With the Maestros, we have arrived at the main theme of the FOS 2021. Last year, Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx were scheduled as guests of honour and, due to a one-year delay, Roger Penske was added to this duo.

To be considered a Maestro or Master in motor sports, a racing driver must have a large palmares, spread over several series and be recognised as an “all-rounder”. With Andretti, Ickx and Penske, we have three fine examples. The first two as pilots and the last one more as a team boss of his own motorsport team. We go through all three of them and the most important facts and events of the past weekend.

MARIO ANDRETTI

Mario Andretti, now 81 years old, is without doubt the most successful and diverse American racing driver. Andretti was successful in various racing classes. His greatest triumphs were undoubtedly the Formula 1 World Championship in 1978 and his victory in the Indy 500 in 1969. The “Triple Crown” ( F1 – Indy 500 – Le Mans ) did not succeed, despite many attempts. In 1995 a second place after the Mclaren F1 GTR was his best result in the 24 hours of Le Mans. Mario also drove successfully in the following classes: Nascar ( victory in the Daytona 500 ), Champcar ( 4 titles ), Stock Car, Usac, Midget, Formula 5000, Proto’s and even the BMW M1 Procar series. He won three times the 12 hours of Sebring and in 1972 he could also add the 24 hours of Daytona on his record. In total, Andretti achieved 109 victories. Among them were 12 Formula 1 Grand Prix.

His commemorative series included 10 cars in which Mario had once taken his seat. The most important car is undoubtedly his 1978 World Champion Lotus 79. Mario drove up the hill twice in this 79. He also took a seat in some other old familiars such as the Lotus 49B with which he made his debut at the 1968 US Grand Prix at the Watkins Glen circuit. Then it was the turn of the beautiful Kremer Kenwood Porsche 956, with which he finished third in the 1983 Le Mans 24 Hours. He finished in the sublime 1970 Ferrari 512S. It felt, according to Mario, like meeting an “old friend” every time, and he clearly enjoyed every moment. There were also the following cars: a Lola T 332 F5000, a JPS Lotus 77, a Lola T70 Canam Spyder and a Kremer Porsche 962. Unfortunately, no driving Indycar. Mario perhaps had the most fun at the wheel of a Grand Prix Ferrrari 500A. This was once the workshop of his childhood idol Alberto Ascari. Mario and his twin brother Aldo went to watch the races at the Monza circuit at a very young age. There he saw Ascari driving this Ferrari, now Mario himself was at the wheel of the car of his idol.

On Sunday afternoon, Mario Andretti, together with his Lotus 79, was received on the balcony of Goodwood House. There, during an interview, his career was reviewed. When asked if he liked the new electric cars, Mario replied that he will stick to the ones that make enough noise. Mario Andretti, a man after our own heart!

 JACKY ICKX

With Jacky Ickx we have arrived at a second “all-rounder”. Ickx drove Formula 1, Formula 2, proto’s ( including Group C ), touring car races, climbing races, Group 5 and 6, rally and rally-raid like Paris Dakar. He was vice-world champion of Formula 1 in 1970, won 8 Grand Prix, was victorious in Paris-Dakar and was the first “Monsieur Le Mans” with 7 victories in the 24 hours. He also won the 12 hours of Sebring, the 24 hours of Daytona and five times the 1000 km of Francorchamps. Ickx also won the 1,000km of Bathurst in his first and only appearance, driving a Ford Falcon that was unknown to him at the time and on a circuit that was unknown to him.

With four cars participating, the Ickx series was a bit on the poor side. First we saw a Ford Cortina Lotus followed by a BMW 30 CSL. Those were certainly nice cars and certainly the pre Batmobile 30 CSL but they were not the most important cars in the career of Ickx. With a Ford GT40 it was a little better but this should have been one in the famous Gulf version with which he could win the 24 hours of Le Mans two years in a row. You can find more about it via this link. The Porsche 911 SC Rally Rothmans was also a beautiful thing, but Ickx never drove this rally version. The car shown was a Prodrive Group B version from 1984 and was supposed to make the link with the Paris-Dakars Porsches with which Jacky participated in the desert rally. The picture was not quite right. We missed a Rothmans Porsche 956, a Ferrari 312B4 Formula 1, a Ferrari 512S, Porsche 935 and 936 Martini or other F1 cars Ickx had ever driven. Porsche was present with some static cars at the FOS but did not do any driving demos. Jacky himself was also not present and has not really missed much. A pity for our Belgian champion because he had deserved something more. We hope his expo during Interclassics Brussels in November will be better.

