Goodwood – Festival of Speed 2015

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So, here I am on Friday at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed with Ian H and Paul S. It’s my first visit here to the acknowledged mecca for petrol-heads!

Ian and Paul are here Saturday and Sunday too, but my diary hasn’t been quite that generous this year – so maybe next time! It’s a packed programme, where the challenge is to make sure you don’t miss anything – as there is so much to see!
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I stayed overnight at Ian’s and Paul and I hit the road early on Friday morning to join the gazillions heading for the same destination. Paul drove, and it was good to get a closer look at his recently acquired Mercedes C350. We parked without too much trouble, and this year, for the first time, they’d laid-on transport-by-tractor-and-trailer to get us to the main site – it saved us some serious walking.

Once inside, I became immediately aware of the scale of the event – it was massive! By now, the sun was shining and with a cool breeze, and it made the torturous task of what was to come – looking at cars – a lot easier!!
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We arrived just before 9 and stayed until 7. A full-on day, and very enjoyable for a petrol-head like me (and perhaps even for non petrol-heads too, given the weather, the lovely surroundings and the non-car stands). We took advantage of the hospitality of the manufacturers – all that was needed was a smile and a key to prove you owned one of their vehicles. Free drinks, free food and generally better views of the main action (though big screens or well-positioned suites), broke the day up nicely, and gave us chance to recharge our batteries before more exploration.

Amongst the more memorable sights and sounds was the ‘Jaguar Experience’ – where I think the intention was to get through as many tyres as possible by (ahem!) ‘exercising’ various f-types to their limit – the sound of tyres under protest could even be heard above the engine noise of other racing cars on full throttle!

Excellent!

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The next-door Land Rover stand had various setups to demonstrate their vehicles’ climbing ability – and they didn’t disappoint!
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Oddities such as the ‘Cummins Mini’ (a mini with 1000bhp on-board) was quite a sight, as was the Honda stand with its ‘cars in a box’ display.

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We even managed to blag our way into Goodwood House (Cheers Ian!), and briefly sipped Pimm’s on the balcony looking out across the Mazda sculpture

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Here are some more memories of the day…

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It was a great day, although I’m not sure how you make it last three days as a spectator. The best thing for me was being able to get close to some very expensive/unusual/rare vehicles without worrying about any pressure to buy them!

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We left about 7pm and finished the day at the quaint Crown and Anchor Pub close to sea in Chichester. It was a nightmare to park and the place was heaving – but it was well worth it, and we had an excellent meal.

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