Video: 2024 Goodwood Trophy Highlights | Goodwood Revival

It returns once more to rekindle the memories of the Goodwood Motor Circuit as it was in its earliest days, with a mix of British, French and Italian machinery making up the bulk of the field. This was the birth of modern motorsport as we know it, and a fascinating look back at what the earliest years of Formula 1 racing looked like.

2024 Goodwood Trophy Highlights

We can’t imagine the relief that the drivers in the Goodwood Trophy must have felt when seeing the drier forecast for Saturday at the 2024 Goodwood Revival, after the sodden Friday.

We can’t imagine the feeling of excitement some must have felt, that were perhaps done dirty by the washout conditions of practice. “It’s dry now, this is my chance,” some will have been thinking further back in the pack. As you’d expect, right from the off, this was a hard-fought race.

Patrick Blakeney-Edwards led the lineup from the off in his Frazer Nash and put in a good battle to maintain that lead. As James Baxter pirouetted in his ERA E-Type GP2, Ian Baxter in his Alta 61 IS was clambering his way up the order. First tussling with the incredible sounding BRM Type 16 V16, he made it past to eventually clinch a last-moment lead and the victory.

Official practice for the 2024 Goodwood Trophy

Standing water and a complete absence of any dry line made official practice a tentative experience for the drivers of these narrow-tyred pre-war machines. Tentative, maybe, but they were all pushing for the best possible grid positions which meant plenty of sliding and armfuls of opposite lock.

Mark Gillies succumbed to the low-grip conditions when a spin saw him take out the chicane wall, but he was ready to return to the session when the subsequent red flag session came to an end.

During the stoppage, Ben Fidler commented: “These conditions are exactly what you don’t want. It’s so slippery it’s just ridiculous.” It nevertheless created a terrific spectacle with many a display of car control around the Motor Circuit.

Photography by Pete Summers, Toby Whales and Jordan Butters.

2024 Goodwood Trophy Grid (Top 15)

Which cars are in the Goodwood Trophy?

We mentioned the variety of the Goodwood Trophy, and it really is remarkable how these cars can be brought together from such a vast expanse of history.

You can expect ERAs from the A-types of the early 1930s to the later B, C, and E-types racing against contemporaries in the form of the Maserati 6CM and Alfa Romeo 308C from 1938. It’s a line-up that includes several different philosophies when it comes to car design, from the sleek aerodynamics of the Italians to the more pragmatic and upright ERAs and the unmistakable grille of the V16-engined BRM Type 15.

The Talbot-Lago T26C from 1948 will be a far more modern-looking machine among the more primitive 1930s racers, as will the teardrop-shaped Vanguard RA4 from 1951.

While the older ERAs struggled in period against more modern competition, they have proven to be more than a match over the years at the Revival with plenty of success in the Goodwood Trophy, but last time out it was an Alta 61 IS that took the chequered flag.

Which drivers are racing in the Goodwood Trophy?

While you won’t find any current motorsport stars racing in the Goodwood Trophy, the grid is made up of many of the world’s most skilful and respected historic racers. Drivers with a deep understanding of how these primitive yet complex machines work, and how to get the very best out of them on the track.

The likes of Mark Gillies, Julian Majzub, Patrick Blakeney-Edwards, Rob Hall and last year’s Goodwood Trophy winner Ian Baxter are all drivers with plenty of experience on the Motor Circuit who will be ready to put on an incredible show.

When is the Goodwood Trophy?

The Goodwood Trophy is race three on this year’s Revival schedule, and Official Practice will take place on Friday 6^th September ahead of the race on Saturday 7^th. You can find the exact timings for the race in the 2024 Revival timetable. 

Previous winners of the Goodwood Trophy

The 2024 Goodwood Revival takes place on 6^th-8^th September. Click here to view the full entry list.

You can also see the full Goodwood Revival timetable here.

Photography by Toby Whales.