By Simon Hildrew

Platt’s Heath British Touring Car Championship star Jake Hill was not the only Kent racer in action at the Goodwood Revival meeting.

Tenterden’s Nick Swift, Bromley’s Gary Paffett, Sevenoaks’ Chris Goodwin and Edenbridge’s Tommy Hill were also on track, joined by famous faces including former Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis and Mr Bean himself, Rowan Atkinson.

Swift, usually seen sliding sideways in one of his 1960s Minis, was this year driving a 1931 Bentley 4.5 litre Blower with owner Hugh Apthorp. Named due to the supercharger it has fitted to the front of the engine, this type of car was dominant during the late 1920s.

The duo qualified sixth for the Rudge-Whitworth Cup - a race for cars of a type that competed at Le Mans in the 1920s and early 30s in honour of the event’s 100th anniversary. Starting with the drivers running to their machines for a green-flag lap, prior to a rolling start, Apthorp took the first stint.

Having made it up to fourth but dropping to fifth on lap six, he pitted for Swift to take over driving duties. By lap 12 all the cars had made their pitstops and Swift was up to fourth, but nearly 20 seconds adrift of the third-placed 1924 Vauxhall of Gregor Fisken.

Swift picked up his pace, though, lapping two to three seconds quicker, and on the final lap caught and passed at the chicane for third place.

Another driver making his Revival debut was Bromley’s Paffett, a two-time DTM champion and now McLaren’s Formula E team manager.

Driving a 1958 Ford Zodiac Mk2 in the two-part St Mary’s Trophy for 1950s saloon cars, sharing with owner Paphitis, Paffett raced in the part one encounter with Paphitis taking over for the second race.

Paffett qualified 18th among a field containing Blackadder star Atkinson as Roman Dumas, a former double St Mary’s winner, shot off into the lead in his seven-litre 1959 Ford Thunderbird.

Paffett made up four places on the opening lap, but two laps later lost places to experienced Goodwood racers Tony Jardine and Stuart Graham. He then settled into 16th for the remainder of the race and was the last competitor to complete the full distance.

Paphitis qualified 25th for part two but managed to claw his way up the order to finish 17th, helped by several retirements. Their combined results classified them 11th out of 27 cars.

Regular Goodwood racer Goodwin qualified his 1962 Lotus 22 an impressive third out of 30 cars in the Chichester Cup race for rear-engined, Formula Junior cars. With Lotus types representing two thirds of the grid, the start saw a three-way fight for the lead, Goodwin settling for third after the first corner.

An incident on the opening lap at St Mary’s brought out the safety car, and then Goodwin seemed to be lacking pace and dropped down to fifth, then sixth on lap eight and finally into retirement with mechanical problems.

Motorbike racer Hill only lasted five laps, including a brief spell in the lead, after crashing out of the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy.

The 2011 British Superbikes champion, riding a 1961 Norton Manx 30M, got into a big slide at the exit of St Mary’s corner, ending in the long grass on the infield. Luckily he suffered no injuries, but the bike couldn’t be raced in part two the following day.

The Revival returns next year on September 6-8. Tickets are on sale from November 6 at www.goodwood.co.uk