Jake Hill drives 1990s Grand Prix car during Goodwood Members' Meeting

By Simon Hildrew

Platt’s Heath racing driver Jake Hill was thrilled to get the opportunity to drive a 1990s Grand Prix car during last weekend’s 79th Members’ Meeting at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex.

The car was a 1993 Footwork Mugen-Honda FA14, painted in 1994 livery. Britain’s Derek Warwick raced it during the 1993 season, scoring a best position of fourth at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ironically, Hill won that race - Damon, not Jake! It was six months before the latter was born!

Jake’s drive formed part of a series of high-speed demonstration laps, celebrating the V10 powered engine era of the 1990s.

Two demo's were held, one on each day of the event, with over a dozen cars participating.

Disappointment came, though, when the car refused to fire up for the first run and Hill wasn’t able to take part. Thankfully the team got the car running on Sunday and Hill roared around the track, blasting out an ear-splitting sound from the fabulous V10 engine.

Hill was also in action competing in the Gerry Marshall Trophy, a race he won last year, in Ric Wood’s 1980 Ford Capri Mk3. Once again sharing the same car with Wood, in the two-driver, 45-minute event, they had qualified in a creditable fifth place, with the more powerful American Muscle cars filling the top four places.

Wood started the race with the Mustangs and Camaros flying off into a healthy lead over the rest. Wood slowly slid down the order and by lap nine he was in 13th place.

Two laps later he made his pit-stop, where Hill took over the car. Other cars also pitting over the next few laps and a lengthy safety car period, after David Brabham was punted into the tyre wall on his entry to the pit lane, closed-up the field.

Hill managed to power his way