What is the S.F. Edge Trophy?

Officially, it’s a race for Edwardian cars, GN Specials and cars in the spirit of the early Brooklands races prior to 1923, a recreation of some of the earliest examples of organised motorsport events held here in the UK and overseas. 

The race is named after Selwyn Francis Edge, a British businessman who built his reputation as a successful bicycle racer before going on to co-found the De Dion-Bouton British and Colonial Ltd import company alongside Charles Jarrott and Herbert Duncan in 1899. 

That same year S.F. Edge formed another business, Motor Vehicle Company, together with Harvey du Cros, a tuner of sorts for Clément-Panhards, Napiers and Gladiators, cars he himself raced on many occasions throughout the early 1900s. 

Alongside his various business interests in the motoring industry, S.F. Edge was a keen driver who saw the publicity benefits of competing in motorsport events. His first entry into an organised event was in 1900 at the RAC’s Thousand Miles Trial, and he remained active until the mid 1920s. 

It’s that era of motorsport to which the S.F. Edge Trophy pays homage, the earliest examples of cars put into competitive use.  

Those early years were defined by astronomical rates of development. S.F. Edge’s first car he raced in that 1900 Thousand Miles Trial developed only eight horsepower, but three years later he was at the wheel of an 80 horsepower Napier in the Gordon Bennet Cup.

By 1905, cars could produce several hundred horsepower, and the likes of the Darracq 200hp, Mercedes 120hp and 150 horsepower Sunbeam ‘Indianapolis’ that were introduced throughout the following decade have all become regular contenders and winners in Goodwood’s S.F. Edge Trophy. 

Every car that lines up on the grid is special, harking back to a forgotten era of motoring with names like Hudson, Monarch, Theophile, Oakland Romano, De Dion Bouton and Napier spanning much of the 1900s and 1910s. But then you have brands like Mercedes, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Bugatti, which are still building cars to this day. 

There are few races in the world that can come close to this kind of thunderous experience. The ground shakes as these remarkable machines get underway, punctuated by cars like the ‘Beast of Turin’, the 1911 Fiat S76 land speed record car with its 28.4-litre four-cylinder engine.

The racing on the track is phenomenal, too. It’s scarcely believable that cars like this, with their primitive looks and 100-year-old technology, can engage in wheel-to-wheel battle, yet that’s exactly what they do around the Goodwood Motor Circuit. The leading pack are rarely spread by more than a handful of seconds, and the battle for the lead has been known to come down to a dramatic conclusion at the final corner of the last lap. 

The S.F. Edge Trophy was first held during the 74^th Members’ Meeting in 2016 and won by Duncan Pittaway at the wheel of a GN Curtiss by a margin of 0.230 seconds. That initial running was such a success that it has become a regular fixture ever since. 

It has evolved into a two-part affair that brings Edwardian racing action on both days of the event. Part 1 on Saturday, and Part 2 on Sunday, with the results combined to crown the winner. In 2025 the overall win was claimed by Ben Collings in his Mercedes 120hp, and we can’t wait for this race to return once again at the 83^rd Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport. 

The 83^rd Members' Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport takes place on the 18^th & 19^th April 2026. Tickets are on sale now for GRRC Members and Fellows.

You can sign up for the Fellowship now. Click here to find out more.