A special event for Westbourne Motorsport as the team got dressed in vintage wear and prepared to be a part of this world renowned classic race car experience. Known for its attention to detail, the team were very excited to take the collection of classic cars to this event especially with the celebrity line up that were supporting us over the weekend.
Each driver were required to have a celebrity driver to support them throughout the weekend in order to enter the races. You can see our driver line up below:
| James Dorlin | Sam Tordoff |
| Bruce Chapman | Rupert Keegan |
| Ben Colburn | Tom Ingram |
| James Colburn | Adam Morgan |
| Julian Crossley | Tony Jardine |
| Charles Settrington | Rowan Atkinson |
From the moment the team entered the track the excitement was overwhelming to be a part of such a big event. As a team we love Goodwood and the test days were just a sneak peak to the massive transformation that occurred leading up to the event weekend.
Friday Qualifying
There was a brilliant atmosphere leading into the qualifying session as the celebrity drivers prepared to get behind the wheel on this iconic track. There was a sudden rush of people running over to our awning as Rowan Atkinson got into his car – the team had not experienced this before and it was very different to our usual HRDC event.
Before the cars were allowed to enter the track, they had to park in the assembly area which was the perfect opportunity for some TV interviews and also photos to be taken. The line up on the grid was very impressive with Chris Hoy, David Coulthard and many other celebrities keen to have a go in the restored classic cars.
Our other drivers watched nervously from the pit lane as their cars entered the track; they had to trust their celebrity support driver would not damage the car as it could affect their combined result at the end of the weekend.
Sam Tordoff , Adam Morgan and Tom Ingram were battling for fastest lap from the start and all wanted to use their touring car knowledge to compete with the rest of the grid. With other touring car rivals on the track such as Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden, this was the perfect opportunity for the BTCC drivers to have a non-competitive race weekend but everyone wanted the title of winning the St Mary’s Trophy.
Sam Tordoff and Tom Ingram finished in the top 15 for the first race in P5 and P11 whereas; Adam Morgan had some difficulties with his car which saw him finish in P24. All drivers returned to the paddock with positive feedback about the cars and enthusiastic to return to the track for race one.
Rowan Atkinson informed the team before entering the car that he thoroughly enjoyed racing at Goodwood and made it clear that he did not want to win the trophy but to enjoy every moment of participating in the event. However, his driver instinct must have kicked in throughout the session as he pushed the classic car to its limits and qualified in P16.
Rupert Keegan casually strolled up to his car not showing a single sign of nerves. His passion for the classic cars was clear as he joined the qualifying session having the time of his life! Keegan battled with Rowan Atkinson and Tony Jardine as they pushed for a top 15 results. Unfortunately, he narrowly missed out on the top 15 and qualified in P17 but he got out of the car in the paddock with a big smile on his face eager to see the cars potential in race one.
After a battle for fastest lap with other celebrity drivers in the Westbourne awning, Tony Jardine crossed the checked flag in P15 despite having a few mechanical problems with the car.
The regular driver’s had to wait until Friday afternoon to qualify their cars for race two. Westbourne’s James Dorlin headed the field early on and looked a strong candidate for pole and James Colburn continued to struggle with the same misfire that had hampered Morgan in the earlier qualifying session. The youngest ever driver to race at Goodwood , Ben Colburn aged 16, was running well and had moved up to fifth ahead of most of the thirty two car field.
The with just five minutes remaining the unfortunate David Webber rolled his car at Lavant bringing out the red flags. Team Westbourne jumped on the opportunity of the unscheduled pit stop, changing James Colburn’s carburettor in a last ditched attempt to repair the little Austin. The lights went green and still the repairs went on eating to the remaining five minutes. Just in time for two flying laps the car restarted and set off to see if the fault had been cured. A thumbs up from James as he sped past the pits looked promising and on his first flying lap he went straight into the top three leaving a nail biting last lap. The stop watched looked promising as James exited the chicane for the final time to set pole position with a time of 1.44.88 two tenths clear of rival Charles Knill-Jones in second. Ben Colburn also had a stunning last lap to line up 3rd on the outside of the front row just 2 hundreth’s of a second ahead of James Dorlin. For Westbourne to occupy three of the top four places was an amazing result. Bruce Chapman was a very creditable 12th and on home soil Charles Settrington was close behind in 13th. Despite running on three cylinders Julian Crossley still incredibly managed 24th.
With an overnight gap between the end of qualifying and the beginning of the race, there was plenty of time for the drivers to give their feedback to the mechanics in order for improvements to made. The mechanics were having a great time talking to their celebrity sponsors and even had the opportunity to experience the event by exploring what was nearby.
Saturday Race St Marys Trophy Part 1
For the Saturday Race one heavy rain and strong winds met the celebrity drivers. This didn’t dampen the spirits of the spectators and a crowd of people gathered around the awning again and this could only mean one thing – time for the race. Frantic to get photos and autographs, the Westbourne awning was definitely centre of attention in the A35 paddock.
