Tiny Formula Junior cars at the 2023 Revival | Chichester Cup

10th September 2023

Adam Wilkins

If it’s the fastest cars with the biggest engines that draw greatest attention at the Goodwood Revival, then the Chichester Cup flies somewhat under the radar. The annual contest for Formula Junior cars brings together a grid of sub-1,100cc single-seaters that scream their way around the circuit, their drivers managing the limits of grip of those super-skinny tyres.

The race kicked off the on-track action on Sunday morning, and the first question of the day was who would come out on top into the first corner as they went barrelling three-wide into Madgwick.

It didn’t take long for the safety car to be required after an incident filled opening lap, but once the racing got back underway we had battles throughout the field, with some spectacular overtakes around the sweeping curves of the Motor Circuit.

The battle for the win was the hardest fought, as Sam Wilson in his Lotus 20/22 pushed hard, sometimes too hard, to try and overcome leader Horatio Fitz-Simon. It was a battle that lasted right until the very end, the perfect showcase for these wonderful little cars with some top-qualify entertainment.

Formula Junior was where many motorsport greats cut their teeth. Names like Jim Clark, Denny Hulme and John Surtees all learnt their trade aboard these highly competitive entry-level single-seaters.

Lotus, currently celebrating its 75^th year, is dominant in terms of its representation on grid with eighteen cars on the grid, split between Types 22 and 27. Other names that were at the forefront of British motorsport in the 1960s include Brabham and Cooper, while you’ll also see a DeTomaso, Focus and Alexis among the field.