KEN MILES CUP 2024

The 2024 Ken Miles Cup ultimately ended in a disappointing ninth-place finish for Bill Shepherd Automotive's No. 47 1965 FIA Mustang, but the final result failed to reflect the pace shown throughout the race.

The weekend began with a late change to the driver line-up, with Timo Bernhard joining Fred Shepherd shortly before the event. Although one of the world's most accomplished endurance drivers, Bernhard had never raced a historic touring car or competed at Goodwood, making the Members' Meeting a challenging introduction.

A new name at Goodwood, Timo Bernhard had a baptism by fire to contend with...

To maximise Bernhard's preparation, the team elected to send him out first during qualifying to gain valuable experience with both the circuit and the Mustang. Fred Shepherd took over for the closing stages of the session and secured fourth place on the grid with a clean final lap.

Following disappointment in the Gordon Spice Trophy the previous evening, the team decided that Shepherd would start the race. The strategy was to establish track position early before handing the car to Bernhard with as much clear air as possible, allowing him time to settle into the unfamiliar machinery.

The plan worked perfectly.

Fred beginning his bolt away from the field of world champion drivers.

Fred made an excellent launch from fourth on the grid to move into second place before the end of the opening lap. On lap two he overtook Craig Davies into Madgwick to take the lead, before steadily pulling away from the field.

Over the remainder of his stint, Fred Shepherd + Mustang proved to be the quickest pairing on the circuit, with Shepherd extending his advantage over a field that included experienced professional drivers such as Tom Kristensen, Darren Turner, Andy Priaulx and Alex Buncombe. By the time the mandatory pit stop window opened, Fred had built a lead of approximately seven seconds to the chasing Priaulx Mustang.

Bernhard rejoined the race in the lead following a clean pit stop. But, as expected, it took several laps to adapt to both the characteristics of the historic Mustang and the unique demands of the Goodwood circuit. Despite this, the car remained firmly in podium contention.

Unfortunately, a late safety car erased the advantage created during the opening stint, bringing the leading group back together for the closing laps.

To compound matters, the Mustang became stuck in fourth gear on the final lap, significantly reducing its pace and allowing several competitors to pass before the chequered flag.

The resulting ninth-place finish was disappointing given the performance shown throughout the race. However, the weekend demonstrated the pace of both the Mustang and the Bill Shepherd Automotive team, with Fred Shepherd's opening stint proving one of the standout drives of the 2024 Goodwood Members Meeting.

While the final classification does not show it, leading the race by seven seconds against the strongest field of the weekend was an encouraging indication of the car's competitiveness and the team's preparation. With more time for the driver pairing to develop and better fortune in the closing stages, the result could easily have been very different.