The 79th Members Meeting
After the brilliance of the delayed 2021 event, I only had to wait six months until I set foot on the manicured pavements of Goodwood Motor Circuit once more. The 79th edition of Members Meeting lived up to expectations, made even better by two days of glorious sunshine.
Porsche 956 / 962 Demo
The Porsche 956 is undoubtedly one of the most iconic sillhouettes in endurance racing, up there with Mazda 787-B and Porsche 917-K. In the mid-eighties, Porsche wanted a high downforce, low drag sports car that was eligible in endurance races worldwide. The 956 was the result of that requirement and the 962, a re-jigged 956 designed for IMSA rules. Rule of thumb, if it's bigger, it's a 962.
No less than 20 of these supercars lined up for a twilight demonstration on the Saturday evening, repeated once more during the afternoon on the Sunday. I managed to sweet-talk a marshal into allowing me shoot from the pit-wall for the second demonstration, which was cool. I'll get accreditation for Goodwood someday!
The Gerry Marshall Trophy
While the demo runs often create the moments that make Goodwood so special, it is the racing that is the main attraction and there is no race quite like The Gerry Marshall race for group one touring cars of a type that raced between 1970 and 1982.
This race is unique in that it pits tiny Mini Coopers against big, large displacement V8 Mustangs and Camaros. The nature of Goodwoods flat out circuit which requires great skill to carry momentum through corners allows the smaller cars stay with the powerful muscle cars providing an unrivalled spectacle of racing.
The V10 Era
It's often mentioned that the golden era of F1 existed from the late nineties to the early 2000s and I wholeheartedly agree. I was very young during these years and I often wish I was 10 years older back then, so I could have appreciated this period of motorsport to the full. Drivers were gladiators and the cars were fire-breathing monsters, unlike the highly corporate circus we watch today.
While the V10 F1 car demo at 79MM lacked the same action, it was amazing to hear these cars sing at 12k+ RPM down the main straight.
As I did in 2021, I left Goodwood with a feeling of awe at how special this place is. Living in a world that hates the car more and more each day, it is truly inspiring to see events like this thriving amongst it all. I've said it before but Members Meeting is a permanent fixture in my calendar from now on, there is just no way I'd miss it.
Event: 79th Goodwood Members Meeting