Goodwood motor racing
Gentlemen, start your engines.
Amanda Uren
Easter 1962
Editor's note: The final image in this post is graphic in nature.Goodwood motor racing circuit, near Chichester, West Sussex, England, was a significant British motor racing venue from 1948 to 1966. Originally the perimeter track of a Royal Air Force airfield, major races were held each year at Goodwood over the Easter weekend, from Good Friday through Easter Monday. These pictures show two races held over the Easter weekend of 1962.
The first group pictures the RAC Tourist Trophy race held on Easter Monday. This race began with a "Le Mans" start, in which drivers ran to their cars, which were parked at a 90-degree angle to the course, started their vehicles' engines and sped off. Some drove away without properly fastening their safety harnesses, or not fastening them at all.The practice of "Le Mans" ended in 1970 following a protest the previous year by driver Jacky Ickx. At the 1969 Le Mans 24-hour race, Ickx deliberately walked to his car and took the time to fasten his harness.
The second set of photos show the Glover Trophy race, held at Goodwood over the Easter weekend of 1962. At the time, legendary British race driver Stirling Moss was widely regarded as the world's greatest racing driver. But this race was to end his career.Moss, who had won the trophy the two previous years, crashed in the 37th lap and was in a coma for several months. The following year, Moss carried out a racing test in private, and promptly retired. He felt the accident had taken away his instinctive feel for the vehicle.
Driving a motor car, the danger is a very necessary ingredient. If you're cooking, you need salt. You can cook without salt, but it doesn't have the flavour. It's the same with motor racing without danger for me. - Sir Stirling Moss
