What You Can Expect At Goodwood’s 2009 Festival Of Speed
The British Grand Prix has passed, as has the Le Mans 24 Hour, and that means along with longer evenings and sunnier afternoons, the Goodwood Festival Of Speed must be drawing close. And indeed it is, taking place on the grounds surrounding Goodwood House this upcoming weekend. From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July, all manor of motor vehicle will scream up the hillclimb, entertaining motor sport enthusiasts and allowing fans to mingle with the machines they love.
The Festival Of Speed is exactly that – a festival of all things fast – and the event attracts a lot of people over the three days, all clamouring to see the cars and bikes in action. Many vehicles that participate in the event are privately owned, brought to the festival by their proud owners. Big names in motor sport also attend, with Formula One teams showing off their racers as well as GT and rally legends.
Goodwood also attracts famous names in motor sport, with Stirling Moss making frequent appearances over the years along with Jackie Stewart and more recent drivers who enjoy the break in their hectic schedules. The event is very friendly, and the drivers who normally shield themselves in their garages are usually more relaxed at the Festival, speaking with fans, signing autographs and posing for photos.
So what can we expect at the 2009 show, this time themed as ‘True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance’…
Click the image to download larger version. Note: It may not be 100% accurate.
Audi will be celebrating their 100th anniversary at Goodwood, showcasing many cars dating back to the Auto Union days and stretching forward to the present time with the R8. Also presenting a large collection of cars will be Alfa Romeo, who are on the verge of starting their own 100 years celebration. Alfa Romeo will field several cars as well as showing off some concepts. Mini are in the celebrating mood as well, marking 50 years of the little car with big personality.
Jaguar, Ford, Land Rover and Mazda will give visitors a sneak peak at their 2010 line, and Ford will be showcasing the new Focus RS while Jaguar are planning on bringing the XFR with them. Mercedes are to debut the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss in the UK alongside its origins, the 300 SLR (the one with the gullwings). A whole host of other car companies will be present as well, all waxing lyrical about their machines. Audi will have off-road demonstration runs in their Q7, and Porsche are also likely to do similar with their Cayenne as are Land Rover.
According to the Goodwood Festival Of Speed website, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton will be around, likely on Sunday only though as he did last year. Current Formula One championship leader Jenson Button is also expected with the Brawn team. Mark Webber and Timo Glock should also be around to drive up and down the hill in their respective Red Bull and Toyota cars. Williams and Ferrari will also bring their cars to Goodwood, although they are likely to be driven by test drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Marc Gene.
Several former drivers are also expected to turn up at some point over the weekend, including Damon Hill, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Eddie Irvine, David Coulthard, Dan Gurney, Derek Bell, Takuma Sato… as well as a host of rally drivers including current World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb.
According to the most recent update on the official Goodwood Festival Of Speed website, here is a quick run down of the current and former Formula One drivers and cars that will be thundering up the hill over the course of the weekend.
Who?
|
What?
|
When?
|
| David Brabham Former F1 Driver |
Cooper T51 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Jenson Button Brawn |
Brawn BGP 001 (expected) |
Sunday |
| David Coulthard Red Bull/BBC |
Red Bull RB5 (expected) |
Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Pedro De La Rosa McLaren Test Driver |
McLaren MP4-23 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Martin Donnelly Former Arrows and Lotus driver |
Lotus 97T | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Marc Gene Ferrari Test Driver |
Ferrari F2008 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Timo Glock Toyota |
Toyota TF108 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Chris Goodwin McLaren Tester |
McLaren MP4-4 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Dan Gurney Former F1 Driver |
Currently Unknown | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Lewis Hamilton McLaren |
McLaren MP4-23 McLaren MP4-4 |
Sunday |
| Johnny Herbert Former Benetton and Stewart driver |
BTCC Honda Civic | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Damon Hill 1996 World Champion |
Williams FW18 | Sunday |
| Nico Hulkenberg Williams Test Driver |
Williams FW18 Williams FW29 |
Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Jacky Ickx Former F1 Driver |
Auto Union Type C | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Eddie Irvine Former Jordan and Ferrari driver |
Former Ferrari | Saturday/Sunday |
| Alan Jones 1980 World Champion |
