Irvine’s dream drive in Gilles’ Ferrari
Eddie Irvine came to the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend to drive a Ferrari. Nothing especially remarkable about this, you might say, but Irvine does not get out much.
Well, he goes out of course, but not so much to motor racing events since he walked away from Grand Prix racing having made a fortune and as many enemies as friends.
But that would never bother Eddie. Not much does as long as he’s having fun and making money, both of which he is very good at. In many ways, he was born too late, and should perhaps have been racing with the Hunts and Villeneuves of this world.
No, it wasn’t turning up that surprised, it was that the man seemed to be really enjoying himself back in the limelight. Wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Who do you think you are?’ – nice irony here – he signed autographs, chatted with his many fans and swapped some good gossip with the Formula 1 fraternity.
Perhaps this was all because Irvine had been invited to drive a rather important Ferrari. This was the 312 T3, now owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, and built by Enzo Ferrari for Gilles Villeneuve back in 1978. At that time Irvine was just 13 years old, a schoolboy in Northern Ireland dreaming of one day becoming a racing driver. He told us at Goodwood that he remembers watching Villeneuve winning the Canadian Grand Prix in this car on television, and thinking how cool it would be to race a Ferrari. This was Villeneuve’s first Grand Prix victory, having joined Ferrari from McLaren during the winter of 1977.
The 312 T3 was in fact no match for Colin Chapman’s Lotus 79 with its ground-breaking aerodynamics and clever ‘ground effects’ engineering. But Villeneuve drove the wheels off it and this Ferrari, with its 3-litre flat-12 engine, still won five races. So, for Irvine to sit where Gilles sat, and to get a taste of what he goggled at as a boy, was an opportunity he clearly wasn’t going to pass up.
A maverick figure, not always happy to doff his cap, and a man to speak his mind, Mr Irvine was not everybody’s cup of tea as he rose to the dizzy heights of nearly winning the World Championship after team-mate Michael Schumacher crashed at Silverstone in 1999. But the Irishman was a lot more serious about his motor racing than perhaps he wanted you to know. He made that pretty clear when refusing to be rattled by Schumacher in the Japanese Grand Prix at the very beginning of his F1 career. People began to take notice.
He chose, for some reason, to wear a helmet from his Jaguar days at Goodwood. You might have expected one of his helmets from his time at Maranello. Maybe he sold them all.
The point of all this is that only at Goodwood will you find these characters. And there are just so many of them. And you can talk to them without yelling through a security fence. This year the Festival of Speed was somehow better than ever – there’s just nothing like it anywhere else in the world. If you love motor racing, it doesn’t get any better than Goodwood.
Filed under: Blogs, Formula 1, Historic Racing
Tags: Eddie Irvine, Goodwood, Nick Mason
Rob was brought up on racing, being taken to Goodwood as a small child and devouring his father’s copies of Motor Sport. During a career in newspaper, radio and TV journalism he created the ‘Track Torque’ motorsport show on radio and was Indycar commentator for Eurosport before co-founding the Festival of Speed and Revival events. He was marketing director of the Goodwood Road Racing Company. 
Dvo Ferguson:
July 10th, 2009 8:39pm
Such a great thing to see Mr Irvine back where he belongs. The sport could surely use some of his piercing wit these days.
John Read:
July 11th, 2009 1:58am
I think that was Senna not Schumacher at the Japanese Grand Prix, after Senna passed Irvine and Irvine immediately re-passed Senna, resulting in Senna thowing a punch at Irvine after the race. Let’s have more fisticuffs in the pits to liven things up, just like in the good old days. Maybe there is an article there?
Rich Ambroson:
July 11th, 2009 5:14pm
I was one of those folks that actually enjoyed Eddie Irvine’s time in F1. I thought he was well within his rights to unlap himself at Suzuka in 1993, and did so without jeopardizing Senna. I never thought of him as top top shelf material, but thought he was much better than many give him credit for.
