The past seven days have been eventful for Mr Cropley, with the Goodwood Revival feeling like a full return to normality.
Saturday
How fantastic to see Goodwood right back on top form. It seemed to me that this year’s Revival worked as if the pandemic had never happened: magnificent cars, superb racing and a huge crowd of happy people. There were refinements to the organisation, of course, as one always expects of one of the Duke of Richmond’s events. This time there were trade stands and exhibits stretching right down the inside of the Lavant Straight, which drew us punters out there and showed us how excellent the place is for watching as well as shopping.
This might sound a bit off beat, but my personal Goodwood hero was the bloke (it had to be a bloke) who paid £32,200 in the Bonhams auction, including premium, for a 1945 DUKW – a six-wheeled amphibian army truck that has to be the absolute heart and soul of an impractical vehicle. The Steering Committee had a university friend who owned one, in which he crossed the Channel one day with his whole family on board — including his mother-in-law in a chair on the top deck, enjoying the sunshine. Some people simply don’t see problems, do they?
Sunday
Terrific driving day out, first to the British Motor Museum to look in on the 20-year celebrations for Keith Adams’ wonderful web-based historic resource and labour of love, AR Online; and then to Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, near Worcester, to watch the concluding round of the Young Drivers’ Championship that we’ve been sponsoring with Paul Matty and the Midland Automobile Club.
It was great to see a female driver, Lizzie Dudley, beat all the blokes. Seeing the whole crew of them still carousing together an hour after the season’s last action concluded was a special pleasure. The idea was always to start injecting younger blood into this deeply satisfying form of motorsport, and it seems to be working.
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