“I’m going to Goodwood this weekend.”
“Oh, I didn’t think the Festival of Speed was on so soon this year?”
“It’s not.”
“The Revival?”
It’s a conversation that I’m sure most who’ve attended a Members’ Meeting at Goodwood in the past will likely have experienced at some stage.
Even some of the most committed enthusiasts, who are well versed in automotive events and festivals around the globe, are unaware of (or at least not completely familiar with) the lesser known Goodwood event.
Of course, it’s perfectly understandable. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is arguably the greatest single celebration of motorsport and automobiles on earth, and the Goodwood Revival is world renowned for its throwback style and retro race meetings. Both of these events cast a pretty significant shadow, which is where the exclusive Members’ Meeting resides.
Exclusive is perhaps the key word here, as to attend the Members’ Meeting, you need to hold membership with the Goodwood Road Racing Club.
I can understand that this might come across as elitist to those outside the club, but it’s really not the case. Instead, it’s Goodwood’s way of showing their appreciation to people who have helped to support them over the years.
So, what exactly is the Members’ Meeting? Speedhunters has been attending Goodwood events since our inception in 2008, but this would be our first official visit to this event. If I could attempt to simplify it, it’s almost like a miniature Revival, but with significantly less crowds. The action takes place over two days, instead of the Revival’s three day affair, but there’s certainly no compromises anywhere to be found otherwise.
Like the Festival of Speed and Revival, it’s a very special occasion.
This was Goodwood’s 77th Members’ Meeting (77MM) and like the Revival (and another of our favourite events, Players Classic) it is held at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, a stone’s throw from Lord March’s house and his driveway which hosts the Festival of Speed each year.
77MM played host to a packed schedule of race meetings which featured cars that had raced prior to 1923 all the way up to 1982, and Formula 750 motorcycles which raced until 1972. The car grids saw single seaters, prototypes, saloons, GT cars and others go head-to-head in races which featured more action than an entire season of Formula 1.
There were also the high speed demonstration runs which celebrated Le Mans Prototypes, NASCAR, BMW M1 Procars and 50 years of the Porsche 917.
There’s a lot to cover from the two day event, so consider this your rapid introduction to the Members’ Meeting before we go into detail later this week with a focus on the Mini filled Betty Richmond Trophy, the 917s and a couple of other things that piqued our interest.
Yes, 917s. Plural.
Paddy McGrath
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paddy@speedhunters.com