I did say that I thought it was going to be good, but it surpassed even my expectations.
Every Players Classic event that I’ve attended over the years has been a highlight of each season. It’s a great recipe for an event; an eclectic mix of motor vehicles in a great venue. No prejudice, no segregation, just genuine car enthusiasts gathered in one place to enjoy what’s before them.
It’s a simple concept, but rarely is it so well executed. I think it might have been amidst last year’s coverage where I wrote that if you can’t find something you appreciate at Players Classic, you might not be a true enthusiast. It’s about the highest praise I can give the event, and it’s not to speak badly of other events around the world. It’s just that this is a very special one.
By the time I arrived at Goodwood at 7:30am the paddocks were already filling out. I was behind a clean Renault Clio in traffic outside the event, with a convoy of Hillman Imps behind me. Upon parking inside, a 2CV arrived beside me with an XE-swapped Mini in front of me. Not far away, an old Ford Galaxie with a retro race livery shared space with a beautiful E34 BMW. I found an ex-Top Secret R32 Skyline hiding under the trees nearby, too.
I spent the first few hours of the morning just walking around and talking to people. Some were strangers, others I’ve known a long time, but all had the same sense of enjoyment of the occasion. Too often, static shows can be a burden to shoot, but this one rewards your sense of exploration and curiosity. In turn, it only encourages you to look at everything in every corner.
For the first time, Players Classic is a two-day event, Saturday featuring a track aspect but Sunday being a static-only affair so as to utilise the circuit for more show space. All day today there was a constant chorus of horsepower as a backing track to the festivities. Naturally aspirated Ford Escorts, turbocharged Audi RS3s, bonafide race cars and track day specials all continuously lapping the fast circuit around the Goodwood airfield.
While this is just a sample of what today featured, it still only scratches the surface. We’ll dig deeper throughout the week, with the aim of delivering everything to you as soon as possible. It’s now 10:30pm and we have another 7:30am start tomorrow, while the evening sees a repeat of the twelve-and-a-half-hour journey back to Ireland, where I should hopefully arrive home before 9:00am on Monday morning. I can’t guarantee there’ll be another post from Players on Sunday night, but I’ll try to get something together for those of you who can’t make the journey.
For those of you who can, PO18 0PH is the postcode for Goodwood Motor Circuit and what you need to put into your GPS tomorrow morning. You have no excuse.
Paddy McGrath
Instagram: pmcgphotos
Twitter: pmcgphotos
paddy@speedhunters.com
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Thank you for the report. It’s incredible to see cars that I’ve seen online and now quite a few of them are right here live in person.
Can you not do this please? It's bad enough I have to drag myself to work this morning let alone see a beautiful portrait of what I am missing.
Would be kind of nice to have a calendar of events on this site so people actually know when these things are happening. I would go to many more events if I simply knew about them and could plan accordingly.
That deux chevaux.
The shot with the VW Caddy, the Rocket Bunny RX-7, the GT style Porsche and the (excuse me) rat-van is just insane, to me thats how all car meets/events should be - combining all the styles togheter. Great work Paddy!
I have been to a few of the Players event, including the Players Classic twice, and I must say I always left feeling like it wasn't worth the journey to get there. It may just be a comment on how spoilt for choice we are now with GRRC's events being second to none (albeit expensive) and plenty of great free 'cars and coffee' type meets to fill the calendar that the Players show leave me indifferent. For an event at such a special venue and with such an eclectic mix of cars I just don't feel it delivered what it should, it felt a little skin-deep. The track action is good, but both times I went there was always a small few that ruined it for everyone, repeatedly ignoring the instructions of the track staff and generally being obnoxious. The same goes for the rest of the show, most were behaving themselves but I saw people caning it around the carparks near families with young children, people lighting their tyres up as they left. If you were to ask me (which you didn't), I would say the Players classic is on borrowed time before GRRC no longer want it, or the local council intervene.
So, you've made your judgement on previous years, rather than this year, which you didn't actually attend?
There will always be idiots at every event, but that's not a reflection on the organisers who don't tolerate any nonsense. To say the event is on borrowed time is preposterous, it's hugely popular with Goodwood themselves.
As we say, "You need everything to make a world". This event seems to be one of the best representation of that applied to car culture ! Gotta love variety and respect. Car enthusiasm at its best !
Much air ride. Many BBS.
Hope you got some stuff related to the SINISTER.
Nice startup, waiting for the detailed articles
Ooooohhhhh.....that last RS type 911 looks aaaamazing!