The first race for Grand Prix cars at this year’s Goodwood Revival was held for the 1930s and early post-war era that fills the grid of the Goodwood Trophy. As ever a huge turn-out or English Racing Automobiles was in attendance, a total of seven ERAs in the field against seven Maseratis, the mighty Alfa Romeo 308, a lone Ferrari 340 and the towering Bentley Hassan Special among others in a hugely diverse grid.
Qualifying had been dominated by the 2.0-litre Alta of Gareth Burnett, a car that seldom troubled its more illustrious competition before the Second World War. Resplendent in its almond green livery, the little Alta shot off the line to assume a lead that would go unchallenged through the 17-lap race, with Burnett’s margin of victory measuring just over 39 seconds.
A quartet of ERAs followed the Alta home, of which it was the earliest of them, Nicholas Topliss’s A-type from 1935, that prevailed to take second place. The fastest foreign challenger was the 3.0-litre Maserati 8CM that belied its 85 years with a very strong showing against much younger machinery.
Photo by Drew Gibson.
Revival
Revival 2019
2019
Race Report
Goodwood Trophy