Goodwood’s 75th Members’ Meeting: gallery
Goodwood’s most exclusive event could also be its best. Get the full story on the 75th Member's Meeting here...
Goodwood house was awash with nostalgia over the weekend, when Lord March hosted the 75th Members' Meeting, a weekend of period racing on the surrounding Goodwood racetrack. Kicked off in typical Goodwood style, period race bikes tore through the opening Members' Meeting Governors' Ball on Friday night before two full days of historic racing, covering everything from banged up WTCC cars to pre-war racers.
The biggest spill of the weekend was Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason losing control of his rare McLaren F1 GTR, falling off the track at St Mary's corner, incidentally the same one which ended legend Stirling Moss' career in 1962. Thankfully the speeds were low enough not to have injured Mason although the car was not so lucky.
As an experience, the Members' Meeting is a great exercise in passionate owners and spectators reliving historic racing in beautiful surroundings, click below to look through our 2017 gallery and to learn more about this year’s event.
Goodwood Members' Meeting 2017 Video
About the Members’ Meeting
The Members’ Meeting has become a significant event in the Goodwood calendar over the last few years, drawing in fans, motosport royalty and private collectors from around the globe. This year will be the 75th meeting and will take place on the 19th and 20th March at the circuit near Chichester.
Participants and spectators gravitate to the event in Southern England to witness rare and exciting racing machinery in action for the historic motorsport season opener. Large and diverse, the array of cars and bikes from a plethora of motorsport disciplines take to the circuit for some close wheel-to-wheel action that's become typical of a Goodwood event.
Theme
This year's gathering celebrates decades worth of WTCC cars and competitors since the championship's inception in 1987. Headlining the weekend is a high-speed demo of Group A Touring Cars including Rover SD1’s, Jaguar XJSs, Ford Sierra RS500s.
One of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1980s, Roberto Ravaglia, will be at the event, too. Ravaglia won the DTM championship, the European Touring Car Championship twice, the Italian Touring Car Championship three times and numerous endurance 24 hour touring car races.
This will be the Italian’s first time at the Members’ Meeting, he will be racing a 1978, 3-litre Ford Capri in the Gerry Marshall Trophy and will compete against a host of other famous drivers including F1 driver Gerhard Berger.
Races and demonstrations
This year the spotlight may fall on Touring Cars, but rest assured they’ll be no shortage of eye-popping motors in action. Three demos and eleven races have been squeezed into the two-day schedule, ensuring packed grandstands are treated to the full Members’ Meeting experience.
The S.F. Edge trophy, a race for Edwardian specials, made its first appearance at last year's Members' Meeting to great avail and returns this year. Sitting tall behind the wheel of burly, pre-war Grand Prix cars, the drivers provide an impressive spectacle as they manhandle these sizeable brutes around the circuit.
Often the weekends most fiercely contested encounter is the Gerry Marshall Trophy featuring Group 1 saloon cars. Seeing V8 laden Camaros and 1275cc Mini’s juxtaposed on the thirty car-strong grid is entertaining alone, but once the checkered flag drops past races have provided some of the closest racing and most tense racing.
If less is more for you, the Hailwood Trophy will take your fancy with two-wheeled antics on display. Entry rules accommodate Grand Prix motorcycles that competed between 1970-1984 with earsplitting two-stroke 250cc and 350cc engines.
The Scott Brown Trophy was formed in honour of the late Archie Scott Brown, a former British sportscar racer who indulged in his passion despite physical disabilities. Only Lister built cars that raced up until 1966 are eligible to take part.
Last year’s Goodwood Revival tribute to F1 driver Sir Jack Brabham continues at the 75th Members’ Meeting with the Braham Trophy. The celebration of the Australian racer will see Formula 1 cars from 1954-1960 taking to the track.
Again delving back into the early days of motor racing is the Varzi Trophy. The race is open to pre-war French and Italian built Grand Prix cars.
A family name synonymous with racing is Hill. So it comes as no surprise to see the aptly named Graham Hill Trophy in the weekend's proceedings. Consisting of GT cars that took the Chichester based circuit during the 1960’s, speed is not the exclusive attraction in this extravaganza, beauty will be in abundance too. Delicate Aston Martin DB4 GTs, Jaguar E-types, Bizzarrinis will battle the brute force of AC Cobras and Ford Shelby Mustangs.
The Pierpoint Cup is all about archetypal American muscle. Big, Brash and loud, observers will find difficult to avoid infatuation for these symbolic pony cars. Vast and hefty, drivers will need all their wits about them to manage these powerful cars that battled up until 1966.
Derek Bell’s legendary status derives from his exploits at Le Mans 24h where he racked up five victories but as he climbed the motorsport ladder, he sharpened his skills sitting ahead of a 1-litre engine crammed into the back of a Formula 3 car. For this reason the Derek Bell Cup is a race for F3 racing cars from 1964 to 1970.
The Weslake Cup is a doff of one's cap to Harry Weslake, the designer and engine builder who he had a hand in the Austin A-Series engine. The race will comprise of GT cars fitted with A-Series units that raced between 1958 and 1966.
The name of the game in the John Surtees Trophy is outright speed. Hailing from the largely unregulated, North American Can-Am series, these Group 7 Sports Prototypes are nothing short of handful. No doubt drivers will be searching for grip at every moment as they struggle to deploy the outrageous power on tap. Set to feature is a Lola T70 that John Surtees drove to the Can-Am title in 1966.
Rather than watch their pride and joy race through barely split fingers of a covered hand just moments away from potential shunt, some precious owners have lent their historic jewels for high-speed demonstrations. As well as the aforementioned Group A Touring Car demos will be awe inspiring GT1 pinups including the McLaren F1-GTR. 3-litre Sport Prototypes will follow, with Lolas powered by the potent Cosworth DFV engines.
Tickets
As the name suggests, the event is predominantly hosted for GRRC members. However, non-members are able to attend through a variety of ways: if you’re lucky enough to mix with GRRC members they may be able to acquire a guest ticket on your behalf, or you could join to be a Goodwood motorsport volunteer.
Tickets are also available to the general public and cost from £85 each. Sadly though, they have all sold out for this year’s event. If you’ve not been lucky enough to get tickets, don’t despair as live coverage of the event will be available to watch right here on evo.co.uk
Dress code
Luckily for those who find the Revival's period dress code an unnecessary distraction, the Members' Meeting is less of pain. There’s a suggestion that you dress smartly but there are no strict rules and practicality shouldn’t be sacrificed for style, especially considering the potentially for cold and wet March weather.
Saturday night evening entertainment
Once the tyre-shredding and petrol-burning activities have concluded, festivities get underway on the Saturday night starting from 6:30pm. Multiple stages hosting live productions go on through the night including music, light shows and fire acts. If none of that is to your liking, take refuge by the bonfire to reminisce about the day's events with friends and family.
Food and drink will be available from a variety of vendors to ensure none go parched or hungry. The evening will be capped off by a fireworks display to signal the day's end.
Last year’s cars
To help get you into the mood for the 75th Members’ Meeting, let us show you some of last year’s cars in detail.
