Bravery is sliding a pre-war racer round a wet Goodwood Motor Circuit

12th March 2019

Seán Ward

Sir Stirling Moss once said “you use the steering wheel to present the car to the corner… then you use the throttle to balance the car”. That approach to driving is perhaps nowhere more visible than in historic racing cars.

This short video, filmed from just behind the Motor Circuit’s chicane and looking up along the start-finish straight at the 75^th Members’ Meeting in 2017, shows just how lively old racers can be. And how brave some drivers have to be to pilot them.

The cars range from AC Cobras and Jaguar E-Types, to Rover SD1s and Ford Capris. Then there are the really old machines, cars with giant, thin wheels and very little grip. You need to have a certain degree of skill to slide any car, but to power an Edwardian racer through a corner sideways round a very wet Goodwood takes a great deal of skill and bravery.

If you’re interested in seeing similar sideways skill for real, the 77^th Members’ Meeting is just a few weeks away and there are still tickets available…