Gallery: Soaking up the Thruxton Easter Revival 2014

When the Goodwood Motor Circuit closed in 1966, the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) became both homeless and trackless. But two years later it had revised the circuit used at Thruxton in the ’50s and held its first meeting. The track layout today, with a resemblance to the outline of Australia, is almost the same as in 1968.

It’s that which hosted the Easter Revival, a weekend of historic motorsport that included everything from classic Formula Fords to 1990s Super Touring cars. The were on the latest incarnation of the circuit, which includes the addition of the Cobb chicane between Campbell and Seagrave has reduced the speeds, it’s still the fastest track in the UK. There are no ‘straight’ straights but long sweeping curves and only two ‘tight’ sections to test the brakes, nerves and capabilities of man and machine.

Following the success of the Easter Revival meeting at Thruxton in 2013, fans returned for the 2014 event. Open wheelers and tin tops were in action with a selection of close racing. It’s not just the cars that they’d come to see, there were names to match; Patrick Watts, John Cleland, Tiff Needell, Chris Goodwin, Denis Welch. All demonstrating the fun of the era and that they’ve not lost their touch. Something that has the younger drivers scratching their heads at times when they realise who’s just whizzed straight past them.