Octane track day – Goodwood

Goodwood Octane Trackday Gallery

On a sunny Thursday when most were stuck with their 9 to 5 daily grind a lucky few enjoyed the Octane track day with variety and quality being put through their paces on the Sussex 2.4 mile circuit. The day was not fully subscribed, that just allowed for more track time for those that did attend and they made the most of it. On arrival I followed a Maserati Khamsin V8 from the late seventies into the paddock, the glass tailgate was a real novelty back then and still looks unusual today with glass between the tail lights. A promising start and things got better, a spotless Healey 3000 and an MG Magnette; early examples from Mini and Lotus both being driven very briskly and the sound track from the big motors was supplied thanks to a Gulf liveried GT40 and a Cobra. Jaguar drivers provided a pair of XKs with their own unique engine note, both show condition machines that went as well as they looked. The Clover Leaf was well represented by the Alfaholics boys and girls, their cars were very well prepared and the session I watched them in not much was quicker, certainly through the chicane. I spotted a stunning early 1970’s Saab V4 parked up in magnificent condition but for me the star of the show was the Maserati 3500 GT Superleggera. It was the first time outside of the workshop for this 1960,s work of art. The car belongs to high-end restoration engineers Spellbound Cars, they only received the car in January from Italy where it had been standing idle for many years; once re-commissioned where else would you take such a thoroughbred? Goodwood circuit of course, it fits in perfectly. I hope to cover the car in greater detail in a Coastal Classics article later this year. A photo opportunity presented itself as I left the paddock, a real moment of nostalgia as an ex RAF pilots Aston Martin was nestled up to one of the last ‘two seater’ Spitfires flying. Not bad for a Thursday, glad I didn’t go to work.Tags: Goodwood