ROGER PENSKE

With Roger Penske we come to the third Maestro. In this case, the pilot part is clearly smaller than Andretti and Ickx. Penske started out as a pilot, but due to his professional activities in the car world, he was no longer allowed to participate in car races, mainly due to pressure from the banks and insurance companies. He then retrained as a team owner. Team Penske Racing has achieved 592 victories to date. The most important are undoubtedly the 18 victories in the prestigious Indy 500 and the 14 championship victories in Cart and Indycar. Penske also won the Daytona 500 twice in Nascar and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Recently there was a participation in the Australian Supercars Championship with the Ford Mustang. Penske became partner of the Dick Johnson team and the results skyrocketed with three titles in a row. Penske is also the only American team to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix. This happened in 1976 at the Österreichring with John Watson at the wheel of a Penske PC4. And 84-year-old Roger is not ready to retire just yet, as he has just agreed a deal with Porsche to help run their LMDh programme from 2023 and return to the Le Mans 24 Hours after more than 50 years.

Penske had also provided most of the cars for his commemoration. He had 11 cars brought over from his home base in North Carolina. Unfortunately, there was only one running. A Porsche Spyder LMP2 with which his team won the 12 hours of Sebring in 2008. Roger himself was at the wheel of this Porsche six times for the hill climb and clearly enjoyed every drive. It had been 1963 since he had been at the Goodwood Motor Circuit for his last race. On Sunday Roger was given a commemorative moment together with all his cars that were present in the paddock.

Pieces

Every year, cars end up in the straw bales at the FOS. And the latter are really no fun to encounter. On Friday, there was already an Alpina BMW B8 that went straight in the famous Malcomb curve. This left-hand bend follows a fairly straight line and, despite everyone knowing it, is one of the spectacle sites for the public every year. The Alpina could immediately be written off as a total loss. On Saturday, a Formula 1 Arrows Megatron also crashed into the straw bales after the Flint Wall, causing a lot of damage and a torn suspension. Sunday morning Justin Law, a Shoot-out specialist, ended up in the same straw with his TWR Jaguar XJR 12D at full speed. The Jaguar was completely destroyed and the weekend was over for Justin. It was not the day for TWR Jaguars. Later in the day another TWR Jaguar XJR 15 crashed in full speed in front of Goodwood House. But the biggest crash of the weekend was caused by Jack Tetley. He skidded while taking part in the Shoot-out and his Camaro went from right to left and then straight across the track. Jack was almost at the top of the hill. His Camaro was ready to be scrapped, fortunately the driver was unharmed.

TOM CRUISE

Sunday afternoon saw a remarkable guest in the paddock. Famous Hollywood film actor Tom Cruise made an appearance there, accompanied by his stuntman Wade Westwood. The latter participated in a one-off hill climb with a Williams FW08 B.

GORDON MURRAY

Gordon Murray had also helped the organisation by bringing two cars from his collection to Goodwood. He had brought his very first car, designed and built by himself: the Murray IGM T4. This car dates back to his South African period. Back then, Murray wanted to become a racing driver, but like so many others, he lacked the financial means to do so. So he built his own car. The project wasn’t quite finished when, in the early 1970s, he travelled to England and ended up at Brabham. The car stayed with one of his employees and then disappeared without a trace for a while. Six years ago, Gordon received a tip that his car was in a barn somewhere in England and the tip proved to be correct. The car was bought back and restored. In full analogy with the famous Murray system, the IGM T4 weighs only 280 kg. Remarkably, the “push rod” suspension system that would later be applied to the Brabham BT44 was also already present on the IGM T4.

And through this suspension we come to this Brabham BT 44. Murray had also brought his Martini version to the FOS. The BT44 was his first Formula 1 car and was victorious in the 1974 South African Grand Prix with Argentine Carlos Reutemann at the wheel. The Brabham had only just arrived at the FOS when the news trickled in that Carlos Reutemann, after an illness, had died at the age of 79. Goodwood would not be Goodwood to organise a quick memorial to Carlos. This was done by 1 minute engine noise in the paddock, performed by Formula 1 cars. In the middle “his” Brabham BT 44.

