2023 Goodwood Revival: 911s star in fossil fuel-free Fordwater Trophy
The Goodwood Revival took place last weekend, and as ever, the cars were sublime, the racing superb, the period dress perfect, and the highlights videos a treat. This week we’re looking into the best from the event, including this action from the Fordwater Trophy.
Few road cars are more closely associated with racing than the Porsche 911, and this year’s Fordwater Trophy at the Goodwood Revival saw a whole fleet of them vying for the same patch of asphalt—and, occasionally, for some of Goodwood’s carefully trimmed grass runoff.
Thirty cars formed the Fordwater grid, including a few 901s—ones that sneaked out through the factory gates in the ’60s before Peugeot politely coughed and reminded Porsche that the French firm had a trademark on model names with a zero in the middle.
Not all 30 returned, however: An early retiree was renowned Porsche builder and rallyist Richard Tuthill, who met the barriers early on. Oliver Webb took an early lead before Tuthill’s incident, with a spectacular pass around the outside at Woodcote, and took off again once the safety car peeled in.
That lead would come to an end as the pit stops for driver changes began, with early stopper Matthew Holme climbing out and former touring car champ Andrew Jordan stepping in. Jordan set a pace that nobody else could match and took a fairly unchallenged victory.
One highlight was watching former F1 pilot Mark Webber fold himself into his 911’s cozy cockpit and then go on a charge. He brought his car home in an impressive fifth place, avoiding some of the chaos going on elsewhere—something almost inevitable with more than two dozen near-identical cars going ’round.
It wasn’t just the racing that was notable at this year’s Fordwater though; this was also the first race in the Revival’s history where all cars were powered by synthetic fuels—possibly pointing to a future for the entire event, as the world and transportation wean themselves off fossil fuels.
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