Freddie Spencer on riding in the wet at Revival and why he loves Goodwood

From the moment we meet within the driver’s club, barely 5 minutes since the end of Sunday’s Barry Sheene Memorial race, Freddie, who is still in his racing leathers, is clearly enjoying himself, and seems only too happy to spare 10 minutes to chat to us about his weekend.

“I’m riding the Manx 62, which I rode for the first time ever at Revival two years ago. We started out this year on Friday with the conditions being very wet.

“These old bikes work in unique ways and move around a lot underneath you even in the dry. So in wet conditions, they really move! That’s the challenge in the first few laps, but I enjoy that unpredictability”. 

As he talks us through the personality of these old bikes, his enthusiasm is catching, and for a three-time World Championship winner – twice on a 500cc in 1983 and 1985 and once on a 250cc also in 1985 – the man knows a thing or two about handling. 

“You get chatter, some front-end shake, and they all mean different things. Most bikes you get that front end shake you roll off the throttle, with these it makes it worse, so you have to accelerate. Then you have to stop the things with these big old drum brakes. But I love that part, that’s the cool part. I love the challenge, and that’s what Friday was all about, getting a decent time, which I did, we got a top 15”.

Not a bad start then, especially in the horrendous conditions which were thrown against man and machine during the first day. If anyone was going to struggle with the swirling wind and rain on the open aerodrome circuit, it was the participants of the Barry Sheene Memorial; but Freddie and his teammate Julian Ide did enough to see them into a solid positioning for Race 1 on Saturday. 

“Saturday, we got a good start. That’s the main thing”, explains Freddie as he talks us through the intricacies of overcoming an awkward Le Mans style start which the Barry Sheene Memorial is famous for". 

With riders standing on the opposite side of the grid to their idling machines – which are held in eager anticipation by race mechanics – the start of these races are a frantic spectacle. 

“The key is not to get too impatient getting the old transmissions into gear, you’ve got to be precise with them”. Freddie nailed his getaway, taking the 62’ Norton Manx into a great battle around the top 10 with Troy Corser, Bruce Anstey and Steve Parrish all involved in the fray.

“It was fun! We were just all over the place. Unfortunately, though, just before the handover with my teammate, the bike started missing. We dropped out of the top 10 to 15^th, but we finished, which allowed us to race again on Sunday”. 

It would be a nervous evening for Spencer and Ibe who were desperate to take part in Part 2 of the race come Sunday. Thankfully, after a bit of work, the bike was up and running for Sunday’s showdown, and despite a few threatening spots of rain during assembly, the race remained dry, allowing all competitors to give their bikes a proper and well-deserved thrashing. 

“Julian did a great job and brought the bike in at 10^th, then we changed over and I got it us up to 5^th, but on the last lap the bike started vibrating a lot and I think the bike was running a little bit rich. We couldn’t rev it too high and ended up 6^th, so we’ll see what the final results are”.

He’s a man that cares deeply about competing on bikes, and always wants to do well, but more importantly than that, he is also a deeply passionate custodian of motor racing and a happy participant of events like the Goodwood Revival.

“I’d like to say this, about Goodwood. It is such a privilege to be here and these events are very important for many reasons, I feel. Despite being such an international event, it’s community driven. It’s people coming together for all the same reasons and passions, from all walks of life, and all ages.

“Goodwood, what Lord March has done, has given the motorsport public even more of a reason to come together and to honour history. History is such an important thing, and it’s up to the older generations to pass this on to the younger generations, and Goodwood does that perfectly”.

Here, here Freddie. In a testament to the man’s compassion and magnetic personality, he summarises perfectly why he feels so passionately about passing on the experience of motor racing to a wide and diverse public: 

“It’s events like these that allowed a kid from Louisiana, like me, to see what I loved, and gave me a chance to experience motorsport. That’s how I ended up getting to the World Championships, and that’s how I eventually started winning World Championships. I see all the incredible equipment, but I see what it really gives to the community, and that’s why I love coming to Goodwood”.

Photography by Jochen Van Cauwenberge