Andrew Jordan on racing an A30 at Goodwood

“The engine didn’t feel right from the start,” Andrew tells us after his St Mary’s Trophy Part 1 qualifying on Friday was suddenly cut short.

“It was important to get a couple of laps in but then the engine started smoking and I had to come in. It was frustrating but at least we got a time.” A time good enough in fact to be second fastest qualifier (to Gordon Shedden).

“I think now with a new engine in and dad (Mike Jordan) going out this afternoon for Part 2 qualifying, we will be in the ballpark for the races, in the top three or four,” said Andrew, speaking earlier in the weekendSo what’s.

What is it about the 30-odd A35s and earlier A30s that has caught the imagination of this Revival so much? The line of little racers in every pastel colour imaginable, with trademark white roofs and hockey stick side flashes, is being constantly admired by fans in the paddock.

Sitting on their dinky Minilite wheels and bearing names like Galloping Gertie and the Flying Satsuma (that’s the orange one), they appear closer to the J40 pedal cars than regular Revival racecars.

AJ puts their popularity down to their “quirkiness. And the fact that, apart from colour, they are all the same. It’s a great novelty to see so many of them all together. It’s proper one-make racing. Plus of course they have attracted a star line-up of drivers.”

Ahead of the race, Andrew added: “I think the racing is going to be fantastic. The cars have only 80bhp and are a bit brick shaped, so there’s a big slipstream with these cars which is going to make the racing really close. I don’t think you would want to have the lead when starting the last lap.

“Because the braking distances are so small the overtaking chances will be on the straights: get a good run out of a corner and then slipstream past.”

Photography by Tom Shaxson, Drew Gibson and Marcus Dodridge