Fos 2015 verdict
Discussion
I only experienced this year's event through the online feed - which on the whole was excellent, I thought.
There did seem to be a lack of historic F1 cars this year - e.g. not many from the 50s and 60s - compared to other years - unless they were hiding in the paddocks and elsewhere of course.
There did seem to be a lack of historic F1 cars this year - e.g. not many from the 50s and 60s - compared to other years - unless they were hiding in the paddocks and elsewhere of course.
My verdict was very good and seems to improve every year.
Moving the supercars to a bigger area was a good idea as the previous location was starting to get rammed with people, the new area gave a lot more room for people and for the cars.
Nice touch to add a kids area next to the where the drivers go in/out of the drivers club so they don't get trampled on by over zealous adult autograph hunters !.
Best stand, in my opinion was Jaguar/Land Rover. The rides in the F Types and a video on a USB stick was a great thing to take away and shows what a great car that F Type is.
Hill shoot-out was a close run thing as well.
Too many highlights to mention. Another Great FoS.
Moving the supercars to a bigger area was a good idea as the previous location was starting to get rammed with people, the new area gave a lot more room for people and for the cars.
Nice touch to add a kids area next to the where the drivers go in/out of the drivers club so they don't get trampled on by over zealous adult autograph hunters !.
Best stand, in my opinion was Jaguar/Land Rover. The rides in the F Types and a video on a USB stick was a great thing to take away and shows what a great car that F Type is.
Hill shoot-out was a close run thing as well.
Too many highlights to mention. Another Great FoS.
Agree with the above, it was my first FOS and hopefully not my last. The F-Type ride was fun but I probably wouldn't do it again. The highlight for me was being 'caught' crossing the paddock just as a load of heroic old (and some new) race cars got fired up and driven down to the startline. Some of those cars really get the hairs on your neck up when they rev.
The new McLaren 570S looks a serious bit of kit when seen in the flesh, and firing up the hill.
All in all a great day and having comp tickets sweetened the pill even more.
Neither crowds nor traffic were anywhere as bad as I had been lead to believe (Sunday).
The new McLaren 570S looks a serious bit of kit when seen in the flesh, and firing up the hill.
All in all a great day and having comp tickets sweetened the pill even more.
Neither crowds nor traffic were anywhere as bad as I had been lead to believe (Sunday).
ManFromDelmonte said:
Neither crowds nor traffic were anywhere as bad as I had been lead to believe (Sunday).
Whilst the traffic was very well managed I thought the crowd situation was a lot worse. I've been to the FOS 3 times before but can't remember which day and to be honest I wouldn't go on a Sunday again. Way to many people for my liking. By mid afternoon you simply couldn't move. Horrendous.A fantastic spectacle but the consensus for us is that it's getting too popular for it's own good.
10th year for me I think (always on a Friday), a little bit 'meh' to be honest. The line-up of cars on the hill felt relatively uninspired this time with a little too much emphasis on manufacturers. Marshals on both posts I was near during the day commented on how disorganized things were as well...there were certainly some lengthy stoppages. 40 minutes to clear one crash seems excessive.
As somebody who enjoys the action from the top of the hill I also found it inexplicable that for the first time they closed off one side of the hill from about 2/3s of the way up. The last thing FoS needs is less room to watch the hill from, but that's precisely what they did. That combined with the staggering number of tickets they sell meant a more stressful day than I've been used to.
Still an exceptional event and utterly blessed to have it less than two hours from my doorstep, but relatively speaking it just felt a bit lacking.
As somebody who enjoys the action from the top of the hill I also found it inexplicable that for the first time they closed off one side of the hill from about 2/3s of the way up. The last thing FoS needs is less room to watch the hill from, but that's precisely what they did. That combined with the staggering number of tickets they sell meant a more stressful day than I've been used to.
Still an exceptional event and utterly blessed to have it less than two hours from my doorstep, but relatively speaking it just felt a bit lacking.
Edited by ukaskew on Monday 29th June 12:21
Gets more corporate year on year which is to be expected but I wasn't impressed with the positioning of the Audi stand, which meant moving some of the grandstands further down the hill.
