Video: 2024 Sussex Trophy highlights | Goodwood Revival

Traditionally the final race of the weekend on Sunday evening, this year the Sussex Trophy will morph into the curtain raiser for racing action on Friday, taking the form of a 60-minute, two-driver extravaganza that is sure to deliver plenty of unmissable action on the opening day of the Revival.

2024 Sussex Trophy highlights

It always feels premature when the sun sets on a completed Sussex Trophy on Friday at the Goodwood Revival, but racing waits for no one. And in 2024, it was a tussle to remember.

It should come as a surprise to none that qualifying didn’t really give us a representative order in terms of pace. Yes, the top seven were separated by less than a second but what even we couldn’t see coming, was that Oli Bryant and Andrew Smith would slingshot their Lotus 15 through the pack from ninth, to win the race with a lead of almost a minute.

Willis and Hall, who started at the sharp end, would end up in fourth a full 1:21 behind the winning pair, who had made their way up to third and were sniffing the cross-plies of second and first by the end of lap one.

Unfortunate DNFs included the Wood/Minassian Lotus, the Maeers Cooper and the Majzub/Mccaig Sadler-Chevrolet, with the latter bowing out within the first two minutes.

Official Practice for the 2024 Sussex Trophy

Official Practice for the Sussex Trophy got the historic motorsport action underway at the 2024 Goodwood Revival, as the stunning 1950s took to the Motor Circuit under foreboding skies. Heavy rain made for challenging conditions for these drivers to contend with as they bid for pole position ahead of Friday evening’s race.

The 30-minute session went mainly incident-free, with only a couple of spins for the Ferrari 250 TR and a Lotus 15 that came away with a slightly rearranged front left corner, and in the rain, we were treated to some brilliant driving skill.

All signs point towards a hugely exciting main event when the Sussex Trophy ends the day’s action on Friday, with the top seven cars all within one second of the eventual pole-sitting pair of Andy Willis and Stephan Joebstl in their Lotus 15.

The Lister ‘Knobbly’ of Gordon Shedden and Saif Assam will line up alongside them in the centre of Row 1, with Nigel Greensall and John Spiers’ Lister ‘Costin on the outside. Nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen and his team-mate Frederic Wakeman took their Cooper T38 to 13^th on the grid.

Photography by Nick Wilkinson.

2024 Sussex Trophy grid (Top 15)

Which cars are in the Sussex Trophy?

Beauties everywhere you look, the Sussex Trophy really is a stunning race to watch regardless of whether they’re battling wheel to wheel. The chance to simply see these cars in motion out on the Goodwood Motor Circuit is enough to justify the price of admission.

This year, the entry list features several Lotus 15s, which have won this race on four occasions, alongside stunning examples of Lister Knobblys, a Tojeiro, a pair of Jaguar D-Type long-noses, a Ferrari 250TR and several Coopers. There are two lesser known machines, too, a Sadler MkII and a Kellison J4.

It’s a vast array of cars powered by a mix of engines from manufacturers including Coventry Climax, Jaguar and Chevrolet which makes for one of the most varied grids across the whole Revival weekend.

Which drivers are racing in the Sussex Trophy?

Over the years, the Sussex Trophy has drawn a mix of owners and professional drivers into action at the Revival. The great and much missed Robert Brooks won the first running in a Lotus 15 back in 1998, and since then the list of winners has been filled with a number of hugely talented racers.

Oliver Bryant took victory last time out, also behind the wheel of a Lotus 15, he'll be looking to retain his crown this year, although he'll have some stiff competition from the likes of Tom Kristensen, Andre Lotterer, Gordon Shedden, Alex Brundle, James Cottingham and Tiff Needell.

When is the Sussex Trophy?

As race one on the schedule for this year’s Revival, both Official Practice and the Sussex Trophy race itself will take place on Friday 6^th September, with the cars taking the chequered flag as the sun sets on day one. You can find the exact timings for the race in the 2024 Revival timetable. 

Previous winners of the Sussex Trophy

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 Joe Harding.