Goodwood festival of speed
 

Hopefully will be going to the Goodwood festival of speed 25/26/27 June 2004, and wondered from others experience, where are the best viewing places etc, and I would like to have good access to view the cars up close if possible.
Do they run the whole track or is it timed runs over a part of the track?

Ant - great to see another colonial making it to one of Europe's best car events.

Some things to try to help:

The cars run in classes on roughly a twice-a-day schedule on the Sat and Sun, Friday is auction and practice.

The run is up the entire length of the hill-climb course. I can't say where is the best place to view, since it depends on what you like - full bore/cornering/starting. I think just about anywhere is fine.
What I do is book a table for wife and me in the "Moss" pavillion - basically a corporate entertainment style thing. Plenty of food, wine, and closed circuit TV if it rains. And right by the start line/starting straight. £££ tho' - figure on £450 minimum for two, as opposed to roughly £35 each for an "ordinary" daily entrance ticket.

Nothing to stop you wandering around the whole damm site, and paddocks, where you can get right up to all the cars, are open and free. Nowhere else on earth can you go right up to a swb 250 Ferrari, talk with the owner/driver, peer into it's darkest recesses, and maybe be asked to squirt fuel down the intake trumpets to get the thing started (cost me an eyebrow one year).

In recent years, good weather combined with popularity have started to make the event crowded, but the way we usually do it (and pay for it!) means we have an "exclusive" and uncrowded area to rest up, watch the cars start and run, in between forays to the paddocks and other areas.

Whatever you do, have a great time, and welcome to jolly olde.

Goodwood are about to send out their corporate stuff for 2004, last 'phone number I had was (+) 44 243 755054 - give them a call and ask for some details.

Wilf:

Goodwood
 

Wilf,

Thanks for your post, me and "her indoors" she is from Bournemouth, and doesn't like cars that much, will be attending, and may run into you there. I think I will definitely book for the Sunday, but it may be worthwhile doing Saturday as well!

I think I will be happy to sit in the grandstand and walk around, maybe if the estate home is open for visitation we might gink at that as well. It would be nice to see a real Cobra racing as well and possibly some GT40'S.

The closest I have come to something decent racing was at the Wigram Air force base at Christchurch NZ, a McLaren canam car beating the F5000's, mainly due to aerodynamics and a Leyton house F1 driven in full cry, turned me to jelly.

Ant - there are two types of "Grandstand" - some where you can reserve a place ( and hence have somewhere to park the missus ) and some where it is first come first served. Naturally the former cost extra, and have to be booked in advance - again I commend to you getting the Goodwood "bumph" - it gives the layouts etc, and shows which grandstands are where. There is a website as well, which gives details, can't recall the address, but a quick search should find it.

There are usually several current F1 cars running up the hill at full chat - three years ago I watched (and listened to) a McLaren set the new course record - just the memories of that sound still send tingles down my spine. As it was the last run of the day, they left the PA replaying that soundtrack over and over - a wonderful thing. Petrolhead heaven.

You will have a good time, trust me. (Unless of course any USA gasholes decide to attend, in which case, hide).


Wilf

Goodwood
 

Wilf,

The US Gasholes, I will watch for them, it would be nice to run into a few CC people (fleetingly before I hide) and put a name to the face, but thats not really practical I would emagine with an event of this magnitude. Maybe I should have a sticker "Ant CC"

These F1 cars are going to blow me away, for sound and speed, but I am more interested in the Jim Hall cars, GT40's, I was actually going to build a GT40 before this present project but thought to myself what is my first choice and .........!

I have had a look at the website and contacted a lady at Goodwood by email she has sent me price list, so I will book in a few days 'Mid Novemeber they are taking bookings, and said she will send some info out!

Goodwood
 

Wilf,

We are possibly going to stay in the Portsmouth area, and then go to Goodwood, further to that we are going to the "land of fourty shades of green' but if possible it may be nice to meet briefly and I could view your Cobras, but that is a long ways off!