Maserati GB were once again present at the eighth running of the Goodwood Revival meeting held at the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit which welcomed a record breaking 116,000 spectators over the course of the weekend.

Splendid examples of the Trident Marque were out in force throughout the weekend with a total of 23 classic Maseratis thundering around the circuit. A selection of historic cars were engaged in wheel-to-wheel racing action, including some of the Trident’s earliest racing cars, including two Maserati 4CMs and five 250Fs to name but a few. Thanks to an interview for Italian television RAI and the kindness of its current owner Andrea Burani, Sir Stirling Moss was reunited with the 300S that he raced at the Nürburgring in the 1950s, and Pink Floyd drummer and car enthusiast Nick Mason also took to the track in his own 1959 Maserati Birdcage Tipo 61.

During the course of the Goodwood Revival weekend, Maserati GB hosted a series of events for its clients: on Friday a cocktail party at Goodwood House for all the drivers and their guests, followed by a private dinner, and on Sunday 130 guests, including football legend Ian Wright, were treated to sumptuous hospitality and could admire a selection of both modern and classic Maseratis. The stunning display of Maserati Quattroportes in both the Sport GT and Executive GT incarnations flanked the new GranTurismo alongside two of the Trident’s most evocative classics, the 1960 3500 GT and a 1967 Ghibli which commanded the admiration of all. The new GranTurismo took centre stage at the Maserati New Car Display situated outside of the main circuit, which welcomed the crowds arriving at the Goodwood Revival.  

Visitors and competitors racing at this year’s Goodwood Revival, held over this weekend, 31 August to 2 September, have deemed the historic motor sport event the best one yet with record crowds of 116,000 soaking up the unique Revival atmosphere. Fantastic racing and equally enthralling theatre all around the event site made the tenth running of the event the most appealing yet. New Revival attractions, such as the impressive ‘Woad Corner’ Art-Deco car showroom, displaying a mouth-watering selection of pre-1966 Ferraris, generated a huge amount of interest. The legendary Revival air displays and tributes (a celebration of the racing career of Roy Salvadori and 40 years of the Cosworth-DFV engine) also entertained the crowds enormously, as did the unlikely sight of pre-1966 caravans being towed around the Goodwood track by appropriate period cars.

Awards were handed out throughout the weekend, with 10 glamorous ladies going home with floral bouquets and bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne on Saturday, in the world’s first Ladies Day for the best-dressed females at the event. Irishman Joe Dible was awarded the ‘Freddie March Spirit of Aviation’ trophy for his delightful Foster-Wikner ‘Wicko’ aircraft, flown-in as one of 26 entrants in the inaugural pre-1966 aircraft concours d’elegance, which proved to be a big hit with the Revival visitors.
 

Following some exceptionally fine motor racing, at the close of the successful meeting Lord March handed out the prizes to the race winners. The spectacularly quick Desire Wilson receiving the Fastest Lap by a Lady Driver award for her efforts aboard the Willment Cobra Coupe in the RAC TT Celebration: she was sublime in the monstrous V8 GT car. The Fastest Lap of the Meeting award went to Frank Sytner (at 106.94mph) for his drive in the Lola T70 during Saturday’s Whitsun Trophy. The Best Presented Team Award went to Chris Williams and Neil Turner for their novel interpretation of the 40 years of the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album at the Goodwood ball on Saturday evening.

The Spirit of Goodwood Award deservedly went to Bill Murray and Larry Miller for their near super human efforts to sort their Shelby Daytona Cobra in time for the TT race. Having flown the car over from the US and then blown the engine, they located a replacement in London, commandeered a helicopter to retrieve it, assembled an engine hoist in the paddock and changed the V8 through the night on the eve of the race, and then made the start. The Will Hoy Memorial Trophy presented to the driver who puts in the best performance in a closed-cockpit car went to Jamie Boot. Punted out of the lead on the first lap of Saturday’s Fordwater Trophy, his drive through to second at the flag (originally third, amended after the winning car was later disqualified), will live with anyone who witnessed it. But there could only be one winner of the Rolex Driver of the Meeting – Jean-Marc Gounon. The manifestly enthusiastic Frenchman, who only experienced historic racing for the first time at last year’s Revival, starred in everything he drove – and he drove a lot. After putting on an epic display of car control in the St. Mary’s Trophy, winning on the road in Saturday’s encounter, he came away with a thoroughly deserved win in the Sussex Trophy with Sir Anthony Bamford’s Aston Martin DBR2 on Sunday.

Despite a few spins, there were no major racing incidents over the three-day event, with Martin Stretton being the only driver needing any form of medical treatment for a broken elbow as a result of an accident in his ISO Bizzarini A3C in the one-hour Royal Automobile Club Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration race. Martin is fine and back home already.

Plans for next year’s Goodwood Revival, scheduled to take place at some time during September 2008 (dates still to be confirmed), are already underway. Goodwood will be celebrating the tenth anniversary since the first Revival meeting in 1998, so there should be plenty of surprises to look forward to.