Images by: Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale
Okay, so the weather forecast beforehand wasn’t that great, but a little rain wasn’t going to dampen my spirit. The drive from West Wales to Goodwood was about a five-hour run, due in part to the persistent rain and the excessive standing water on the motorway. But those of us born in the middle of the last century are a hardy lot, and so I forged ahead.
My latest book, Le Mans 100: A Century At The World’s Greatest Endurance Race, was due go on sale at Goodwood over the weekend, so I made my way over to the Chaters Booksellers stand on Friday afternoon to meet up with owner Clive Stroud and discuss our plans for a couple of book signing sessions on the Saturday and Sunday.
Thursday’s schedule had been run in what seemed like perfectly acceptable sunny and partly cloudy conditions…until Friday, that is. In fact, as Friday wore on, so the clouds and the rain steadily increased until later on, it was thoroughly unpleasant being track side. You could only admire those brave gladiators who dared to put in a practice run up the hill in the increasingly heavy rain, as some of the cars began their run up the hill in front of Goodwood House, sideways! Standing water too, caught out several of the drivers as they headed up this section of the course, drawing gasps from those brave souls still toughing it out in the stands.
As conditions worsened, it was time to head back towards the media centre, and to grab a soul-warming cup of coffee and to dry all my camera gear. Everything was thoroughly wet, and the rain had even found its way through my rain gear, soaking my shirt underneath. At this stage, the forecast that was circulating still seemed to suggest that Saturday’s activities would go ahead, but at around 17h30 I decided to call it a day. Glancing skywards, the dull, gloomy conditions didn’t look as though it was going to dissipate anytime soon.
Trying to get out of the car park on Friday evening was a case of ‘hurry up and wait’ because there was no getting out of that quagmire quickly. Fortunately the Wimbledon mens singles match between Alcaraz and Medvedev was being broadcast on the radio to keep me company, and for entertainment there were those rear-wheel-drive cars to watch as they slew sideways, this way and that, trying optimistically to find some grip in the muddy soup. This all felt strangely familiar as we had done much the same thing back in April this year at the Goodwood 80MM. Eventually we all got out and away to retreat to our respective lodgings for the night.
There was no wi-fi signal where I was staying overnight, and so I settled down for an evening consisting of several glasses of red wine, and chatting through many motoring stories with my good friends with whom I was staying. On Saturday morning, I was determined to get to the venue early, so as to secure a favourable parking spot, and to be sure of getting a photographer’s tabard for my morning’s work. This was going to be the busiest day of the weekend, and the crowds were expected to be huge. So you can probably imagine my surprise when I arrived at the security check to get my wrist band zapped and there was nobody in attendance at the gate. So I thought that maybe because it was only 07h00, that it was a bit early for those folk and they would be happy for the early comers to just walk in. The media centre was open which was great, and surprise surprise, I was the first in. It was all going swimmingly well so far I thought.
My plan was to shoot one or two specific cars in the paddock area before the crowds arrived, so I grabbed a seat in the media centre (there was no need to rush), whipped out my camera and headed off to the paddock area. There were very few people about which was a surprise, but when I saw that all the garages had there roof tarpaulins removed, I simply thought that it was a sensible move as some wind had been in the forecast for Saturday. It was only when I noticed that there were very few cars in the paddock, that I started to wonder what was going on, but being a positive type, I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to get some good shots of the cars because with no roof tarpaulins, the light would be better and with no people around, this was just what I needed.
It was then that I spotted a security guard approaching me rather purposely. He stopped and asked who I was, and as I was able to show him my media wrist band, that was no problem. He then asked me, “Have you not heard?” So I naturally replied, “Heard what?” Then the bombshell hit, when he told me that the whole day’s activities had been called off, and that there would not be anyone coming to the site that day. It took a few moments for the penny to drop, because I mean, why would the whole day’s events be cancelled because of some wind? Well, unbeknown to me, the expected big blow had been upgraded to a 50-60mph gale, and those who could evacuate their cars and gear from the paddock, had wisely done so. While we were speaking, several of the surrounding traders were also packing up their goods ahead of the anticipated storm.
There would of course be many unhappy people who had taken annual leave to experience the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and why not, it is probably the best automotive garden party on the planet. They would have paid handsomely for their ticket(s), alright that would be refunded, because a Saturday ticket for example was not transferable to the Sunday, as the last day had been fully sold out. But visitors to the event would have incurred travel, accommodation and other hidden costs that go with such a weekend. The truth of the matter is that it was a very sad, unforeseen and unfortunate situation that no-one was directly responsible for.
Actually, the decision to cancel the day’s activities was the only sensible thing to do, because had the wind lifted one of the temporary paddock garage shelters and brought it down on a multi-million pound Ferrari, or any of the Formula One cars, or perhaps an historic Porsche racer, that would have been a tragedy too far. Or if a spectator(s) had been hit by an airborne piece of the frame from a temporary pit garage, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Considering what a significant event this was which celebrated the 75th anniversary of Porsche, the 60th anniversary of the Porsche 911 model, the 30th anniversary of the Festival of Speed itself, and the 100 years of Le Mans, it made perfect sense to cancel Saturday’s activities. With hindsight, spectators would no doubt appreciate what a significant collection of very important and valuable machinery there was in the paddock.
Of course, plans were made well before this weekend by drivers and teams, organisers and spectators alike. But this was the first time in the event’s 30-year history that a full day’s activities have had to be cancelled. I’m just glad I wasn’t the one making that decision, it was not a pleasant announcement to have to make.
