Goodwood Revival day one: 250GTO is 2019’s first winner

| 13 Sep 2019
Classic & Sports Car - Goodwood Revival day one: 250GTO is 2019’s first winner

The Goodwood Revival 2019 got off to a fine start, with everything from the weather to the on-track action playing its part in a wonderful first day. 

As the crowds wandered the sun-kissed grounds checking out the many Minis – including an impressive display of Mokes – and revelling in all the period attractions, qualifying was underway for the racing on days two and three.

But there was one full race today, in the form of the Kinrara Trophy, which took place as the sun set – and what a race it was.

In fact there could hardly have been a better start to the competitive action, given that it had a front row featuring a Ferrari 250GTO, a Jaguar E-type and an Aston Martin DB4GT.

Gary Pearson took the GTO from pole to a 10 sec lead before the pitstops, despite a hard-charging Darren Turner in the DB4GT.

Andrew Smith and Simon Hadfield took over respectively and on the same lap, but Smith carried on where his teammate left off, building a substantial lead. Meanwhile Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen was fourth and setting fastest laps in the 250GT SWB/C he took over from Joe Macari, having started at the back.

However, a stranded E-type brought out the safety car and when racing resumed with just four and a half minutes to go, Smith was unbeatable, taking the 250GTO to victory 12 months after the Breadvan did the same. The Turner/Hadfield partnership was second in the Aston Martin, with the David Franklin/Remo Lips 250GT SWB/C in third.

The action continues today, and you can follow it live by clicking here.

Want to see more? Of course you do... Enjoy the sun-kissed splendour and colour of the paddock and beyond in our jam-packed gallery, here, and get all the updates from the festival on our FacebookTwitter and Instagram feeds.

Image: James Mann


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