Goodwood Festival of Speed

[viper2day]

Hi All
happy new year to everyone , first post of 2018 !!!!

just wondering if this event is actually as good as the hype ,

has anyone been ? is it all about trade stands ? , are there car club stands? display area etc , and if so, is it feasible to have a Viper club stand there ?

planning the year and just wanted thoughts , is this worth the LONG drive for me

thoughts welcome

cheers

Les

Edited by viper2day on Monday 29th January 23:46

[sonicbloo]

I went in 2015, a 4 day ticket bought for my birthday by my wife. I didn't know what to expect, but it was amazing - the best motoring event I've been to, there's so much live action to enjoy from all aspects of motor sport, and you get to see cars you'll never see anywhere else, some get brought in from overseas just for the event.

We did the first 3 days (about 7 hours per day), but ended up giving the Sunday tickets away free to the hotel barman, as we couldn't face another full-on day - followed by a 300 mile drive home. Thursday is quietest, but you can see more as there are less people, and can have free passenger rides up the hillclimb course in new cars on the dealer stands. The weekend is a lot busier and Sunday is hectic, that's when all the famous stars make an appearance.

I don't think there were club stands, it was mainly trade stands and manufacturers, I didn't take the Viper but they do qualify for the 'Supercar Paddock' which gave preferential parking near the entrance

Checkout Youtube, there's lots of FOS videos from previous years

My wife booked the hotel for 2 separate 4 night stays, as prices double when the dates are announced. It is usually the week before or week after the British Grand Prix, then cancelled the days she didn't want. We stayed 20 minutes away in a great hotel for £90 per night, other guests were paying £200 I found out whilst chatting to a welsh guy at the bar one night.

I will definitely go again some day, it is expensive but worth every penny

Edited by sonicbloo on Monday 29th January 22:28

[Ginja]

I've been many times over the years as I live very close, the overall format changes little over time but it is probably the biggest motoring event in the annual calendar and for someone who has not been it would definitely take up 3 full days to see everything. There is the hill climb spectacle which has some very cool cars, with some good viewing points without paying for a Grandstand (although they do make viewing easier). Most of the cars at the event go up the hill but there are some static displays, including many manufacturer stands as the motor show moved there. Then at the top of the hill (quite a walk!) there is the rally stage which is a must see. For someone who has not been to see a rally this was an incredible sight.

I definitely recommend going but add the caveat that this is Goodwood and has the usual Goodwood pricing schedule - its expensive. The ticket price is just entry, there are lots of places 'entrants' cannot go that VIP's or similar can which irks after a while. Food, drink etc is at the high end of pricing, especially the Goodwood outlets, but you can park relatively close (although some local knowledge is needed to understand how and where) and return to the car for packed lunch.

There are lots of trade stands, but very few 'bargains' lots of manufacturer stands including the usually very cool Land Rover moving display. There are air show elements, a big display arena with stunt bikes etc, the big attraction of the pit areas so you can get close to the cars and some of the drivers - the American drivers are usually very friendly (I have Richard Petty's signature for example) and a long chat with Kerry Earnhardt a couple of years running, the British ones usually disappear into the VIP lounges. Ken Block is sometimes there, usually some F1 drivers and hearing the F1 cars and some drag cars rip up the tarmac is very cool.

Its not as good as the Revival in my opinion which in turn is not as good as the members meeting, but it will not disappoint if you have not been.

Oh, and its not a club stand kind of event, its a money spinning event, to get into the supercar parking paddock for example you have to pay a premium AND have the right car which all the attendees can walk around. The car parks are often as good in terms of cool cars as the event...

Mark

[8.4L 154]

The Viper Club UK has in the past had a stand at Goodwood if i recall correctly, but it was bankrolled by Steve Kingshott and was very expensive. The reason why you don't see car clubs is because it was something like £20k to put on a 4 car stand and that was probably 10-15 years ago now.

[Viper]

It was back in 2002 when we had a peice of grass for about seven vipers, we camped in a field close by for the whole event. It was a bit of a nightmare with so many people pawing the cars, and even stealing bits.

I helped Steve organise it, yes most of it was funded by Steve though I recall it was about 6G, you had to hire a white small marquee off Goodwood at crazy prices just for a bit of shelter

[viper2day]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts , very informative

It sounds like this is a must do event

calender marked !!!

cheers

Les