Icons of the 24-Hours will feature in a high speed demo at the 77th Member’s Meeting
The organisers at Goodwood House are pulling out all the stops to make sure the 77th Member’s Meeting is the most spectacular yet. Not only will spectators be presented with the first high speed grid of BMW M1 Procars since 1980, it’s also been confirmed that they’ll see legends from the 24 Hours of Le Mans be driven flat out as the sun goes down over the circuit.
Former Le Mans drivers will return to some of the most successful and special prototypes to have raced since the year 2000, a period that has seen such engineering diversity that petrol, diesel and hybrid cars produced by five different manufacturers have won. Expect the soundtrack at Goodwood to be fittingly varied.
Although details of which models and drivers to attend are yet to be revealed, it’s likely that at least some of the cars to take part will be no stranger to the Goodwood Estate thanks to the Festival of Speed. But no LMP cars have even been driven around the 70 year-old circuit, let alone at high speed, so this should be a rather special occasion indeed.
Like the senior racers to pilot the M1 Procars, expect those behind the wheels of these modern Le Mans racers to be pushing hard. We know from the pace of racing at the Revival that claims of “high speed” at Goodwood mean very, very high speed. Spectators who manage to get a spot at the Madgwick Corner should be in for a high-downforce-related feast for the eyes and ears.
So which cars are likely to attend? We’d like to think Toyota is not done celebrating its win with the TS050 Hybrid earlier this year, so hopefully car number eight will be dusted off and wheeled out. Maybe Nando will even turn up to drive it. Porsche’s 919 Hybrid, although firmly into retirement, is still an ever-present force at motorsport events, so that’s got to be a likely attendee. As are several of Audi’s dominant models.
Whatever turns up, expect a field of them pounding around together as the sun sets to be one heck of a sight. If the weather gods provide the weekend of the 6th and 7th April with some French sunshine, it’ll also bring back some stunning memories of these cars in their prime at the Circuit de la Sarthe. The spring can’t come soon enough!
Source: Read Full Article