Goodwood Revival Celebration

Having launched the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1993 at his West Sussex home, Goodwood House, Lord March ran the first Goodwood Revival meeting in 1998 on the old Goodwood race circuit a mile down the road. He told me at the time: “I was trying to do the circuit first. It took me seven years to get planning permission and we were worried that we might never get it, so we started the festival in the meantime.” Both events became a huge success, but neither took place this year due to the ‘Chinese virus’, as President Trump calls it.

I was at that first Revival in 1998 and have attended every one since. It is so much more than just a race meeting for old cars. It is a ‘happening’, where the public become part of the show by dressing up in period clothing and driving there in their old classic cars. No modern cars or race transporters are even allowed into the circuit, so you really can imagine yourself being transported back to the Fifties and Sixties. There was always so much going on, it’s easily possible to amuse yourself all weekend without even watching any racing. The Revival is promoted as “a magical step back in time”, and it certainly is. Now, it’s time for me to step back in time and pick out 25 memorable moments.

Phil Hill

Born in Miami in 1927, Phil carries the mantle of 1961 Formula One World Champion, but he was so much more than that. He was a terrific sportscar driver who won Le Mans three times in ’58, ’61 and ’62 and countless other international sportscar races. He was also a Bonneville class