Great day, but...

Great day, but...

Author
Discussion

PR350

Original Poster:

670 posts

216 months

Saturday 12th July 2008
quotequote all
My first FoS since '99 on Friday and thought that it was an amazing spectacle and a superb piece of organisation. However, my one grumble must be with getting out of the car park. It was absolute chaos of the highest order. We sat stationary for 30 mins because, although we had followed the proper exit route, everyone else insisted on pouring through any given gap. This resulted in a complete mess. Finally, Islander (who I was with) lost his rag and tore a strip off one of the day-glo chaps to stop the cutting in at the front and within 10 minutes we were at Lavant.

It is the only improvement I can recommend - either marshall the sides or rope them off completely only allowing one way to get to the exit - if everyone has to come to the same point to then lead out it would save a lot of hassle.

Brilliant though!

Paul

hot metal

1,995 posts

200 months

Saturday 12th July 2008
quotequote all
Why get wound up .Every year we get back to the cars ,have something to eat and drink and just generally lounge for an hour and let the less chilled folks make a dash for it . Then we just drive out. Easy smile

The Hypno-Toad

12,678 posts

212 months

Saturday 12th July 2008
quotequote all
My only complaint this year was the Laundry Cafe. If you were there on the Friday I was the one who finally started swearing and asking for his money back after waiting for 20 minutes for a cooked breakfast. I wasn't the only one; people were getting the wrong orders, sausages that weren't been cooked properly, one guy was threatening to jump over the counter and cook it himself etc. The trouble was for them was that because everyone could see what was going on and how useless all the staff were it wasn't a surprise that people were getting pissed off.

I mean they had heat lamps and hot plates, they must have known how busy they were going to be at eight in the morning, why did they not have a selection of the rolls ready prepared? I know its only a little thing but it was surprising at something as usually so well organised as Goodwood. I might have understood if it was a burger bar but this was the main cafe in front of the house and I'm guessing run by GRRC itself.

And breathe........

didn't ruin the day. smile

Black Frog

331 posts

269 months

Saturday 12th July 2008
quotequote all

Went on Friay..

Did the chilling out thing at the end...oppo to go through the padocks with less bodies, get some better angles and then walk the track...got to the car at 7pm, home in Uckfield 50 miles away at 8:30pm...

Great day, didn't rain and loved it. And re food - the roast in the GRRC pavilion was superb!

BF

MadDad

3,835 posts

268 months

Saturday 12th July 2008
quotequote all
Aside from some issues with the Times tickets getting in I have not complaints about the day (Friday). We were out of the car par within 5 mins of getting onto the car (mind you we did not have w*****s jumping the queue). Horrific traffic on the way home, took the best part of 3 hours to get from Goodwood back to Binfield but that had nothing to do with the event!

Everything is still very expensive, not sure if the vendors have to pay a huge ground rent for the weekend and therefore pass it on to the punters or are just total crooks - I am guessing its a bit of both!

After last year I was not sure if I would bother going again (and I have only missed one since it started some 16 years ago), this year seemed better to me..............might have been the weather!!

RedexR

1,861 posts

221 months

Sunday 13th July 2008
quotequote all
PR350 said:
My first FoS since '99 on Friday and thought that it was an amazing spectacle and a superb piece of organisation. However, my one grumble must be with getting out of the car park. It was absolute chaos of the highest order. We sat stationary for 30 mins because, although we had followed the proper exit route, everyone else insisted on pouring through any given gap. This resulted in a complete mess. Finally, Islander (who I was with) lost his rag and tore a strip off one of the day-glo chaps to stop the cutting in at the front and within 10 minutes we were at Lavant.

It is the only improvement I can recommend - either marshall the sides or rope them off completely only allowing one way to get to the exit - if everyone has to come to the same point to then lead out it would save a lot of hassle.

Brilliant though!

Paul
Couldn,t agree more , we have sat in the Thruxton car parks many a time waiting in line whilst anarchy prevails and the Marshalls do NOTHING ! rant over

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

257 months

Sunday 13th July 2008
quotequote all
You get this stuff at all events though, and is simply a product of lots of people all wanting to do the same stuff at the same time.

Yes there are particular things that the hired in companies can do (cooked breakfasts for example), however, when 20,000 people all try to get out of a car park at the same time there ARE going to be delays.

RedexR

1,861 posts

221 months

Sunday 13th July 2008
quotequote all
Doesn,t make blatant pushing in right though does it...unless you drive a large BMW of course lol

chevy-stu

5,392 posts

235 months

Sunday 13th July 2008
quotequote all
RedexR said:
Doesn,t make blatant pushing in right though does it...unless you drive a large BMW of course lol
Well 'city' 4x4's are excempt from queing you know...

NDA

22,302 posts

232 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all

I left at around 6pm from Gate 4 and the queues were pretty bad. But it's 140,000 people trying to get home, so it's to be expected.

A great day out.

tvrforever

3,182 posts

272 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
must admit we found parking great all 3 days - longest queue to enter was about 15mins (at around 9:15 each day - from Chichester side as camping @ lakeside park) in Public parking East A or West A.

Leaving was also fine and no problems at all - 6pm on Fri & Sat, back at tent (or Sainsburys for supplies) within 30 mins, Sun left around 15:20 so was easy going as well.

All in a great weekend - just wish there were 2 laps in the Bowlers as they were awesome to ride in...

Fume troll

4,389 posts

219 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
tvrforever said:
just wish there were 2 laps in the Bowlers as they were awesome to ride in...
I had two laps, you only had to ask! When I asked if I could do two laps or if I'd have to go back in the queue, they guy didn't know as he said no-one had asked before. I thought that was very odd!

Cheers,

FT.

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

257 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
How much were the Bowler laps?

Fume troll

4,389 posts

219 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
TonyHetherington said:
How much were the Bowler laps?
About £1/second!

£20 a lap: a bargain.

Cheers,

FT.

bint

4,664 posts

231 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
My first FoS and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Got camping tickets and would highly recommend doing this again. No problems getting in, no problems getting out (getting to M3 was a bit slow but some nice cars to gawk at).

Our minor niggles were that from Pheasantry Hill on Sunday we couldn't see the Red Arrows very well and that Saturday night they should have put something on at the Cricket Pitch stage for the campers. The Cricket Pitch Bar was serving Goodwood Ale and would have been great for us. Did get a great view of the fireworks though.

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

257 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
Fume troll said:
About £1/second!
thumbup

tvrforever

3,182 posts

272 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
Fume troll said:
TonyHetherington said:
How much were the Bowler laps?
About £1/second!

£20 a lap: a bargain.

Cheers,

FT.
Was a 46 second lap - we timed it whilst waiting, so circa 50p a lap! Even better bargain - and yes I'd pay a lot more!

bint

4,664 posts

231 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
We declined paying that much, but have to confess that the freebie drives of the Q7 were more entertaining than we had expected. Took some serious control over those hills.

Fume troll

4,389 posts

219 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
tvrforever said:
Fume troll said:
TonyHetherington said:
How much were the Bowler laps?
About £1/second!

£20 a lap: a bargain.

Cheers,

FT.
Was a 46 second lap - we timed it whilst waiting, so circa 50p a lap! Even better bargain - and yes I'd pay a lot more!
50p/ second ? Even better. Just fabulous machines eh?

Cheers,

FT.

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

257 months

Monday 14th July 2008
quotequote all
bint said:
We declined paying that much, but have to confess that the freebie drives of the Q7 were more entertaining than we had expected. Took some serious control over those hills.
They were free? Ah nuts.

In fairness though next year I'm going to have to do 2 days, I just dont find enough time to do everything!!