spun out at Woodcote with two laps remaining. This would have been a three-way fight had not Flavien Marcais’ Cooper-Bristol found itself with a ‘box full of neutrals on lap six. The Frenchman’s consolation was his setting of the fastest lap.

1st: John Ure (1936 ERA R9B) 91.51mph

2nd:Willie Green (1948 Alfa Romeo 158)

3rd: Irvine Laidlaw (1936 Maserati 6CM)

Fastest lap: Marcais (1953 Cooper-Bristol) 1min 30.366sec (95.61mph)

Earl of March Trophy (8 laps)

Another winning sequence was maintained in this encounter for 500cc F3 cars of 1948-59, Julian Majzub making it four in a row with his Cooper-Norton Mk8. But it took a thrilling, last-lap, around-the-outside move at Madgvvick to deny David Woodhouse’s Mk9 variety. Reg Hargrave’s Kieft-Norton was the pre-event favourite but, having set a pole time 2.6sec quicker than its nearest rival, suffered engine problems during the race.

1st: Julian Majzub (1954 Cooper-Norton Mk8) 80.91mph

2nd: David Woodhouse (1955 Cooper-Norton Mk9)

3rd: David Lecoq (1955 Petty-Norton)

Fastest lap: Majzub, 1min 43.723sec (83.29mph)

Lennox Cup (2 x 8 laps)

Barry Sheene gave the crowd exactly what it wanted with two measured winning rides and a 3.4sec aggregate victory. But it wasn’t all plain sailing for him, having ‘dropped’ Fred Walmsley’s Manx Norton on Friday. He was badly bruised but started the Saturday race from pole and waited until the last lap to pass Bill Swallow’s Aermacchi. Sheene made his move earlier on Sunday, pulling away from the pack over the last three laps. Mick Hemming’s McIntyre Matchless pipped Swallow on this occasion, but the latter took second on aggregate. Eight-time world champion Phil Read endured a terrible Revival debut. His misfiring MV Agusta triple non-started, and his replacement Matchless G50 failed to complete a lap on Saturday and could only take him to 12th on Sunday.

1st: Barry Sheene (1962 Manx Norton) 91.20mph

2nd: Bill Swallow (1966 Aermacchi)

3rd: Mick Hemmings (1962 Matchless G50)

Fastest lap: Sheene, 1min 31.781sec (94.13mph)

Sussex Trophy (14 laps)

After a couple of Goodwood disappointments, Tony Dron and the Ferrari 246 finally came good. Although beaten off the line by Tiff Needell’s ‘Knobbly’ Lister-Jaguar, Dron made the Ferrari’s superior straightline speed and brakes count, taking the lead on lap three and pulling away thereafter to win by three seconds. It was a more commanding drive than it sounds. Needell, meanwhile had his mirrors full of Aston Martin DBR1, Peter Hardman pedalling the car with his customary gusto. As these two diced, so Barrie Williams caught them in the Tojeiro-Jaguar. He was able to pass the Aston in the closing stages, but Tiff hung on to second.

1st: Tony Dron (1960 Ferrari 246S) 95.79mph

2nd: Tiff Needell (1958 Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobbly’)

3rd: Barrie Williams (1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar)

Fastest lap: Dron, 1min 29.003sec (97.07mph)

Freddie March Memorial Trophy (12 laps)

Sunday’s racing kicked off with a real cracker, which unfortunately ended with two damaged cars. The furious battle in this encounter for Goodwood Nine Hours-type cars was between young tyro Justin Law, who started Staffan Svenby’s C-type from pole, and old hand Willie Green in Peter Neumark’s ex-Whitehead brothers’ Cooper-Jaguar T38. The latter was clearly the quicker car, Green taking the lead at the end of the first lap, but Law had the Jag at all angles, and on several occasions made moves at the right-hander before St Mary’s, only for Green to draft by along Lavant Straight By mid-race it looked as though Green had made a clean break, but he was baulked by backmarkers and Law was right back in it. On lap 11, he took the lead just before St Mary’s. And this time Green was unable to retake diving into Woodcote. Law, though, had pushed it too far, dropping a rear wheel onto the grass and spinning. Green was left with nowhere to go except into the side of the Jaguar. All this time, Gary Pearson had been keeping a watching brief in third with the 1954 Cooper-Jaguar. He jinked onto the grass to avoid the carambolage and went on to win.

1st: Gary Pearson (1954 Cooper-Jaguar T33) 91.28mph

2nd: Justin Law (1953 Jaguar C-type)

3rd: Willie Green (1955 Cooper-Jaguar T38)

Fastest lap: Green, 1min 32.307sec (93.60mph)

Chichester Cup (12 laps)

Mike Hibberd was expected to win this Formula Junior race (1958-61) with some ease, having placed his Lotus 20 on pole by over 1.5sec. In the event, however, Neil Daws did a passable Jim Clark impression in his older Lotus 18, leading for a lap, setting the fastest lap and pushing Hibbert all the way to the line. If Hibberd was playing with his foe, then Daws certainly was not, his passing manoeuvre requiring an armful of opposite lock as he went around the outside of his rival at Woodcote on lap four. Joos Tollenar’s Lola Mk3, the only Eric Broadley offering in the race, gradually worked its way up through the field to finish third, but he was 18sec behind the leading duo.

1st: Mike Hibberd (1961 Lotus-Ford 20) 91.00mph

2nd: Neil Daws (1960 Lotus-Ford 18)

3rd:

Fastest lap: Daws, 1min 33.357sec (92.54mph)