2. U.K. Goodwood breathtaking,
Antique speedsters, current stars of F1 make Chichester event a thrill for automotive enthusiasts
CHICHESTER, ENGLAND— That thing’s going up the hill? You’ve got to be kidding, right? Nope.
And there she goes, a 1902 Renault Type K — the race-winning car from the 1,300-kilometre Paris-Vienna road race that year, built by Renault co-founder Marcel Renault and his brothers, and raced by the man himself — ambles up the 1.86-kilometre hill climb at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The average speed of the Type K in that winning run in 1902 was 62.4 km/h.
It didn’t travel that fast at Goodwood, but the fact that this113-year-old car is moving at all is remarkable in itself.
The presence of the Type K, along with piles of other cars that would seem to be more at home in a museum or the subject of the great next barn find, captures the essence of what this whimsical Woodstockian-like gathering has become.
A lot of Festival of Speed entries look like antiques, but they’re not treated as such here.
At Goodwood, just about everything is meant to be run and, in many cases, run hard — in some cases much harder than one might think is advisable given their advanced age.
It is a visceral experience to see these grand old machines come back to life, serving as a reminder that they were created not to sit on a pedestal in an exhibit hall or in the basement of a museum, but rather as real tire-shredding, exhaust-roaring racers.
During my one day on-site as a guest of Porsche Cars Canada, I witnessed an embarrassment of automotive riches travel up the hill on the grounds of the pastoral Goodwood Estate in southern England.
Although the experience remains very fresh in my mind, I’m having a bit of difficulty remembering it. Perhaps it’s a bit cliché to say that my experience was a bit of a blur, but in this case it’s absolutely true.
As I waded through the mass of humanity that had gathered on the final day to witness these great machines in action, seemingly in every direction I looked there was something to behold.
A1997 Penske-Mercedes C26 here, a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 there (driven by Sir Stirling Moss, of course), and a 1992 McLaren-Honda MP4 over there. Further back in the F1 paddock, the race-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid from the 2015 24 of Le Mans sits next to a table with the firstplace trophy sitting on it.
Oh, and there are road cars too, lest you think the Festival of Speed is nirvana for only those admitted motorsports nerds.
Many of the world’s biggest automakers, in fact, have built erector-set boxes along
It is a visceral experience to see these grand old machines come back to life, serving as a reminder that they were created not to sit on a pedestal in an exhibit hall or in the basement of a museum, but rather as real tire-shredding, exhaust-roaring racers
the hill climb route a brim with their ware being run.
Those that make it 2016 Audi R8 not ye Cayman GT4, followe by a Nissan GT-R and (seriously).
My cerebral cortex want to remember all of this, but my memory is hitting refresh almost by the second. It’s a lot to take in — too automotive gathering much for one day.
Lord March’s little a — an event that grew out of his inability to get a permit to stage a race on the nearby Goodwood Circuit — has morphed into something that feels like a music festival, but without all of the chemical-induced mayhem.
After 22 years, it’s become a stupendously successful event that attracts more than 150,000 visitors over a three-day period.
There’s something for just about every automotive enthusiast; a rallying course, paddocks filled with race cars, manufacturer driving experiences and, of course, the hill climb.
And it’s all so welcoming. Motorcycles, drift cars, drag bikes, old and new F1 and sports car prototypes, come on down.
The feeling of inclusivity and the ability of attendees to rub elbows with motoring royalty is a Festival of Speed hallmark, and keeping that theme alive is vital.
As a result, seemingly everyone wants to
take part. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG teammates currently battling it out on track for the Formula One World Championship, were on hand to take a 2013 Mercedes MGP W04 racer on several runs up the hill.
What really excited the Sunday crowd, however, was the appearance of a famed two-wheel champion.
Despite having to race in the Netherlands on Saturday (an event he won), seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi made an appearance on Sunday which literally brought things to a standstill.
Yellow flags with his number 46 were scattered throughout the crush of people I was standing in as the Italian rode by on his Yamaha race bike up the driveway of Goodwood House to have a chat with Lord March on the balcony overlooking the throng of people below.
Sure, he’d done the hill climb with fellow motorcycle racing greats — he even did a run in a1986 Lancia Delta S4 rally car — but his Goodwood moment was mixing with attendees.
Yet another way in which the Festival of Speed stands apart. Freelance writer Lee Bailie is a regular contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. Travel and other expenses for this story were paid by the manufacturer. For more Toronto Star automotive coverage, go to thestar.com/autos. To reach Wheels Editor Norris McDonald: nmcdonald@thestar.ca