Motorcycles didn’t race very often at Goodwood in period, but there was one two-wheeled event held on the 14th April 1951, and the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy once again pays homage to that day at the 2024 Goodwood Revival.

This year, the Revival’s motorcycle race reverts to the pre-1955 era of bikes which is set to include machinery from Vincent, Norton, BMW, Triumph and more. Each bike will be ridden by a pair of riders and compete in two races over the weekend for a cumulative result.
And, as with all the cars racing at the Revival in 2024, all of the bikes will also be running on sustainable fuel throughout the event.
Part 2 of the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy provided yet another wet surface for the riders to contend with. Depsite the less-than-ideal conditions, there was no holding back with racing so close that they were occasionally touching. One of the ones to watch, again, was Isle of Man TT race winner and current 2024 BSB championship leader Davey Todd on the supercharged BMW. Despite the lack of suspension (yes, really), he was setting a blistering pace.
As the one and only two-wheel fixture of the Goodwood Revival weekend, the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy is must-see event for the variety it adds to the programme.
Goodwood Revival's two-wheeled race is a thrill from the first moment when riders sprint across the track Le Mans-style to get onto their machines. Pole-sitter Davey Todd had a poor start with a fluffed gear change that meant he had to claw his way back through the pack.
Elsewhere, the number 98 BMW R57 had an excursion into the gravel while Jenny Tinmouth's Norton International suffered a mechanical retirement early on. As the race continued, the battles became so hotly contested that riders were occasionally touching. It doesn't get closer than that!
It was the Norton Velocette MSS of Michaels Russell and Rutter that crossed the line first to take the chequered flag.
Official Practice for the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy saw wonderful pre-1955 bikes battle the elements during their first tentative laps at the 2024 Goodwood Revival. Heavy rain made for challenging conditions for these riders to contend with as they bid for pole position ahead of the first two-wheeled race on Saturday.
The 30-minute session went remarkably smoothly, all things considered, with the riders deploying deft bike control in the treacherous rain on a sodden Motor Circuit surface. It was an obvious challenge finding much pace, however, as the riders struggled to push the bikes while keeping them top side-up.
Now-seasoned road racer Davey Todd put in a performance for the ages, confidently placing his BMW R63 Kompressor at the top of the time sheets. In the end, his lead wound up being 1.5 seconds, with his 1:47.766 time leading the second-placed Vincent Black Shadow at 1:49.283.
When it comes to the race itself, you can bet it’ll be a fearlessly-ridden, hard-fought fight as the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy always is. Just how we like it.
Photography by Pete Summers.
|
Position |
Riders |
Bike |
Time |
|
1 |
Herbert Schwab / Davey Todd |
BMW R63 Komressor |
1:47.766 |
|
2 |
Josh Brookes / Ben Kingham |
Vincent Black Shadow |
1:49.283 |
|
3 |
Fernando Mendes / Adam McLean |
Royal Enfield Meteor |
1:49.544 |
|
4 |
Ian Bain / Steve Brogan |
Norton International |
1:50.118 |
|
5 |
Luke Bailey / Michael Dunlop |
Norton Manx |
1:50.266 |
|
6 |
Adam Child / Stuart Tonge |
Matchless Norton G80 GS |
1:50.389 |
|
7 |
Dan Jackson / James Hillier |
Matchless G80 |
1:52.172 |
|
8 |
Barry Burrell / John McGuinness |
Norton Manx |
1:53.257 |
|
9 |
Kevin Rushworth / Ian Hutchinson |
Triumph T110 |
1:54.341 |
|
10 |
Duncan Fitchett / Jeremy McWilliams |
Norton Daytona Manx |
1:54.356 |
|
11 |
Glen English / Steve Plater |
Norton Manx |
1:54.393 |
|
12 |
Howie Mainwaring-Smart / Sebastian Gutsch |
BMW R5SS |
1:55.300 |
|
13 |
Bill Swallow / Sam Rhodes |
Velocette MTT 500 |
1:55.613 |
|
14 |
Alex Williams / Iain Duffus |
Triumph T110 |
1:56.295 |
|
15 |
Klaus Ottlinger / Andy Hornby |
BMW R5SS |
1:56.376 |
Photography by Joe Harding, Jordan Butters and Pete Summers.
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