Goodwood Festival Of Speed - A - Z

F

FOS Future Lab

Finally, we reach the FOS future lab entry, having mentioned it a few times already but now I get to delve into it properly, having covered off self-driving tractors and logging trucks which tend to live on the outside, stepping into the main building is like an exhibition in itself.

I have seen more than one iteration of a flying car, some with plane-like wings, some with helicopter blades and some with huge rotary engines like a giant drone, heck I have even seen drone racers and that’s just in the skies. How about underwater with the Triton 36000/2 submarine which has been to the bottom of the five deepest oceans. Prefer to go the other way well why not take a look at the ispace moon rover or the mars fetch rover.

It does not even end there, how about a robot that makes drinks, a robot motorcyclist or the Roborace cars, don’t want to give everything up to the robots then how about neuroheadsets that allow you to control a car with your brainwaves. There’s even food for thought with edible packaging and vitamin-rich sweets created using 3d-printing.

I can (and have) lost hours just inside this one exhibit through the years, there is so much to see and do with a lot of the displays being interactive and accessible to all so you can try out all of the things you are seeing, I would highly recommend you visit the futuristic black box and I have no doubt I will be mentioning it again soon.

F1 Cars

The rich mine that is the letter F continues with F1 Cars, the one thing that attracts more people than anything else and that’s just when they are up on jacks with no wheels on in the tents. The instant the canvas is pulled back a crowd will appear out of almost nowhere. I can tell you within a nanosecond which row the F1 teams are in just by walking past the end. It does not matter what car they have bought with them the teams get inundated with questions and comments all day long.

As such this does make it quite difficult to get photos of the cars and the detailing, often (and with very good reason) these are the cars that will have the tensa-barriers up and less access to the cars, however, it’s not fully locked down and I have seen many people of all ages invited to the other side to look at and (mainly children) even sit in the car. Unless they are due to go out and as long as you are polite enough to wait your turn and ask then I believe most teams are happy to let you go a little closer.

Throughout the weekend the F1 cars do go up the hill, they do not set times anymore, not since Nick Heidfeld twitched and weaved his way up in 41.6seconds anyway. That was such a quick time F1 cars are no longer allowed to set times. I do have to point out here that the record has now been beaten (twice) by Romain Dumas in the electric Volkswagen ID.R so maybe an F1 driver might fancy trying to reclaim the title given half a chance.

Realistically though I think the F1 drivers enjoy the chance to do burnouts and the odd doughnut when they can which is great as it gives everyone the chance to see these awesome cars for that little bit longer.

Flint Wall

So, what could stop any record attempt, well there are the obvious answers such as rain, a spin, a poor start but I think the most daunting aspect must be the Flint wall, yes, you read that right there is the flint wall that sits on the edge of one of the corners of the track. It's not a name that has whimsically been associated with the hill run its genuinely a large flint wall that flows round the corner with you as you pass it with your foot pinned to the floor.

I have never been up the hill in a car but I can imagine that’s probably the moment you have to trust in yourself and your vehicle the most, it would also be where you gain or lose the most time in the whole run.

It’s also one of those things that when you explain it to people you just get a kind of shrug of “oh yeah flint wall that makes sense” like what else are you going to call it. The only wish I have is that it was easier to access for photos as it is under some trees and can be difficult to get things lined up properly and especially with the cars zipping past, I feel if there were more images of cars nailing the apex and missing the wall by mere inches then the legend would grow yet louder.

First Glance Paddock

Having already mentioned the concept cars, it does not take a huge leap to then move to the First Glance Paddock, nestled beside FOS future Lab and Electric Avenue, this is an opportunity to see what the future of motoring is going to look like. It's also a reminder that the future is closer than you think. Along with the more well-known manufacturers like Rolls Royce and Land Rover you get to see some newer entries like Genesis, there is a real cross-section of vehicles here from estates to sports cars and Grand tourers and up to SUVs. A lot of them are even already on order and have delivery dates in the months following the festival, it’s the perfect display of cutting-edge technology and design that is ready to roll out onto our roads tomorrow.

Fleeting

Just like the missed pictures I have got either with no car or bike in shot or the ones where I have tried and failed to get the picture on the move and everything is a bit of a blur, this is how the festival can leave you feeling sometimes. If you only have a single day or if you are there for all four, the whole weekend will be gone in a snap.

All the excitement and build up beforehand and all of the excited chats afterwards will always feel they take more time to complete than the time you actually spend at the festival. No matter how early you start or how late you finish, the seconds, minutes and hours will all pass by at the speed of an F1 car.

And just like those fleeting moments, it’s the ones that do land perfectly that create the memories, the sharp images in your mind that long outlast the small disappointments of not getting to see a certain driver, rider or motorbike. As those missed opportunities fade into the distance like that F1 car vanishing up the hill the single captured moments are what keep you coming back time and time again.