Go Goodwins has reflected on its triumphs at the 2026 UK Coach Rally in Blackpool over the weekend of 18 and 19 April, which were led by the crowning of Louis Goodwin as Coach Driver of the Year.
Mr Goodwin, 22, is thought to be the youngest-ever holder of that accolade. It is further thought that he is the only such driver to have triumphed in a vehicle older than him, with the 2026 silverware claimed in a Volvo B10M with Jonckheere Deauville bodywork that was delivered new to the business – then of Manchester – in 1989.
The operator says that Mr Goodwin has attended every UK Coach Rally since birth, making his first visit at 10 months old. At the age of nine, he took on the role of navigator alongside his father Wesley, who this year was at the helm of Go Goodwins’ other entry in a Neoplan Tourliner.
Mr Goodwin Jr is a fourth generation of the Goodwin coaching family, and his Coach Driver of the Year victory “is a powerful continuation of a longstanding legacy,” the company adds. In addition to that flagship award, also taken back to North Wales across both entries were:
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- Alan Goodwin Trophy for the highest placed coach operator in all classes
- Peter Bostock Trophy for highest placed driver in the Saturday tests, awarded to Louis Goodwin
- Rita Dalziel Trophy for top coach aged 25 years or older
- Jonckheere Trophy for top Jonckheere
- Fred Bibby Award for best-loved coach
- Gwynn Williams Trophy for highest placed in all classes from Wales
- Top Executive Coach
- John Fielder Memorial Trophy for top coach from a small fleet.
In his B10M, Mr Goodwin Jr competed alongside an 18-year-old courier to give a combined team age of just 40. The Fred Bibby Award is cited as being particularly significant for the business. It was last won by a member of the Goodwin family in the year that Mr Goodwin Jr first competed as a navigator.
Also poignant is the Alan Goodwin Trophy. It is presented in honour of Mr Goodwin Jr’s great-grandfather Alan, and went to the Goodwin family for the first time in 2026.
Such timing is fitting, as this year marks half a century since Alan Goodwin established Go Goodwins after leaving family business York Motors of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The B10M Jonckheere was the first brand-new vehicle purchased for his son Geoff, hence it taking up entry number 50 in this year’s rally.
Beyond the event triumphs, Mr Goodwin Jr achieved his PSV Transport Manager CPC at the age of 16, his PCV and HGV category C+E driving licences at the age of 18, and his Transport Manager CPC for freight by 19.
Such a journey “reflects both the strength of tradition and the exciting future he is helping to shape for the Goodwin family business,” the operator concludes.
