2022 Goodwood Revival blasts back to the past

Another vibrant, busy and successful Goodwood Revival bore one unique element in September – remembrances of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Taking place immediately before the Royal funeral, the event paused in silence on each of the three days following a short film of the Queen’s life.

Flags flew at half mast around the track and officials (and many of the crowd) wore black armbands over their period-style brown coats, while the Duke of Richmond made a short speech on Friday before activities began. “As we gather on this glorious evening to enjoy the sport we all love, it is tinged with great sadness following the death last week of Her Majesty the Queen,” said the Duke. “Her life and reign are impossible to put into words. Her grace, constancy and selfless devotion are an inspiration to us all.”

Then the action: golden evening light graced the Friday dusk Freddie March Trophy, Fred Wakeman and Sam Hancock the opening winners. NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson joined IndyCar greats Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti on track along with F1 champions Damon Hill and Jenson Button and Le Mans victors Andre Lotterer and Tom Kristensen. Damon was driving ‘Old Faithful’ P578 BRM to head a parade celebrating his father’s hugely varied career while 75 years of Ferrari and a century of Austin 7s had their own track spectacles, one raucous, one decorous. Guess which. Le Mans was another theme, the 24 Hours trophy on display here on its round-the-world tour ahead of the race’s centenary, plus the Rover-BRM which Graham Hill drove at La Sarthe.

Race highlights as ever came thick and fast, especially in the two-part St Mary’s Trophy, the Galaxies of Romain Dumas and Fred Shepherd twice vanquishing chasing Alfas, and the hour-long TT Celebration serving Gordon Shedden/Andrew Smith victory from a Cobra/Cobra thriller. And one-time Motor Sport staffer Ed Foster triumphed in the all-MGB Lavant Cup, in the popular sports car’s 60th year.

Elsewhere a Catalina loomed over the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation concours, with a mummy-themed desert set behind and a crashed UFO flagging a mysterious aliens theme to the weekend, complete with conspiracy theorists waving “Aliens are real and they’re here” placards. If so they were disguised as hippies, RAF and naval officers, go-go dancers, debs and tweed-clad countrymen in this immersive trip into history where a tie is de rigeur.

New this year was the Revive and Thrive ‘lifestyle hub’, showcasing craft skills emphasising sustainability, reminding us that as the second Elizabethan era comes to an end, the postwar economy ethos of ‘make do and mend’ is suddenly relevant again.