Williams FW07 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Jacques Laffite Former F1 Driver |
Morgan Aero 8 GTN | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Jochen Mass Former F1 Driver |
Mercedes Benz Silver Arrow Ford Capri RS ‘Cologne’ |
Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Allan McNish Former F1 Driver |
Audi R8 Audi R15 Prototype |
Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Arturo Merzario Former F1 Driver |
Alfa Romeo Tip 33 TT 12 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Stirling Moss Former F1 Driver |
Mercedes-Benz W196 | Saturday/Sunday |
| Riccardo Patrese Former F1 Driver |
Currently Unknown | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Jackie Oliver Former Arrows Team Owner |
Porsche 917K Shadow DN5 |
Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Emanuele Pirro Former F1 Driver |
Former Audi Prototype | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Takuma Sato Former Honda and Super Aguri driver |
March 707 Can-Am | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Bruno Senna GP2 Driver |
McLaren MP4-4 | Friday/Saturday |
| Jackie Stewart Multiple World Champion |
Matra MS10 Tyrrell 002 |
Saturday/Sunday |
| Marc Surer Former F1 Driver |
BMW v12 LMR | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| John Surtees 1964 World Champion |
Surtees F2 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Al Unser Jr. Multiple CART Champion |
Lola T500 | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
| Mark Webber Red Bull Racing |
Red Bull RB5 | Saturday |
| Desire Wilson Former F1 Driver |
Porsche 356 Glockler | Friday/Saturday/Sunday |
Sourced from the Goodwood Festival Of Speed website. Please note that these details may change and it is best to keep an eye on the official FOS website to keep up-to-date as to who’s doing what on which day.
Frank Williams, Christian Horner and Mario Theissen are also expected to be present, although unlike last year, the BMW team are not listed yet. It seems strange that the team principal would turn up without a car to show, so I wait to see what happens regarding this.
The list is almost endless and what is printed above barely scratches the surface of everything that takes to the hillclimb. From experience, the programme that is sold at the entrance is indispensable if you want an accurate guide as to who, what and when. It may cost upwards of £10 but I’ve always found it useful and worth £3/day.
For those who have never been to Goodwood Festival Of Speed before and are making their first journey to Chichester next weekend, here are a few tips that I’ve come to discover from my previous two Festivals…
- Pack a lightweight rain coat. Both times I have been to FOS I’ve used mine as the British weather is indecisive at best.
- Take some sun-screen and sunglasses. Both times I have been to FOS I’ve caught the sun on my face. The British weather really is indecisive!
- Take some earplugs, especially for children or if you know you are sensitive to loud noise.
- Where a comfortable pair of shoes as there is a lot of walking to be done.
- While not entirely necessary, I do leave a pair of wellies in the car – the car parks and festival fields can become very muddy if it rains.
- There are hundreds of places to buy food and drink, but if you don’t want to pay inflated prices, you are allowed to bring your own packed-lunch.
- Don’t feel it necessary to do everything at once, especially if you’re visiting more than one day. Relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
- Always listen to the marshals in the paddocks. I’ve almost been run over twice whilst trying to take a photo.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions to car owners/drivers – they love chatting about their motors.
- If there are things you specifically want to see, use the programme to help you plan. Don’t forget to allow for walking time between areas.
- If standing by a corner in the rally stage, shield your face/camera lens just as the car passes – they kick up a lot of gravel.
- Don’t forget where you’ve parked your car. Write down the location on the reverse of the ticket.
If you’re going to Goodwood Festival Of Speed and happen to see me wandering around, do come up and say hello – I love meeting people who have a passion for motor sport, and it is only made even more exciting if you are a reader/commenter here on BlogF1.
Image by Harry_S, uploaded to Flickr and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic.
Jackie
June 27th, 2009 - 4:45pm
Ooh I’m really tempted as I’d love to see the Autounions but I have tickets for the Renault World Series event as well. Choices, huh
Oliver White
June 27th, 2009 - 4:47pm
From what I can gather, there are going to be a fair few of them as well, as Audi are bringing a sizable portion of their historical cars to celebrate their anniversary.
Jackie
June 27th, 2009 - 5:13pm
Grr you are making it sound ace.
Being a Goodwood newbie, If I was to go for one of the weekend days, which one’s the best day to go?
Oliver White
June 27th, 2009 - 5:43pm
They’re both similar, to be honest. I guess the only difference is that Sunday is traditionally the big driver day. Last year it was Lewis Hamilton, and I expect so again this year, especially as Jenson Button is expected again.
