Motul is busy looking after the health of cars at the Revival

The Motul Racing Lab in the Revival paddocks is a hub that teams can make use of throughout the weekend to monitor the quality of their oil and by extension, the condition of their engine.

Motul technicians have been busy taking oil samples and testing them with cutting edge technology to provide feedback on engine health and advising if any issues arise. The test involves burning the oil in something called an optical emission spectrum, which can see tiny particles of contamination through specific wavelengths of light.

Things they’ll be looking out for include traces of metal that have worn from the engine itself, oil dilution from things like fuel or coolant, and even checking the chemistry of the oil itself to ensure it is still performing as it should be.

With this information, the lab can report back to the teams if there are any doubts or issues with their engine prior to racing at the Revival. We spoke to a technician at the lab who reported that Lotus Classic had once been notified of suspected wear to a bottom-end bearing prior to racing, and took the decision to fix the engine which could have suffered a catastrophic failure. A further test after the work was complete indicated the rebuild was indeed necessary.

The cars at the 2024 Goodwood Revival have been faced with a new variable in the form of sustainable fuel. Every single competitor was mandated to run these new fuels, but Motul has reported that they have made no difference to the health and running of these engines.

Our technician said: “We've done a lot of samples where these classic cars are running these sustainable fuels and we don't see any major differences from using generic pump fuel. It’s not necessarily affecting the oil’s health, we don’t see a massive jump in fuel dilution, and in terms of wear metal content everything seems fine from our end.”

Motul’s doing good work here at the Revival, another small cog in the great Goodwood machine that delivers such breathtaking historic motorsport year after year.

Photography by Joe Harding.