In fitting fashion, the world’s most expensive motor race fell to an example of the world’s most expensive car, when the Ferrari 250 GTO of Gary Pearson and Andrew Smith took a flag-to-flag victory in the glow of a Goodwood sunset on Friday evening.
There was plenty of close racing throughout the 60-minute race for this glorious field of pre-1963 GT cars. AC Cobras and Austin Healeys galore filled the entry, with two drivers per car and a mandatory pit stop to change over, and they ran doorhandle-to-doorhandle in a thrilling opening race for the 2019 Goodwood Revival.
Despite this armada of exotic racing cars, nothing seemed able to upset the fabulous Ferrari’s progress – even when a Safety Car Period was called with 10 minutes remaining after Jack Young went off in his Jaguar E-type.
The leaders duly bunched back up, but when they were released for the final blast to the finish the 250 GTO remained insuperable, having established a new lap record for the Kinrara Trophy of 1 minute 28.825 seconds. Second place fell to the Aston Martin DB4 GT of Darren Turner and Simon Hadfield, while the Ferrari 250 GT SWB of David Franklin and Remo Lips completed the top three finishers.
Photo by Tom Shaxson.
Race Report
Revival
Revival 2019
2019
Kinrara Trophy