Again, the drivers lined up on the track ready for the chaos to begin. The Westbourne drivers watched with excitement and nervousness as their cars were about to take part in a race with some of the top celebrity drivers and prayed their car would return with little damage ahead of their race the following day.
There was no sign of the drivers holding back despite the treacherous conditions in this race as the green flag was raised the battles started. The touring car driver’s instinct kicked in as they fought for a podium in this once in a lifetime event. Morgan, Tordoff, and Ingram drove the classic cars as though they were racing in the BTCC and soon were making contact with each other to push further up the grid.
Atkinson, Keegan and Jardine continued their battle from qualifying but further back on the grid. They were enjoying the battle amongst themselves so much that they forgot about the other drivers taking part in the race. With only seconds between the drivers, they were satisfied with their finishing positions. Keegan narrowly took the lead in the battle finishing in P23, with Jardine in P24 and Atkinson in P25.
Meanwhile the classic touring car chaos continued as they crossed the finish line all in the top 10. Ingram was able to overtake a lot of the competition in the final corner completing the race in P5 ahead of BTCC rival, Adam Morgan who moved up to P6 from grid 24. BTCC championship contender, Sam Tordoff decided to battle with Matt Neal instead which saw him cross the finish line in P8.
A great result for the Westbourne cars and the drivers were so impressed with the set up of the cars ahead of the race that they commended all the mechanics personally.
With the day finished, it left plenty of time for the team to explore the track scenery. There were all sorts of shops open from clothes to barbers which really brought the event to life. The team enjoyed their evening meal at the Goodwood fairground with live music entertainment, gourmet food and the good company of the Westbourne family.
The dark cloud and rain showers from Saturday had dispersed in time for the Sunday event. Leaving a very muddy camp site, the team were transported to the track by classic cars to add to the experience. We were greeted at the front gate by cheering football supporters as the event was set in 1966; the year England won the World cup.
Sunday Race St Marys Trophy Part 2
The race was going guaranteed to be a great watch for all the spectators as the drivers returned to the track to continue their winning streak from qualifying. The two Colburn brothers lined up on the front of the grid and the team waited anxiously from the pit wall to see if the St Mary’s Trophy would be lifted for Westbourne Motorsport.
James Dorlin, known for his success in the Michelin Clio Cup 2016 season, was keen to push his car up the grid to ensure he got a podium finish after qualifying in P4.
The advice given to the drivers by their celebrity supporters obviously paid off as they race started with plenty of action. The 30 car grid sped around the first corner as they all tried to progress their position in the race.
James Colburn took the initial lead ahead of Knill Jones and younger brother Ben, who was later passed by James Dorlin as he moved up to third for the lead battle. Five cars ran nose to tail for the first two laps Colburn J, Knill Jones, Dorlin, Colburn B, Jordan with only inches between them.
The at the start of lap three the first disaster struck when Ben Colburn ran just slightly wide at the exit of the 100 mph Madwick Corner pitching the car into a barrel roll spinning five times until the car came to a sudden stop. The team and the crowd watched the roll on the huge live TV screens and everyone held their breath hoping he was safe. Thankfully, the team saw Ben remove himself from the car and watch the rest of the race behind the track wall. A huge sigh of relief for the team to see he was okay following a spectacular roll. Testimony to the strength and build quality of the Westbourne machine.
Brother James continued to head the field and had managed to break the tow of the ensuing pack as they fought for position. Disaster two struck on lap 6 when James Colburn car started to slow with a engine failure, one of a number over the weekend with the demanding nature of the Goodwood circuit.
This left the hopes of the team on one driver – James Dorlin who had moved up two second closely behind Knill Jones. The team were confident of success as Dorlin had driven the A35 to the most race wins in the season and had over turned Knill Jones in the previous nail biting race at Castle Combe.
James waited for the right moment and seized his opportunity at the entrance to Madgwick, a brave move in a very fast corner. Despite continued attack James drove superbly to hold his lead to the end and take the honours in the St Mary’s Part 2.
Bruce Chapman continued to battle with Charles Settrington who were dominating the middle of the grid; defending their positions well to avoid any overtakes.
Julian Crossley continued to have mechanical problems with his car but managed to continue the race at the back of the grid. Soaking up the atmosphere created from the cheering spectators, it did not matter where the drivers finished in the race as they all equally enjoyed the overall experience of the Goodwood Revival.
As the checked flag was waved high in the sky, James Dorlin finished in first place; a huge achievement which was well deserved. Following behind Dorlin, Chapman finished in P11, Settrington in P14 and Crossley in P26.
Although some very disappointed with their result in the race, they all were really proud that they were invited to compete in this event and were overwhelmed by the whole weekend.
Team Westbourne would like to thanks all of the mechanics, helpers, friends and families for all of their hard work and support throughout the Revival experience – we hope to be invited back in 2017.
