Video: 2024 Richmond & Gordon Trophies highlights | Goodwood Revival

Witnessing the cars of this special era race around the Goodwood Motor Circuit transports us back to the glorious days when Goodwood was the spiritual home of motor racing in Britain. Past results may show that they are not always the closest of races, but they provide a unique opportunity to bask in the nostalgia of the earliest days of Formula 1.

2024 Richmond & Gordon Trophies highlights

The second race on Sunday morning, the contest for the Richmond & Gordon Trophies had a stunted start, getting underway behind the safety car on a track that remained thoroughly wet. The green flag was quickly waved, though, and these Formula 1 cars of the 1950s and '60s delivered the action.

Pole-sitter Will Nuthall jostled for position with Andy Willis in the 1960 BRM P48 behind him, but after some back and forth it was defending champion Nuthall who came out on top to hold on to his lead. Willis subsequently found himself in an incident with John Spiers, driving a 1955 Maserati 250F, where a moment of contact through the chicane saw the former go off onto the grass.

Willis would end up recording the fastest lap of the race, but unfortunately for him, his efforts to recover were in vain; a 20-second time penalty denied him a spot on the podium. Willis had to settle for fourth, while Nuthall and his 1960 Cooper-Climax T53 ‘lowline’ once again took the chequered flag for a third consecutive year, his fifth win in this race in total. He is unquestionably the king of the Richmond & Gordon Trophies. Second place for Charlie Martin made it a Cooper T53 1-2 finish, with Spiers being promoted to third – but only by the slender margin of 0.342 seconds after the penalty was applied.  

Photography by Pete Summers.

Official Practice for the 2024 Richmond & Gordon Trophies

The first F1 action of the Revival weekend came courtesy of Official Practice for the Richmond & Gordon Trophies, where the front-engined Maseratis and Connaughts continued their perpetual duel with the rear-engined Coopers and Lotuses in this wonderful recreation of 1950s grand prix racing.

It was the nimbler Coopers that were able to better manage the tricky conditions and dominate the timing sheets as they skated around the Motor Circuit. Will Nuthall in his Cooper T53 ‘lowline’ set the quickest lap to take pole position for Sunday’s race, a second ahead of Andy Willis in the BRM P48.

John Spiers was the quickest of the front-engined cars in his Maserati 250F, setting an impressive laptime to keep up good pace compared to the pole sitter and give himself a chance of a strong result in the race.

We can’t wait for the flag to drop and send all of these stunning cars racing wheel-to-wheel once again. There’s no greater sight than watching ‘50s F1 cars sliding their way through the likes of Madgwick, Lavant and Woodcote.

Photography by Pete Summers and Jordan Butters.

2024 Richmond & Gordon Trophies grid (Top 15)

Which cars are in the Richmond & Gordon Trophies?

It’s the 2.5-litre grand prix cars which are the stars of the show here, all hailing from 1952-1960. Front-engined and rear-engined cars will face off against each other, with history – and last year's results for that matter – showing that the latter was the way to go. This year, front-engined Maserati 250Fs, Connaughts and Ferrari 246 Dinos go up against the rear-engine pioneers of Cooper and Lotus.

It was the 1960 Cooper-Climax T53 ‘lowline’ driven by William Nuthall which was victorious in 2023; indeed, four of the top five spots in the standings were filled by either a Cooper-Climax or Lotus-Climax, with the 1960 BRM P48 bucking the trend by taking second. You can see a flurry of both the Lotus and the Cooper on this year’s grid, as well as an Aston Martin DBR4 and Maserati 250Fs.

Which drivers are in the Richmond & Gordon Trophies?

When it comes to the Richmond & Gordon Trophies, in recent years this race has been dominated by one man – William Nuthall. Once again taking to the track in his Cooper T53 ‘lowline’, this year he will be looking to win the Richmond & Gordon Trophies for the fifth time, having previously triumphed in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023. There is set to be three other T53s on the start line, however, many other fellow rear-engined cars all of which can pose a threat to a Nuthall’s title.

When are the Richmond & Gordon Trophies?

As one of the later races on the schedule, Official Practice for the Richmond & Gordon Trophies will take place on Friday 7^th September, before the race commences on early on Sunday 8^th. You can find the exact timings for the race in the 2024 Revival timetable. 

Previous winners of the Richmond & Gordon Trophies

The 2024 Goodwood Revival takes place on 6^th-8^th September. Click here to view the full entry list.

You can also see the full Goodwood Revival timetable here.

Photography by Jayson Fong and Joe Harding.