I was treated to a four day pass for GFF so here are a few comments.
I have not been for a few years so the Moving Motor Show (MMS) was new to me.
Lord March decided to have his own motor show as the UK one seems to have died.
It is a very very large marquee with two car lanes running through the middle with small car display areas each side. Joe public can get a ride or be driven ( depends on marque / driver) along the road and onto the hill climb.
I watched one young person stuff a citroen into the straw bales on the first bend.
Lots of applause after the front got bent, the rear bumper detached and lots of smoke fom the airbags.
The variety of vehicles was as fantastic as ever, both displays and racers.
Only last years GP cars are allow to run ( no sneaky testing !!!)
In the exotic cars section up the hill, at the end of the day, one stuffed it in the straw so the day ended early. Apparently the passenger was injuried so I am guessing that chopping the roof off was not the first option.
We seemed to bring a jinx. One of the Lotus stuffed the same corner, suspending racing so we went to see the rally stage and someone stuffed their car into a tree again suspended.
It was great to be so close to cars bellowing up the hill.
A vast range of bikes too.
The joy of informality and being able be within touching distance of such a vast range of vehicles plus of course being so close to th noise in the pits.
Many big stands for all the main manufacturers so sen the new Jag and The new estate. Alfa had by far the worst display of all IMO.
The show is a must for any petrol head
We had a bonus on two days of identifying a back entrance into the reserved car park so we were able to sneek through and use their dedicated exit route and the I navigated us back via Chichester and a blast home to London.
That put an extra smile on our faces.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 10 Jul 12 at 09:38
|
The GFoS is the best motorsport event in this country, in my opinion, for all the reasons you state above.
It has to a degree been a victim of its own success, with the crowds and access problems being a real pain at a venue which clearly was never designed to cope with such a huge number of people descending on it all at once. In the early 2000's, when I first went, it was much less crowded and chaotic than it is today.
It is a small price to pay for the chance to see such a wonderful range of machinery though, and most of it being driven as intended. No mollycoddling or parade runs. Flat out, spitting fire, popping and crackling on the overrun, just as they were designed to do.
It is also great for impromptu showboating. I recall Takuma Sato COMPLETELY ruining a fresh set of inters on the (then) BAR Honda in one single run up the hill. The crowd egged him on, he responded, so the crowd egged him on some more, and he went completely mad! Stop, rev the engine and wave to the crowd, crowd cheer and roar. Floor it, launch hard on full lock with all systems turned off, and cue a full minute of smoky doughnuts. The scream of an F1 engine, a thick fog of acrid tyre smoke, and just the silhouette of the rear wing flashing round every so often among the chaos, like some bizarre kind of lighthouse beacon. Eventually he'd gather it all up, and crab two hundred yards up the track laying thick black lines. Stop. Let the smoke clear. Wave to the crowd. Repeat. Absolutely brilliant.
The supercar parade also degenerated into the most tremendous kind of burnout / willy waving contest one year. On the return back down the hill to the paddock, the marshals stopped the leading car to allow some people to cross at one of the crossing points. When they were given the all clear, the lead car, a Jag XK-R, performed a wonderful rolling burnout away from the marshals. The 911 behind tried to out do him. As did the Edonis behind that. All unscripted and impromptu, which made it all the more entertaining.
Fantastic event.
Last edited by: DP on Mon 2 Jul 12 at 14:39
|
I went last year. Brilliant event. I stood next to an Auto Union V16 while it was being started up and revved. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven. The fact that you can be right next to exotic and famous machinery with no fencing is reason enough to go there. They even have to tap on peoples shoulders and ask them politely to move while they push the cars around!
|
I've been twice now and would love to go again. First time I bumped into James May in racing overalls and no shoes about to climb into an old single seater Alfa racing car. Had a chat with him, very pleasant chap etc.
Second time I treated my brother for his stag do. Managed to get Murray Walker's autograph too on the only piece of paper I had on me at the time - a crisp £5 note!
It's a truly unique place and experience and a 'living museum' where you are to some extents, allowed to touch the exhibits.
|
|
its a great event but seeing as i live on the goodwood estate it can be a huge pita. 4 days of congested traffic at almost gridlock but this year was way better as the RAC were doing the management not AA like last year which was really bad
|
We arrived each day mid morning and saw no traffic.
We did try the direct route to London and queued down to Singleton and slow north til we turned off at Brook to the A3.( not a lot of folk know that queue bypass)
Sat & Sun using our exit through the reserved car park meant we were able to steam off to Lavant, through Chi and then A27 M3.
On previous visits the traffic was a PITA.
|
|
Highlights on ITV4 at 8pm Tuesday.
|
Goowood Festival of Speed , MMC etc. - DP
