on air diary...
GOODWOOD = GREAT WEEKEND
posted by Lee McKenzie on 06/07/2009
What a special weekend the Goodwood Festival of Speed is. It features hundreds of cars, some of the most expensive, the fastest, the most memorable and the strangest! 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 the event.
Nowhere else in the world can the public get so close to the cars and of course the drivers. There are no motor homes, closed off paddocks or too many places for them to hide. There is the Dunhill Drivers club which is where the drivers head to for food and drinks and where I was lucky enough to get into. It really was a who’s who. As I walked in I met the always charming Murray Walker, strolled past Sir Stirling Moss and in one quick glance could see Sebastien Loeb, Allan McNish, Mick Doohan, Bruno Senna and the very first man to spray champagne after winning a race, Dan Gurney.
On the Sunday Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton came along to drive the hill and entertain the crowds but many other F1 drivers had been there over the 3 days including Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber, David Coulthard, Timo Glock and Kazuki Nakajima.
The great thing is that the enthusiasm is contagious and not just for the fans. Timo Glock was so excited by the whole event and 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. Between him, Kimi and Robert Kubica, there will be no drivers left in F1 - they’ll all be in WRC!
It was quite spooky to see Ayrton Senna’s McLaren Honda MP4/4 driven up the hill. The same helmet, same colours, same driving style whizzed past as his nephew and F1 hopeful Bruno Senna got behind the wheel.
And there were plenty of celebrations too.100 years of Audi, 75 years since the Arrival of the Silver Arrows and Sir Frank William’s 40 years of F1 was marked by a collection of the cars and drivers past and present. The 1980 World Champion Alan Jones got back behind the wheel as did Jacque Lafitte and David Coulthard. Williams 3rd driver Nico Hulkenberg drove Keke Rosberg’s1982 World Championship winning Williams slightly concerned about the having to change gears and the H-shape gear box as he negotiated the hill.
In the wacky world…Lola had a car running on Bio-fuel made from carrots and potatoes - even the steering wheel was made from carrots and waste material! Who says motor sport needs to be glamorous. Maybe 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!
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, past 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!
Lee x
