Goodwood Festival Of Speed - A - Z

D

Drivers Club / Top Paddock

So, with all of these magnificent machines, you are going to need a whole raft of riders and racers ready to drive them and in some cases, I am sure they are falling over themselves to be here whenever their calendars allow them to be. Walking around the grounds you can see them on the big screens and hear them being interviewed over the commentary as they prepare to blast up the hill. You would imagine that you might get a wave from a distance or a shout out when being interviewed and that would be it, you would, however, be wrong if that’s all you thought.

Just like with the rest of the festival, accessibility to these superstars and dare I say heroes to some is unprecedented, there are two hotspots for seeing and interacting with these guys and girls of the motorsport world we all love so much. The Drivers club and walkway is the first, right next to the main paddock drivers stroll in and out of this area all day, so much so that I have seen guests pitch up with chairs and an array of memorabilia to be signed by the all too willing stars. This area is so popular that there is even a dedicated autograph area set up just for the kids to meet their favourite drivers.

The second place is the top paddock, once they have made it to the top of the hill and await the rest of the field to join them a lot of drivers will wander over to the crowded fence line and just strike up a casual conversation with the people watching from the other side. This is a slightly more unpredictable area but still more chance than anywhere else in the world to meet drivers from across the sporting spectrum just by having some patience and waiting in one place.

Diverse

Diversity is another word that can be used in any way in which you want to suit what you want to say, I have already mentioned a raft of different cars, I have touched on the drivers and celebrities from different sports. I could even point to the oldest riders on their historic motorbikes going up the hill, minutes before the latest superstar wonderkid test driver tearing up the hill in a modern F1 car or even the all-electric Pikes Peak.

You could even point to the female racers who are not just a token gesture but are a genuine and growing presence at the festival, every single day of the event they turn up and show just how fully capable they are, drawing a deep intake of breath from the crowds as they slalom their way past the flint wall by mere inches or turning cars on a sixpence then disappearing in a cloud of dust in the rally stage. I am sure there are even a whole host of things that they do that I haven’t had the privilege of seeing… yet

All are welcomed, all are admired and all are revered for their skills which they choose to share with the world and we are all better for it.

Drift Arena

And talking of skills it's hard to look past the drift paddock, it wasn’t too long ago the drifter's only chance to show off was on the hill climb, destroying an equal amount of grass and tyres along the way, so a few years ago we were presented with the drift arena. One of the few (and I can only think of two) parts of the festival that gets more fun when it rains.

A fairly non-descript tarmac square complete with oil barrels and plastic barriers is turned into an amphitheatre of noise and smoke as highly tuned cars fitted with huge arches and wheels cambered at almost unbelievable angles drift and slide like Olympic ice skaters but instead of being showered with flowers its rubber and smoke that fills the air much to the delight of the fans who stand and watch wide-eyed as the world of YouTube videos comes to life right in front of them.

Dare Devil’s and risk-takers

So having already mentioned the drifters, the SUV driver who prefers to be on two wheel’s the man flying around in a Jet Pack and even the red arrows you would think the festival has enough dare devils already but this also extends to other displays like jumping out of a car that’s doing doughnuts and just jogging off like its nothing, I mean it might not surprise you that this was Terry Grant again, maybe I should just have put this under T … Damn I have 5 for T already. So yes, apart from “that guy” there are the motorbike sidecar riders who are nuts doing it on proper tracks let alone doing it on a narrow single lane road surrounded by guests and some not too comfortable looking hay bales.

Halfway up the hill you also have the offroad racers who use their cars to cut into the Sussex countryside throwing up rocks and dust one second before launching over manmade jumps and mounds the next, floating for unexplainable distances before landing and their entire vehicle sinking deep into the suspension as the engine whirs into life again … all while having guests on board I might add.

All of this is before you even add in the G.A.S. arena which I will go into more later.

Dust

No matter if it is chilly and damp all day you will somehow end up having to whack dust out of your boots and clothes at some point. As a photographer, it’s something that’s always in your mind as you try to switch between lenses or even just keep it from settling on the lens you have been using.

On a hot dry day, it’s taken to another level, I have two or three spots in the rally stage where I can bank on good shots and kicking up dust and rocks looks great until that split second when you have to turn your back and hide the lens as a shower of dust smacks you in the back. On a warm summer's day as you meander your way through the woods, there is often a soft yellow haze to everything as that fine dust floats and lingers in the air and catches the rays of the sun beaming through the lush greenery. It’s a really nice, calm place to be, well for a few minutes anyway as it’s never too long before a roaring engine, a sliding car and that wash of dust fills the air once again.