Goodwood, 22 – 24 June 2007
The 2007 Theme - The idyllic country setting of Goodwood House was once again taken
over by the motor sports fraternity over the weekend of 22 – 24 June, for the fifteenth edition
of what has become the biggest motoring garden party in the world! The theme of this
year’s gathering was “Spark of Genius – Breaking Records, Pushing Boundaries”,
celebrating the pioneers and engineers who took the risks and made the sacrifices in
their quest for victory in their particular field of motor sport. The only “fly in the ointment”
was the weather, which was predominantly fine on Friday, but deteriorated over the
weekend to give many people a mud bath by Sunday evening. However, even this couldn’t
detract from the spectacular array of machinery assembled by Lord March and his team,
which never ceases to amaze.
Spot the Star - Each year it attracts top names from all aspects of motor sport, whether it
be on two or four wheels, and on or off road, this year being no exception, with a host of
stars “ancient and modern” in attendance. These included current F1 sensation Lewis
Hamilton, and peers, David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson, Ralf
Schumacher and Mark Webber, whilst former F1 drivers including a number of World
Champions ranging from Ferrari’s 1964 Champion driver John Surtees, through Damon
Hill, Jochen Mass, Riccardo Patrese Sir Stirling Moss, to double Champion Emerson
Fittipaldi and triple Champion Sir Jackie Stewart, to name but a few. There were also
those who made their name predominantly in sports car racing like five times Le Mans
winner Derek Bell, Vic Elford, Jackie Oliver, Brian Redman and current Audi team member
Allan McNish, The diversity of the genres covered is exemplified by the likes of triple
Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Snr, rally stars Michele Mouton, Colin McRae and Hannu
Mikkola, and four times World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty. Rally star Peter Solberg
thrilled the crowds, not only with his driving skills, but also by driving down to the start line
standing on the door and roll cage of his Subaru, whilst waving to his fans.
Excess All Areas - It is not only the stars that are there in abundance, but also an equally
eclectic array of machinery, some of which is rarely seen in public, let alone run in anger,
the icing on the cake being that it is all accessible to the paying public, which is a key
ingredient to the success of the event. This year there were no less than five of the six
Bugatti Type 41 Royales built in the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours, as a celebration of the
80th anniversary of the launch of what at the time was the most expensive and exclusive
car in the world.
Birthday Treats - There were numerous other anniversaries being celebrated, including
the centenary of the Brooklands circuit, the world’s first purpose built race track, 75 years
of Toyota and their 50th anniversary of motor sport participation, plus of course Ferrari’s
60th anniversary. Although the date unfortunately clashed with Ferrari’s own celebration in
Maranello, Italy, there was still a fine selection of the marque present at Goodwood,
including a time warp 250 Testa Rossa, an example of the legendary 250 GTO, and a
variety of screaming F1 cars including the factory entered F2006 model driven by test driver
Marc Gene.
Keith Bluemel 07/2007.
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