What a fantastic weekend at Goodwood Festival of Speed; the surprise twist this year for me was not working the weekend and actually getting time to visit this event as a spectator. A local event for us, so we dusted off a classic from the garage and trundled over to Goodwood with the roof down, under the blazing sun, and got in by 8.00 am to miss the crazy morning crowds.
It’s such a big event these days, but under the brutal sun, we did not get to explore everywhere; a shame to miss the rally stage but we did get over to GAS the action sports, and that was a darn impressive show of world-class motocross, BMX, trials and mountain bike stunts and jumps.
Changing perspectives: from center stage to general admission
Not having been a spectator for a good number of years, this year was quite a different experience. When you’re working, you don’t expect to see much, but when you do, you’re often at the center of the action and thus get the best view, even if it’s briefly. It should be said, the Goodwood team should be very proud of hosting a world-class event, exhibiting global automotive and motorsport in a quintessentially British fashion; it’s quite a feat.
Room for improvement: Two constructive critiques for the FOS Team
In the spirit of positive feedback, I would pitch these two points.
The hay bale sightline issue
We all want a safe event but the bales are now so high, you can barely glimpse even the top of the cars, I’m serious, If you just have general admission ticket ( which is still over £100) and you don’t wish to camp out for hours in direct sun in just one spot, you are simply not going to see much go up the hill, bit of a fundamental flaw.
The case for a live-updating app schedule
Second, we all know and accept the hill run times shift, no problem. But I’m at a loss as to why they don’t have a Live page on the website or via the Goodwood App to give a simple text page of what group/batch is running and list three cars. Who’s next, who is live on the hill, who’s driving, and the time and details of the previous car. This just seems such a simple thing to add; I was frankly amazed there were zero live details other than the live commentary. Wouldn’t such a feature really help viewers’ engagement with the event?
Catching up with client builds: Hypercars & wiring systems
But back to the generally very positive experience, It was great for me to see several cars from this year and one from a few years back that I have been involved with in supporting electronics and wiring. So I got to catch up with those crews and had a chance to show my partner around some hypercars and racecars that have been keeping me away from home!
RedBull RB17
A demo-only run on the hill this year, 100dB+ ear-shattering if you stand next to it, and it’s not even close to running in its final fully active form; come back next year to see this thing spin the world backward as it launches up the hill.
Lanzante Lamborghini Essenza SCV12
Bonkers track-only car…oh hang on. Lanzante have IVA-tested and road-converted it. The idea that you can pop to the shops in this is crazy!
Hennessey Venom F5-M
Whilst it was all about the new F5-M car this year, it was great to see Hennessey back at Goodwood, as we designed the electrical systems for the Texan beast that was the original F5
Lanzante 95-59
The public unveiling of this road-going three-seater is Lanzante’s very own supercar project; the design and detail work that is going into this car behind the scenes is exceptional. We are going to see so much more from this one.
A wild card and a special thanks
A special mention for a car we have nothing to do with, but it was just so much fun to see.
An extra special thank you to Dean and all the team at Lanzante for allowing us to view from their private garden area next to their spectacular hospitality structure.