Keith Walker Takes Us To Goodwood 2024
16th January 2026
In: News, Members' Articles
Goodwood Revival 2024
It is difficult to believe that the 2024 event was the 25th since the Goodwood Circuit was re-opened through the efforts of The Earl of March (now Duke of Richmond) who, of course, owns Goodwood House and the Estate.
Goodwood was where I saw motor racing for the first time back in 1966, which was also the year the original circuit closed to formal motor racing. The actual track however remained in place as a test facility.
I well remember arriving at the first Revival in 1998 on a beautiful Sussex Downs morning and getting out of the car to hear the sound of Merlin engines in Spitfire or Hurricane aircraft overhead. Goodwood, as RAF Westhampnett, had been a WWII fighter base and from that moment I knew then it was going to be a rather special event.
For those not familiar with the Revival, it is a meeting for historic race cars and motorbikes that would have been eligible to race there in its original form from 1948 - 66. It attracts not only the very best cars from all over the world but also the great and the
good of past and contemporary motor sport. It is like no other race meeting, as it is more like a film set with everyone encouraged to wear period clothing and with not a ‘hi-viz’ in sight. In fact you are only allowed into some paddocks if you are ‘correctly dressed’,
which for me means a jacket and tie!
Additionally the Revival has also had a large display of planes and I have known eleven Merlin engines in various aircraft to be in the air at the same time! I have been to most meetings as we live only an hours drive away. Every year I take one M body and one lens, and mostly a 50mm. I then concentrate on shots around the paddocks, and leave the actual racing shots to those with 400mm lenses.
Of course the Revival is many different things to different people. There are the racing fans who come prepared for all weathers and rush with their folding chairs to their favourite spot and set up camp for the duration. There is the inevitable ‘corporate hospitality’ crowd who don’t seem to know where they are but know there is free booze.
We have those who drive their classic car to the pre-1966 paddock and spend the whole day there discussing the correct colour of grommets. There are lots of traders in the ‘over the road field’ to sell you a car or any related book or motoring part. And of course the
voyeurs for cars and people like myself.
This year provided an extra challenge as I had just acquired an M11 and I was not yet fully familiar with it. However, I decided to take it set to 37mp paired with a 35mm Summilux, as I reasoned I would have enough headroom to crop in post-production if I wanted to.
Unfortunately, this year the weather was rather dull, but some images are attached. I must say I very much like the colours from the M11, which to my elderly eyes seem very accurate.
Leica had a ‘pop up shop’ at the Revival in 2015 and Dr. Andraus Kaufmann (who is credited with saving Leica cameras as we know it from probable closure) was in attendance. It was good to see they again had a ‘shop’ this year, manned by staff from the Harrods and Mayfair stores. It was small but had a fine display of new and old
cameras, including a Black Paint M2 for a mere £48K!
Having just bought the M11 ‘on line’, it did remind me how much I miss the thrill of a real camera shop talking to a real person who is enthusiastic about the brand. Unless you live in London or Manchester it is difficult, or at best not easy, to visit a store in person, but it is perhaps worth the effort.
Auto Union & Mercedes 'Silver Arrows'
Autograph hunters with Emmanuel Pirro
Emmanuel Pirro
Boys and Bikes from Bavaria
Goodwood Revival
Goodwood Revival
In Conversation
Maserati
When Bikers Meet
Spitfires
Winning ERA
Leica Store
It is difficult to believe that the 2024 event was the 25th since the Goodwood Circuit was re-opened through the efforts of The Earl of March (now Duke of Richmond) who, of course, owns Goodwood House and the Estate.
Goodwood was where I saw motor racing for the first time back in 1966, which was also the year the original circuit closed to formal motor racing. The actual track however remained in place as a test facility.
I well remember arriving at the first Revival in 1998 on a beautiful Sussex Downs morning and getting out of the car to hear the sound of Merlin engines in Spitfire or Hurricane aircraft overhead. Goodwood, as RAF Westhampnett, had been a WWII fighter base and from that moment I knew then it was going to be a rather special event.
For those not familiar with the Revival, it is a meeting for historic race cars and motorbikes that would have been eligible to race there in its original form from 1948 - 66. It attracts not only the very best cars from all over the world but also the great and the
good of past and contemporary motor sport. It is like no other race meeting, as it is more like a film set with everyone encouraged to wear period clothing and with not a ‘hi-viz’ in sight. In fact you are only allowed into some paddocks if you are ‘correctly dressed’,
which for me means a jacket and tie!
Additionally the Revival has also had a large display of planes and I have known eleven Merlin engines in various aircraft to be in the air at the same time! I have been to most meetings as we live only an hours drive away. Every year I take one M body and one lens, and mostly a 50mm. I then concentrate on shots around the paddocks, and leave the actual racing shots to those with 400mm lenses.
Of course the Revival is many different things to different people. There are the racing fans who come prepared for all weathers and rush with their folding chairs to their favourite spot and set up camp for the duration. There is the inevitable ‘corporate hospitality’ crowd who don’t seem to know where they are but know there is free booze.
We have those who drive their classic car to the pre-1966 paddock and spend the whole day there discussing the correct colour of grommets. There are lots of traders in the ‘over the road field’ to sell you a car or any related book or motoring part. And of course the
voyeurs for cars and people like myself.
This year provided an extra challenge as I had just acquired an M11 and I was not yet fully familiar with it. However, I decided to take it set to 37mp paired with a 35mm Summilux, as I reasoned I would have enough headroom to crop in post-production if I wanted to.
Unfortunately, this year the weather was rather dull, but some images are attached. I must say I very much like the colours from the M11, which to my elderly eyes seem very accurate.
Leica had a ‘pop up shop’ at the Revival in 2015 and Dr. Andraus Kaufmann (who is credited with saving Leica cameras as we know it from probable closure) was in attendance. It was good to see they again had a ‘shop’ this year, manned by staff from the Harrods and Mayfair stores. It was small but had a fine display of new and old
cameras, including a Black Paint M2 for a mere £48K!
Having just bought the M11 ‘on line’, it did remind me how much I miss the thrill of a real camera shop talking to a real person who is enthusiastic about the brand. Unless you live in London or Manchester it is difficult, or at best not easy, to visit a store in person, but it is perhaps worth the effort.
Auto Union & Mercedes 'Silver Arrows'
Autograph hunters with Emmanuel Pirro
Emmanuel Pirro
Boys and Bikes from Bavaria
Goodwood Revival
Goodwood Revival
In Conversation
Maserati
When Bikers Meet
Spitfires
Winning ERA
Leica Store
Comments
By David Askham: Ken, despite the weather, you managed to get a good range of colourful subjects to interest those who were unable to attend the event. All with a camera model new to you. Well done! By Cled Lewis: Thank you Keith, who said nostalgia isn’t what it was.
I have been to Goodwood only once and have never forgotten it.
Your pictures of the event are true to the experience and I was able to share your enthusiasm.
The icing on the cake was the display of Auto Union and Mercedes cars of the 30/40 era. Possibly the most beautiful and aggressive racing cars ever built.
Cled By Ken Davis: Another set of photographs that shows not just the 'technology' but the character of so many of the people there. I'd make sure I was wearing a jacket and tie as well! By Don Morley: Lovely pictures, especially the Mercedes well done By Don Morley: I forgot to mention I covered the races at Goodwood several time back in the early 1960' as a then Staff Photographer on Autocar and The MotorCyle magazines, and when the great Stirling Moss had his career ending crash into the Banking which was standing on. Naturally I had to take pictures of it as it was my job, but I have never cared much for, or wanted to visit Goodwood any more often than I could help since. But as said. I so enjoyed seeing Keith's latest pictures. By Keith Walker: Thanks for comments. Dons gift to be in the right place must have led to a very harrowing event. The front page shots of Stirlings rescue are reproduced in a Goodwood book I have, and can remember seeing the Newsreel coverage. He did well to survive
On a happier note. I have a snap taken at the Goodwood FoS of Amanda getting Stirling and Jenks signing something whilst sat in their Miglia winning Mercedes SLR #722.