www.theblisspages.com - goodwood festival of speed 2007
www.theblisspages.com - goodwood festival of speed 2007
I went to the goodwood festival of speed on Friday 22 June 2007. I've been meaning to go for years, but couldn't resist the offer of free tickets, and it marked the beginning of my birthday celebrations.
You can see my festival of speed video (12Mb).
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I meant to get up really early today, but a 2 a.m. bedtime precluded that.
I finally left the house about 08:40, to begin a gruelling journey.
The forty-mile trip took me two hours, though once I turned off the A27, the signposting and organisation was impeccable.
I took the shuttle bus – well, shuttle tractor with trailer - to the main entrance, where I saw some Formula One cars blasting off the start line.
My most immediate need was some toilets, and once this was sorted out, I went to the Park Grandstand to watch some other cars roar past.
After watching some bikes - and I've never been into motorbikes - it was the turn of current Formula One machinery.
There is nothing to compare with the sound of modern F1 cars. You can hear them from the start line to the finish, and the visceral sound was almost orgasmic in its intensity.
After watching them, I received a phone call from Spero Blassoples and Mahmood Noman, some friends I had arranged to meet.
They had just arrived after a horrific journey from London, but we were not to meet up for another couple of hours as my mobile lost all network coverage.
I wandered round the Formula One Paddock near Goodwood House.
There were some exciting machines there and I particularly enjoyed looking at the six-wheeled Tyrrell-Cosworth P34 from 1977.
Unfortunately, such innovative designs are a thing of the past, with restrictive regulations limiting the ingenuity of the designers.
I also enjoyed seeing some of the more recent cars such as the swoopy Honda RA107.
It looks fantastic just sitting there – it's a pity that it's not more competitive on the track.
The same cannot be said of the McLaren-Mercedes M4/21, which as well as looking the part, is supremely fast in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, who was scheduled to appear on a rainy Sunday.
Talking of the weather, we were very lucky on Friday, as the forecast was bad. Over the whole day, there were two showers: one brief and light, and the one heavy five-minute downpour was when I visited the Alfa-Romeo covered stand, and I remained comfortable and dry in the driving seat.
... but static cars cannot compete with the more kinetic attractions on the track, and I was drawn back to the real action.
I enjoyed the demonstration runs of some exotica, including a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and a Bugatti Veyron 16.4.
Some of the oldest cars were incredible to watch, including the Benz 200 'Blitzen Benz'.
Built in 1909, this car boasts a 21.5-litre 4-cylinder engine.
Its distinctive blare was exhilarating, and it was incredible to note that this car achieved 140mph in Daytona in 1911.
The 24-litre Napier-Railton Special averaged 150.6 mph over 24 hours at the Bonneville Salt Flats, but only had rear wheel brakes. A daunting prospect.
Other highlights included the Chaparral-Chevrolet 2J and the gas turbine-powered Howmet TX, with a helicopter engine running at 57,500 rpm.
It sounded totally different from anything else and was fast to boot.
It was a shame I had run out of batteries for the camera by then, but you can see some other fast machinery here!
I also experienced demonstration drives in the Toyota Amazon Land Cruiser and a Nissan X-trail.
They easily coped with extreme conditions that 99% of them will never experience on the school run.
I wasn't able to try the Bowler off-road vehicle, which was terrifying passengers for £15 per lap.
I didn't have time to go to The Goodwood Forest Rally Stage, but will try to get to that next year.
I left at about 17:30, with a rotten headache, caused by the sun and dehydration, for the journey home.
See the goodwood interactive map.
See goodwood festival of speed for more information.
updated Sun 24 Jun '07 give feedback...
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: © Mike Bliss 2009