Goodwood Revival 2007 (Friday) Pictures

We just put our report and 210-shot slideshow online:
http://www.***************.com/event/129/2007-Goodwood-Revival.html

 

There's one on Wouter's slideshow:

http://www.***************.com/gallery.php?num=9837

Paul M

 

Thank you. That's me in the passenger seat.

Mark Shannon

 

Wanted Photo Crash Bizzarrini in 300 DPI..Reward

 

As always the europeans race too hard and fnck the cars ... brilliant, not!!! I wish these ego driven drivers would enter a modern race series where winning at all costs is what it is about. Historic racing is about the cars, and writing off a car is pointless.

If I ran the event and a driver crashed a car and was at fault, he would never be allowed to enter again. I believe that is what Laguna Seca does at the Pebble beach race meeting. Very unnecessary, and I'm sorry if you got something out of watching that you might as well go home, take out a hammer and smash your own classic up.

I went and watched a great classic meeting at Eastern Creek in Sydney last weekend and some raced pretty hard but I never saw anybody touch another car and I never saw a car get bent, it was all just good fun.

Again nobody cares who the driver is, even if you are Stirling Moss, nobody is expecting you to set lap records anymore (note I am not saying Stirling bends old cars or anything, just using his name as an example).

This event has a short life span anyway, thanks to these unnecessary accidents. Somebody will get taken out and sue or something, or will get very publically killed and yep the news and spectators will not like it ... then the safety idiots will take over and the magic lost ... all because of some drivers uncontrolled ego!!!
Pete

 

I couldn't disagree with you more.

Firstly I don't think Goodwood is about winning at all costs it is about entertaining the crowd, and I don't think you will find too many people at Goodwood on Sunday who were not entertained. The prizes are not huge so what is the incentive other than to show the cars to the crowd.

Secondly race cars no matter how old should be raced. Virtually every GTO can claim to have some accident or other in its life, but they have been repaired, and I expect in this case the Bizzarini will be rebuilt and raced again.

Thirdly yes people do care who the drivers are and seeing Stirling Moss, Derek Bell, John Whitmore etc racing against the historic specialists like Peter Hardman and modern race drivers like Jean Marc Gounon, is a big thrill.

The accident was caused by Stretton making a tiny error and putting a wheel on the grass, something that I am sure every race driver has done in every type of car. In the modern carbon tubbed world we forget that Motorsport is intrinsically dangerous. At the race you attended someone could have had a big accident caused by a mechanical failure no matter how careful the driver was. Equally the same thing could happen taking the car out for a Sunday drive.

Long may Goodwood continue and hopefully everyone will continue to race flat out there.

 

See here : http://www.pbase.com/steephill/strettoncrash

 

Another rare and precious old race car destroyed... Bravo!
When I see the extent of the damage on this beautifull Bizzarrini, I think if we have the chance to see it one day "repared", we have one more replica.

 

Cynical comment. Remember that guys like Stretton make car events enjoyable and worthwhile to visit. Because of them we see these old cars in the flesh and running, including their sounds and smells. When something goes wrong, it is their risk and they take it for the sake of our and their pleasure.

When you know a way to visit Fort Knox types of car collections I want to know it too!

 

I agree with that fully!!! Racing cars are racing cars and have to be raced. They are just a tool to win a race, no matter which one. It's the drivers choice to race a vintage car and we must never argue this. Meanwhile we are enjoying these cars, drivers and events so why bother?

 

Don't misunderstand me... Don't fight... My comment was not cynical. I saw such races many years ago and it hurts me when I see such precious race cars destroyed. Like many other people, I like to see them on racetracks but also in museums, were they are preserved.

 

Giotto,

I don't think you can have your cake and eat it too...

Art S.

 

Hardly any vintage Ferrari can be seen in a public museum. Sorry, I don't want to make a fuzz. But enjoying old racing cars is about sights, smells and noises. Mostly I see old Ferraris in pictures or in mind and when I see one being raced to its limited I'm getting very excited because of the extra dimensions.

 

Yes Art, I like to see a nice box full of cakes, but I like to eat them too... What can I do???
I like also old race cars on racetracks with big engines, good sound and oil smell, but too many were badly crashed in the last years and I don't like to see that... Race them but properly.

 

+1!

 

You guys really don't understand my comments do you. I know it's a fine line and subtle point ... :yawn:

First of all I raced classic cars at a very humble level for quite a few years and you do NOT have to win a race to have great fun and entertain the crowd. You very quickly become aware of the drivers that have the inappropriate attitude for classic racing and try and keep away from them ... you shouldn't have to, they should not even be on the grid. I became one of them, and thus left classic racing and changed to club racing instead.

