Goodwood 83rd Members Meeting April 2026

I’ve written before about how I think Goodwood puts on some of the best motorsport events around.  Having recently attended the 83rd Members meeting, I’m inclined to not change my mind.

Members meetings are run differently to other Goodwood motorsport events in that, as the name implies, they are open only to members of the Goodwood Road Race Club (GRRC) and their guests, so there is a slightly more ‘exclusive’ feel to the day.  You might think this would make it feel like a stuffy boys club event, but you couldn’t be further from the truth with that.

The history of Members Meeting go back to 1948 when the 9th Duke of Richmond opened the circuit and held the first in a series of meetings for members of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC). There were 71 race meetings, the last one being in July 1966, after which motor racing at Goodwood ceased. The Members Meeting was revived in 2014 in response to demand from Members of the Goodwood Road Racing Club.

Members meetings are held over a weekend and our tickets were booked for the Sunday.  We had travelled to stay with friends on the Saturday evening, leaving us a much shorter drive to the circuit on Sunday.  My two boys were with me this time, attending their first ever members meeting.  I was excited to see what they would think of it.  Sunday dawned a gorgeous day, clear blue skies and sun albeit with that ‘still not quite summer’ chill in the air.  We set off on our short 30 minute drive to the circuit, making sure to be on the look out for the almost guaranteed exotic cars heading in the same direction as us.  Just after 8am we were parked up and heading toward some breakfast.  As always, the logistics of Goodwood seem to be on-point with everything signposted and marshalled very well.  Being a members meeting helps as there is less traffic coming into the circuit.

Breakfast brought we sat beside the start/finish straight to eat, where our food and drink came with a side order of revving engines as cars were being warmed up or fettled for the days racing ahead.  The track is so well prepared for these days with tables, chairs and parasols set out for all to use, to rest tired feet or to make eating easier.  Suitably refuelled we decided to just wander towards the pit area and take in the general buzz and soundtrack of racing at Goodwood.  Pit lanes for Members meetings offer open access to all.  It is great to be able to wander around and get close to cars and bikes, watching mechanics prepare and work as they chat to drivers and understand what needs doing ahead of qualifying or races.  This open access is fantastic for getting great photos and even chatting to drivers or mechanics.  It really is full access here.

Making the most of open pit access to get into the details

As we continue to wander around the pits, we hear the blast of a marshals whistle and a barked instruction to ‘mind your backs’ as a straight-piped Ford Capri picks its way through the crowds toward the track, rearranging the breakfast we’ve just consumed as the noise vibrates right through you.  You really feel a part of the action here rather than an outsider looking in.  Worried about filling up the SD card in my camera within the first hour, we leave the pits area. We pass numerous roaring fire pits with benches nearby, a great spot to sit with a coffee and catch up with friends while you ward off that early morning chill.  We are heading to meet friends who have managed to secure a great vantage point to watch the racing unfold.  The infield here is dotted with snazzy blue and white deck chairs for those who prefer to sit and watch the action on the track, or perch in front of one of the huge screens dotted about the circuit.

The scene that unfolds in front of your really sums up the relaxed feel of a members meeting.  Far from the stuffy event you might expect from a ‘members’ meeting, there are families and friends laying out picnic blankets, setting up food and drinks for the day, kids playing nearby seemingly oblivious to the noise of anything that might be driving round the track.  Couples sitting in deck chairs scanning a programme and planning the day ahead.  Not long after meeting our friends we are already chatting to like minded enthusiasts standing nearby about the day ahead and of course the amazing weather.  This really is a relaxed and friendly affair.

The chatting soon stops as the action on the track begins.  Cameras pop up from pockets or around necks as kids and grown ups alike anticipate the arrival of cars or bikes they want to capture.  There is always something happening on the track, be that demonstration runs, qualifying or racing.  This year we were truly spoilt, with a promised timed ‘shoot out’ of 90s touring cars and demonstration runs from Jenson Button in his F1 world championship winning Brawn GP car.  Just some of the highlights on offer from a jam packed timetable.  I wasn’t aware that there were only ever three Brawn GP cars built and on this weekend all three are on display, a rare treat indeed that I think shows the draw of events at Goodwood.

And what of the racing.  Given the values and significance of some of the bikes and cars here, you could be lead to thinking that the racing won’t be, well, racing.  In fact nothing is further from that.  This is proper full on racing, with drivers trading door handles and other body parts, bike riders leaning at impossible angles trying to find an inside line as they go flat out to try and secure that coveted top spot on the podium.  The racing somehow seems purer as you witness drivers and riders using their skill and experience to pilot less technically laden steads around the circuit.  It really is a sight to behold at times, drivers sawing away at a steering wheel, trying to correct a slide or keep their car on track.  I can't think of many places where I have seen F1 World Champion Jenson Button swapping places with 9 times Le Mans winning record holder Tom Kristensen in cars you've never seen them in before.  But it's all here for you to see at the Members meeting.

Button versus Kristensen

At times, the racing is that intense that cars are towed away on the back of recovery vehicles having been involved in a racing ‘incident’, panels bent, paint removed, wheels pointed where they shouldn’t be, but you know for sure that they will be back on the start line as some future Goodwood event.

In between the racing action, it was inevitable with two growing lads in tow, that we would be seeking out food and probably not just once.  Luckily here at Goodwood you are spoilt for choice, whether that be from the food trucks dotted around the circuit or the indoor Members market.  There really is something to suit pretty much all tastes and its all great quality.  And even on a food hunt, in a queue, people are still chatting to you, asking how you are enjoying the day, what you’ve enjoyed so far.  It really is the friendly event.

We wander back to our standing place, food in hand and eat as we watch more action unfold on the track.  Eventually, as the saying goes, all good things come to and end and our day is nearly done.  We scan the timetable looking for a suitable time to leave and start our 2hr or so journey home….lets just watch this race, then the super car shoot-out….and then we will go….or we could just watch….It really is hard to bring yourself to leave.

As we make the inevitable journey back to our car, we are full of praise for the amazing day we had experienced here at the members meeting.  Its my lads first experience of motor racing at Goodwood and I have a feeling it won’t be their last.  What was my favourite part of the day? Without doubt it was sharing it with my boys, making memories we will talk about again and again.  If you ask me about the cars, it would have to be those 90s super tourers.   Thank you Goodwood for bringing those back to the track and for providing an amazing experience at the 83rd Members meet.

90s Super Tourer

All Photos are my own.  If you want to see more from the day please visit my Picfair store here