St. Mary’s Trophy

Goodwood Revival 2012

Rob Huff narrowly fended off a determined Anthony Reid to win the opening installment of the St. Mary’s Trophy two-parter. World Touring Car Championship star Huff made a tardy start aboard Andrew Higginson’s Austin A40, Reid storming into an early lead in his Don Law Racing Jaguar Mk1. But Huff was ahead at Woodcote before the end of the first lap, as Jackie Oliver steered Richard Shaw’s improbably quick BMW 700 with aplomb as he attempted to bat away of former Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack. The Swede’s Austin A40 couldn’t quite challenge the German machine on outright pace but it had the edge in the corners.

Huff and Reid had broken free of their persuers by the halfway point of the 25-minute race, as Brack and Oliver traded places – and a little paint – in their battle behind. Huff, who races an MGB on his days off from driving for the factory Chevrolet team, led home Reid with Oliver coming home in third place.

After the race, Reid said: “Rubbing door handles with Huffy was fantastic. The Jag s sensational, too, and I lost count of the number of times Rob and I swapped places.”

Huff added: “This was probably harder than modern touring car racing. It was a great start to the weekend.”