[Gallery] Kinrara Trophy – the Revival's most beautiful race
The sun has set, and with it the opening day of the 2019 Goodwood Revival is over. On what has to be the most glorious Friday in a long time, thousands of car aficionados and vintage votaries have descended on the Goodwood Motor Circuit, dressed in spectacular arrays of finery from yesteryear.
Practice sessions dominated the day – until 6.35pm that was. As dusk approached, the first race of the Revival got underway, with 27 pre-1963 closed-cockpit GT cars, of three litres and above, gathering on the grid.
V8, V12 and straight-six engines roared into life as the race began. A healthy mix of Jaguar E-Types, Ferrari 250 GTs, Aston Martin DB4GTs and AC Cobras fought in close contention for an hour, crossing from daylight to dark, and lighting up the circuit with yellow headlamps. Drama descended when an E-Type spun off track and refused to be moved for the marshalls, but after a few safety car laps action resumed, with just five minutes until the chequered flag.
With the end in sight, the forerunners resumed their battle – Andrew Smith in the Ferrari that had led the race and Simon Hadfield in the dark blue DB4GT. Meanwhile Tom Kristensen and Remo Lips, both in Ferrari 250 GT SWB/Cs battled for third until the very end of the race, with Lips eventually pulling ahead at the line. But it was Smith who took overall victory, leaving Hadfield trailing in his wake, 17 seconds behind.
You can watch highlights of the Revival's most beautiful race here.
Photography by Joe Harding, Tom Shaxson and James Lynch.