The Mole brings you... Lee McKenzie at Goodwood
The Mole welcomes BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Lee McKenzie back on to the blog, to discuss her experiences at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend.
What a special weekend the Goodwood Festival of Speed is. It has become an institution in the British motorsport calendar since it was founded by Lord March in 1993 and this year's event, which took place over the weekend, continued the tradition.
The Festival features hundreds of cars - some of the most expensive, the fastest, the most memorable and the strangest in the world. That also goes for bikes, and in some cases drivers, too!
Goodwood is much more than just an event. It is a complete celebration of all things motorsport and I absolutely love it. Nowhere else in the world can the public get so close to the cars and, of course, the drivers.
There are no motorhomes or closed-off paddocks, and not many places for them to hide. And the Drivers' Club, which is where they head for food and drinks, really was a who's who last weekend.
As I walked in I met the always charming Murray Walker, strolled past Sir Stirling Moss and in one quick glance could see multiple world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, Le Mans winner Allan McNish, five-time Grand Prix bike champion Mick Doohan, Ayrton Senna's nephew Bruno Senna and the very first man to spray champagne after winning a race, 1960s Formula 1 legend Dan Gurney.
On Sunday, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton came along to drive the hill and entertain the crowds, joining a number of other current F1 drivers who attended over the weekend - including Red Bull's Mark Webber, Williams's Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima and Toyota's Timo Glock.
Without fail, the drivers find enthusiasm for Goodwood is contagious. Glock was so excited by the whole event and so disappointed when he discovered he could only drive up the hill twice a day in his F1 car that asked if he could drive the Toyota Corolla World Rally Car on the forest stages - which he did and loved. That makes a third rally convert in the F1 paddock - between him, Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica, there will be no drivers left in F1 at this rate!
One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing the McLaren-Honda MP4/4 in which Ayrton Senna won his first world title being driven up the hill, with the great Brazilian's nephew Bruno at the wheel. The same helmet, same colours, same driving style - it was quite spooky.
There were plenty of celebrations, too - 100 years of Audi (former F1 driver Jacky Ickx drove a 1939 Auto Union); 75 years since the arrival of the Mercedes Silver Arrows. And Sir Frank Williams's 40 years of F1 were marked by a collection of the team's cars and drivers, past and present. The 1980 world champion Alan Jones got back behind the wheel as did Jacques Laffite and David Coulthard. Current Williams reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg drove Keke Rosberg's1982 championship-winning FW08, slightly concerned about both having to change gears and the H-shape gearbox as he negotiated the hill.
But Goodwood was looking forward as well as back over the weekend. Racing car constructor Lola had a car running on bio-fuel made from carrots and potatoes - even the steering wheel was made from carrots and waste material. Maybe F1 teams could cut costs by saving up all the waste from the catering and turn in to spare parts - there's an idea for Max Mosley!
In all seriousness, though, that is the great thing about the Goodwood Festival of Speed - variety and quality and some of the best cars, bikes, driver and riders in the world across all genres. It is a fabulous weekend for anyone with an interest in motorsport pre-war, post-war or present day. And if you have never been before or haven't been for a while, then mark it in the diary for 2010.
And to give you a flavour of the event, here are a few photos of the weekend.
Championship leader Jenson Button was one of many F1 drivers at the Festival.. ... and drove the 1934 Mercedes W25 Grand Prix car
Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine drives Gilles Villeneuve's 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 at Goodwood
Damon Hill was reunited with the Williams in which he won the 1996 world title
Lewis Hamilton drives his world championship-winning McLaren at Goodwood
Stirling Moss in the 1954 Mercedes W154
Timo Glock smokes the tyres on his Toyota, almost obscuring the Red Bull of Mark Webber behind
Team owner Frank Williams celebrated 40 years in F1 at Goodwood
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~20~RS~)
Comments
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1st. Wish I had gone :( looks great weekend!
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Absolutly agree , The whole event is just amazing , getting so close to all those cars , in the paddock the almost complete lack of barriers , and the way that the public didnt take advantage of this,,( by getting TOO close ) the noise , the smell ! , i was there on friday and wished i could have stayed the whole weekend . and considering the amount of people the organisation was perfect ...
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I was there on Saturday, it was a great day, seeing so many great cars, some with amazing history such as the Auto Unions, the Silver Arrows (complete with Stirling Moss), the Porsche 917s, the various old rally cars; then there were newer, but equally unusual/rare machinery, Jesse James & his Trophy Truck, the NASCARs, and on Independence Day...as the Americans would say...AWESOME!
The fact that almost all of the cars (& bikes) have at least 2 runs up the hill gives you plenty of time to look around the paddocks & other static displays (the Cartier Style et Luxe display was fabulous)... all in all a great way to spend a summer's day!
(Personal preference, as good as the Festival is, I'd rather go to the Revival....)
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Have been on the Friday for the last two years and although the hill climb is only practice, the smaller crowds allow a much better chance to see everything else the Festival has to offer.
It's a truly fantastic day out and great British organisation at it's very best. Even the public leaving the car park at the end of the day did so in a well organised and respectful manner.
Highlight had to be a photo with Mick Doohan, while he was wandering around the Cartier exhibition.
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it looks like a fantastic weekend. I'd rather go to Goodwood than the British GP! I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper aswell.
