While many enthusiasts would love to spend a weekend at a racetrack exploring a vehicle’s limits, the reality is most of us get more track time on YouTube than in real life. I know I do at least, so that’s why it was so exciting to start my day with 12 minutes of Goodwood Members’ Meeting highlights.
The smorgasbord of vintage iron dicing it up on the 2.36-mile Goodwood Circuit is hard to beat. And this year’s Members’ Meeting was also a celebration of ten years since the event was revived in 2014. Just about anything that goes fast is allowed to join in, and there were some real heavy hitters on the starting line. The best part is that Goodwood is really, well, good about sharing coverage for those who aren’t able to make it to the track in person, and we think the highlights from the weekend might just be better than morning coffee.
Most of the clip offers no commentary, no music, no faff: Just the sounds engines and tyres trying to put power to the ground. The right-heavy Goodwood circuit often hosts close racing and the camera spots are perfect for catching the slip that the drivers put into the cars as they turn laps. The first section of highlights is full of that, with Jake Hill hard charging, often with a healthy dose of opposite lock, in a Ford Capri. Then the video steps up to the on-track debut of the Gordan Murry Automotive T.50 supercar. It might not have been running wheel to wheel with anything, but the scream of its 3.9-litre Cosworth V12 is worth playing back more than once.
Of course, for those who prefer two (or three) wheels, there was plenty of vintage racing to see, too. The wild sidecars put up scalding pace during the open practise and qualifying for the first sidecar shootout. The 600cc inline-four engines were really howling as the passengers leveraged their mass to keep the motorcycles within the edge of control. It’s impressive how smooth those passengers can move about on a motorcycle running every bit of 100mph.
The highlights from Saturday close out with some gutsy moves from the Goodwood-video famous Darracq land speed racer, a bare-bones vehicle made up of a massive V8 sitting on two spindly frame rails and just enough stuff to make the whole thing operate. Seeing cars like this from over 110 years ago driven at speed is so incredibly rare, let alone in a group like the one the Darracq dices through.
If this video is up your alley, be sure to scroll the rest of Goodwood Road & Racing YouTube page to see what other feats of speed have been posted lately. This recap is the perfect way to start the day, but we’ll gladly watch vintage and rare racers anytime.
