Goodwood Festival Of Speed - A - Z

K

Kids

From people acting and feeling like children to actual Kids, it would be easy to think that the festival is only for grown-ups and that kids are not accommodated. Well, if you have got this far you know the organisers don’t feel this way and have made plans accordingly. I mean you have the easy wins of the noise and speed of cars roaring past just feet away which can lead to uncontrollable giggling to the G.A.S. Arena, watching flips, spins and tricks whilst being picked out on the Jumbotron and MC to wave and cheer and get involved at the same time as racing home to get out their bikes and try to see if they can re-create what they have seen by hopping over a makeshift jump in the garden or even dance on one wheel while their friends watch in awe.

You can take them into the Future Lab where they can interact with a lot of the exhibits, control little robots, race remote control cars around mini tracks. There’s face painting, Wacky Races cars and drivers, there have even been dedicated areas where they could use diggers, cranes to search for treasure and hook a bug (Obviously this was a Herbie inspired VW bug). Then there is one of the absolute staples of the festival, the pull along trollies, these covered carts are an ideal way to transport children around the site as you make your way around to the next exciting piece of the action, putting an end to the cries of tired legs and not being able to walk any more.

And when they are too tired, they can fall asleep inside and this does not mean your day has to end as you can keep them with you as you try and see some things for yourself… Although these are usually quieter parts of the festival.

Knowledge

You could spend many years talking to everyone that attends the festival of speed and would still barely scratch the surface or start to understand the breadth of knowledge that comes through those gates years after years, of course I mean the super fans who know more about the history of a team or brand even more than those companies longest-serving employees. However, I also mean the skills and understanding of all of the mechanics and support teams, the drivers and owners.

I do not doubt that if you had any question about any car or any event that it might have taken part in there will be someone here who knows the answer. They might not be there at the exact moment you are but they are there. I would be interested to see a single car picked and placed in a busy location with touch screens allowing guests to input their most obscure fact or memory of the car which could then be fact-checked and published a year later just to demonstrate that fact.

I think this would work because everyone is so engaging, not just with information boards and cards / posters but actually striking up a conversation with you just because you stopped and looked at their car for a while, always keen to point you towards an interesting quirk that this car had, or something special in the design that gave them an edge, or, in some occasions something that didn’t work but it's still woven into their love of their car. I assure you; you will learn some truly fascinating things during your time here.

Kindred Spirits

It would be easy to think that as we are all at the festival of speed, we are all kindred spirits but I mean the real deep connections that are made here, the true sharing of minds when looking at a bike on one of the stands, the absolute stranger who you arrive next to and is still there 20minutes later as the rest of the crowds come and go, the understanding smile and half nod at each other that lets you know that this specific bike or car means something special to them in the same way it does to you.

And sometimes that’s all it is, you both (finally) drift off and you never cross paths again. Sometimes (and mainly my wife who is instantly more memorable than me) you meet the same person year after year. On one occasion we were at a completely separate event and my wife got a smile and a “You’re the girl from Goodwood Festival of Speed” followed by a confirmation, then, a whole conversation about the Metro 6r4 that they both love so much.

These are just the small interactions I have had or know about; I have no doubt whatsoever that people have made friends and met up again, year after year at the festival. In the days and weeks following the festival I look out for the hashtags and photos on social media where others are posting their best images so I follow them and see what they are doing and how I can tweak my own work to be better as we all learn from each other it’s wonderful.

Kiosks / Stalls

Now it wouldn’t be an event without the ability to visit some stalls and purchase some merchandise or memorabilia, even here the mix of options is eclectic, you can buy a die-cast metal model of a car, a poster of that same car, a hand-drawn / painted picture of the car in the pouring rain, in some instances you can even buy a full-size recreation / replica of the car that you can then own and drive yourself.

Vintage metal signs and logos for hanging on your wall, team shirts, jerseys, jackets and overalls to hang in your cupboard. Fancy a coffee table made out of a used F1 tyre and wheel you got it, do you want some coasters made out of gears, not a problem. Do you want a genuine piece of F1 car bodywork (retrieved from God knows where) you got it? Cleaning products and wax, tools, gadgets and gizmos are here aplenty.

You want a hot tub, step this way, how about some ducks carved out of wood, not a problem head over to that massive elk (also made of wood) and my friend will help you out. Let’s get back on track, how about a boat, that’s just down there and you are going to need some designer sunglasses and a leather jacket to finish off the look so try the stall two rows over.

I genuinely can’t explain in full just how much money you can get through walking through this section so don’t say you haven’t been fore-warned.

Kitbag

Kitbag’s, backpacks, handbags, any kind of bag is going to become a vital part of your kit as you attend the festival, it really is a vital item on your list, mainly to carry all the other items on your list – carrying all those purchases from the kiosks, your snacks and drinks, sun cream and all manner of mysteries that exist in a lady’s handbag.

My kitbag is mainly for my camera equipment and sun-cream (damn my fragile pale skin), separate lenses for that close up of the engine bay or grill to my zoom lens for work on the hill climb and rally stage. An assortment of batteries and spare memory cards, two rocket airs for clearing as much of that dust as possible from my lenses and sensor. Two extra power banks for my phone and headphones.

Then there are the extra layers of clothing and coat that rotate from being on to off to back on again throughout the day. I even have a water bladder in my bag because of the distances I cover at the festival.