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16th-18th September Goodwood Revival Mourns and Excels.
Goodwood’s determination to mark Queen Elizabeth’s passing made the cancellation of other recent sporting fixtures unfathomable. The celebration of a life lived in service to the country was shared and remembered amongst the 150,000 visitors to the Sussex estate over the week-end, and the Duke of Richmond held dear the memories of our late monarch. The Goodwood Ball reflected the mood of a nation as the orchestra-lead national anthem resounded at the conclusion.
On and off track, the Revival continued to excite, intoxicate, reveal, entertain and be absolutely addictive. From the Egyptian Mummy springing a shock on guests entering the drivers mess, early morning Spitfire sorties, thatched roofed Austin 7 amongst the Centenary gathering, camels and more celebrities than you could shake a stick at, it was almost sensory overload. The lookalike Jenson Button turned out to be the real McCoy, and Jackie Stewart, Derek Bell, Jochen Mass, Stefan Johansson, Roman Dumas, Dario Franchitti, Andre Lotterer and habitual Le Mans-winner Tom Kristensen were amongst a plethora of motorsporting greats. From further afield came six-time Indycar champ Scott Dixon making his Revival debut, as was seven-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, and M-Sport Ford World Rally Championship Craig Breen in his first circuit race.
The daily track display salutes to mark 60 years since Graham Hill’s first F1 title, and Ferrari’s 75th anniversary, were spectacular. TT stars abounded in the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, and Conor Cummins, the fastest Manxman of them all, called in at the WSM shelter to say hello. Great to bump into Steve Parish, John McGuinness, Michael Rutter and Ian Hutchinson, all generous with their time and company on a week-end liberally sprinkled with stardust –
race report
Lavant Cup.
Goodwood are contributing to the MGB 60th celebrations by hosting a one-make thirty-car grid during the Revival meeting. Qualifying on Friday at 5.30pm, and carded as race 14 at 3.55pm on Sunday 18th September, the 25 minute race will bring together some of the best period racers. The WSM will be in good company.
1 July 2022, WSM FOR SALE.
WSM 208, the last hands-on build by DW-S in his favoured Chiron Blue.
Click on For Sale in menu above.
MGB60 At Silverstone.
The Equipe race series look set to break the record on June 11th for the largest grid of MGB’s ever assembled. The MGLive event hosted MGB50 in 2012 and featured a 58-car grid, and Equipe hope to go a little further with 60-plus entries. The WSM MGB is entered for the 40 minute two-driver race on Saturday.
22 May 2022, WSM60.
WSM’s 401 and 402 were the star guests
in Oakley as the marque celebrated 60 years.
New Custodian For Jaguar XK150S.
Stefan Hamacher is the new owner of the Tow Car, joining a collection of cars in Germany.
4 April 2022, Goodwood Calling.?!
And then there were three. With five days to the event, WSM have pulled the rabbit from the hat for Goodwood again and filled spots vacated by entrants at late notice for the Members Meeting. WSM’s 202, 208 and 401 answer the call to arms with Paul Woolmer, Jack Willmott and Ian Hulett at the helm respectively. Unfortunately too late to include BXN, the star of the 2017 event.
18 March 2022, No Goodwood Members Re-Match.
Must be using the wrong aftershave! No WSM’s on an ‘A’ series grid at Goodwood is a first.
13 March 2022, WSM MGB.
Entries for Oulton Park on May 21st and Silverstone for MGB 60 on June 11th/12th are amongst the first bookings of the new season.
22 February 2022, Goodwood Re-Match.
The Members Meeting 9th/10th April includes the Weslake Cup for A-series engined cars between 1958 and 1966. The WSM 205 of Mike White was the first of the brand to race there in 1964 (left), and the 75th MM in 2020 saw a Richard Woolmer and James Colburn Sprite dust-up that hit the headlines (right). Here’s hoping WSM’s are in the mix again.