So if you don’t mind a few more crowds clamouring around the big star drivers, then Sunday is probably better. But really, Saturday is just as good in my opinion – I prefer fewer crowds, which is why I love going on Fridays.
Oliver White
June 27th, 2009 - 6:07pm
Oh, Jackie, I think it’s by advanced-ticket only – as in, they don’t sell them at the gate as far as I’m aware (you can only collect tickets at the gate). So best to book in advance via the website if you do manage to get to go, just to be safe.
Jackie
June 27th, 2009 - 7:56pm
Thanks for that Ollie. I think Friday would have been my day of choice as well but since I will be 3 weeks into a new job I think I’d best pass on the Friday idea
With a bit of luck, I’ll see you there.
Steven Roy
June 28th, 2009 - 1:24am
I would love to go but this year unfortunately it just isn’t possible. I have always loved the Auto Unions. There is just something very special about them. I would have loved to have seen McNish take one of them up the hill.
The Festival of Speed is an awesome event and a must for anyone who has never been there.
Tom M
June 28th, 2009 - 7:10pm
Look forward to my first Goodwood FoS – and look forward to meeting a few others too…
Oliver White
June 28th, 2009 - 9:19pm
Understandable. But hey, big congrats on the job front.
And you know you wanna go.
Gah. I read on Sidepodcast a few months back (before Christmas, I think) that you were hoping to go. I got a little excited at finally getting the chance to meet you. Oh well, another time I hope.
Looking forward to meeting you, Tom. I hope you enjoy your first experience of Goodwood. I’ll have a word with the weather and see if I can make it pleasant for the weekend.
Lukeh
June 30th, 2009 - 8:19pm
Thanks for this Ollie, really appreciate the effort made for this. I’ll be there all 3 days, my first Goodwood too so it should be great!
Any tips on travelling from Chichester to Goodwood? Obviously I’ll be hotelling it up in Chichester but I’ve no idea about travel between the two places…
Oliver White
June 30th, 2009 - 9:51pm
You’ve managed to get a hotel in Chichester! I’m impressed.
Erm, follow the big long line of traffic.
Goodwood is well signposted and obviously, the traffic queues from about Portsmouth all along the A27. Don’t go into the Goodwood Circuit by mistake, the actual event is held at Goodwood House which is a little further up the road, beyond the Rolls Royce offices.
From the centre of Chichester to the event is about 3 miles according to Google Earth. Just follow signs to Goodwood Circuit, Goodwood Golf Course and Goodwood House.
And I just read the following on the FOS website:
A bus service will run from Chichester Bus Station (situated close to the railway station) to the Festival starting from 08:30hrs each morning. For further information on times please telephone +44 (0)845 121 0170.
Oliver White
June 30th, 2009 - 10:04pm
According to the BBC, it may rain a little on Friday and Sunday.
Alianora La Canta
July 1st, 2009 - 6:56pm
Erm, follow the big long line of traffic.
Sounds like the same instruction that would have got even the most clueless driver from Towcester to Silverstone at British GP time… …or doubtless would apply from Derby to Donington Park when/if it gets a contract. Only in Britain, it seems, is there the immense (if politely restrained) enthusiasm for attending motor sports events that leads to that tradition more commonly ascribed to Britain: The Extremely Long Queue.
Oliver White
July 1st, 2009 - 8:25pm
The last I heard was that cars would be banned from the British Grand Prix at Donington, and they would force everybody to use the public transport system. Which I presume would be vastly improved over the Grand Prix weekend.
Oliver White
July 1st, 2009 - 8:27pm
Although obviously, not all cars… you know what I mean!
lou
July 1st, 2009 - 10:42pm
i’ll look out for you on sunday then
Oliver White
July 1st, 2009 - 10:47pm
I’ll let you wear my Ray Bans… for a little while.
lou
July 1st, 2009 - 11:23pm
:O it will be the best day ever!
Alianora La Canta
July 2nd, 2009 - 12:35pm
The last I heard was that cars would be banned from the British Grand Prix at Donington, and they would force everybody to use the public transport system. {Ollie – 5 comments ago}
In that case, everyone can follow the long line of buses, presumably on foot, on a bike or in another bus!