Felt the hill was a bit less organised and next year I will be spending a full day up on the rally stage as it has a great atmosphere
Felt the hill was a bit less organised and next year I will be spending a full day up on the rally stage as it has a great atmosphere
Thought you might be amused by two quirky stand-outs in my three days working there:
A golf buggy bearing Murray Walker doing a wheelie when some bloke jumped on the back (I mean a golf buggy doing a wheelie without Murray Walker is fairly amazing!)
and Marc Gene, fully togged up in Scuderia Ferrari gear, sneaking into the McLaren simulator with young son!
A golf buggy bearing Murray Walker doing a wheelie when some bloke jumped on the back (I mean a golf buggy doing a wheelie without Murray Walker is fairly amazing!)
and Marc Gene, fully togged up in Scuderia Ferrari gear, sneaking into the McLaren simulator with young son!
Harry H said:
ManFromDelmonte said:
Neither crowds nor traffic were anywhere as bad as I had been lead to believe (Sunday).
Whilst the traffic was very well managed I thought the crowd situation was a lot worse. I've been to the FOS 3 times before but can't remember which day and to be honest I wouldn't go on a Sunday again. Way to many people for my liking. By mid afternoon you simply couldn't move. Horrendous.A fantastic spectacle but the consensus for us is that it's getting too popular for it's own good.
Arriving at the Tangmere roundabout from the east at 8.20am we actually got into the circuit at 10.45am, following an hour of standstill and then a bizarre drive round to the north of the estate.
As we were stationary at Tangmere from 8.20am to 9.20am I can only imagine how bad the A27 was behind us.
My first time at Goodwood and overall had a great time. It was a bit of a trek to get there but left early enough on saturday morning to be in the car park for 7.30am
Access to the cars / bikes / stands was superb, something i have never experienced before, after lunchtime you couldnt get near the paddocks.
Got loads of great pictures and videos
Had a great spot on the hill at Molecomb Corner, F1 cars and the Supercars were great. Was damn hot so moved on.
Spent 10 hours there on saturday seeing 80% of what i wanted to.
Sunday was another early start but wanted to watch more racing, do all that buying useless crap thing and catch anything i hadnt seen. Wasnt expecting the crowds to be even bigger on Sunday but wasnt that much of a pain.
The only things that annoyed me abit was the cost of food, I mean £10 for a burger (loose description) and a coke is bit of a joke but really i should have expected it.
Seeing all the empty campchairs where you stand to watch on Molecomb corner wound me up (bit like towels on sunbeds).
Would i go again ? For me its not a yearly event, maybe every 2-3 years i would try and attend, but it was a fantastic weekend and a must for any petrol head
Access to the cars / bikes / stands was superb, something i have never experienced before, after lunchtime you couldnt get near the paddocks.
Got loads of great pictures and videos
Had a great spot on the hill at Molecomb Corner, F1 cars and the Supercars were great. Was damn hot so moved on.
Spent 10 hours there on saturday seeing 80% of what i wanted to.
Sunday was another early start but wanted to watch more racing, do all that buying useless crap thing and catch anything i hadnt seen. Wasnt expecting the crowds to be even bigger on Sunday but wasnt that much of a pain.
The only things that annoyed me abit was the cost of food, I mean £10 for a burger (loose description) and a coke is bit of a joke but really i should have expected it.
Seeing all the empty campchairs where you stand to watch on Molecomb corner wound me up (bit like towels on sunbeds).
Would i go again ? For me its not a yearly event, maybe every 2-3 years i would try and attend, but it was a fantastic weekend and a must for any petrol head
An excellent event, and glad I didn't miss it. It was my fourth time, and first as a GRRC member (I was a member last year but couldn't make the FOS).
Car parking was excellent, straight in and out with no traffic, but I did arrive at 7am. Could have done with a few more shuttles from the car park to the gate, apparently a lot of the courtesy cars had punctures due to the shale, so not a lot they could do aside from using Land Rovers rather than Ford/Mazda 4x4s.
Great to wander round the manufacturers stands - the FOS has quickly become the British Motor Show with all the latest models on display. The JLR stand was by far and away the most impressive.
