Video: 2025 Fordwater Trophy highlights | Goodwood Revival

Fordwater Trophy highlights

This was always bound to be a fantastic event at the 2025 Goodwood Revival, the Fordwater Trophy took on an all-new form this year, a race for productions sports and GT cars from between 1964 and 1966, and the result was a brilliantly entertaining 25 minutes of historic racing.

The varied grid saw a Porsche 904 line up on pole position alongside a pair of Lotus Elan 26Rs, but it was the Porsche driven by Andrew Smith that claimed the inside line into Madgwick to lead the pack through the first corner. The spritely Elans were swarming behind through, and on a drying track they were flying through Fordwater and into St. Mary’s.

The red flag was flying by lap four, which saw all cars back on the grid once again, and it was Smith who reprised the lead ahead of Martin Stretton’s Elan. Conditions were still far from ideal as cars were falling of the track left, right and centre to keep all drivers well and truly on their toes.

Smith however was sure footed as he pulled out a lead over the next 15 minutes, and he looked comfortable with five minutes to go as a gaggle of Elans behind were embroiled in a colossal scrap for the remaining podium places. The action continued right until the very end as Michael O’Brien managed to force his way through into second place, with Maxwell Lynn also getting ahead of Stretton in the closing stages.

Smith held on to claim a great victory in the Porsche 904 Carrear GTS, seeing off the challenge of the Elan horde behind in a race that will live long in the memory here at Goodwood.

Fordwater Trophy Official Practice

This year’s Fordwater Trophy is packed with small, light nimble sports cars... and in the Revival era that means Lotus Elans and plenty of them. A whole gaggle of racing spec Elan 26Rs took to the track for the the Official Practice and, while many of them could lap comfortably within a second of the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS driven by Andrew Smith.

He resolutely sat at at the top of the timing sheet throughout the session, guiding his Porsche around the drying circuit with finesse. The rest of the front row of the grid was taken up by Elans. In fact, they account for positions two to six before a Ginetta G4R, driven by Ross Hyett, brings different form of small composite bodied British sports car.

Given how closely matched many of these cars and drivers are, we’re expecting some close racing when the flag drops for the 2025 Fordwater Trophy.

Photography by Charlie Brenninkmeijer.

Fordwater Trophy Grid (Top 15) 

What is the Fordwater Trophy?

The Fordwater Trophy ran twice in period. The first one was held in 1960 and won by Stirling Moss aboard an Aston Martin DB4 GT. In the multi-discipline fixture, he was competing against a Jaguar Mk2 driven by renowned Goodwood fan Roy Salvadori.

In 1961 it was claimed by Mike Parkes at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 GT SWB, besting Innes Ireland and Moss in their respective Aston Martins.

At the Goodwood Revival, a variety of cars from the ’50s and ’60s have taken victory in the reimagined race over the years. Previous machines that have reached the chequered flag first over the last quarter of a century range from a Lotus Elan 26R and Shelby Mustang GT350 to an Alfa Romeo TZ1 and Ferrari 275 GTB.

Last year’s contest for production-based sports and GT cars from 1955-’60 was won by a Jaguar XK150 FHC, but for the 2025 Goodwood Revival, the Fordwater Trophy will be open to models built from 1964-’66 — get ready to see more from those Elans, Mustangs and TZ1s as they battle at the Motor Circuit once again.

When is the Fordwater Trophy?

It all begins for this eclectic gathering with the 20-minute Official Practice session at 12:35 on Friday, where the starting grid for the race will be decided. The Fordwater Trophy then takes place at 12:30 on Saturday, though its drivers could have a tough act to follow as the race succeeds Part 1 of the always entertaining Settrington Cup presented by Ralph Lauren.

The 2025 Goodwood Revival is underway! You can watch every moment of the action by watching our live stream.

Photography by Joe Harding and Jochen Van Cauwenberge.