Overall it was very much the Phil Atkinson show with him and his Yamaha TZ350G putting on a show of dominance yet again. Of course, Glen English and Dan Jackson gave a good chase, but they couldn’t quite match Atkinson’s pace.
Jackson made a better go of it in race two, pipping English to best of the rest behind Atkinson, with English scuppering himself with an off on the way through St. Mary’s. The combined result shows a convincing victory for Atkinson who will be celebrating a very productive weekend indeed.
What an opener the first race was, with plenty of action from start to finish, including a hugely climactic final lap battle for victory.
It’s always good fun to see these brilliant bikes make the charge to Madgwick in close formation, but it was Dan Jackson on the number 55 machine that made a lightning start and opened up a huge gap on the opening lap. He was soon reeled in, however, by Phil Atkinson and Glen English on a pair of Yamaha TZ350Gs.
A brief red flag saw the field reconvene on the grid for a second standing start, and from there the race for victory was well and truly on. We could not take our eyes off of this breathless three-way battle that went all the way to the line after a final corner overtake at the Chicane.
It’s always a welcome interlude from the four-wheel racing here at Goodwood, and this year sees yet another brilliantly eclectic field of two-wheel machinery battling hard as always for honours.
Saturday morning’s practice session gave us our first look of who’s in the running for victory this weekend, and it was Glen English on his Yamaha TZ350G who took pole for Race 1 of the Hailwood Trophy which is scheduled to begin at 16:45 on Saturday afternoon.
Emanuele Pirro had more success in his motorcycle adventure this year, as he set the 20th fastest time astride his Exactweld Yamaha TZ250.
The Hailwood Trophy has always been a very welcome interval from the four-wheel racing at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport, as the motorcycles head out onto the track to strut their stuff. It’s a two-class race that also features the Sheene Trophy, with a grid made up of Formula 750 motorcycles alongside 250cc and 350cc two-stroke grand prix bikes. The overall race winner claims the Hailwood Trophy, the first F750 machine to take the chequered flag takes home the Sheene Trophy.
Named after nine-time world motorcycle champion Mike Hailwood, and two-time champion Barry Sheene, it’s a race that brings together a broad selection of bikes from the 1970s and ‘80s. Above all else, it’s the racing that always delivers a great showcase of a legendary era of two-wheeled racing.
Originating at the 74th Members’ Meeting, the Hailwood Trophy has grown from strength to strength as the bikes and riders have got quicker and quicker over the years. Last year at the 80th Members’ Meeting, race one saw the fight for victory go down to the final corner, with Scott Carson eventually prevailing by just 0.3 seconds.
The grid of more than 30 motorcycles is split into two categories. The Barry Sheene Trophy field is set to be made up of bikes like the RSP Triumph Trident, Honda CB750, Ducati 750SS, there's even a Harley-Davidson XRTT lined up to take part. They’ll be mixing it with a fleet of Yamaha TZ350Gs that make up the majority of the Hailwood Trophy grid, and have so often set the pace in the Members’ Meeting’s showcase of motorcycles.
But while the Yamaha is generally the star of the field, that says nothing for the racing that is always relentless from start to finish. The brute force of the four-strokes is well matched against the nimbler two-stroke machines, and there’s always a decent chance of some dramatic side-by-side action.
The big name on the entry list for the Hailwood Trophy at the 81st Members' Meeting is five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro. He's not known for his exploits on two wheels, nor does he have any competitive experience, yet he will ride an Exactweld Yamaha TZ250 this weekend, in what we're all hoping will be a successful appearance after a heart-breaking mechanical failure curtailed his participation a year ago.
The bikes of the 81st Members' Meeting's motorcycle showcase will take to the Motor Circuit for the first time for Official Practice at 09:50 on Saturday morning. They'll return for the Hailwood Trophy race on Sunday at 10:30.
Year |
Event |
Rider(s) |
Bike |
2023 |
80MM Hailwood Trophy (feat. Sheene Trophy) Combined result |
Scott Carson |
Yamaha TZ350G |
2023 |
80MM Hailwood Trophy (feat. Sheene Trophy) Race 2 |
Scott Carson |
Yamaha TZ350G |
2023 |
80MM Hailwood Trophy (feat. Sheene Trophy) Race 1 |
Scott Carson |
Yamaha TZ350G |
2022 |
79MM Hailwood Trophy (feat. Sheene Trophy) Combined result |
Dan Jackson |
Harris Yamaha TZ350 |
2022 |
79MM Hailwood Trophy (feat. Sheene Trophy) Race 2 |
Dan Jackson |
Harris Yamaha TZ350 |
2022 |
79MM Hailwood Trophy (feat. Sheene Trophy) Race 1 |
Levi Day |
Yamaha TZ350G |
2021 |
78MM Hailwood Trophy |
James Hillier |
Yamaha TZ350G |
2017 |
75MM Hailwood Trophy |
Mike Edwards |
Yamaha TZ350E |
2016 |
74MM Hailwood Trophy |
Ian Simpson |
Yamaha TZ350E |
81MM
Members' Meeting
Hailwood Trophy
Event Coverage
Race Coverage