Video: 2024 Revival Day 1 | Full Day

16th September 2024

Adam Wilkins

OK, we’ll concede that the Goodwood Revival is at its best when the sun is shining and the skies are blue, but the weather is the one element of the weekend we have no control over. We’ll remember 2024 as a wet one, especially on the opening day.

Things started with the beach buggy parade that celebrated 60 years of the Meyers Manx. The drivers brought their own spirit of California to compensate for the leaden skies and wet track. And that set the tone for the day, the only variation being how wet the track was.

The first practice session was for the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, in which Davey Todd claimed pole on the solid chassis BMW R63 Kompressor, one of the oldest machines on the grid. Drivers in the Glover Trophy practice were using their fingertips and the tips of their toes to encourage their single-seaters around the soaking circuit.

In the first of two practice sessions for the St. Mary’s Trophy presented by Motul saloon car race, the conditions favoured the Mini of Alex Buncombe who set the fastest lap. Later in the day, there was a challenge for the Whitsun Trophy presented by Sky, and Adrian Newey fell foul of the low grip. It was a similar story in the practice for the RAC TT Celebration which was called to halt after just five laps, Duncan Pittaway being the unfortunate driver whose session ended in the tyre wall.

For the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy, it wasn’t the front-runners that grabbed all the attention. All eyes were on 29^th placed Richard Woolmer thanks to the balletic control of his Austin-Healey 3000. He was sideways everywhere is the rally-style two-seater.

After a programme filled mainly with practice sessions, the first race of the Revival 2024 weekend took place at the end of the day when the Sussex Trophy cars competed into the dusk. With a drying track, the mixed up qualifying times set in the wet made for much exchanging of places.

And with that, day one of the 2024 Goodwood Revival was done.