The Goodwood Story
From King Charles II and the creation of the Dukedom of Richmond in 1672, to the purchase of Goodwood by the family in 1697, to what is now England’s premier sporting estate, the Goodwood story spans over 300 years. This talk covers the fascinating life of Freddie March, the 9th Duke, and successful Brooklands racer. You will learn about Goodwood’s role in the Second World War, the creation of RAF Westhampnett within the estate, and how the first USAAF pilots to see action in the European theatre of the war were based there. The race circuit came into being after the war, and Goodwood’s glory years were 1948 to 1966, when the circuit closed for racing. A successful campaign was fought in the 1990s to return racing to Goodwood, resulting in the Goodwood Revival, first run in 1998.
Harry has had a 30 year association with Goodwood, instructing at the circuit, being involved with the campaign for the return of racing, and driving in both the Revival and the Festival of Speed.
40 years of Formula 1:
Maurice Hamilton, in conversation with Harry Sherrard
Maurice Hamilton is an award-winning motor sport journalist, who has been part of the Formula One scene since 1977. After working for the Guardian and Independent newspapers, he became the Observer's motor racing correspondent for 20 years. He edited Autocourse, the Grand Prix annual, and has written more than 20 books, including biographies of James Hunt, Eddie Jordan, Frank Williams and Damon Hill. As well as his written words, Maurice is internationally known as a commentator on Formula One for BBC Radio 5 Live.
In collaboration with Harry, Maurice tells his fascinating story, from attending his first race as a child in Northern Ireland, to his first Formula One event as a professional journalist, to achieving his status as one of the world’s leading motorsport writers. And along the way he has worked with a pantheon of motor racing personalities, and acquired a rich compilation of insightful anecdotes into the workings of Formula 1.
In 2020 Maurice’s biography of Niki Lauda, written with the cooperation of the Lauda family, was published to great international acclaim, and in November 2021 his latest book, “Incredible!”, the biography of Murray Walker, became an instant best seller.
Brooklands
Brooklands, the world’s first purpose built race circuit, opened in 1907, and was the birthplace of British motorsport. Powerful and spectacular cars raced on its dauntingly steep banking, and it was the location of the first British Grand Prix. But Brooklands was much more than a great sporting arena. It was also central to the golden days of land speed record attempts, and Malcolm Campbell and John Cobb developed their record breaking machines there. Moreover, Brooklands was a major centre for aircraft design, construction and flight testing for over 80 years, and Brooklands aircraft have broken numerous height, distance and speed records. As the design and production site for the Wellington bomber and Hurricane fighter, Brooklands played a crucial role in the Second World War. Post war, much of the design and manufacturing of the revolutionary supersonic passenger aircraft, Concorde, took place at Brooklands. Today, Brooklands continues as an award winning active museum, dedicated to preserving its motoring and aviation past.
Harry has been involved at Brooklands for many years, and he makes regular appearances as a museum speaker. His talk covers the absorbing history of Brooklands, from its conception to the present day.
My Life Behind the Wheel
With stories ranging from working for Eddie Jordan’s Formula 3 team, to driving at Silverstone with Ayrton Senna, to adventures in the Sahara Desert and Iceland, to working as a demonstration driver for Aston Martin, to racing in the Goodwood Revival with a former Williams F1 driver, to driving in the Festival of Speed as part of the Race 2 Recovery team of injured servicemen, to rally exploits in an Audi Quattro, Harry has experienced an incredible variety of motoring pursuits. With a fantastic photographic record of his exploits, Harry entertains with this highly illustrated talk about his diverse and fascinating motoring and motorsport career.
