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Mighty Minis: Goodwood Revival to host epic Mini Cooper race with one of the most illustrious grids ever assembled

Goodwood Revival | Press Article 17/04/24

Olympic Champion Sir Chris Hoy and Rock Legend Brian Johnson will go head-to-head with Le Mans, World Endurance, British GT and World Touring Car Champions in the John Whitmore Trophy presented by Sure

With just over a week to go until the Goodwood Revival returns (Friday 17 - Sunday 19 September), we are excited to announce that we have assembled one of our most illustrious ever grids for the John Whitmore Trophy presented by Sure, due to take place on the Saturday morning of the event.

Six-time Olympic and 11-time World Champion Sir Chris Hoy and rock legend Brian Johnson of AC/DC fame will line up alongside the likes of Le Mans 24hr winners Emanuele Pirro and André Lotterer; former Formula 1 drivers Jochen Mass and Brendon Hartley; the only multiple Formula E Champion in the series’ history, Jean-Eric Vergne; as well as F1 drivers-turned-broadcasters Martin Brundle, Karun Chandhok and Tiff Needell, with the former going head to head with his son Alex, himself a European Le Mans Series Champion.

Indeed, between them the starting grid for the John Whitmore Trophy presented by Sure can boast:

  • 9 Le Mans 24hr winners with a total of 21 titles
  • 3 Le Mans 24hr class winners with a total of 7 wins
  • 6 World Endurance Champions with a total of 7 titles
  • 2 British GT Champions with a total of 5 titles
  • 2 World Touring Car Champions with a total of 4 titles
  • Formula E, W Series, BTCC drivers and 4 former F1 drivers

Named after Sir John Whitmore, who won the British Saloon Car Championship in a Mini in 1961, his first year in competition, the one-off race will celebrate 60 years of the Mini Cooper, pitting 30 of the iconic saloons against each other in a two-driver, 45-minute race. Following the success of the all-Mini St Mary’s Trophy in 2009 and the Betty Richmond Trophy at the 77th Members’ Meeting in 2019, this is without doubt set to be one of most closely contested and exciting races of the Revival weekend.

Sir Chris Hoy will take to the track again on the Sunday of Revival, leading hundreds of cyclists in a special inaugural ride to celebrate Eroica Britannia’s new home at Goodwood, ahead of the iconic vintage cycling festival’s return to the Goodwood Motor Circuit next year.

Image credit: Jayson Fong

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

Goodwood Revival, Friday 17 - Sunday 19 September.

John Whitmore Trophy Presented by Sure, Saturday 18 September at 11.50am.

Confirmed participants include*:
Jonny Adam | David Brabham | Alex Brundle | Martin Brundle | Alex Buncombe | Karun Chandhok | Romain Dumas | Abbie Eaton | Marcel Fassler | Stuart Graham | Brendon Hartley | Sir Chris Hoy | Rob Huff | Mat Jackson | Neel Jani | Brian Johnson | Andrew Jordan | Mike Jordan | André Lotterer | Jochen Mass | Dickie Meadon | Matt Neal | Tiff Needell | Emanuele Pirro | Andy Priaulx | Anthony Reid | Jeff Smith | Steve Soper | Benoit Treluyer | Darren Turner | Jean-Eric Vergne | Patrick Watts
*Please note that this is subject to change

Tickets
Tickets for the Revival are still available and can be purchased via goodwood.com or by calling the Ticket Office on 01243 755055.

For an extra special day out, hospitality is also available across the event and can be organised by emailing hospitality@goodwood.com or calling 01243 755054.

Goodwood wants customers to be able to book with confidence and if it is deemed that Goodwood events cannot take place on advice from the UK Government due to the ever-changing pandemic, the ‘Ticket Guarantee’ means customers can transfer their ticket to the following year or receive a full refund.

Covid-19
Goodwood’s number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved, whether working behind-the-scenes, at the wheel, or attending the spectacle. Goodwood continues to work closely with Public Health England and UK Government advisory groups and all events will be run strictly in accordance with the Government’s Covid-19 guidelines.

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Contact
For more information about the Goodwood Revival and our other motorsport events, please contact Katharine Morgan, Motorsport & Automotive Press Officer: Katharine.Morgan@goodwood.com

For all other press enquiries please contact: media@goodwood.com

Imagery and news from Goodwood are available from our Press & Media site.

Stay up to date with all future announcements and on-event action across our social channels:

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#ReviveAndThrive

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About the Goodwood Revival
The Goodwood Revival is the world’s greatest historic motor race meeting, and the only sporting event of its kind to be staged entirely in a period theme. More than just an unrivalled weekend of historic racing, it is an immersive celebration of a less disposable world, where “make do and mend” was a way of life rather than a casual slogan.

The Revival is, at its heart, a celebration of craftsmanship and sustainability, from an age when possessions were made to last and be cherished. It promotes a thoroughly modern ethos – to “reduce, reuse, repair, restore and recycle” – in the most authentic way possible. All the cars are original, having been lovingly maintained since new, many of the outfits have been handed down through generations, and even the retailers specialise in pre-owned artefacts – everything from clothes and accessories to automobilia and books.

It is, proudly, the world’s biggest and most glamorous second-hand event.

About Eroica Britannia
Eroica Britannia is a vintage bike festival spawned from the original Eroica event in Tuscany, which first took place in 1997 as a tribute to Italian cycling champion and anti-Nazi resistance operative Gino Bartali. 

Founded by Giancarlo Brocci, the event sought to recreate as closely as possible the conditions in which Bartali raced, from the historically accurate bicycles and kit to the unpaved roads. Brocci encouraged riders to ‘discover the beauty of fatigue and the thrill of the conquest’ - a theme that thrives to this day and brings an infectious sense of adventure and a desire to push boundaries. Today it has become a worldwide phenomenon, with events in Japan, South Africa, the US, Spain and the UK. 

Tim Hubbard and a group of cycling friends launched the British outpost of Eroica in 2014. The first two events took place at Bakewell in the heart of the Peak District. It then moved to nearby Friden Grange for two years before returning to Bakewell in 2019. 

Eroica Britannia is the largest in the Eroica family and was the first to add a family-friendly festival to the event, offering cycling enthusiasts the chance to enjoy a weekend of heritage, style, the best local produce, music and entertainment with the joy of cycling leading the way.