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I agree with comment 2. Went saturday what a highlight to see the Auto Unions and Silver Arrows Mercedes run up the hill. Now wouldn't it be fantastic if Audi and Mercedes would let them run at the Revival - I know they are expensive, unique etc. but weren't the built to race - Let them run, don't moth ball them like the 300SL!
If you think the FoS is great, the Revival tops the lot - real racing in real machines. Some modern Motorsport events could learn so much from Lord March.
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I love that photo of Damon Hill back in his Williams FW18. A legend.
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We had a fantastic time, the only slight downside is that on the Sunday it is EXTREMELY busy, and trying to move around with kids was quite a challenge!
Friday was a better day, less people and more relaxed.
It was also nice to see less corporate hospitality as well, that just makes us fans and enthusiasts feel like plebs!
The highlight was the top 30 timed runs yesterday, that was a superb finale to an excellent weekend.
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I went on Sunday and I have to say the highlight was seeing Timo Glock race up the hill in his F1 car, he produced some of the best doughnuts I have even seen!! Just to top it off I also got his pic and autograph :D
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I was there on Saturday and absolutely loved it. It's so nice to see that the drivers clearly love it, too. It was a really great day and it felt like all the people there were genuine motorsport enthusiasts, not just daytrippers. I'll definitely be going again in future years.
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I went for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) but usualy go for the three days - It's fantastic, there's just so much to see in too short a time. Its an amazing sight seeing all these drivers from moss and surtees to hamilton and button driving such beautiful machinery.
Can't wait till next year!
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Yup. I was there, second time I've been. Going to a Grand Prix would have actual race action, but at huge cost. For about £60 Goodwood gives you so much more. At a GP (unless you are rich or famous) you can't so close to the cars, the drivers and the action. I stood next to Lewis's McLaren as it was fired up, was enveloped in smoke from a Timo Glock donut 3 meters from where I was standing, had to move out of the way as Damon Hill and Nakajima returned to the garage in their cars.
The best bit was the look on my daughter's teenage friend's face as she stood next to her hero Lewis Hamilton for about 5 minutes while the supercars queued for their run - worth every penny.
Next year I'll get Jenson's autograph as reigning World Champion!
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Damn! I wish I'd have gone; the f1 drivers both past and present were reason enough. I'm going next year
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I went on Sunday for the first time and absolutely loved it. It was great to be able to get so close to the cars and the huge range of cars on show. I even got to drive the Audi Q7 round the off-road track. I'm hooked! I might even be persuaded to camp for the whole weekend next year.
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I had the pleasure of going all 3 days to the Goodwood Festical of Speed for the first time this year and what. a. weekend. Seriously one of the true highlights in the calendar of motorsport and an experience I'll never forget. Managed to get hundreds of photo, met so many lovely people and formula 1 drivers and personalities from all areas of the history of the sport, and just hearing the roar of those beautiful engines going up the hill is priceless. Definitely recommend it to every f1 fan...
shame I didn't see you though lee!
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Has the BBC got the TV rights to this fabulous event?
ITV had some good coverage from last year when they had the rights and it was great to see the cars go on the course and for those who couldnt get there in person to see the cars.
What everyone waits for is the famous Goodwood revival in the old Cars and Motorbikes and ITV's coverage was brilliant.
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For some visitors,the cars are the stars but for me it's the people. The current drivers still seem a bit um... careful in what they say. But the older ones are pretty cool about giving their opinions - pre-PR speak era! There's only one driver still like that these days, in my opinion, and that's Paul Tracy. He was there last year and he was great!
http://www.racer.com/2009/07/paul-tracy-blog-july-5-6-%e2%80%93-we-sucked-i-screwed-up/
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I can definately recommend the campsite! We stayed from Thursday night till Monday morning. Theres a mobile shop and great facilities with a Pub 5 minutes walk away!
The entrance gate is really close and means you can start the day with no stress at all!
The festival was great as always with sights you will never see anywhere else, like DC and Mick Doohan walking together in race gear towards their race machines, holding a conversation and grinning from ear to ear!!
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I loved every second I spent at Goodwood. I went on the Sunday and couldn't believe how close I got to my motorsport heroes! Never would I have thought that I would have a chat with Anthony Hamilton, bump into Jenson Button (literally!) and meet my favourite F1 drivers, past and present in the space of hours!
All motorsport fans must attend this festival at some point!
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That's that decided then. I'm going next year!
Great blog and thread.
Lordwoz
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The Goodwood Festival of Speed really is like nothing else in the world, with or without racing. A unique event, extremely well organised, and a bit mind boggling. Far too many highlights to mention.
In the past few weeks I have been to Le Mans 24hrs, British Grand Prix and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, pretty much back-to-back. Despite being a long time F1 fan and the whole Brawn/Button story being one of the best things to happen in F1 for years, I found the Goodwood Festival by far the better experience compared to the BGP.
Sorry Silverstone - you were expensive and disappointing, regardless of the result. Goodwood is sublime.
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I was there for both Saturday and Sunday - and have the surprising sunburn to prove it! The whole event is spectacular. Seeing John Surtees gunning his bike up the hill at 85 was a highlight, along with Seb Loeb trying to compete for attention with the RAF Typhoon on Saturday lunchtime :D For me, the chance to get close to the legendary Jag XJ13, and seeing it driven up the hill in true style by Jay Leno stands out too. Looking forward to the Revival in September now...
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