24 Hours of Le Mans ‘100 Years’ Celebration
There are only five race cars that can boast a double win in the greatest endurance race of them all, the Le Mans 24 Hours, and all five of these cars were present at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed!
Finishing this race is hard enough, winning is a mighty achievement, but claiming back-to-back victories with the same chassis is nothing short of extraordinary. This was first achieved by the Bentley Speed Six back in 1929 and 1930, then again by Ferrari in 1963 and 1964. In this instance it was the winning 3-litre Ferrari 250P from 1963 that was upgraded to the 275P the following year, being fitted with a larger 3.3-litre V12 engine, the same car winning in both years. This feat was next claimed by the 5-litre Ford GT40s in 1968 and 1969, where in both years chassis No. 1075 was victorious. It was in 1969 that Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver driving the Ford GT40 chassis No. 1075, recorded the narrowest winning margin in the history of Le Mans of just 120 metres over the hard charging Porsche 908 LH of Herrmann and Larrousse.
It would be fifteen years before the next double victory would be recorded, that being the back-to-back wins by the Joest Racing New Man Porsche 956B in 1984 and 1985. In ’84 it was Henri Pescarolo and Klaus Ludwig who won, while in ’85 it was Paolo Barilla, Louis Krages with Klaus Ludwig again. This was Klaus Ludwig’s third Le Mans victory, his first being the famous 1979 win in the Kremer Racing Porsche 935 K3.
A decade later is was a Porsche again that notched up another double, that being with the TWR Porsche WSC-95 in 1996 and 1997. The second of these wins gave Tom Kristensen his first Le Mans title, that would see the Dane go on to rack up a record nine wins in the French race before his retirement in 2014.
Sunday’s Activities
Sunday was very much a blank canvas of possibilities. Would there be a significant stay away by the spectators, fearing another deluge or gale force winds? Or alternatively, as it turned out, the visitors would return en masse to enjoy a full day’s activities, packed with action right from the off. Already at 07h30 the media centre was packed and buzzing with new plans being hatched, to try to cram two days of photographing, filming or journalistic coverage into one very busy day.
Moving swiftly into the paddock area, the temporary pit garage roof tarpaulins had been left off in the event of strong winds returning, but regardless, the spectators were flocking in to see their favourite cars, bikes and drivers. The atmosphere was electric, the missed day’s activities quickly forgotten, and the level of anticipation and expectation noticeably ratcheted up a notch, as spectators wanted to soak up as much as they could on the final day.
In recognition of the part that the 24 Hours of Le Mans has played in motorsport, Goodwood brought to the Festival a mouthwatering array of race cars for the public to enjoy. Previous winners and participants such as Porsche, Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Rondeau, Bentley, Ford, Mazda, Alfa Romeo and many, many more were included. McLaren were celebrating their 60th anniversary, and their display boasted many classic and modern road and race cars.
Of course one of the big draw cards was the Porsche celebration which covered the 75th anniversary since the founding of the company back in 1948, and the 60th anniversary of the evergreen 911 model. The Stuttgart manufacturer is the undisputed leader in international motorsport victories across all models, and with a record-breaking 19 Le Mans victories to its name, Porsche rightly stands head and shoulders above its rivals. Scheduled for each of the days, a special Porsche Central Feature Moment gave the spectators something to remember, as all the Porsches participating in the celebration gathered around the central feature in front of Goodwood House.
From the very first Porsche to have participated at Le Mans back in 1951, a 356 Superleicht, to the latest Hypercar, they all gathered for a family tribute to the manufacturer. Porsche brand ambassador, Mark Webber, was behind the wheel of Porsche’s very first car ever to carry the manufacturer’s name, the 356/1 Gmünd-built Roadster (registration K-45286).
Gerry Judah was once again the mastermind behind the huge central feature at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Judah has been the creator of each and every one of Goodwood’s central features, this one being the fourth to feature Porsche cars, the highest number for a single manufacturer. This year’s feature comprises six iconic Porsches, divided evenly between road and race cars – an early split-window Porsche 356; the hugely popular 2009 Porsche 911 Sport Classic (997.2); a current Porsche 911 Carrera (992); the 1959 Formula One Porsche 718/2; the No. 7 Blaupunkt Porsche 962 C driven by Hans-Joachim Stuck/Frank Jelinski/Derek Bell to fourth place in the 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours; and the 2023 No.75 Penske Racing Porsche 963 Hypercar.
With Hindsight
I wouldn’t have missed the 2023 Goodwood festival of Speed for anything, foul weather or not. The organisers always seem to source such an eclectic collection of high quality vehicles for each event, and this one was no exception. There is simply not enough space here to mention all the motor bikes, the rally cars, the EVs, the supercars, the tin tops, the staggering spread of Formula One cars, and so many others.
And then there is the outstanding Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ which features motoring style that is often found on the race track and vice versa. Models such as the Porsche 356 Carrera GS Speedster, 356 Carrera Zagato, Bugatti EB110 S, Jaguar XJ220S, Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback, Ferrari 250 GT SWB, 275 GTB, Dino 246 GT/L…and so many more. Frustratingly, with a shortened event, there simply wasn’t the time to cover everything adequately.
Perhaps next time the Duke of Richmond can supply journalists and photographers with a jet pack each, so we can cover the whole event with ease. But seriously, next year (11-14 July 2024) it will be really necessary to attend from the opening day on Thursday, just to give each stand, display or run up the hill adequate attention. This event has grown so much in both size and quality that it simply has to be on your ‘must visit’ list next time.
