Picture Special: Why You Need To Do Whatever It Takes To Attend A Goodwood Members' Meeting

Anyone who loves getting up close and personal with classic racing cars and the soapy fuel smell that’s emitted from their no damns given exhaust pipes simply has to do whatever’s necessary to attend the Goodwood Members’ Meeting.

I was invited to the 74th instalment of the event, and can honestly say that I was blown away by the weekend. Because the event is a little more exclusive than the Festival of Speed which takes place in the summer, the Members’ Meeting is more approachable, easier to walk around and offers way more opportunity to stand by the side of the track and watch classic race cars going toe-to-toe. If you think that the racing drivers will take it easy, however, you’d be mistaken as this massive crash proved on the weekend.

Among the racing, I witnessed Rover SD1s go head to head with Mini 1275 GTs, watched as Ford GT40s traded paint on track and stood with my mouth ajar as men with balls made of Adamantium raced around Goodwood in 1950s and early 1960s F1 cars with little more than hope and skill to keep them safe - seriously, though, I’d sooner drag myself naked through 100 metres of broken glass than go full race pace in one of those things…

Next to the races, there are also paddocks where the cars can be ogled and listened to. The smell of race fuel fills the air and the noise of old-school V12s being fired up and tuned in situ is something to witness.

As well as the on- and off-track action, Saturday night is where the party’s at. A classic funfair is the order of the night with the Wall of Death, classic carousels, and people playing with fire. There are also dancers, a live band and possibly the best fireworks display you’ll ever see.

I’ll admit that before attending the event I was skeptical because I thought it’d be a little stuffy and full of posh boys. But I’m happy to report that it was anything but stuffy. There were people from all walks of life, and everyone was there to celebrate their love of cars in a relaxed environment.

With the weekend now behind me, I’m already determined to get my hands on another pair of tickets for next year, and if the love of old cars, great entertainment and amazing racing scenes is up your street, then you should too! And if that doesn’t convince you, then check out these beautiful pics by Jayson Fong.

If you like these pics, then make sure you check out Jayson Fong’s website, and be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram!