Goodwood Revival II

Glenn M

Supporter
Finally ticked my top bucket list box and got to drive at the Revival! It was all I'd imagined it to be, what an experience! I was invited to compete in the St. Mary's Trophy (a two part race) so I was paired with Rob Huff who raced on the Saturday and I did my bit on the Sunday. What a lovely chap he was! So down to earth and nice for a super star. He went on to be awarded the driver of the weekend.
Unfortunately we were plagued with an intermittent misfire all weekend which proved unbelievably elusive and consequently both qualified at the back.
The Saturday race was held in torrential rain but to start with the car was working fine and Rob climbed from the back up to 6th in two laps! Sadly the misfire then returned and all credit to him he brought the car in saying 'there's no point in breaking it.'
More feverish work overnight and I lined up on Sunday. Once more the car went like a dream, and I was up to 15th in a couple of laps when it cried enough and melted a piston.

I would have liked to have finished, but I have to say, just being there was amazing. Lining up on the grid in front of all those people and soaking up the atmosphere was incredible.
 

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Glenn M

Supporter
A few more pics.....
Me with Rob.
Me with the most important team member, without whom I could not possibly have done it.
Some 40's going past us as we wait to go.
A broken Buzby loaded up to leave.
 

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wow Glenn.. Fantastic..., I watched from New York, almost every second of GWR... congrats..
how does one get "invited " to compete at Goodwood ?
Thx and congrats again- Kurt
 

Glenn M

Supporter
wow Glenn.. Fantastic...,
how does one get "invited " to compete at Goodwood ?
- Kurt

You've either got to have a really expensive/rare car which they want to have there, know the right people or be in the right place at the right time. I'm still not quite sure how it happened! :stunned: Just very glad that it did!

I was doing the A35 'Academy' series when the Goodwood rumour surfaced, so I guess I was very lucky and right place and time.
 
Thanks Glenn,

Watched the first race on TV never linked you to the car, missed the second part think there were a couple of nasty crashes in it. Never been on a race track or in a race car in my life but came across the academy series a little while ago and loved the idea.

Memories of traveling in and the interior smell of my granddad's A35 as a very young child came back, and the race got me looking at A30/35 on Ebay and within 2 minutes my wife said your not thinking of doing that are you, how do they know?

Reality bought me back down to earth, but it was still good to dream :)
 

Glenn M

Supporter
Just in case you're interested Nick.....

Goodwood Revival Sunday highlights | Wednesday 14 September 2100hrs ITV4

Goodwood Revival highlights | Wednesday 21 September 2340hrs ITV1
 
Just in case you're interested Nick.....

Goodwood Revival Sunday highlights | Wednesday 14 September 2100hrs ITV4

Goodwood Revival highlights | Wednesday 21 September 2340hrs ITV1

Thanks, Funnily enough, watching it as I type, Mary has gone upstairs to watch something called the great bake off :)
 
Tell us more about the cars Glenn. Where did they all come from? They all looked brand new when I saw them in the paddock on Friday.
 

Glenn M

Supporter
Hi Chris,
I think the most popular source was Ebay! Although I don't think we are very popular with the A35 owners club now.
The ethos is that they are all mechanically the same with a minimum weight of 670kg.
Most strip it back to a bare shell and then then dip it to remove as much weight as possible, do any repairs and then fit the 'Academy' package.
This package is quite comprehensive and includes the engine (all from one builder and sealed - 1275cc and 85bhp!), roll cage, pedal box, all springs and dampers, conversion to Midget front discs, fuel tank, wheels etc. Pretty much all you are allowed to play with are brake materials and diff. ratios. The diff is open incidentally. The gearbox is again Midget.
Inevitably, some are more equal than others and some people are alleged to have spent approaching £100k on them! Yes, I know! That's the Goodwood effect.
Not exactly having a surplus of power and being tall and narrow, the emphasis is totally on carrying as much corner speed as possible (slow in fast out translates to slow in slow out!), whilst also being as smooth as possible, they tip onto two wheels quite easily ...and beyond if you are not careful! Having an open diff also encourages smoothness; if you try and be too aggressive into a corner and power(!) out, it just cocks the inner wheel which spins like a turbine and you go nowhere!
It really is great fun - in fact it's as much fun on a track as my 40 but in a totally different way. In some ways it's like racing a 100cc kart, in that you have to preserve your momentum, but one that falls over easily!
 
Looks a lot of fun Glenn!!! The momentum thing is/was very similar to when I raced in the mini Se7ens, used to run a bit of toe out on the rear to get it all sideways, chuck it into the corner to scrub the speed with the foot hard down to pull it through but FWD so very different!
I remember watching the A35's when young, they used to put them in with Jag Mk2's and such like, was always the best race of the day, the 35's would have the Jags into the corners and visa versa down the straights.
Cheap racing when you compare it to what a race spec Cooper S would cost you now or even just a race spec Mk1 Mini.
 
I remember watching the A35's when young, they used to put them in with Jag Mk2's and such like, was always the best race of the day, the 35's would have the Jags into the corners and visa versa down the straights.

The Morgan's used to do that to Bentley's at Brooklands in the 1930's, so I have read. wasn't there in person :)
 
When i first got married our pride and joy was an A30 i swapped a camera for, there's no way i would have considered it a race car in any sense of the word, but it was cheap to run and got us from A to B.
cheers Kaspa
 
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