Rain levels play at 2024 Goodwood Revival

The September rain turned the 26^th running of the Goodwood Revival into an absolute treat for drivers and historic racing aficionados alike.

While the 2024 running of the Goodwood Revival was marked by heavy rain spells over the weekend of September 6 – 8, the wet weather ensured that the event’s foundations of thrilling racing and fair play were very much at the very forefront of this year’s celebration of motorsport dating from 1948 to 1966.

Duke of Richmond urges fair racing

In the run-up to the 2024 Goodwood Revival, the Duke of Richmond issued a stark message to teams and drivers competing in the event. In an online broadcast, the 69-year-old reminded that the ethos of the Revival “is to celebrate the unique nature of these historic cars” and their character is “something we should cherish and not engineer away.” In short, those found using modern engineering techniques on their vehicles to gain an advantage would be excluded from the Goodwood Revival, “sent home immediately”, and not invited back.

‘Great British Summer’ at its finest

With rain once again acting as motorsport’s great equaliser, concerns – and evidence – of foul play were quickly dispelled. The wet weather was key to serving some of the weekend’s most spectacular action. Capturing the true historic spirit of the Goodwood Revival, the drivers were relying on skill alone to extract the best from their machinery.

The scenes of powersliding historic machinery from the Ford Mustang GT350 to the Mini Cooper S on a wet track gave participants and attendees what they came for: historic race cars going sideways, and close racing aplenty. More than 80 Meyers Manx dune buggies also celebrated the model’s 60^th birthday with a parade lap around the 2.3-mile (3.8-kilometre) Goodwood Circuit, as well as starting a new era.

Motorsport’s greats put on a rain dance

The Goodwood Revival has always brought together the great and the good from the world of motorsport, and 2024 was no different with nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, and three-time LM24 victor Romain Dumas all competing. An enduring image of the weekend is Kristensen treating Revival-goers to a masterclass in car control behind the wheel of a €6.5 million Ferrari 250 GT SWB during one of the weekend’s several downpours.

After crashing an Aston Martin DB4 GT Lightweight worth €2.5 million in practice for the Stirling Moss GT Extravaganza, Jimmie Johnson showed his mettle by bouncing back to win the 45-minute race after starting ninth on a damp, greasy circuit. Dumas’ charge from 29^th to 3^rd with the Ford Galaxie V8 in equally-tricky conditions was just as impressive.

Final thoughts

Switzerland’s three-time LM24 winner, Marcel Fässler, also competed in this year’s event with a Lotus Cortina and a Chevrolet Corvette C2. He scored a best finish of fourth in the St. Mary’s Trophy behind the wheel of the former, and 18^th place in the RAC TT Celebration with the latter. 

“The Goodwood Revival is always a treat – even if the weather wasn’t too great this year,” he told Tazio. “It’s a pleasure to race these old school cars, and this whole event that the Duke of Richmond organises is just so much fun! With its different theme each year, it’s amazing as a spectacle. For me as a driver, it’s really special meeting plenty of old faces from the past, and seeing the fans get up close with these historic machines.”