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Gallery: Sunday at the 2021 Revival

19th September 2021

Henry Biggs

And so, the time has come, to face the final chequered flag of the Goodwood Revival 2021. After a two-year absence we were prone to some nerves. Would it be the spectacle we loved? Would the racing be as riveting, the cars as beautiful, the stars as friendly. Well yes, yes, yes and yes of course.

After two days of spectacular September sunshine Sunday dawned cloudy with rain forecast, but that did little to dampen spirits of either the drivers or the spectators. In fact, we relished the prospect of a bit of rain to shake up the order in the races and provide us with some prime car control masterclasses.

We certainly weren’t disappointed with the little Formula Juniors in the Chichester Cup teaching us all about the importance of maintaining momentum into and around Goodwood’s fast curves when your engine capacity is smaller than the largest coffee you can order at the Aerodrome Cafe. The rain started to come down in earnest during the Richmond Trophy for 1950s front-engined Grand Prix cars and, unlike today, there are no pit stops for tyre changes. As it often did in period, it came down to a battle between Lotus and BRM, the latter also celebrating 70 years, and a new V16, over the Revival weekend.

It was the Brooklands Trophy for the big capacity beasts of the interwar period that really provided a spectator spectacle however with entry and exit angles worthy of drift racers on display thanks to mountains of torque and tiny tyres. Then the highlight of any Revival, the RAC TT Celebration, and the big question on everyone’s lips this year was whether Formula 1 champion Jenson Button would take to historic racing. The answer was a strong yes until mechanical problems side-lined the Cobra he was sharing with pal Alex Buncombe.

The concluding part of the St. Mary’s Trophy presented by Motul treated us to the hilarious sight of Bill Shepherd shouldering his way through the field in his 7.0-litre Thunderbird and, amazingly, nursing his brakes all the way to the chequered flag. And finally, the Freddie March Memorial trophy, a very special race to all of us here and a suitably action-packed finale. See you next year.

Photography by Jordan Butters, James Lynch, Joe Harding and Pete Summers.