RED ARROWS

No FOS without the Red Arrows. The elite demonstration team of the British Royal Air Force. They came to spoil the public with their spectacular tricks on both Friday and Sunday.

SHOOT-OUT

The Sunday Shoot-out is traditionally one of the highlights of the FOS. The participants do not really have to do it for the price: a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne does not compensate for the risks taken but the honour of winning is apparently high. And every year you see a diverse starting field with pre-war cars, proto’s, Formula 1, touring cars, Nascar, rally and GT cars. The battle for the victory was open again after the Volkswagen ID R disappeared.

A trio that clearly stood out from the rest quickly emerged with the Jaguar XJR 12 D of Justin Law, the Mclaren 720S GT3 of Rob Bellm and the Subare WRX Impreza of the American stunt driver Travis Pastrana. As mentioned earlier, Law’s Jaguar dropped out due to an accident. The Shoot-out was also completed in changing weather conditions, with occasional light rain causing some discomfort. The battle was very exciting and it was Rob Bellm who made it with his Mclaren. He was 1.20 sec faster than the Subaru of Pastrana. Perhaps the most remarkable participant was the Ferrari 250 GT “Breadvan” which had just had a revision of its 12 cylinder. Emanuele Pirro clearly did not take the value of this 250 into account when he drove it up the hill.

DRIFTKHANA

The drifters have clearly made their mark on the Festival of Speed in recent years. In 2014, there was one Mad Mike who only entertained the public and in the meantime it has already become a series of its own and they got their own arena where they can show their skills.

Whereas in the past only the show element played a role during their hill climb, from this edition on there was a real competition for the best drifter. The pilots were awarded points for style, speed and accuracy by coming as close as possible to sensors placed on the track. This system was also used at last year’s Speedweek. The drifters’ cars become more spectacular every year. Power ratings between 600 and 1000 HP are no longer an exception. The most remarkable participant was a Dodge Charger LS with a gigantic “Nascar” wing on its boot lid. However, this did not bring him any luck. The Charger crashed into the straw bales during acceleration from the start, resulting in a damaged body and broken suspension. During Saturday’s run, it was raining heavily and they were more beside the track than on it, but they did provide spectacle of the highest order. Sunday was dry and there was so much smoke above the track that the spectators had trouble seeing them pass. James Deane was able to take home the winner’s trophy with his BMW M3, just as he had done during Speedweek. He beat the rest of the field that consisted entirely of Japanese cars such as the Nissan GT-R, Toyota GT86, Nissan Silvia and 200 SX.

FAMOUS HEADS

Every edition of the FOS receives great pilots or people who are or were important in the world of motor sports. Besides the regulars like Pirro, Mass and Kristensen (who are always there), F1 stars Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo made their appearance for the Mclaren F1 team. They could not drive their current racecar because it was on the Mclaren stand but the team had brought a Marlboro Mclaren Honda MP4/5 B. Saturday it was Ricciardo’s turn and on Sunday Norris was at the wheel.

Ex-world champion Ari Vatanen came to unleash his Prodrive Rothmans Ford Escort and double champion and fellow driver Miki Biasion was at the wheel of his Lancia Delta S4 from the Macaluso collection.

Ex-Formula 1 World Champions Jenson Button and Damon Hill were also present and participated in the hill climb. Button in a Williams FW 08B and Hill in a Lotus 49.

Double world champion Formula 1, Emerson Fittipaldi, was at the wheel of his newly restored John Player Special Lotus 72 with chassis number 5. Emerson crashed this chassis in the Grand Prix of Holland in 1973. The 72/5 was then put aside because of too much damage, but has been repaired and restored in recent years. It is with this car that Emerson won most of his Lotus victories and it was also the longest used 72 chassis. Fittipaldi drove his old 72 up the hill a couple of times and was clearly emotional. He also got a balcony moment at Goodwood House on Saturday after parking his 72/5 in front. Emerson also had a hard time when Mclaren allowed him to sit in an MP4/6 driven by Ayrton Senna.