Luke:
July 12th, 2009 10:13am
What a stunning car. They just arent the same today!
rob widdows:
July 13th, 2009 9:48am
Ooops! Sorry! My mistake. Of course it was Ayrton Senna at Suzuka. No excuses except that I think I had Schumacher on my mind because I was thinking how much I would like to talk to him about life after Grand Prix racing and whether he might ever be tempted to come back. Especially now that Mr Brawn is back in the game. But, yes, a mistake and I know I can rely on Motor Sport readers to put me right pretty sharpish…………………………
I like Irvine too. I like difficult feisty characters. My wife says it’s because I am difficult. I think it’s simply because they are different, often funny, and always opinionated.
Anyway, well spotted……………………..!
RW
David Peterson:
July 14th, 2009 9:37am
Eddie may not have been the best driver, but he was a funny guy who didn’t give a monkeys. There’s a collection of his antics at http://www.irvtheswerve.net/classic.html
Simone van Schaik:
July 15th, 2009 7:52am
I was a fan in the F1 days, and I still am a fan. Because I live in the Netherlands we don’t hear much of Eddie these days so it’s nice to see this. How much of a fan I am? well I even went to Ireland for 1 day just to buy a videotape…
How I wish I was at this festival of speed.
rob widdows:
July 15th, 2009 1:01pm
Well, Goodwood is not far from Holland………….just as the wonderful Zandvoort is not far from us.
Save on the videos next year and go to the Festival of Speed. You won’t be disappointed!
Mr Irvine always divides opinions, so good to see all your comments.
RW
Tom Hamilton:
July 21st, 2009 9:56pm
In 1980 while at school in Biggar during lunch break I saw a truck drive through the town with a car on the back covered with a red sheet and the words Ferrari. Later that week my father took me to the Scottish Motor Show at Ingliston where on the Ferrari stand stood the Ferrari T3. Somehow my father managed to persuade the salesman to let me sit in it. More then 30 minutes later they managed to get me out. What a teriffic experience. I was told it was the actual car used to win the Canadian GP in 1978. Is this the same car? At 16 to sit in the same seat as the hero I absolutly worshiped…
rob widdows:
July 22nd, 2009 9:49am
This is almost certainly the same car, the 312 T3 which is now owned by Nick Mason and with which Gilles Villeneuve won in Canada in 1978 – his first Grand Prix victory.
So you were / are a lucky man! Must have been a great experience. I remember similar moments in my young life and yes, for a real fan, these are very special memories.
I think the first time I ever sat in a Ferrari was at Goodwood in about 1960 when I was allowed to sit behind thre wheel of Chris Kerrison’s 250 SWB. And ever since I have wanted one – shame they’re now worth millions……………….! I still think it’s the best looking Ferrari GT car ever made.
Of course, I was a VERY lucky boy because my parents lived about a mile from the Goodwood circuit and I spent many, many days and hours there when I should have been doing my homework.
Hope you enjoy the magazine.
RW
Tom Hamilton:
July 22nd, 2009 6:21pm
Thanks Rob. I do enjoy the magazine and have done for many years. Autosport to keep me right up to date (but not so good since Nigel left) and Motor Sport for the passion and love of the sport. Best regards. Tom
KEVIN "HODGE":
July 24th, 2009 10:01pm
YOUR ABSOLUTELY RIGHT,GOODWOODS THE PLACE TO BE.
HOW ABOUT 1 LITRE F3 CARS CARS NEXT YEAR? PLUS SOME OF THE DRIVERS WHO RACED THEM…..DIDN,T EVERYBODY?
ODD ONES WOULD HAVE MADE EDDIE IRVINE LOOK LIKE A “CHOIRBOY”
Andrew Scoley:
August 7th, 2009 12:56pm
I have seen this car run a few times now and non better than with Jody Scheckter at Donington in 1991 at the 25 years of 3 litre F1 celebration. Any chance that next time it goes up the Goodwood hill it has a certain C Reutemann behind the wheel? And unless I’ve missed it, get Jody to take his T4 up to. We went on the Friday and may have missed one or two of the bigger names this year, but what a good day out.