Opinion: Marcus Pye
The unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic inspired Goodwood to combine its trio of flagship events into Speedweek. At times bizarre, but what brilliant TV…
“The racing element was as strong as any previous events. Parts were extraordinary”
Billed as unique, Goodwood Speedweek was an event like no other in the venue’s distinguished history, a three-into-one made-for-live-streaming mix of the best elements of the Festival of Speed, Revival and Members’meeting events that have underpinned the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon’s estate since 1993, 1998 and 2014 respectively, alongside its 218-year horse racing tradition atop The Trundle, towering majestically over the motor circuit’s Woodcote corner.
Desperate times call for drastic measures. The coronavirus pandemic’s slipstream gave everybody who strove to make the concept succeed a bumpy ride, particularly since COVID-19’S comeback threatened to torpedo it with even greater financial consequences. This was for the faithful: sponsors, competitors, Goodwood Supporters’association, Road Racing Club and Fellowship members, and brand fans globally. It was imperative that the concept delivered. The consensus is that it did.
With no paying public on site, the motor circuit was strangely empty, devoid of infrastructure to cope with 45,000 punters per day, the razzmatazz of detail for which Goodwood showpieces are famed, and buzz of expectant folk in period attire like vital extras in an epic film production. No grandstands changed the backdrops. Looking from the pit balcony over the track there were views towards Halnaker windmill. Turn around and the missing avenue of hospitality marquees revealed an unimpeded vista over the paddock stalls west over Fordwater towards Chichester.
The ambience was bizarre and muted. Wearing facemasks was uncomfortable – not least in the proximity of engines, with the impossibility of lipreading – but followed government prescriptions. Social distancing stewards had an invidious job and, as unwelcome as intervention was among friends conversing, it was part of the deal to have one‘big’event on the roster alongside the GRRC Sprint, postponed from Easter by Motorsport UK’S permit suspension.
Speedweek’s racing element was as strong as any of Goodwood’s previous events. Parts were extraordinary. The SF Edge Trophy’s new twin five-lap format was perfect for the mighty Edwardian bolides, among which the 10-litre displacement of Sunday’s winning Theophile Schneider is on the puny side.
Their throttle-jockeys’apparently fearless skillsets provided among the greatest motorised combat witnessed in Goodwood’s second heyday. And stunning TV.
Utterly breathtaking was the drone camera work by Aerios Solutions, which will cover the Extreme E series next year. Its four-propeller drones whooshed around, providing hitherto unseen angles. Low mid-circuit passes, phenomenal pan shots and wonderful high overheads enhanced onlookers’engagement, putting them in the heart of the action.
There was so much to enjoy. The rolling-start Shootout built to a crescendo, spanning a mouthwatering range of closed-wheel machinery from Peter Mullen’s glorious Schnitzer BMW 3.0 CSL with Patrick Blakeney-edwards aboard, and sublime Escuderia Montjuich Ferrari 512M of Gary Pearson, to the shrill Judd V10-engined Dallara SP1 of James Cottingham and‘green Hell’-liveried Audi R8 LMS of Gordon Shedden, direct from the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Barring disaster an F1 car was always going to win. Appropriately Nick Padmore – Historic record holder at 1m18.217s (110.46mph) in a Lola T70 Spyder – circulated more than eight seconds quicker in Jean-lou Rihon’s 1989 Arrows A11. Having lost a spark plug tip on Padmore’s qualifying run, the 620bhp Ford DFR was back on all eight cylinders.“i was careful through Madgwick but after that… The commentator said I’d pulled 168mph through Fordwater, so it must have hit 185mph on the Lavant Straight.”
The rally Super Special was another fine Speedweek nuance, for which organisers came up with various routes through the empty spectator areas. Also off piste for part of their runs against the clock were the Driftkhana boys in outrageously powerful tyrefrying saloons. Not my bag, but another entertaining sideshow.
Memories of seeing photos of Ronnie Peterson chipping ice from the chicane before testing a JPS Lotus 76 in period magazines, and clicking my stopwatch as Nelson Piquet and Hector Rebaque tested Brabham BT49S in the 1980s, brought F1 testing at Goodwood to mind. It wouldn’t happen now, but standing adjacent to the startline as Esteban Gutierrez and Marc Gene screamed modern Mercedes and Ferrari down the chute to Madgwick, high-pitched engine notes echoing off the pits and sparks flying, was unforgettable.
Did Speedweek fulfil its brief? Definitely I’d say. Some people I spoke to – hardened fanatics – were frustrated not to be able to catch more of the streamed racing live, while the coverage’s commercial aspects were addressed. Others felt the freedom of the track, especially with corporate spends slashed, might lead to FOS being scaled down and race meetings’scope broadened. Or perhaps a gigantic festival with a hillclimb at Goodwood
House and simultaneous Shoot Out over the road?