Goodwood reveals 76th Members’ Meeting programme for 2018

Goodwood has revealed the races that will make up the 76 Members’ Meeting programme in March 2018.

The 12-race schedule, on March 17 an 18 will begin on Saturday afternoon after the qualifying sessions, and runs all through Sunday, offers a array of single-seaters, GT and touring cars and .motorcycles:

Ronnie Hoare Trophy

Named after Ford dealer-turned Maranello Concessionaires frontman Colonel Ronnie Hoare, who ran a succession of Ferrari GT racers at home and abroad, the meeting’s opening race caters for road-going sports and GT cars of a type that raced internationally between 1963 and 1966. Expect to be able to ogle Ferrari 275 GTB/Cs, Porsche 911 and 904 Carrera GTSs, and Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ1s.

Gerry Marshall Trophy and Gerry Marshall Sprint

Run in memory of British saloon-car king Gerry Marshall, whose big build, big personality and big skill wowed race-goers in the 1970s and ’80s, this two-part contest for Group 1 saloon cars of a type that raced between 1970 and 1982 is always epic. Chunky Rover SD1s, slippery Ford Capris and grunty Chevrolet Camaros will battle hard in Saturday’s two-driver, 45-minute Gerry Marshall Trophy feature race, and again in Sunday’s 15-minute reverse-grid Gerry Marshall Sprint, with Triumph Dolomite Sprints, VW Golf GTIs and Mini 1275GTs snapping at their heels.

Hawthorn Trophy

Named after Britain’s first Formula 1 World Champion Mike Hawthorn, this race for front-engined Grand Prix cars of a type that competed up to 1958 will feature authentic Cooper-Bristol Mk2, Connaught A- and B-type, and Maserati 250F machinery, just like those in which the ‘Farnham Flyer’ raced before becoming a Ferrari title winner at the age of 29.

Derek Bell Cup

Creating a superb spectacle as they screamed around the Motor Circuit in close formation during each of their previous three visits, the one-litre Formula 3 cars of a type that raced between 1964 and 1970 will be back in 2018 for the hotly contested Derek Bell Cup, named after the Goodwood favourite and local ace who cut his teeth in Formula 3 in period. A packed grid of Brabhams, Marches and Tecnos, among other iconic names will line up.

Bolster Cup

The inaugural Bolster Cup will celebrate the legacy of British specials built both before and after World War Two. Shelsley Walsh and Brooklands were fertile proving grounds for young engineers and enthusiasts, the ingenious Bolster Brothers among them.

Hailwood Trophy

For the third straight year, the Hailwood Trophy – named in honour of arguably Britain’s greatest two-wheeled champion, Mike ‘the Bike’ Hailwood ¬– will bring the buzz of 250cc and 350cc Grand Prix bikes from the 1970s and early ‘80s to the Members’ Meeting. Characterised by the shrill of two-strojke engines and the evocative smell of Castrol R, the era saw privateers and seasoned professionals doing battle around some of the world’s greatest tracks. Rare examples from Juchem, Kawasaki and Harley Davidson will look to overthrow the dominant Yamaha TZs, while continuing to thrill the Goodwood crowds with their two-wheeled antics.

Caracciola Sportwagenrennen

Best known for his Grand Prix exploits, in 1931 Rudolf Caracciola became the first non-Italian to triumph at the famous Mille Miglia. Paying homage to this extraordinary road race, the Caracciola Sportwagenrennen’s Members’ Meeting debut will see continental sportscars from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, BMW and Bugatti battle flat out around the Motor Circuit.

Moss Trophy

It wouldn’t be a Goodwood meeting without Sir Stirling’s name on it. Britain’s greatest all-rounder and period Goodwood hero lends his name to the Moss Trophy – a 45-minute two-driver race for closed-cockpit GT cars in the spirit of the RAC TT races of 1960-1962. Ferrari 250 GT SWBs, Jaguar E-types (steel-bodied only) and Lotus Elites will look the part in the race’s return after a three-year absence.

Gurney Cup

Named in honour of all-American racing hero (and firm friend of Goodwood) Daniel Sexton Gurney, the all-new Gurney Cup is set to be a David-versus-Goliath battle. It will highlight the diversity of Dan Gurney’s sports car career, with thunderous V8 Ford GT40s and early McLaren M1As trying to drown out smaller-engined challengers from Porsche, Elva and Lotus.

Sears Trophy

‘Gentleman Jack’ Sears was a saloon and sportscar great during the 1950s and ’60s, winning two British Saloon Car titles. Memories of his battles with F1 heroes Jack Brabham, Jim Clark and Graham Hill will be rekindled in the Sears Trophy, for saloon cars of a type that raced between 1958 and 1963. Lotus Cortinas, Mini Cooper Ss and Ford Anglias will do battle against the much bigger Galaxies and Jaguar Mk2s, making a welcome return to the Members’ Meeting for the first time since 2014.

Salvadori Cup

Grand Prix racer and Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori had an enviable record at Goodwood, winning numerous races in a variety of machinery. The final race of the 76th Members’ Meeting, for World Championship sportscars and production sports-racing cars of a type that raced between 1955 and 1960, will take his name and feature rumbling Jaguar D-types, Jaguar- and Chevrolet-engined Listers, and Tojeiro-Jaguar endurance racers.

Provisional running order:

Saturday

Race 1: Ronnie Hoare Trophy (20 mins)
Race 2: Gerry Marshall Trophy (45 mins – two drivers)
Sunday

Race 3: Hawthorn Trophy (20 mins)
Race 4: Derek Bell Cup (20 mins)
Race 5: Bolster Trophy (20 mins)
Race 6: Hailwood Trophy (20 mins)
Race 7: Caracciola Sportwagenrennen (20 mins)
Race 8: Moss Trophy (45 mins – two drivers)
Race 9: Gerry Marshall Sprint (15 mins)
Race 10: Gurney Cup (20 mins)
Race 11: Sears Trophy (20 mins)
Race 12: Salvadori Cup (20 mins)
Alongside the racing, a star attraction of the 76th Members’ Meeting will be daily high-speed demonstrations of Formula 5000 and Group 5 ‘Special Production’ cars. The first will feature Lola, McLaren and Surtees single-seaters, all powered by the legendary Chevrolet V8, thundering around the Goodwood circuit, while the second will see a varied field including BMW 320s, Ferrari 512 BB/LMs, Lancia Beta Montecarlos and Porsche 935s from the epic Group 5 era. Both are guaranteed to provide memorable sights and sounds.