Hill action did seem a bit sporadic, but was worth it just to see the 28 litre Fiat spitting flames, and Stirling Moss and his 722 SLR.
Was nice to have the Kinrara enclosure to watch the hill from and grab a beer in, and the air conditioning was very welcome given we had to wear jackets.
I didn't get up to the Rally stage, or walk round many of the trade stands, just too much to do in one day.
Looking forward to next year.
Car parking was excellent, straight in and out with no traffic, but I did arrive at 7am. Could have done with a few more shuttles from the car park to the gate, apparently a lot of the courtesy cars had punctures due to the shale, so not a lot they could do aside from using Land Rovers rather than Ford/Mazda 4x4s.
Great to wander round the manufacturers stands - the FOS has quickly become the British Motor Show with all the latest models on display. The JLR stand was by far and away the most impressive.
Hill action did seem a bit sporadic, but was worth it just to see the 28 litre Fiat spitting flames, and Stirling Moss and his 722 SLR.
Was nice to have the Kinrara enclosure to watch the hill from and grab a beer in, and the air conditioning was very welcome given we had to wear jackets.
I didn't get up to the Rally stage, or walk round many of the trade stands, just too much to do in one day.
Looking forward to next year.
Having been to every FOS since the start I came away feeling that it was an average show, quite a few changes were made this year, so a a new team organising the event must be in place.
Fewer formula 1 teams (there used to be 7 in attendance) and no showman ship from the drivers.
Since the departure of John Felix and team the runs were no so well organised with longer clear up times after incidents.
The moving of vehicles to the Formula 1 paddock was not given any thought, these cars having very little steering lock plus crowds of people made it very difficult to get cars back into garages causing bottle necks of people and cars.
Many of the trade stand this year were aimed at the the wrong audience for the majority in attendance.
But there were also positives, I did enjoy but not as much as previous years, will probably attend again next year.
Fewer formula 1 teams (there used to be 7 in attendance) and no showman ship from the drivers.
Since the departure of John Felix and team the runs were no so well organised with longer clear up times after incidents.
The moving of vehicles to the Formula 1 paddock was not given any thought, these cars having very little steering lock plus crowds of people made it very difficult to get cars back into garages causing bottle necks of people and cars.
Many of the trade stand this year were aimed at the the wrong audience for the majority in attendance.
But there were also positives, I did enjoy but not as much as previous years, will probably attend again next year.
pipes said:
Since the departure of John Felix and team the runs were no so well organised with longer clear up times after incidents.
This was the strangest bit for me, the corporate-isation of everything is inevitable, the crowds and traffic are inevitable, so to the food prices. But for the track action to be organised and managed quite poorly seemed very odd, especially given that in the UK we have many remarkably efficient teams that run events with far more cars and incidents to incredibly tight schedules.I know some of the marshals and stewards were absolutely exasperated with it all on Friday (lack of information, mainly), I hope things improved as the weekend went on.
Having been to every FOS since it started, i thought it was great but it must be a struggle to repeatedly get the breadth of cars to attend.
It has naturally become noticeably more commercialised over the years. Allegedly, some local businesses chose not to do business with GW as they simply drive prices to the point of there being little or no margin for a lot of time & effort.
I'll continue to go as aside of the cars, i quite enjoy the smaller trade stands that attend
It has naturally become noticeably more commercialised over the years. Allegedly, some local businesses chose not to do business with GW as they simply drive prices to the point of there being little or no margin for a lot of time & effort.
I'll continue to go as aside of the cars, i quite enjoy the smaller trade stands that attend
First time for us. Pleasantly surprised by traffic (although arrived after the main rush on Saturday)
Couldn't understand why it seemed so much more crowded on Sunday -wasn't it sold out both days? Maybe people just clustered in different places on Sunday.
My friends were more interested in the manufacturer stands , but for me it was a bit frustrating that we couldn't find a decent view of the hillclimb, it was like being aware from the noise that there was a brilliant event going on through the middle of the site but not actually being able to see it. I was thinking that next time a grandstand ticket might be essential, but having said that we didn't walk far up the hill so maybe the viewing improves.
Mainly exceeded expectations though, particularly on Saturday when the crowds didn't seem too bad.
Couldn't understand why it seemed so much more crowded on Sunday -wasn't it sold out both days? Maybe people just clustered in different places on Sunday.
My friends were more interested in the manufacturer stands , but for me it was a bit frustrating that we couldn't find a decent view of the hillclimb, it was like being aware from the noise that there was a brilliant event going on through the middle of the site but not actually being able to see it. I was thinking that next time a grandstand ticket might be essential, but having said that we didn't walk far up the hill so maybe the viewing improves.
Mainly exceeded expectations though, particularly on Saturday when the crowds didn't seem too bad.
Loved it as a FoS virgin. Arrived from the north at 9am on Sunday and didn't take long to get in at all. There was way too much to see in just one day though, didn't make it to the rally stage or any of the driving experiences at all.
But most importantly the wife loved it and was really keen to come back next year!
But most importantly the wife loved it and was really keen to come back next year!
First time we've been, and it seems I'm in the minority - I came away wondering what all the fuss has been about all these years. I think perhaps my expectations didn't really match what it's all about.
I'm far more interested in road cars than race cars. The classic stuff in front of the house was great, gorgeous cars that I've never laid eyes on before. But there was much less of that than I expected.
To me, there was plenty of race cars to see but I've never been a big follower of F1 or any other race series. Once I've seen one Gilles Villeneuve car, I wasn't really that interested in seeing other very similar cars with his name on - it was just variations on a theme. If you're into that though I'm sure it was great.
I was very surprised by the amount of space taken up by regular car manufacturers. Toyota, VW, Seat, Ford etc. Seriously? If I wanted to buy a Toyota Aygo, I'd go to a Toyota dealer and book a test drive! How was all that an attraction? Although they did seem strangely popular with the public. Bizarre.
Even in the stands selling 'stuff' there was a fair amount that had nothing to do with cars (Virgin holiday anybody?)
Food we had was pretty good - priced as expected but surprisingly tasty.
The bike display (Gas works) was great - probably the same as I've seen on tv shows in the past but seeing it live was much more impressive. The motorcycle riders are insane!
It was difficult to get anywhere close to the hill climb on Saturday afternoon - my girlfriend isn't particularly tall so visibility was a problem. I think that if I did ever go back, we'd have to book grandstand tickets.
Overall, it seemed like a huge commercial event but far too little of it was special for me.
I'm far more interested in road cars than race cars. The classic stuff in front of the house was great, gorgeous cars that I've never laid eyes on before. But there was much less of that than I expected.
To me, there was plenty of race cars to see but I've never been a big follower of F1 or any other race series. Once I've seen one Gilles Villeneuve car, I wasn't really that interested in seeing other very similar cars with his name on - it was just variations on a theme. If you're into that though I'm sure it was great.
I was very surprised by the amount of space taken up by regular car manufacturers. Toyota, VW, Seat, Ford etc. Seriously? If I wanted to buy a Toyota Aygo, I'd go to a Toyota dealer and book a test drive! How was all that an attraction? Although they did seem strangely popular with the public. Bizarre.
Even in the stands selling 'stuff' there was a fair amount that had nothing to do with cars (Virgin holiday anybody?)
Food we had was pretty good - priced as expected but surprisingly tasty.
The bike display (Gas works) was great - probably the same as I've seen on tv shows in the past but seeing it live was much more impressive. The motorcycle riders are insane!
It was difficult to get anywhere close to the hill climb on Saturday afternoon - my girlfriend isn't particularly tall so visibility was a problem. I think that if I did ever go back, we'd have to book grandstand tickets.
Overall, it seemed like a huge commercial event but far too little of it was special for me.
Managed to get down there for Thurs-Fri-Sun, missed out on a weekend ticket due to Saturday tickets selling out hours before I went to buy it.
I thought it was fantastic as usual, been going for 4 years in a row now although every other year I only managed to attend one day.
Thursday was surprisingly good and was really happy that I went then as I was able to go around all of the trade stands and manufacturers stands without feeling as though I was missing something on the hill. Managed to win an AMG driving experience as well by being fastest on the Mercedes stand which was pretty cool. A definite highlight was being able to wonder around the fairly deserted supercar and formula one paddocks which by the end of the day had most of the cars in and ready to go for tomorrow morning. The missus also enjoyed it which is always a plus point. Finally though, the best thing of the day was being able to have a go on the CRF250 round the dirt circuit at Honda's off road experience stand. Never ridden a bike off road before and that will definitely not be the last time. Managed to get the missus on a bike for the first time as well after a lot of convincing and she thought the same.
Friday was also another great day which I managed to see about 80% of what I wanted to. This included a fair amount of the cars on the rally stage, notably the ex works Mini Cooper S's. Must have spent about 3 hours up there, such a good atmosphere and never fails to disappoint. Also had a good look at what was going on on the hill and watched a few batches come up at a good viewing spot at Molecombe. Also managed to achieve the top time in the running for the place at GT Academy Race Camp at Yas Marina and got through to the final six but made a mistake in my next simulator runs which meant I didn't get down to the final two.
Sunday was another great day. Started by watching a few batches go up the hill including the drift cars at the viewing point in front of Goodwood House. Was good seeing Ken Block half spin his Mustang with Lord March in the passengers seat, then proceeding to do donuts in front of us. Lord March's face was priceless. Spent a bit more time up at the rally stage with my dad this time and yet again was really good, Kris Meeke was mighty around there.
I then went down to the Nissan stand again for another crack at getting into the final spot for the race camp and I'm happy to say I managed it. I will be attending the race camp European finals of GT Academy at the Yas Marina circuit later this year. I got given a huge signed plaque to take home and then went to the awards ceremony at the end of the day.
When I thought the day couldn't have got any better we then got invited in to Goodwood house along with the other onlookers for a class of champagne and some cake by Lord March. Lord March signed by plaque to top it all off and congratulated me. What. A. Day.
I thought it was fantastic as usual, been going for 4 years in a row now although every other year I only managed to attend one day.
Thursday was surprisingly good and was really happy that I went then as I was able to go around all of the trade stands and manufacturers stands without feeling as though I was missing something on the hill. Managed to win an AMG driving experience as well by being fastest on the Mercedes stand which was pretty cool. A definite highlight was being able to wonder around the fairly deserted supercar and formula one paddocks which by the end of the day had most of the cars in and ready to go for tomorrow morning. The missus also enjoyed it which is always a plus point. Finally though, the best thing of the day was being able to have a go on the CRF250 round the dirt circuit at Honda's off road experience stand. Never ridden a bike off road before and that will definitely not be the last time. Managed to get the missus on a bike for the first time as well after a lot of convincing and she thought the same.
Friday was also another great day which I managed to see about 80% of what I wanted to. This included a fair amount of the cars on the rally stage, notably the ex works Mini Cooper S's. Must have spent about 3 hours up there, such a good atmosphere and never fails to disappoint. Also had a good look at what was going on on the hill and watched a few batches come up at a good viewing spot at Molecombe. Also managed to achieve the top time in the running for the place at GT Academy Race Camp at Yas Marina and got through to the final six but made a mistake in my next simulator runs which meant I didn't get down to the final two.
Sunday was another great day. Started by watching a few batches go up the hill including the drift cars at the viewing point in front of Goodwood House. Was good seeing Ken Block half spin his Mustang with Lord March in the passengers seat, then proceeding to do donuts in front of us. Lord March's face was priceless. Spent a bit more time up at the rally stage with my dad this time and yet again was really good, Kris Meeke was mighty around there.
I then went down to the Nissan stand again for another crack at getting into the final spot for the race camp and I'm happy to say I managed it. I will be attending the race camp European finals of GT Academy at the Yas Marina circuit later this year. I got given a huge signed plaque to take home and then went to the awards ceremony at the end of the day.
When I thought the day couldn't have got any better we then got invited in to Goodwood house along with the other onlookers for a class of champagne and some cake by Lord March. Lord March signed by plaque to top it all off and congratulated me. What. A. Day.
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