Goodwood SpeedWeek 2020 Weekend Action

(From L-R) 1995 Porsche WSC-95 in which Tom Kristensen registered his first Le Mans win (1997) and the first Porsche to win Le Mans outright, the #23 Porsche 917K driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood at the 1970 race

Regular Goodwood attendees would have been starved of all the glorious action in 2020 that this venue has to offer, as the Members’ Meeting, Festival and Revival were all cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the Goodwood team have really done themselves proud with the newly created SpeedWeek, held over the weekend of 16-18 October. They have taken all the great elements of both the Festival and Revival, and rolled these into one great spectacle.

(From L-R) 1984/85 #7 New Man Joest Racing Porsche 956B – this chassis (# 117) won Le Mans in 1984 with Klaus Ludwig and Henri Pescarolo, and then again the following year with Klaus Ludwig, Paolo Barilla and John Winter; This 1983 #21 Kenwood Kremer Racing Porsche 956 was driven by Michael and Mario Andretti, and Phillipe Alliot to third place overall in the 1983 race; The #18 works Rothmans Porsche 962C (chassis #008) driven by Jochen Mass, Bob Wollek and Vern Schuppan did not finish the 1987 Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite setting the fastest qualifying time, it unfortunately retired in the race with engine problems

Big cats sleeping – Jaguar XJR-9 and XJR-11 before their run on the track

It was weird for sure not to have any spectators at Goodwood, as the only folk milling about the paddock and surrounds were the marshals and stewards, drivers with wives and/or girlfriends, crew and media. But a new trend has developed in recent days, because with everyone wearing a mask, you can no longer tell when a friend or colleague is greeting you with a smile. What has now become the standard alternative to the acknowledging smile, is the nod. So folks, get used to it, for as long as face masks rule, the smile is out and the nod is in!!

Porsche 930 Turbo driven by Claude Haldi, Günter Steckkönig and Bernd Schiller in the 1983 Le Mans 24 Hours

This #63 911 RSR 3.0 was driven by Hartwig Bertrams/Heinz Martin/Egon Evertz to a fine ninth overall place in the 1976 Le Mans 24 Hours

All three days over the weekend were dry which allowed some really great racing. Activities started on Wednesday for the teams who needed to set up and get their cars ready, while Thursday was given over to admin sign-on and some media laps for Goodwood’s partners. Track action really only started on Friday with practice and some races.

#0 Interscope Porsche 935 K3 (chassis #000 0017) raced by Ted Field and Danny Ongais in the 1980 IMSA Series

There were a couple of new model reveals (Bentley and Mustang Mach-E) and for the younger viewers there was the Goodwood Driftkhana which generated a smokescreen that any military commander would have been proud of. On the modern car front, there was the interesting ‘shoot out’ in which a select group of cars from a range of disciplines (Formula 1, sports prototypes, GTs) completed a timed lap from a standing start. The Formula 1 car was obviously quickest, but there were some surprises in it for those who thought they knew it all.

‘Porsche at Le Mans’

Of course there were the usual race classes that we have come to expect from Goodwood, but once again, the quality and variety of cars on offer was spectacular. Of special interest to Porsche enthusiasts, there was the spectacular ‘Porsche at Le Mans’ demonstration run on Friday and Sunday.

The 1976 #63 Porsche 911 RSR 3.0 and the 1967 Porsche 910 start a new lap during the Porsche at Le Mans demonstration run

It was in the Porsche WSC-95 that Tom Kristensen registered his first Le Mans win (1997), before he crossed the floor to Audi

This demo run featured some iconic Porsche race cars that have won the Le Mans 24 Hours over the five decades since their first victory. At the top of the list was the 1970 Le Mans-winning #23 Porsche 917K, driven by none other than Richard Attwood, one of those who piloted the Salzburg-liveried 917 to victory on that memorable day. In the ensuing years, the Stuttgart manufacturer has eclipsed all other race car manufacturers with 18 further victories, the most recent being in 2017 with the 919 Hybrid.

1983 Porsche 956 – the 956 marked the start of an era of Porsche dominance in sports car racing, particularly at Le Mans where it won every race between 1981 and ’87. This car was driven by Michael and Mario Andretti, and Phillipe Alliot to third place overall in the 1983 race

The #18 works Rothmans Porsche 962C (chassis #008) driven by Jochen Mass, Bob Wollek and Vern Schuppan did not finish the 1987 Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite setting the fastest qualifying time, it unfortunately retired in the race with engine problems. But it is seen here in excellent order!

Porsche is justifiably proud of this record, and on track were some more of those race winning cars, plus others representative of those models that were victorious, including a 935 K3, the Le Mans-winning 936, 956, 962, the 1997 Le Mans-winning WSC-95 with the winning driver that year Tom Kristensen at the wheel. Also in the demo run was a ’58 718 RSK, a 910, a ’74 911 RSR 3.0, the race-winning 1998 911 GT1-98 and the victorious 2015 919 Hybrid.

1988 Porsche 962 – this car, the Kremer entered #10 Porsche 962 CK6 (Thompson chassis #CK6/88) was driven to a ninth place finish in 1988 Le Mans race by Kunimitsu Takahashi, Bruno Giacomelli and Hideki Okada

Champions all – (from the right) the #2 919 Hybrid Le Mans winner in 2017 driven by Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber; the #26 911 GT1-98 Le Mans winner in ’98 driven by Allan McNish, Stéphane Ortelli and Yannick Dalmas; the #11 Porsche 936/81 driven to victory at Le Mans in the 1981 Le Mans 24 Hours by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell