Scintillating Stippler stars in super Ferrari at Goodwood

Ford versus Ferrari was sportscar racing’s big draw in the mid-1960s, when American V8 brawn in the form of GT40s eventually established supremacy over the svelte Italian V12 stallions. Ferrari’s 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours victory with the North American Racing Team 250 LM of Masten Gregory and Jochen Mass rubbed salt into Ford’s wounds, but the Blue Oval bounced back stronger.

That rivalry endures in contemporary and historic racing. At Goodwood’s 82nd Members’ Meeting last Saturday evening a lone Ferrari – Arnold Meier’s special Dino 206S, its V6 engine developed by Ilmor co-founder Mario Illien – trounced nine GT40s and nifty Chevrons to win the Gurney Cup race, ostensibly for 1963-67 spec cars, driven brilliantly by German Frank Stippler, who turned 50 mid-week.

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British veteran David Franklin, whose continuous competition career started with a Hillman Imp in 1965 (10 years before Stippler was born) had tested the newly rebuilt car at Paul Ricard and Hockenheim, but his star co-driver – a Nurburgring and Spa 24 Hours winner in Audi R8 LMSs – drove it for the first time in official practice. Neither was happy with its handling, legacy of a vexing wear issue with Dunlop’s Post-Historic rear tyres that hobbled the two-litre Chevron-BMWs. 

“We need to find a balance, it’s very nervous and oversteery, difficult to drive but quick,” said Stippler, who qualified it fourth, behind Andre Lotterer and Rob Huff in the GT40s of Max Lynn and Richard Meins, and the B8 of 2024 winner Ben Mitchell.

When Lotterer and Sam Mitchell (Ben’s brother) lost their car’s best lap time for clipping the chicane, the GT40s’ order reversed and Franklin found himself on the outside of the front row. After a clonk from Lynn at Madgwick, David slipped into the pack, leaving Lynn and Christian Albrecht (GT40) up front, pursued by Ben Mitchell, Andy Newall (ex-Dr Peter Taggart/Tony Goodwin Chevron B6) and Andrew Smith (GT40). When Albrecht’s car lost a rear wheel under braking for Woodcote on lap nine and slewed across the track to a halt, five safety car laps presaged a red flag.

Pragmatically, a restart with the second drivers going from their partners’ ‘finishing’ positions meant Stippler lined up 25th. As Lotterer, Chris Ward (in Newall’s B6) and James Cottingham set the pace, and Huff blasted past Sam Mitchell to join them, Stippler was 14th inside a lap, and fourth within five, having eaten GT40s with astonishing ease. Hanging the Dino’s tail out at Lavant, Frank’s inexorable progress continued. Pulling 150.1mph through the Lavant Straight speed trap – 7.8mph down on the three quickest Fords, with perhaps 465bhp on tap – he reeled the leaders in with a best lap of 1m20.136s (106.91mph).

When Lotterer missed a gear at Lavant, Stippler could not avoid reshaping the Ferrari’s nose against the GT40’s rump, but it didn’t slow him down. Side by side with new leader Huff through Fordwater, he forged ahead into Woodcote five laps before the chequer. Huff and Lotterer finished together, four seconds adrift, with Ward fourth. Behind them, the GT40s of Cottingham, Alex Brundle (partnering Ford CEO Jim Farley) and Olly Bryant were tightly grouped ahead of Sam Mitchell, who had Michael O’Brien (flying in Nick Fennell’s ex-Robin Widdows Lotus 23B) and Phil Keen in Nikolaus Ditting’s GT40 on his tail.         

Jubilant, Stippler waved both hands aloft as he veered off piste to better acknowledge the audience and marshals’ applause: “To win in a car prepared by my best friend Tommi [Schnitzler, of Edi Wyss Engineering] was great. I’m so happy that the engine survived the revs after problems upshifting, and apologise to Andre for hitting him.” Over-revved and battered, but victorious, it was the kind of tigering drive Enzo Ferrari would have loved. Franklin, credited as joint victor, praised his team-mate: “That had nothing to do with me. I just kept the engine warm for one of the greatest drives I’ve ever seen at Goodwood.”

Gordon Spice was British Saloon Car class champion in three-litre Ford Capris from 1975-80, and the V6s, sounding deeper and making more power than Spice would have known, finished 1-2 in his celebration’s Saturday pro leg. BTCC champion Jake Hill qualified Ric Wood’s Capri second, between the Chevrolet Camaros of Andy Priaulx and Tom Ingram, with Rob Huff (Capri) breathing down their necks, and howled into the lead as the Union Flag started the race.

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Triple world champion Priaulx thundered ahead on lap two, but Hill clung on tenaciously, tail-wagging the Capri through the corners to keep up. Priaulx’s race ended early, the V8 overheating after its water pump failed. “As we came through Lavant, I saw what I thought was an aux[iliary] belt fly off,’ said sharp-eyed Hill. “I’m gutted for Andy. He had the pace to win today.”

Huff kept Hill focused thereafter in Meins’ car, subsequently excluded for being 45kg underweight. Shuffled back to seventh in the first-lap scramble after struggling to grab second gear, Ingram rumbled James Thorpe’s Chevy back past Tom Kristensen (in Michael Whitaker Jr’s Rover SD1), Matt Neal (Camaro) and Romain Dumas (Ford Boss Mustang) to regain third, which became second. Prior to a smoky exit, Gordon Shedden proved Phil Perryman’s Volvo 242T a nuisance to the assorted Americana.

On discovering piston damage, Bill Shepherd’s crew changed the Mustang’s engine overnight. Son Fred duly qualified second for the decider and triumphed after Thorpe outbraked himself at Woodcote. Thorpe beat Andrew Smith, sharing with Emanuele Pirro in David Clark’s Camaro, but was out of the overall equation. Shepherd sealed a six-second aggregate victory over Kristensen and Whitaker Jr – fourth on Sunday – with Ingram/Jack Tetley third. Wood gained six places at the start but finished eighth, fifth overall behind Pirro/Smith.     

Collings was at the head of the Edwardian bolides after Walker’s dramatic exit

Photo by: Gary Hawkins

The wonderful SF Edge Trophy two-parter attracted a magnificent field of Edwardian racers, from 108 to 122 years old, with only rear brakes. Shortened to four laps of the former RAF Westhampnett aerodrome’s perimeter track, from five, Saturday’s leg provided more of a tall order for poleman Mark Walker, whose 25.4-litre Darracq 200hp – world land speed record holder with Victor Hemery up in 1905 – is too long-geared for standing starts, thus difficult to coax off the line.

Swallowed by the pack, Walker soon unleashed the French machine’s potential as second owner Algernon Lee Guinness did in England and beyond. Fourth on the opening lap, old adversaries Julian Majzub (1916 Sunbeam Indianapolis) and Ben Collings (Mercedes 120hp) were already well up the road. Oil smoke billowing from the fabulous original Louis Coatalen-designed 16-valve OHC engine, permeating the footwell and coating its pedals, forced Majzub’s retirement on lap three, when Duncan Pittaway also parked the FIAT ‘Beast of Turin’ when its 28-litre ‘four’ guzzled all its fuel. “A classic schoolboy error, because I had a reserve tank,” he beamed. 

Purple and ochre leathered Walker, hunched high on his skeletal bolide, peering over the torpedo water tank atop its V8 engine, thus thudded to his fourth win in three years. Collings was second ahead of Rob Hubbard, who had refitted the 1913 Vauxhall hydroplane engine to his 30-98 two days earlier. James Collins (Hudson Super Six) and Neil Gough (K-R-I-T) led the pursuit. Genial Belgian Count Francois Van der Straten Ponthoz recovered from 14th, after a sluggish getaway, to bring the spectacular 1913 Theophile Schneider, motivated by an American 10-litre Hall-Scott aero engine, home sixth.

Split pipe repaired, Majzub led Sunday’s race throughout. Sixth after a lap, Walker furiously pumped his fuel pressure up, then charged after Majzub. Fifteen seconds adrift with two laps remaining, Walker halved the gap with one to go and was almost on the Sunbeam’s tail when he exited the final chicane on the grass. Back on track the Darracq veered across the asphalt and walloped the bank. Walker was ejected, but everybody was hugely relieved to see him clamber off the tyre wall and inspect his wounded warhorse, resting on top of its right-front wheel.

“I was going as fast as I could, there wasn’t another ounce in there,” said Majzub, after enquiring about his mate. Collings took second and his first overall Edge victory, shadowed by Gough and Formula Fordster Lewis Fox in Ivan Dutton’s Peugeot Indianapolis. 

Sunday’s Arundell Trophy Formula Junior race opener was a Ford-powered humdinger. With a tricky cross-gate first to second change in his ex-Gerard Racing/John Taylor Cooper T59’s ERSA gearbox, poleman Sam Wilson was always going to be slow away. Nonetheless he, Alex Ames (ex-Reg Parnell Racing/Mike Hailwood Brabham BT6) and Callum Grant – who hustled John Sykes’ Merlyn Mk5/7, Denis Welch’s triple Monaco GP Historique winner, up from seventh on his Goodwood single-seater debut – all led as they slipstreamed clear of Lurani Trophy champ Clive Richards (Lotus 22).

Wilson took a hard-fought Formula Junior victory

Photo by: Richard Styles

Grant swooped audaciously round Ames and Wilson out of Fordwater to seize the initiative into St Mary’s on lap four, but was hampered by aerodynamics – “it’s like an airbrick out of the tow” – and Ames by traffic. Alex crunched his car’s nose against Robin Longdon’s Lola Mk3 as Wilson prevailed.

Richards rose to third when Grant was penalised for shaving the chicane. Chris Goodwin (22) and Richard Wilson (BT6) were detached in fifth and sixth, ahead of Austrian Lukas Halusa (22) and Canadian Danny Baker (Lotus 27). Ninth-placed Andrew Hibberd (Lotus 20) beat Stuart Roach (Alexis Mk3) to win drum-braked honours.

Named for Sir John Whitmore – 1961 British and 1965 European saloon car champion, driving a Mini run by tuning wizard Don Moore and an Alan Mann Racing Lotus Cortina respectively – the pre-1966 showcase featured both types in action, the Minis to Cooper S spec. Bentley’s 2003 Le Mans winner Guy Smith snared pole. He and Max Chilton ran away with the race, while Justin Law completed a Cortina podium sweep, with the Minis of Nick Swift and Adam Morgan filling his mirrors. Swift had burst between Morgan and Nick Padmore as they traversed Fordwater to St Mary’s abreast on the opening lap. Padmore retired, leaving Lukas Halusa (Alfa GTA) sixth.

New for 2025, the under 2.8-litre Group 1 saloons had their own two-driver Win Percy Trophy race, celebrating the popular triple British champion. Alex Taylor’s hopes of a Mazda RX-7 victory – to mimic Percy’s 1980 and 1981 crowns in Tom Walkinshaw’s rotary rockets – looked realistic when, between grassy excursions, he overtook Jim Morris’ VW Golf GTI. Emanuele Pirro took over and was passed by Jake Hill in Kerry Michael’s Escort RS2000 and Andre Lotterer in the raucous Morris Vulcan Golf before the Mazda broke.

The VW had lost fifth gear, thus the World Endurance champion had to feather its throttle in fourth, but fuel starvation afflicted Hill’s Pinto unit as their battle went all the way. That Lotterer set a 1m29.989s (95.21mph) fastest lap was remarkable. Even with a chicane penalty, the Golf kept second from Rob Huff, finishing Dave Devine’s Escort, and Nick Swift/Andy Jordan (Mini 1275 GT).

The house captains all saddled 1275 GTs. Gordon Shedden (Methuen) was fifth in Rupert Deeth’s, Tom Kristensen (Darnley) eighth in Ryck Turner’s and duellists Andy Priaulx (Aubigny) and Dario Franchitti (Torbolton) 10th and 11th in Larry Warr’s and Harvey Death’s. 

INSIGHT: Top 10 BTCC cars 

Gareth Burnett dominated the Earl Howe Trophy pre-Second World War British sportscar race in one of artisan constructor Geoffrey Taylor’s Altas. Frazer Nash ace Patrick Blakeney-Edwards finished 14s adrift of the Tolworth tearaway, with Christoff Cowens third in Gregor Fisken’s Brooklands Vauxhall 30-98. Louis Frankel qualified his ex-Howe MG K3 Magnette a splendid fourth, but it expired on the opening lap.    

The Astons of Newey and Franchitti were spectacular to watch, but were ultimately excluded from Moss Trophy

Photo by: Richard Styles

Harrison Newey and Dario Franchitti’s formation dancing in Aston Martin DB4 GTs entertained in the Moss Trophy pre-1963 GT race. As in last year’s Revival enduro, won by Franchitti and NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, Dario appeared to prevail after several exchanges in the Tommy Sopwith Equipe Endeavour car. Red flags truncated the fun, Niall McFadden’s Jaguar E-type having demolished the chicane when trying to negotiate Hans Kleissl’s Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

There was controversy post-race when scrutineers examined the Aston Martins, in line with the technical eligibility clampdowns flagged-up by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon pre-event. Both were excluded for a range of specification anomalies – engine capacity, telescopic dampers and aerodynamics – and updated results posted overnight. While YouTube viewers saw different, John Spiers (Cobra) thus took a coveted Goodwood victory, from Gregor Fisken (Cobra) and Dutchman Alexander van der Lof (Ferrari 250 GT ‘SWB’).  

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Young Frazer Nash chain-ganger Theo Hunt – driving father Martin’s unpainted Cobra for the first time – chased the Astons initially. He ended up fourth, with Joseph Willmott a meritorious fifth, having kept his Austin-Healey 3000 ahead of John Pearson in the first Jaguar E-type. Olly Bryant’s Jag, banished to the back with a 10s penalty for technical issues, progressed to 10th. 

Lotus 15-mounted Bonamy Grimes and Kiwi Roger Wills, in the ex-Bruce McLaren Goodwood TT car, traded the Salvadori Cup sportscar finale lead, each pouncing when traffic sapped the other’s momentum. When MM debutant Grimes put Majzub’s lapped Sadler-Chevrolet between them into the chicane, the Canadian V8 monster’s fierce acceleration thwarted Wills’ comeback. “I don’t mind giving up a win to a Lotus with 500cc more than mine,” said Wills.

James Thorpe was a lonely third in his Lister-Jaguar, ahead of Stuart Morley’s Lister-Chevrolet and Alex Brundle, who kept his Jaguar D-type ahead of 1988 Le Mans winner Andy Wallace, reunited with Nigel Webb’s D.

Stranded by condenser failure on his out-lap in practice, Richard Bradley started Richard Wilson’s Lotus 15 from the back, hounded down the Jags and split them on the final lap.

Extra grunt from Grimes’ Lotus helped him defeat Wills in Salvadori Cup

Photo by: Gary Hawkins