Race news
18 September 2022, Lavant Cup Foster’s Family Celebration.
Taking your first race win, at the Goodwood Revival, in a car previously bought and shared with your late father, cued emotional celebration from Ed Foster at the flag. Qualifying saw Rob Huff on pole, with Mark Cole and Foster alongside, and a host of other potential winners behind. The WSM was earmarked with an intermittent transponder signal and a suspicion that the fastest laps may have gone astray after setting 1m 42s. Not that it mattered at the start, as several cars came into contact before the first corner and the WSM was in 12th on the Lavant straight until passed under yellows. Foster fell way back after missing gear selection off the line, Huff too not making the best of the front row, leaving Cole, Josh Barnett and Nick Maton heading the field, but yellow flags were followed by red to save Foster’s
bacon. The re-start was in original grid position, minus a crocked Huff, and not as placed across the first lap start/finish line. This time Foster nailed the getaway in second behind Cole and stayed there until with three minutes remaining, Cole slowed to retirement and Foster cruised home with a 7 second margin. Malcolm Gammons made a late pass on Maton for second, and the WSM in 15th with 1.39s laps enjoyed a flurry with fellow Equipe driver David Russell-Wilks.
In-car YouTube courtesy of David Russell-Wilks
7 July 2022, Revival 16th – 18th September.
Goodwood confirm the Lavant Cup will see a full grid of MGB’s celebrating the 60th anniversary of the iconic brand at the Revival. The WSM MGB makes a fourth visit.
3 July 2022, Equipe Super Sprint At Donington.
The Super Sprint event was trialled at Silverstone last season, and this year the East Midlands circuit hosted the format. Fifty-four cars qualified, then each driver had three 10-lapper heats and a final. Nick Matthews won the first final in his Healey 100/4, with the WSM 8th. Lee Atkins (TVR Grantura 1800S), and Jamie Boot (TVR Griffith) won the two faster contests, Boot especially earning his corn as the Healey 3000 of Mark Holmes was never much more than the 1.21s gap at the flag behind.
11 June 2022, MGB60 At MGLive.
Equipe GTS staged a spectacular series of races at the home of British motor racing, and Sam Kirkpatrick won the blue riband MGB60 race from Tom Smith in second. The 40 minute race was blighted by two safety cars but didn’t influence the outcome as Smith from fifth couldn’t pressure the leader in to a mistake. The WSM qualified three rows off the back of the fifty-nine car grid, made up a few places in the opening laps, then developed an electrical fault directly after the driver change. Mick Darcey’s MGB GT in Richard Woolmer’s hands finished a handy 20th.
27 May 2022, WSM MGB At MGB60.
MGLive on June 11th features an MGB race to mark MGB60. Amongst the anticipated record breaking 60-car grid will be the WSM MGB in the hands of Tony and Paul for the 40 minute race.
21 May 2022, Oulton Park With Equipe GTS.
The WSM MGB season kicked off at the ‘home’ circuit of Oulton Park, an hour from Liverpool docks. Some packed grids too for the 40 minute events on Saturday, with practice morning and race afternoon. Two red flags in morning practice put a spoke in everyones wheel, and a transponder hiccup didn’t help the WSM cause. Way down in 27th, some 6 seconds slower than previous years, saw head scratching. The race didn’t get much better, although embroiled with Richard Lawson’s MGB for a good portion. A WSM spin after passing Lawson and catching a group ahead put paid to a worthwhile result, and retirement with a minor fuel malady ended the week-end 3 minutes early.
25 April 2022, WSM MGB At Revival In September.
Billed as ‘the worlds greatest historic motor race meeting’, Goodwood are hosting a grid at the Revival to mark the 60th anniversary of the legendary MGB. In 2003, 2006 and 2010 the WSM was on the Fordwater grid, and in 2012 was on the record-setting MGCC grid of 58 cars at Silverstone to celebrate MGB50.
10 April 2022, Goodwood 79th Members In Spring Sunshine.
Great to see three WSM’s on the Westlake Trophy grid in the hands of Paul Woolmer, Jack Willmott and Ian Hulett. After Ben Colburn put the Lenham in the gravel on the second lap, it was the Lenham of Charles Rainford and Nick Padmore tussling for the lead until the Rochdale Olympic fell away with a problem. Hulett’s set-up on 401 left a lot to be desired but he and Willmott finished less than a second apart after starting on row seven together.
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