Come rain or shine, the Goodwood Revival is always Darren Turner’s favourite playtime of the racing season, with its glorious blend of beautiful racing machinery, homage to golden years past and general revelry with good friends from the motorsport community. And this year… there was a lot of rain!
But neither the inclement weather, nor the fact that misfortune prevented multiple sportscar champion Turner from racing two of the three cars he was scheduled to compete in over the weekend could dampen his spirits.
“The rain was atrocious at times,” said Turner, “and it was definitely a weekend to run for cover, but that didn’t stop it all from feeling magical – just like it always does.”
Turner was scheduled to race a 1961 Jaguar E-Type FHL in the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy race alongside specialist tuner Patrick Blakeney-Edwards. The Briton did at least get to sample the car in qualifying, although in the most horrendous conditions.
“I’d never seen the car before,” said Turner of the Gavin Henderson owned machine, “so the first time I drove it was in qualifying. The car felt good, but it was difficult to get a true read on it because the rain was so bad I could barely see out of the window!”
The duo qualified tenth and Blakeney-Edwards took the start, but even on the first lap it was clear something was amiss.
“Unfortunately, when the car went past the pits at the end of the first lap, you could hear a misfire. Patrick pitted and the team tweaked some things and he went out for another lap before calling it a day. It was a shame because I was really looking forward to getting in some dry running with what was clearly a wonderfully-balanced car.”
It was a similar experience for Turner in the headline TT event, a race Darren won in 2021 alongside Oliver Bryant in a Cobra. This time around he was down to race a 1965 Corvette Sting Ray with Craig Davies.
“We had to start from the back of the grid in the race, and Craig did a mega job at the start, racing up to 13th from 29th,” said Turner. “It was damp, and the conditions looked tricky. Then a half-shaft let go on him as he came past the pits and he coasted to a halt after Turn 1.”
Finally, though, Turner did get some racing action in during the star-studded St Mary’s Trophy race, where he was entered in a Ford Anglia 105E owned by Michael Sheraton. In this event, the races are split into two 25-minutes encounters, one on each day, with the guest contesting one and the owner the other.
“The little Anglia was a real head-turner,” said Darren. “I’m often in the paddock during the Revival and a lot of people came up to me and asked about the car. Just from the vibe I got from them, it felt like lots of families had one of these cars at some point.”
When Turner qualified the car, it was, you guessed it… raining.
“There was something not quite right with the rear axle, and on a wet track, that was tricky to master,” said Turner. “But they fixed it for the race – which was dry with the occasional sprinkle of adventure thrown in, and that made things fun.”
Turner qualified 20th and finished in the same position, but the fun he had getting to the flag was immeasurable.
“I had a great race with [former Le Mans winner] Andy Wallace in a Mark II Jaguar and [British Touring Car Championship legend] Anthony Reid in a Morris Mini Cooper S,” said Turner. “It was immense fun and for much of the time there was the width of a cigarette paper between us.”
Reid, who in his heyday was known for being a tough but fair racer, said to Turner in the collection area afterward: “I don’t think I’ve ever had a battle that tough for 20th position, it was great though!”
For the record, Turner finished one place in front of the Scot.
Both were outperformed on the day by Turner Junior though. Darren’s son Dylan recorded his best finish yet in the Settrington Cup, a race for children in pedal-powered Austin J40s. Little Turner’s combined results were good enough for seventh overall – better than his Dad achieved all weekend!
“He was very happy with that,” said Turner. “In fact, as usual it was a brilliant weekend all around. It’s always so very nice to be invited to drive these wonderful cars. The Saturday night ball, which this year was themed around Studio 54, was amazing, and the whole weekend just crackled with a fun atmosphere you don’t experience anywhere other than Goodwood.
“I’m already looking forward to next year’s Revival!”
Comments