DAVID EVANS

“Kubica headlines Goodwood Festival of Speed”

I was fortunate enough to be at the British Grand Prix last weekend. I did Friday and Sunday and absolutely loved it. Mostly. There was just one thing. OK, two. Actually, three things wound me up about Silverstone, if I’m honest.

Firstly, it’s summer, I get that, but does it have to be so hot? An associated point… in such conditions, is it strictly necessary for so many chaps to forget to put their shirts on?

Secondly, the price of a baseball cap. Seriously, £45 to make the top of my head look like Lewis Hamilton’s? Fortunately my son’s a Max Verstappen fan, so I save a fiver on the Red Bull equivalent.

But what really wound me up was watching one of the finest talents ever to grace Grove standing around in Williams kit twiddling his thumbs.

Fortunately Robert Kubica will be back behind the wheel in the most fever some fashion possible this weekend. No, not at the wheel of an Alan Jones FW07B or even a Red Five’d FW11. Instead, he’ll be in his element driving a Lancia Rally 037.

It’s time for one of the season’s finest weekends; it’s time for the Festival of Speed.

A lot of my friends and colleagues simply don’t get it; the Forest Rally Stage isn’t exactly Dyfi and the hill to be climbed is a million miles away from Pikes Peak. And nobody really wins anything. Yet still, folk come from the world’s four corners to stand on a Lord’s front lawn and gaze at motorsport in all its finery.

I love it. And, WRC date clash providing, wouldn’t miss it for the world.

This weekend I’ll get to catch up with World Rally Championship stars Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Mads Ostberg for a bit of business ahead of Rally Finland, but it’s hard to think of that as work. Hopefully… they’ll be relaxed, enjoying the south coast sunshine and in the mood to chat.

If not, no bother, I’ll turn my attention elsewhere. Like to Kubica in a 037.Or Walter Rohrl in any number of Porsches or Mcraes Alister and Jimmy, who will bark and growl their way up Lord March’s drive in a stunning Subaru Legacy RS. Among other things.

And should I ever tire of that (I won’t) then I can turn my attention to heroes created with half the number of wheels. Dougie Lampkin is a born bikebased entertainer and then there are the returning TT legends in the shape of John Mcguinness, Ian Hutchinson, Conor Cummins and James Hillier.

The only dark side of their return to West Sussex is that it comes hard on the heels of yet more tragedy for the Dunlop family following the shocking loss of William last week.

The atmosphere, noise and entertainment on offer at the Festival are second-to-none – except for one run where we will all hold our breath (not literally) and hear… not a thing.

As well as the fever, there’s also the chance that Nick Heidfeld’s 19-year-old record of 41.6 seconds for the 1.1-mile hill could be broken by Volkswagen’s I.D. R.

Romain Dumas, the stage is set.