JD Classics won two races from two pole positions during the world-famous Goodwood Revival over the weekend. A major sponsor for the second consecutive year, JD Classics took victory in the iconic RAC TT Celebration race and the Sussex Trophy.
One of the most hotly contested races of the Goodwood Revival weekend, the RAC TT Celebration brings together a grid of some of the most legendary sports cars in existence. In a race traditionally dominated by powerful AC Cobras, JD Classics drivers Gordon Shedden and Chris Ward grabbed pole in the team’s Lightweight E-Type after a closely-fought qualifying session with the Cobra of Andrew Smith and Ollie Bryant.
As the race kicked off, Chris Ward got away strongly, maintaining first position ahead of four chasing Cobras. Within the first 15 minutes of the race, Chris Ward had pulled out an 8.3-second lead over the next closest car, and was brought in for the driver change at the earliest opportunity. After a quick checkover, and now with Gordon Shedden behind the wheel, the E-Type rejoined the race in 5th.
Following a two-car accident the grid was bunched up, and after all the other drivers pitted, the JD Classics car was back leading the pack. Following a mistake at Woodcote, the chasing Cobra snatched the lead but Shedden battled behind lap after lap, often falling no more than a car length behind. With just two minutes of the race remaining, Shedden broke late into Lavant 2, and with the cars running side-by-side, the Cobra slid onto the grass and the E-Type drove home to JD Classics’ first win of the weekend.
In the Sussex Trophy, it was the JD Classics Costin Lister in pole position following a late surge after a frustrating round of traffic-filled qualifying. Taking to the track on Sunday afternoon, the Lister pulled quickly away from the line with Chris Ward behind the wheel, maintaining its lead and slowly pulling away lap after lap. By Lap 12, Ward had managed to pull out to a lead of more than six seconds.
Shortly after, the safety car was called out due to an accident, cutting Ward’s lead right back, but the race eventually ran its course under the safety car giving JD Classics – and Ward – another victory at Revival.
Also competing for JD Classics was a Ford GT40 in the Whitsun Trophy for pre-1966 sports prototypes. As the newest addition to the JD Classics racing line-up, Chris Ward took to the circuit first, familiarising himself with the 1965 GT40 during qualifying on Friday. Taking a respectable eight position on the grid, Ward was confident there was more to come from JD Classics’ newest racer.
As the race began, Ward was immediately proved right, battling his way up to 3rd position by the second corner, and charging ahead to tussle with the front runners. But as the race continued the JD Classics car was held up by some of the back markers, causing it to slip back into 4th. The GT40 eventually crossed the finish line in 4th, but in an incredibly close race, the JD Classics car was just 5.5 seconds behind the winner.
Completing JD Classics’ five entries at Goodwood Revival were a Cooper T33 and Austin Healey 100S, both of which were competing in the Freddie March Memorial Trophy. With the Healey in 13th and Cooper in 17th, both cars were ready to battle through the pack as the race began, with the Cooper making up six places and the Healey four places in the first lap alone.
Both cars continued to make good progress until a Maserati 300S was involved in an accident on Lap 5 and the safety car was called out. With the field bunched up, racing was tight, leading to another two accidents in quick succession, causing the race to be ended five minutes early. The final classification saw the Austin Healey 100S finish in 7th and the Cooper T33 in 8th.
Away from the on-track action JD Classics was also displaying its immaculate 1956 Fiat Bartoletti transporter, which originally appeared in the Steve McQueen film, Le Mans. In the Earls Court Motor Show display, JD Classics was also showcasing a 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV.
JD Classics Managing Director, Derek Hood, said: “This is our second consecutive year as a major sponsor of perhaps the world’s finest classic motorsport event, and yet another year of brilliant results for us at Revival. Winning the RAC TT Celebration is always a fantastic achievement, and with another great win in the Sussex Trophy, the JD Classics Competition Department has proved once again – on one of the biggest stages in historic racing – that they are truly world-class.”
