Although the Goodwood Revival 2017 ended on Sunday, September 10, spirits are still high. I really don’t know how the Goodwood organizers keep outdoing themselves year in and year out, but they’ve certainly done it again. The 2017 edition of this iconic Revival has to be the best one yet, with plenty of thrills and even a couple of spills. Thousands of spectators flooded the circuit expecting plenty of close action, and that’s exactly what they got. The circuit was also flooded with rain though, which made for an interesting turn of events over the course of the entire weekend.
A massive downpour of rain meant that the races on Friday were extremely dramatic. The track was so wet that at one point the organizers were considering cancelling the last event. Eventually, special trucks were sent out to dry the pavement and the race went underway. The highlight of the day, if you can call it that, was the rather big shunt a Ferrari 250 GTO/64 had (Video HERE). Its driver, racing for the lead with a 250 LM, lost control in the slick conditions and had to throw it into the barrier to avoid the other multi-million dollar Ferrari. He managed to save it and only bend the rear quarter, making the car salvageable. I doubt insurance companies have a figure that covers a Ferrari 250 GTO worth several dozen million dollars though.
The fastest lap of the weekend was set by Miles Griffiths in a Lotus 16, with a blistering time of 1 minute and 30.558 seconds. The quickest lady driver was Jenny Tinmouth in a Hansen Honda (1 minute 36.407 seconds). Richard Meaden and his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Ti won the Will Hoy Memorial Trophy (awarded to the greatest drive in a closed-cockpit car), and Ruben and Cattio Fangio took home the Spirit of Goodwood Award. Elsewhere Oliver Hart received the Rolex Driver of the Meeting award.
A Bonhams-organized auction was taking place parallel to the racing, with a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona selling the highest at 606,300 pounds. The weekend was at one point compromised by an armed robbery. Two machete and crowbar-wielding thieves attacked security guards and stole in excess of 75,000 pounds! The police are investigating the incident but they’ll have to go over security cameras and witnesses before they release any statement.
See all the 150+ pictures from Goodwood Revival 2017 here
