The Goodwood Revival Meeting included a celebration of Sir Stirling Moss's 80th birthday last weekend.
A track parade by 80 of Moss's former racing cars was squeezed in between races, as was a parade to mark the Mini's 50th anniversary, and 75 years of the ERA racing marque.
High-res Goodwood Revival 2009 picture gallery
As ever, though, the real action was in the 15 races run throughout Saturday and Sunday, starting with the Goodwood Trophy for 1930-1950 Grand Prix cars, and culminating on Sunday with the Whitsun Trophy for big-bore sports prototypes from the 1960s: Lola T70s, Ferrari 250LMs, McLaren Can-Am cars and no less than five Ford GT40s.
Some of the best racing was in more sedate machinery – Saturday's St Mary's Trophy Part 1, comprised of 29 Mini Cooper S's (and one Wolsely Hornet), was won by GT-driver Oliver Gavin, from Darren Turner, Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams, Rauno Aaltonen and Desire Wilson, with second to fourth split by just five seconds. “I've not had this much fun in a car before,” said Turner.
Both Goodwood's Festival of Speed and Revival Meeting makes a decent fist of carrying the British motor show mantle. In a hall behind an Earls Court facade, Jaguar displayed the new XJ salooon, Nissan its 370Z Roadster, Noble the M600 and Goodwood-based Rolls-Royce the latest Silver Ghost.
Sir Stirling Moss, meanwhile, whose birthday was the Thursday preceding the event, had less luck on the track. He entered the Lavant Cup in his own Osca FS372 1500cc sports car, but mechanical failure forced it to retire.
Matt Prior
Steve Cropley blog - Goodwood Revival: the same, but different...
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Re: Goodwood Revival highlights
Buzz Aldrin at glorious Goodwood. He must have felt over the moon. There's a first time for everything! No reports of him socking anyone in the chops who questioned whether he landed on the moon?
Good to see Lord Mandelson at Lord March's gaff. Was he driving everyone around the bend or simply bringing up the rear?