Great Goodwood Revival Races: 2008 Glover Trophy

It was relentless drama right from the word go, as James King made a strong start from the middle of the front row, only for pole sitter Simon Hadfield to make a stunning switch to the outside as the pair entered Madgwick side-by-side. 'Impudent' was the call from the commentary box, and we tend to agree, as he hung it brilliantly around the outside in his Lotus 21 to reclaim the lead. 

They were followed in third place by Duncan Dayton in his Brabham BT11 as the rest of the field streamed through in close proximity. It's at this point that we did what we always do during the Glover Trophy, and take a step back and reflect on what we're watching. 

A grid of 1960s Formula 1 cars, many of which would've been raced by the great champions of the time, often right here at Goodwood during the Motor Circuit's heyday: Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Jack Brabham, Graham Hill — it's a list that could go on and on.

All racing at Goodwood is special, but this place's position within F1 history is particularly noteworthy, and opportunities to relive those times are never lost on us. 

But thoughts of romance were pushed to the back of our minds during this one, because the racing on track was as though a Grand Prix victory was up for grabs. Frank Sytner, 1988 British Touring Car Champion, was a key instigator as he battled hard to make progress in the slipstream of Chris Locke in his Lotus 32B and Ian Ashley in his wonderful Alfa Romeo-engined LDS. 

The top six strove to break away quickly from the rest of the pack as the battle for victory and the podium places was well and truly on. They were quickly joined however by the hard charging Brian Redman, who in his BRM P578 caught Sytner at quite a pace. The ensuing battle between the two veterans was brilliant as the pair, swapping positions relentlessly as they went, pushed each other onto the tail of Locke who had fallen back from the leading trio. 

As Hadfield had managed to pull out a seemingly comfortable margin at the front, the battle for fourth, fifth and sixth threatened to boil over as Locke, Sytner and Redman seemed to swap positions at every corner. There was still absolutely nothing between them as they approached half distance. 

The same could be said for Hadfield and King, as the second-placed man had made huge gains on the leader to get within touching distance. Hadfield was just barely able to hold on as King clung to hit coattails, and King did eventually make the most of his momentum to slice through into the lead at Woodcote. 

Both drivers were clearly right on the limit as Hadfield made a brilliant save with a reflex reaction to a snap through the fearsome Fordwater corner. There was nothing being left on the table, and we were the beneficiaries as this race continued to unfold. 

All of that battling also brought Dayton back into contention, and he too fancied a sniff at Hadfield as the Lotus was clearly beginning to struggle for grip. That battle for second place, however, quickly became a duel for the lead as King, who looked to be away in front, made an error in Woodcote corner to allow the chasing pair back through. 

From there it was a relentless fight for the win as King quickly caught back up and joined the fray as Dayton and Hadfield continued to jockey for position. A decisive moment arrived in the closing stages as Dayton forced Hadfield wide through St. Mary's to take the lead and force his rival back down to third. King was back up to second but all three were still within touching distance with just three laps to go. 

King wasted little time in getting back in front, but he was unable to break free and was kept under constant pressure by Dayton behind. There was late drama as King was stifled by a backmarker through St. Mary's, but Dayton suffered a mechanical issue right at the death to give the leader some breathing space on the final lap. 

It was King who took the chequered flag at the end of a thrilling Glover Trophy race with action from start to finish. All six of those leading drivers put on an incredible show, and reminded us all what made this era of F1 so special. 

Images courtesy of Getty Images. 

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