Meeting of legends in Goodwood

Ingolstadt, Germany – July 1 to 3 are the dates to remember: the Earl of March and Kinrara is inviting enthusiasts again to the Mecca of historic motorsport – the Goodwood Festival of Speed. As in previous years, 150,000 visitors are expected. Very British: tickets have to be bought in advance. Goodwood is a who’s who of motorsport history, where legendary race drivers of the past and their cars come together. Audi Tradition is bringing two Auto Union Silver Arrow cars along, with celebrity drivers: Nick Mason, drummer of the Pink Floyd rock group, and ex-Formula 1 star Hans-Joachim Stuck.

Stuck has a family link with the Auto Union Silver Arrows of the 1930s. In 1934 his father scored the first race victories for the newly established Auto Union racing department. Stuck senior, respectfully nicknamed “King of the Hills”, set several world speed records right from the start on the Avus racetrack in Berlin, at the wheel of the 16-cylinder mid-engine racing car designed by Ferdinand Porsche. More victories in the car’s first season ushered in the legendary “supercharger era” that was only brought to an abrupt end by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Stuck senior was “unofficial” European champion in 1934, though this title was first awarded officially only a year later. He was the only Auto Union driver who drove these cars without a break every year until 1939.

Hans-Joachim Stuck – Formula 1 star, Le Mans winner and very successful Audi touring car race driver – is looking forward to the first weekend in July. “For me it’s a highly emotional moment to drive my father’s car at this event!” And in fact Stuck’s car in Goodwood is the one driven by his father in his last race for Auto Union: an authentic replica of the 1939 Auto Union Type D twin-supercharger car.

Another welcome tradition that has grown up in Goodwood is for Nick Mason to be at the wheel of an Auto Union Silver Arrow. A superstar in his own right as drummer of the Pink Floyd rock group, Mason is a passionate enthusiast for historic racing cars. As the owner of an outstanding collection, his view is that these cars have to be seen in full flight, so to speak, before their true splendour can be appreciated. Mason has competed in many races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year in Goodwood he will be at the wheel of the Auto Union Type C in which Bernd Rosemeyer took the European championship in 1936. This is Mason’s fifth appearance for Audi Tradition in Goodwood, a record that has earned him the title of “Auto Union’s last works driver”. Mason confirms: “It’s a great experience to get into this legendary car exactly 75 years after Rosemeyer’s great success.”