Justin Law has won the Goodwood Festival of Speed shoot out for 2013.
Despite a faster time being set by a rival in the qualifying runs, no one beat Justin Law’s time of 45.95 seconds in his Jaguar XJR8/9 group C car from 1987.
The Pikes peak winning Peugeot 208 T16 driven by Gregory Guilvert was expected to be the quickest but his shoot out time proved to be considerably slower than his qualifying run and he set a time of 47.32 leaving Law way out in front. Given that Guilvert’s qualifying run was a 45.86 things could have been much closer and Guilvert must be disappointed to have been slower when it mattered. Although he does have the consolation of fastest time of the weekend.
Jonny Cocker was third in the shoot out in the all electric Lola-Drayson B12/69EV setting a time of 47.34 only 2 thousandths of a second off Gulvert’s second place and improving on his qualifying time of 47.86. He was the fastest of his class.
Alex Buncombe was a surprise fourth with a time of 47.79 shaving over two seconds off his qualifying time in the Nissan GTR GT3 car. Behind him was Goodwood regular Rod Millen in another all electric car, the Toyota TMG EV P002 was fifth with a 48.00 second run. Porsche Carrera cup GB racer Daniel Lloyd was hoping to pull a surprise for the 911’s 50th birthday and gave it everything on the hill, but ultimately set a 48.36 to take sixth. He was another driver who was faster in qualifying when he set a 47.94. The rest of the top ten was taken up with historic machinery with Andy Willis in the Tyrell Cosworth 006 from 1972 the best of the rest with a 50.92.
Top lady racer was Sally Mason-Styron in the Ferrari 166M Barchetta with a 79.80 improving considerably on her qualifying time of 81.45. Unfortunately there was no lady drivers in machiney quick enough to challenge the top times this year with the B192 of Lorina Mclaughlin doing demo runs.
The rest of the top ten times were as follows; eighth Paul Knapfield in the Ferrari 312PB Sportscar (52.28) ninth Chris Conoley in the legendary Baby Bertha from 1975 (54.33) and tenth Matteo Maria Tullio in the March-Chevrolet 707 from 1970. (55.20)
Last year’s winner Anthony Reid was this year Demoing the Ford Supervan 3 and so wasn’t in the final shootout. The winning car from last year , the Chevron GR8 GT3 is present at Goodwood but on static display only.
The shoot out brought to a close the competitive element of Goodwood 2013 although demo runs continued up until the festival closing time when a best of the festival celebration including the red arrows provided a suitable finale for the 21st Festival of Speed. By Marc Waller
