[Video] 2024 S.F. Edge Trophy highlights | 81MM | GRR

2024 S.F. Edge highlights

The S.F. Edge Trophy Part 1 set us off to a fine start, as the Beast of Turin joined the barmy Darracq 200hp, along with the Peugeot Indianapolis, Mercedes 120hp and many more for a clattering blusterous battle.

Mark Walker would've hoping to make more of an impression with his Darracq having lost out at the start, but back markers late into the race stopped him from making a last-hurrah lunge. That left Goodwood favourite Julian Majzub to take victory in the Sunbeam ‘Indianapolis’.

S.F. Edge Trophy Part 2 was another chapter in the saga between Julian Majzub and Mark Walker. The man atop the Darracq had a busy start as he sought to overcome the challengers between him and his main rival Majzub.

After several laps following in the trails of Duncan Pittaway in the booming Fiat S76, he finally made the overtake and set about closing the eight-second gap to the Sunbeam. His efforts were not in vain, and he stormed through to take victory.

2024 S.F. Edge Trophy Official Practice

The S.F. Edge Trophy practice had provided some of the most visually spectacular sessions so far of the Goodwood Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport. A regular on the timetable since its inaugural running at the 74^th Members Meeting, it brings together a grid of Edwardian cars, GN specials and early machines in the spirit of the early Brooklands races before 1923.

The practice session for 2024 S.F. Edge Trophy gave us the first chance to see the variety of machinery from the Edwardian era. The oldest car on the grid is the 1905 Darracq 200 HP. Bereft of bodywork, it allows spectactors to see the all the mechanical workings of the car as it circulates Goodwood. It also affords a clear view of Mark Walker busily keeping the skinny tyres pointing the right way, and occassionally manually pumping fuel to keep it running.

His efforts were enough to claim third position on the grid, with just the 1911 K-R-I-T Racer of Neil Gough and the 1916 Sunbeam Indianopilis of Julian Majzub ahead of him. Majzub just missed out on race victory last year, so his pole position is a step in the right direction to rectify that this year.

What is the S.F. Edge Trophy?

It’s named after Selwyn Francis Edge, a British businessman who made his name as a successful bicycle racer as a teenager before going on to co-found the De Dion-Bouton import company and later the Motor Vehicle Company, a tuner of sorts for Panhards, Napiers and Gladiators. He raced many of these cars through the early 1900s, and the S.F. Edge Trophy rekindles that earliest era of motor racing.

The race has evolved over the years, and this year the S.F. Edge Trophy will return for the 81st Members’ Meeting in its two-race format, each five laps in length, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, with the two results combined to reveal an overall winner.

Which cars race in the S.F. Edge Trophy?

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the S.F. Edge Trophy is that every single car is different. Reflective of the time, when drivers raced in bespoke machines of varying shapes and sizes, we welcome a grid of up to 25 distinct racing cars from the 1900s, ‘10s and ‘20s.

The oldest of them is the Darracq 200hp, which has become a firm favourite as its speed belies its incredibly primitive appearance. Unmissable among a scarcely believable line-up is the Fiat S76 ‘Beast of Turin’ that towers above all else, spitting flames as it goes from its 28.4-litre four-cylinder engine. Other regulars include the Sunbeam ‘Indianapolis’, the Theophile Schneider Aero and the remarkable Oakland Romano Special.

Which drivers race in the S.F. Edge Trophy?

As impressive as it is to see these cars moving at all, let alone racing around the Goodwood Motor Circuit, extra recognition has to go to the drivers who sit atop these remarkable works of engineering. While perhaps not the household names of the Gordon Spice or Graham Hill Trophies, the drivers in the S.F. Edge Trophy are heroes in every sense of the word, with buckets of talent, skill and bravery, topped off with no short measure of enthusiasm for these wonderful cars.

The likes of Duncan Pittaway, Ben Collings and Julian Majzub have all made their names at Goodwood, while Mark Walker made the S.F. Edge Trophy his own with a clean sweep at the 80th Members’ Meeting behind the wheel of his Darracq 200hp.

When is the S.F. Edge Trophy?

Several hundred litres of Edwardian power will roll out onto the Goodwood Motor Circuit for Official Practice at 10:20 on Saturday morning. The flag is scheduled to drop for the S.F. Edge Trophy at 14:25 on Sunday.

Previous winners of the S.F. Edge Trophy

Photography by Tom Shaxson and James Lynch.