Touring car legends Rob Huff and Steve Soper will go head-to-head in classic Group 1 Ford Capris at the Goodwood 73rd Members’ Meeting on March 21-22 next year.
Huff, 34, the 2012 World Touring Car Champion, gave Lada its maiden victory in the series this year, taking his wins tally to 27, and added a record seventh tin-top win on the streets of Macau to make him the most successful tin-top racer in the history of the Guia Race.
He will race long-time friend Richard Meins’ Bastos-liveried Capri III 3.0S in the Gerry Marshall Trophy for Group 1 touring cars of 1970-82, and will also take part in the Graham Hill Trophy for 1960s GT cars in the same Jaguar E-type he and Meins took to fifth place in the RAC TT Celebration race at the Goodwood Revival this year.
Fellow Briton Soper, 62, won races in the British, European and World Touring Car Championships, plus the Macau Guia event, Spa and Nurburgring 24 Hours and the Japanese Touring Car title during works spells with British Leyland, Ford and BMW.
His Capri will be the Gordon Spice Racing-liveried III 3.0S machine that entrant John Young and five-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Emanuele Pirro took to second in the 2014 race.
Goodwood House Captains Pirro, Anthony Reid, Jochen Mass and Nicolas Minassian will also contest the race. Their cars are yet to be confirmed.
The Gerry Marshall Trophy, named after the saloon racing cult hero of the 1970s and 80s, will feature a sprint race on the Saturday of the event to set the grid for a two-driver feature race the following day.
Rob Huff said: “I can’t wait for the 73rd Members’ Meeting. I’ve been involved in the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival before and I’ve always had a really good time on the track and off it. I was due to race a Rover in the Gerry Marshall Trophy in 2014, but had to pull out due to my WTCC testing commitments with Lada Sport, so I’m keen to see what we can do in the Capri. Richard and I had a strong run in the E-type at the Revival this year, so we’d expect the same again, but I’m sure the competition will be as tough as ever.”
Steve Soper said: “I love competing at Goodwood. Lord March goes that extra mile to make sure the experience is as authentic as possible and the result is just exceptional. I’m excited to be driving with John Young in the Capri as he’s a quick driver and the car proved itself to be pretty fast this year, but you always find at Goodwood that the rival cars come back quicker every year, so we’ll have to be at our very best if we’re to challenge for honours.”