Sir Jackie Stewart drove his Tyrrell 002, together with the 001 and 005, to the top of the hill. It was 50 years since Tyrrell won its first world title and this had to be commemorated.

Former Indy 500 winner and Indycar champion, Kenny Brack, was at the wheel of an Mclaren Elva and took part in the Michelin Super Car run. Kenny must have thought he was competing in the drifters’ series, because the Elva always went more sideways than straight up the hill.

Red Bull F1 designer Adrian Newey also took a seat in his 2011 RB7 Renault world champion and nine-time rally world champion Sébastian Loeb was seen at the wheel of a Citroën C4 and the Prodive BRX Hunter rally raid.

MURRAY WALKER

On Saturday, a memorial service was held for TV commentator Murray Walker who died in March this year at the age of 97. Walker was best known for his commentary of Formula 1 and BTCC races, first on the BBC and later on the commercial channel ITV. He formed a long-time duo with James Hunt in his BBC days, and these gentlemen provided legendary TV coverage. Murray had a special and enthusiastic way of commenting. His knowledge was legendary and he also had very good contacts with many Formula 1 drivers.

Damon Hill spoke a commemorative message and this was followed by a montage of all his “best” moments. This selection will not have been easy as the archive is very large.

CARTIER CONCOURS D’ ELEGANCE

Traditionally, every year during the Fos, there is a concour d’élégance in the gardens of Goodwood House. In the past, we have come across such gems as a Ferrari 250 GTO, Mclaren F1, or a Bugatti Royale, and these are truly rare cars. Cartier has been the regular partner for years and also this year there were several classes in which beautiful and unique cars competed for the prize of “best of show”. There is always a good mix so that there is always a match for everyone with one or more collection pieces. The “oldies” were represented this time by a series of Amilcars and Hispano-Suizas. Slightly more recent were the “Detroit Dreams” with large American sledges from the fifties. The Jaguar E Type, which celebrates its sixtieth birthday this year, was not forgotten and four unique specimens stood shining on the lawn. Furthermore, there was a series of cars with “wing doors” ( e.g. Mercedes 300 SL or Delorean DMC 12 ) and Italian sports cars from the 70s with an angular design ( e.g. Ferrari 365 Boxer or Lamborghini Countach ). The contest ended with small, large volume cars such as the VW Beetle or the Fiat 500. A jury had to decide on Sunday and it was perhaps a bit of a surprising winner with the Lancia Stratos ( street version ) by Marc Newson.

CONCLUSION

This year’s FOS was a “little different” than usual. The Covid problems and travel restrictions made it not easy for the organisation. They solved this problem by “fishing” as much as possible in their local English pond. England is the country of the classic car and many companies participate in historic competitions or prepare cars. The offer was certainly of a high level and the number was not less than the previous edition of two years ago. Congratulations to the organisers for managing to pull this off in such difficult circumstances and at such short notice.

And would we have wanted to be there? Definitely, because at the FOS you see cars that you don’t see anywhere else. And maybe this year it was a bit less, but we understand that. We have also seen some real gems climbing the hill and this brings us to our traditional question which we ask every year during our home drive: What was the most beautiful car? Always a difficult question and usually with an even more difficult answer. The choice is so big and the selection is so diverse but we have chosen one and it is the Formula 1 Lotus 72 John Player Special ( Chassis 5 ) which was used by Team Lotus for four years. It made its debut in 1970 in a red Gold Leaf decoration. The 72 would change colour from 1972 onwards: red would become black and John Player Special would be the new sponsor. The golden letters shine on the black bodywork and the JPS Lotus becomes the most beautiful Formula 1 car ever built. It would also give Emerson Fittipaldi his first world championship title in 1972 and it was only because of the accident at Zandvoort in 1973 that a second one did not follow. Emerson had sustained injuries to both feet from the crash. Without these, he would certainly have been in contention for the 1973 world title. And these cars you see only in a museum or driving on the FOS. In a race they are, given their high market value, not used anymore. ( Sometimes there are exceptions ! )

We will be back in 2022 !!

Report: Joris de Cock
Photos: Joris de Cock, Patrick Verheeken, Goodwood Press Office,