Goodwood‘s 2026 motorsport season kicked off with the 83rd Members’ Meeting on 18-19 April, drawing thousands of enthusiasts to the Duke of Richmond’s West Sussex Motor Circuit for a weekend of thrilling historic racing and nostalgia.
Taking centre stage were celebrations dedicated to playboy motor racing heroes James Hunt and Barry Sheene, marking 50 years since their respective triumphs in Formula 1 and 500cc motorcycle Grand Prix racing. Equally memorable was the reunion between Jenson Button and his 2009 championship-winning Brawn BGP 001, and the largest collection of Super Touring Cars ever assembled at a single event.
Few events pull off racing nostalgia quite like Goodwood, and Sheene and Hunt’s 1976 anniversary celebrations were among the most poignant the estate has ever witnessed. Cavalcades of cars and bikes spanning both champions’ careers paraded the track across both days, with Hunt’s title-winning McLaren M23 and Hesketh 308 joined by the innovative six-wheeled Tyrrell, while Sheene’s Suzuki RG500 screamed alongside the Cosworth DFV V8s. The spectacle was made even more emotional by James Hunt and Barry Sheene’s sons, both called Freddie, taking part in the tributes.
Jenson Button’s long-awaited Members’ Meeting debut provided one of the weekend’s most memorable spectacles, with all three Brawn GP 001 chassis present at Goodwood as the Briton reunited with his title-winning car for the first time since 2019. The occasion proved as emotional as it was thrilling.
The Super Touring demonstration and Shoot-Out was another 2026 highlight, with Goodwood assembling the largest collection of these 1990s and early-2000s tin-top racers ever seen at a single event. More than 40 cars filled the paddock and circuit across the weekend, including Alfa Romeo 155s, Ford Mondeos, Vauxhall Vectras, Honda Accords and Peugeot 406s, all replete with colourful period liveries.
Historic racing is the Members’ Meeting’s raison d’être and this year’s edition didn’t disappoint. Fittingly for an event celebrating 1976, the motorcycle contests proved particularly breathtaking, with Storm Stacey’s Yamaha TZ350 claiming overall honours in the Hailwood Trophy after a two-part battle that saw three different leaders on the opening lap of the second race alone.
On four wheels, the Win Percy Trophy set the weekend’s tone with a chaotic finale that saw Tom Kristensen’s leading Volkswagen Golf GTi retire on the penultimate lap. The nine-time Le Mans winner’s misfortune handed the victory to the Ford Escort RS2000 of Guy Smith.
Run across two parts and decided on aggregate, the archaic machines in the S.F. Edge Trophy produced one of the closest-run contests of the weekend as Julian Majzub defended his 2025 title in his Sunbeam ‘Indianapolis’, beating Archie Bullet’s Pic-Pic Sturtevant Aero by less than a second.
This year’s Members’ Meeting also saw two new additions to the race card: the Protheroe Cup, a 45-minute two-driver competition for pre-1963 Jaguar E-types created to mark the model’s 65th anniversary, and the Phil Hill Cup, which paid tribute to US sports car racing of the mid-1960s.
Named after legendary privateer racer Dick Protheroe, the Protheroe Cup brought Saturday to a close in memorable fashion, with Dario Franchitti and Gregor Fisken taking first place ahead of Phil Keen and Jon Minshaw, with Rob Huff and Richard Meins completing the podium. Jenson Button partnered William Paul to finish fifth.
Sunday’s Phil Hill Cup was a dramatic affair, with Jenson Button’s ex-Dick Protheroe Jaguar E-type ‘CUT 8’ leading early before a safety car period bunched the field and erased his advantage. Undeterred, the 2009 World Champion reasserted himself after the restart to claim a dominant victory ahead of Yelmer Buurman’s Ferrari 250 LM and Nikolaus Ditting’s Ford GT40.
Held for the first time since 2016, the Bruce McLaren Trophy saw Phil Keen claim victory in his Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder after a red flag interlude. The closest finish of the weekend came in the Peter Collins Trophy, where Gary Pearson’s Jaguar XK120 Mistral beat Martin Stretton’s Frazer Nash Mille Miglia by just 0.160 seconds.
Away from the on-track action, collectors flocked to Bonhams’ auction tent on Sunday for the annual Members’ Meeting sale. The headline lot was the 1939 Jaguar SS 100 3½-Litre Sports owned by the late automotive artist Michael Turner, who had kept the car for nearly 70 years. It hammered for £218,500. Other notable results included a 2026 Lamborghini Urus SE (£212,750) and a 1965 Porsche 911 2.2-litre Coupé (£126,500).
The most surprising result, however, was the 1978 Mini 1275 GT that won two consecutive British Saloon Car Championships with Richard Longman. Despite its remarkable racing provenance, the Mini sold for just £80,500 – well short of its £100,000–£150,000 pre-sale estimate.
Goodwood’s next major motorsport event is the Festival of Speed, which takes place on 9-12 July 2026. For tickets and more information, click here.