Thus yes these cars should be raced, absolutely, but these guys DO race with the attitude that winning is all that matters. That is not appropriate with these old cars! Why?: because their (the cars) modern racing career means NOTHING. They have completed their racing career 40 years ago when it mattered for the company that made the car, etc. now they are just racing for fun or should be. If you think it matters, then why does Ferrari race in F1? ... if these old car races meant something they could simply close their F1 shop and use the classic race results as their marketing tool. But it means nothing to Ferrari and nothing to anybody else.

The Americans do it right, as I believe do the Australians ... and like I said I watched a very enjoyable meeting the other day, with a massive and very happy and enthuisastic crowd.

Many years ago the son of a world renown classic car restorer (a company that has won Pebble beach) was killed racing a vintage single seater in New Zealand. He was killed by a visiting English driver racing over the top ... yes racing accidents happen, but this guy could have lifted and waited for a more appropriate and safer passing point. This is what will happen more often if these guys are not instructed to take that attitude somewhere else. Is this worth it?, no the crowd were and are happy to see these guys race 80%, we do not need the 110% effort to enjoy the spectacle. That is my point.

Thus to clarify (and maybe Martin's accident is not a good example, but there are way too many accidents in the European and English racing scene) you can race a car without risking it and other peoples lives. Yes you can.
Pete
ps: As a poster pointed out on AlfaBB, where are the sand traps, etc. The old days were great, but the racing related deaths were not. Recreating the old days does not have to ignore modern track safety.

 

+1!!!

 

There are sand traps at Goodwood and high traction tarmac (as now used often in F1) unfortunately not at the point that Stretton went off. The track in considered safe by the racing authorities.

Having been at Goodwood the only example of aggressive driving was appropriately punished by disqualification by the stewards (the winning Marcos in the Fordwater trophy). The driving is of a very high standard as you would expect from a field that includes many current and past top professional drivers.

As an aside message from Martin Stretton on this link

http://forums.autosport.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=96616

 

This year's Revival has wider implications on historic motorsport globally......

In the seventies and eighties racing in the UK was hard, accidents were infrequent and ex F1, Touring car or modern day formulae drivers were rarely seen - John Surtees and Sir Stirling Moss accepted.The undoubted "stars" were Neil Corner and the late and much missed Patrick Lindsay - enthusiasts to the core with extremely desirable stables of cars and as amateurs, the talent to drive them.

Outside Europe, the talent and enthusiasm were still there, but at Steve Earle's (organiser of the Laguna Seca races) insistence, racing Stateside was about demonstration and not "bending" the car.

In the intervening period in Europe - much has changed and for the most part - the better.Amongst others, retired F1 (eg Dickie Atwood), sportscar veterans (Alain de Cadenet and Willie Green) and ex Formula 3 (Peter Hardman) drivers have helped "swell the ranks", as the current custodians of cars seek to have them raced as they were when new...not to mention the "cottage industry" of race preparers of which Martin Stretton is one of the best known and respected.

In the US and elsewhere - those owners/drivers seeking "tougher" competition have headed to Europe - Californian Don Orosco and his Scarab's are a vivid memory, whilst more recently Duncan Dayton and James King have been regular attendees at the Monaco Historique - and they're not alone!Paul Samuels and Don Thallon (both from Oz) have freighted cars to the UK for a season's competition and Mexican Nicolas Zapata drives his 250SWB with verve in the Shell European Historic Ferrari Challenge.

What has changed fundamentally -

-the "Historic" season starts at Moroso Park Florida in January (Shell North America Historic Ferrari Challenge) and is relentless across the globe to the completion of the Targa Espana in late October.

-it has become "one" movement, where collectors/drivers freight cars to events worldwide

-it has created employment for the preparers and associated support services of the cars

-it has become big business (Goodwood Festival of Speed, Monterey, Nurburgring Oldtimer, Festival of Speed)

-the owners pursuit of success has in some cases compromised originality (2 team mechanic's refused a race scrutineer at the '07 Revival, post race access to 2 cars over allegations of over sized/non standard engines)

-a "win at any cost" mentality has crept into the sport

-driving standards have deteriorated as "hot-shoes" are drafted in to race cars that they are not "sympatico" with, but that's OK because the car isnt necessarily standard anyway!! (A recent incident at the Silverstone Classic involving a Caterham Lights driver in a pre-war Alta and an amateur in an Alfa Monza highlight this trend all too well)

Goodwood - its big business, the prestige of winning is significant and something needs to change before the unthinkable happens.It's a dangerous circuit - just ask Sir Stirling Moss!

E

 

I agree with PsK and Daytonasme about the state of historic "racing". To avoid accidents between cars as much as possible, passing should be done only on straights, not in corners (just like it is on track days). Accidents will still happen when things break or when a driver makes a mistake. There should be no prices or points to be won in historic "racing".