What You Can Expect At Goodwood’s 2009 Festival Of Speed

The British Grand Prix has passed, as has the Le Mans 24 Hour, and that means along with longer evenings and sunnier afternoons, the Goodwood Festival Of Speed must be drawing close. And indeed it is, taking place on the grounds surrounding Goodwood House this upcoming weekend. From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July, all manor of motor vehicle will scream up the hillclimb, entertaining motor sport enthusiasts and allowing fans to mingle with the machines they love.

The Festival Of Speed is exactly that – a festival of all things fast – and the event attracts a lot of people over the three days, all clamouring to see the cars and bikes in action. Many vehicles that participate in the event are privately owned, brought to the festival by their proud owners. Big names in motor sport also attend, with Formula One teams showing off their racers as well as GT and rally legends.

Goodwood also attracts famous names in motor sport, with Stirling Moss making frequent appearances over the years along with Jackie Stewart and more recent drivers who enjoy the break in their hectic schedules. The event is very friendly, and the drivers who normally shield themselves in their garages are usually more relaxed at the Festival, speaking with fans, signing autographs and posing for photos.

So what can we expect at the 2009 show, this time themed as ‘True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance’…

Click the image to download larger version. Note: It may not be 100% accurate.

Audi will be celebrating their 100th anniversary at Goodwood, showcasing many cars dating back to the Auto Union days and stretching forward to the present time with the R8. Also presenting a large collection of cars will be Alfa Romeo, who are on the verge of starting their own 100 years celebration. Alfa Romeo will field several cars as well as showing off some concepts. Mini are in the celebrating mood as well, marking 50 years of the little car with big personality.

Jaguar, Ford, Land Rover and Mazda will give visitors a sneak peak at their 2010 line, and Ford will be showcasing the new Focus RS while Jaguar are planning on bringing the XFR with them. Mercedes are to debut the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss in the UK alongside its origins, the 300 SLR (the one with the gullwings). A whole host of other car companies will be present as well, all waxing lyrical about their machines. Audi will have off-road demonstration runs in their Q7, and Porsche are also likely to do similar with their Cayenne as are Land Rover.

According to the Goodwood Festival Of Speed website, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton will be around, likely on Sunday only though as he did last year. Current Formula One championship leader Jenson Button is also expected with the Brawn team. Mark Webber and Timo Glock should also be around to drive up and down the hill in their respective Red Bull and Toyota cars. Williams and Ferrari will also bring their cars to Goodwood, although they are likely to be driven by test drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Marc Gene.

Several former drivers are also expected to turn up at some point over the weekend, including Damon Hill, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Eddie Irvine, David Coulthard, Dan Gurney, Derek Bell, Takuma Sato… as well as a host of rally drivers including current World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb.

According to the most recent update on the official Goodwood Festival Of Speed website, here is a quick run down of the current and former Formula One drivers and cars that will be thundering up the hill over the course of the weekend.

Sourced from the Goodwood Festival Of Speed website. Please note that these details may change and it is best to keep an eye on the official FOS website to keep up-to-date as to who’s doing what on which day.

Frank Williams, Christian Horner and Mario Theissen are also expected to be present, although unlike last year, the BMW team are not listed yet. It seems strange that the team principal would turn up without a car to show, so I wait to see what happens regarding this.

The list is almost endless and what is printed above barely scratches the surface of everything that takes to the hillclimb. From experience, the programme that is sold at the entrance is indispensable if you want an accurate guide as to who, what and when. It may cost upwards of £10 but I’ve always found it useful and worth £3/day.

For those who have never been to Goodwood Festival Of Speed before and are making their first journey to Chichester next weekend, here are a few tips that I’ve come to discover from my previous two Festivals…

• Pack a lightweight rain coat. Both times I have been to FOS I’ve used mine as the British weather is indecisive at best.
• Take some sun-screen and sunglasses. Both times I have been to FOS I’ve caught the sun on my face. The British weather really is indecisive!
• Take some earplugs, especially for children or if you know you are sensitive to loud noise.
• Where a comfortable pair of shoes as there is a lot of walking to be done.
• While not entirely necessary, I do leave a pair of wellies in the car – the car parks and festival fields can become very muddy if it rains.
• There are hundreds of places to buy food and drink, but if you don’t want to pay inflated prices, you are allowed to bring your own packed-lunch.
• Don’t feel it necessary to do everything at once, especially if you’re visiting more than one day. Relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
• Always listen to the marshals in the paddocks. I’ve almost been run over twice whilst trying to take a photo.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions to car owners/drivers – they love chatting about their motors.
• If there are things you specifically want to see, use the programme to help you plan. Don’t forget to allow for walking time between areas.
• If standing by a corner in the rally stage, shield your face/camera lens just as the car passes – they kick up a lot of gravel.
• Don’t forget where you’ve parked your car. Write down the location on the reverse of the ticket.

If you’re going to Goodwood Festival Of Speed and happen to see me wandering around, do come up and say hello – I love meeting people who have a passion for motor sport, and it is only made even more exciting if you are a reader/commenter here on BlogF1.

Image by Harry_S, uploaded to Flickr and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic.