goodwood : 81st members meeting
I was instantly hooked when I attended Members Meeting for the first time in 2023, and it immediately became my favourite event in the automotive calendar. The calibre of cars and drivers, the enthusiasm of the spectators, the access to the action - and what a setting!
As the afternoon wore on it became a relay game of one coffee after another, but I was determined to hold out and make the very most of the short time left. I caved at one point and napped in my car for an hour or so, which gave me just enough energy to catch the tail end of the final race. I wandered into the paddock just as the golden hour was beginning to turn blue, and came across the unloading of this eye-catching Marlboro liveried Rover. It was fresh from a fairly brutal shunt, with the raw metalwork exposed under flaking fluorescent orange paintwork, and the wheel bent all manner out of shape.
According to the photo timestamps this all happened within 10 minutes, but for me it felt like a moment that existed outside of time itself (that may have been the slight delirium talking). Nonetheless, it made for the most memorable 10 minutes of the weekend, summarising the raw reality of motorsport - shit happens, and you just have to get on with it.
I had planned on sticking around longer, but hunger was kicking in big time and I had to remind myself I still had a 40min unfamiliar drive back to my AirBnB. Reluctantly I headed back to my car, accepting that I'll just have to wait til next year for more.
