Looking forward to Goodwood 2013…

Good News, Mario has been invited back to the period transport team at the Goodwood Revival in September, contracts are signed and returned and we can plan and look forward to our favourite weekend of the year.

In the meantime the ‘humans’ had the opportunity  to attend the press events at Goodwood last week to launch the Festival of Speed and the Revival for 2013. On the Tuesday evening we helped to recreate a scene from the Great Train Robbery for the Press Dinner at the House. It’s been 50 years since the hijack of the train and the haul of £2.6m (over £40m today) and Goodwood told the ‘story’ that get-away driver Roy John James – “the Weasel” who was a racing driver before and after the event, had been driving at the circuit the week before the robbery and hence the use of Goodwood House as a hideout.

The lucky guests who had earlier been passengers in rally cars on the hillclimb course and rally stage were drinking champagne when the robbers arrived with bags of swag to store in their hideout in the Egyptian Dinning Room, before the police tore up to the house in period police cars rushing in to arrest the ‘baddies’. James had great fun as a member of the constabulary.

You can see a film of the activity  

The following day was the actual press day, once again Goodwood were lucky with the weather and the assembled cars and sideshows  formed a spectacular site in front of the house. The day takes the format of a ‘mini’ Festival of Speed, although there are currently more cars at Press Day then there were at the first four festivals!

Lord March opened the preceedings with a run down of what’s happening later in the year, then the journalists get the chance to ride in the cars on the Hill Climb course. A wonderful collection of catering H-Vans provided the refreshments and there was entertainment from the Goodwood actors and period singers.

The press room still decked out as the robbers hideaway and ankle deep in ‘Goodwood notes’The Chariot racing will be back at the Festival

This year is the 20th anniversary of the Festival of Speed and lots of favourites from the last twenty years will be assembled. The central feature will celebrate 50 years of the Porsche 911. Other celebrations include 90 years of Le Mans, 60 years of World Sportscars and 50 years of McLaren and the Mini Cooper S.

A good selection of Celebrity drivers were in attendance – one of Mario’s favourite passengers Jochen Mass, Dougie Lampkin, Sammy Miller, Derek Bell, Emanuele Perro, Barrie Williams, Andy Wallace, Chris Evans and Nick Mason to name a few.

Looking forward to the Revival the things to look forward to include, racing into the evening on the Friday (means a long busy day for Mario!), a GT40 exclusive race, the J40 pedal cars will be back and one of the parades will include a peleton of Tour de France Bikes with period support vehicles. A beautiful Bugatti The fabulous Napier Railton

All in all a great day and lots to look forward to for the rest of the year – lets just hope it gets a little warmer!

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Goodwood Breakfast Club is back…

The 2013 season has arrived with the first Goodwood Breakfast Club of the year – tax free Sunday for pre 73 classics. Mario had come out of hibernation and was ready to go. Although cold with a rather bitter wind it was dry and bright and we set off for the lovely drive through the Sussex countryside and over the South Downs to the Goodwood Motor Circuit. Not being early risers it was pretty busy when we arrived but we were directed onto the track and managed to get a spot down towards Woodcote Corner.

There was a great turn out of cars and it was great to catch up with old friends and meet a few new ones. After the winter break it is always easy to forget what attention Mario receives, we were soon into the habit of smiling for photos and hearing people shout ‘taxi’. It was also a good opportunity to hand out flyers for our upcoming Classic Car Show and Tour we help organise in Haslemere on 26 May.

A beautiful special bodied Alfa was one of our favourite cars of the day.Lovely Volvo and Lancia Another Alfa, the regular body shape but still pretty. We loved this immaculate little NSU Don’t see many ‘little tanks’ on the Goodwood start line

Not everybody spotted this hedgehog mascot on it’s headlight An amusing replica of the ‘Only Fool’s and Horses van, often used for hen nights and weddings! and a friend for Regie, good to see another Renault 4cv on the road locally.By the time the meeting was over the sun was coming out and it was turning into a beautiful spring day so we decided to go for a drive, after a quick run round the estate to see the spring lambs and piglets we set off through the lanes to the seaside on the search for an open Chippy! The lanes south of Chichester towards the coast are flat and twist through agricultural land, bobbling (a Mario term) along in the glorious sunshine you began to feel that Summer can’t to that far away.

After successfully finding chips and eating them on an upturned boat at East Whittering we came back via the wonderful A285 towards Petworth, this road climbs and descends the Downs in great sweeping bends and Mario had a great time. In total for his first run of the year he completed 120 trouble free km a great start to the new season.

ps. Mario had some good news this week as he was invited back to the Goodwood Revival to be part of the period transport fleet again, our favourite weekend of the year.