Historic ace survives dramatic accident at Goodwood

Leading historic racer Mark Walker has escaped unscathed from being thrown from his car at the 82nd Goodwood Members’ Meeting.

Walker’s Darracq 200hp was the fastest car in the S.F. Edge Trophy race for Edwardian machines and aero-engined specials that raced up to 1918. Despite a very long first gear that always makes the 1905 Darracq slow off the line, Walker had charged through to win race one on Saturday.

He was on another recovery drive, attempting to close down leader and usual rival Julian Majzub’s Sunbeam Indianapolis, in race two on Sunday. But Walker took a little too much speed into the final chicane on the last lap and lost control on the exit.

The Darracq spun across the track and struck the barriers and Walker, who is a consistent pacesetter in the event and won the S.F. Edge Trophy in 2024, was thrown out in a rare type of accident for these machines. Fortunately, he escaped unscathed as Majzub took the race victory.

Because Majzub’s Sunbeam had retired from Saturday’s race with an oil relief pipe failure, Walker would have won the Trophy on aggregate had he finished second.

Instead, his failure to make it to the chequered flag handed the overall victory to the 1907 Mercedes 120hp of Ben Collings, who finished second in both parts. Neil Gough’s K-R-I-T 100hp Racer and the Peugeot Indianapolis of Lewis Fox completed the overall podium.

The 2025 edition of the S.F. Edge Trophy is the first time the cars have been restricted to 1918, and the 27-car field is believed to have been the biggest pack of Edwardian cars to race together since the First World War.