Goodwood Festival Of Speed - A - Z

B

Bonhams Auction

Did you know that you can buy insanely cool and historic motor cars at the Festival of Speed, in fact, my favourite F1 Car of all time was sold here… Yes, I know we are only on the letter B and I have exclaimed two cars as my favourite already, I told you I am 8 years old so shhh… Also, it’s the Red 5 FW14B for those of you who are interested.

So yes, when I say that you can buy insanely cool and historic motor cars, I certainly do mean you because I don’t have the cash or storage facilities for such a thing. It is however another unique opportunity to see some extraordinary cars from a range of disciplines and eras. Some of these cars will never be raced up the hill or even at the motor circuit over the road meaning this could be the only time you get to see them so allocating some time to the Bonhams Auction is a must for any visitor.

Bridges / Crossings

All pretty positive so far and this one is a very, very minor grumble (there are other things to come later). I would also say that as an experienced visitor the track crossing does not get under my skin anywhere near as much as it does with some folk. Now the bridges are fantastic and the addition of a second bridge at Molecomb in 2021 was especially welcomed as this fits perfectly with my well-trodden route however if you are not near the bridges, you may be in for quite a wait at the crossings.

I used to cross just at the bottom of the hill before turning left past the Porsche stand and up the hill that way. This was always luck of the draw and you might be able to cross in 5 or 10 minutes, sometimes however it can be quite lengthy. There are a few bits of advice I would offer you if you are stuck at any of the crossings –

A.       If you are in a rush to be somewhere or see something, figure out where the bridges are and head for one of those, it’s the most reliable way of crossing

2.       Please stop asking the marshals how long the wait will be, every single time I have heard this question over the years it’s always been a vague guess. I will say at this stage (and again later) I love the marshals and everything they do; I would never say anything bad about them. The ones on the crossings don’t run the track and can’t just open them up so they know almost as much or as little as you do about when you can get across

D.       Take the time to grab a snack, grab a drink and for goodness’ sake rub some sun tan lotion into your ears and nose. If you turned up early and are now getting caught at the crossings there is little to no doubt it’s time to apply some protection.

Bikes

Yes Bikes, speed can be, and certainly is, available on two wheels as well as four. Now I admit I am not so knowledgeable about bikes but do you know what I don’t think that matters. I can still look at the customs, classics and one-offs and admire their speed and looks.

With bikes I would happily say I lean towards the modern sports bikes over the classics but hearing the old bikes rumble into action you do have to admire the people who rode these things, little more than what looks like a bike frame and handles, I swear I have seen some old school squeezy horns too. A slightly larger leather seat with springs opens for all to see, these stripped-back racers are still impressive to even the most untrained of eyes.

I must also mention CCM-Motorcycles, every year I visit their stand and absolutely love the styling and quality of the bikes they have on display, which along with names like Maverick and Spitfire Six really hook you into their world.

Badass

I suppose having mentioned bikes I could start this with Badass bikes, perhaps the MADMAX Turbine ‘Street-Fighter’ which is a Rolls-Royce jet-powered bike that has been tweaked and tuned to increase the BHP. How is this done, oh just a simple water-meth injection system. Madness, absolute madness on two wheels.

Did you say, Mad Max, well they have also had the cars from the 2015 Mad Max film here before, well why not. With their over-the-top styling,

Sorry did you say jet-powered, did you know there was a guy just flying around with a jet pack the other year, yeah that’s cool, over the track, of course, but that’s not badass enough, why don’t you go over here and fly around while Ken Block drifts his pickup truck underneath you. That seems reasonable why not.

This is before I even mention other things like the old drivers and riders still going full throttle up the hill in cars that are nearly 100years old with some even spitting out fire, then other tricks like Terry Grant driving the whole hill in an SUV on two wheels, setting world records along the way.

I said badass, I meant badass and you don’t have to look far to find it.

Bijou

In my mind Bijou refers to small and elegant so is the perfect opportunity to turn our heads away from the huge snarling speed daemons and acknowledge the more understated cars of the festival. These can be found anywhere from the Cartier Style et Luxe to the paddocks and even the rally stage where you get to see these tiny cars punching way above their size and weight.

Side note, there is a rogue blue Austin that seems to be in and amongst the cars every single year, it's never in a tent, nor does it have a sign showing its details and if it wasn’t such a cute little thing, you might feel sorry for its tattered looks and flaking paint. I love finding that car each year, it brings a smile to my face every single time.