When 9-year-old Stanley Wilkinson’s design was chosen by the legendary Richard Petty as the winner of the ‘Design a Mini competition’ at Goodwood’s SpeedWeek last year, he wasn’t to know that further glory awaited him at the Goodwood Revival.
But on Saturday 18 September, the 1963 Morris Mini Cooper S wrapped in Stanley’s design triumphed in the John Whitmore Trophy presented by Sure, with the dynamic duo of Nick Swift and Andrew Jordan behind the wheel.
The 45-minute race saw one of the most illustrious grids ever assembled at Goodwood with Olympic Champion Sir Chris Hoy and rock legend Brian Johnson of AC/DC fame lining up alongside Le Mans 24hr winners Emanuele Pirro and André Lotterer; former Formula 1 drivers Jochen Mass and Brendon Hartley; the only multiple Formula E Champion in the series’ history, Jean-Éric Vergne; as well as F1 drivers-turned-broadcasters Martin Brundle, Karun Chandhok and Tiff Needell.
The field of 30 Minis battled it out for top honours in the one-off race which celebrated 60 years of the Mini Cooper and was named after Sir John Whitmore who won the British Saloon Car Championship in a Mini in 1961, his first year in competition.
Stanley was at the Goodwood Revival with his family to meet Nick Swift and see his creation which was brought to life by Dub Customs take to the track. But the day soon exceeded his expectations as the mighty Mini wrapped in his design took the chequered flag.
Reflecting on his time at the Goodwood Revival, Stanley said: “I had the best day at the Revival. I was really excited to see the Mini and I could not believe it when I saw it in real life, it was exactly like my design. I enjoyed doing the final bit of painting on the Mini. I was cheering on the Mini during the race and it was amazing when Nick and Andrew won, and I got to celebrate with them afterwards. It was a day I will never forget.”
Nick Swift said: “It was an honour to be a part of this project although I can’t say I’ve ever had a Mini with a rear wing before! It was brilliant to be back out on the track at Goodwood and thanks to my co-driver Andrew, we were able to bring home the win and celebrate with Stanley.”
The Duke of Richmond said: “We are delighted that Stanley and his family were able to join us at the event to see his design brought to life and celebrate the perfect ending as the car triumphed on track. Huge thanks must go to Nick and the team at Dub Customs for realising Stanley’s design, and many congratulations to Nick and Andrew for their win.”
The John Whitmore Trophy featuring the Mini designed by Stanley formed part of the live broadcast of the Goodwood Revival on ITV1 which is now available to watch on the ITV Hub. The full race is also available to watch on the Goodwood Road & Racing YouTube channel.
