F1Journal.com - Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009

Seventeenth heaven
The sun shines on yet another great Festival of Speed

Text and photos: Flemming Hansen

With Autosport carrying the almost standard headline of 'Glorious Goodwood' I thought that it had to be something else! But it was indeed glorious and the weather had a lot to do with that! 3 days of the sun burning the tender British pale white skin into a crisp with what must be a perfect temperature around the 25 degrees and only clouds early in the day.

This years headline was 'True grit and epic feats of endurance' which was synomyous with a lot of the charactars gathered at Lord March' stately home in the south of England near Chichester.

Formula One

As has been the standard for several years now there will be some F1 teams present. Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, Toyota, Red Bull and Brawn had brought cars. The last team and the championship leading team were not able to run their car due to the testban introduced this year. Just how a demonstration run up a narrow road could ever be a test of anything apart from not using the car and therfore not using any money which is the main point of course. But to the public this is ridiculous. All the other teams used old cars but as Brawn doesn't have a car from last yeat they were prevented from taking part in the proceedings apart from showing their car on static display. It was good to see Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton busy writing autographs and Lewis were probably glad to drive his old car rather than the recalcitrant car of 2009?

As well as newer cars ther were also a large mouthwatering selection of older F1 cars of which my clear favorite was the Leyton House CG901. It was possible to judge how tiny that monocoque really was, which was literally designed by Adrian Newey round the pint sized drivers Capelli and Gugelmin.

Current world champion Lewis Hamilton drove some great demonstration runs in last years car.

Crowd favourite Jenson Button doing autographs. A popular thing that also Lewis Hamilton used a lot of time doing to the delight of the fans.

Not so tiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!! Kazuki looking somewhat surprised in the Williams.

Timo Glock really showed off in the Toyota.

Brawn GP had brought their current car. 'Strangely' enough the diffuser was blanked off with a plate to prevent prying eyes!

For a second I thought it read 'Heil' - yet another energy drink. This one from hell!

As beautiful as it was back in 1990 - Leyton House CG901.

Brabs in a Cooper.

Strawbales and a Tyrrell... it is John Delane

The 1986 Beatrice originally driven by Alan Jones and powered by the Ford Turbo. Not now though - in the back you'll find a Hart turbo.

Nice to see Martin Donnelly again this year. Now in probably the most famous of the Lotus' cars. The 79.

Familiar Benetton colours from the early career of one Michael Schumacher.

Takuma Sato behind the wheel of the Benetton B-188

Trademark orange gloves and tartan striped helmet. Stewart in his old Matra Ford.

Webber starting the Red Bull

Timo Glock gripping the wheel of the TF-108

Red Bull Cola - sorry I don't like that. It must be an acquired taste I'm afraid. Yugh!

Timo was the tire burnin' champ of Goodwood FOS 2009.

Waving to the crowd just before doing some perfect donuts.

Dr. Mario Theissen probably wondering about how to get the Sauber BMW's to perform?

Brawn was there but didn't run the car due to the test ban...(!) Yes really - it is not a joke!

Takuma Sato had brought his own fans.

A 2008 Red Bull with all the aero add-ons outlawed in 2009. But with 2009 tyres!

Like old clothing that shrinks in the closet - her is proof that racecars do it as well! 1980 champion Alan Jones trying to squeze into his old car.

Frank Williams 40 year tribute

Humble were the beginnings in 1969 for Frank Williams (Racing cars Ltd) running an ex works Brabham for Piers Courage. It developed into a contract with de Tomaso for 1970 where unfortunately Piers Courage was killed in the Dutch GP that year. It became hard times. Williams was devasted. Piers had been a friend. In the next years Williams ran Iso Marlboros where drivers like Arturo Merzario and Tom Belsø tried their hand. In the mid seventies the rich Canadian oil-magnate Walter Wolf showed up and went into partnership with Williams. It was not a success and that led to Frank Williams setting up a new team for 1977 with a dated March chassis for Patrick Neve to drive, but for 1978 the first shall we say 'proper' Williams FW06 designed by Patrick Head that still today is with the team. But in 1978 the Williams car was outdated as soon as the Lotus 79 hit the tracks, so for 1979 they had to design a better Lotus 79 and they did. In 1979 Clay Regazzoni won the first victory for Williams at Silverstone despite no. 1 driver Alan Jones had been looking like doing it for some races. But good old Clay did it. Alan Jones became champion in 1980 and over the 1980's and 1990's Williams had the upper hand until the last champion Jacques Villeneuve parked his car after the last race in 1997. Since then it has been more of a struggle. Partnership with BMW went bad when BMW would like to take over the Williams team. Willams and Head wouldn't sell out and had to abandon the powerful engines and has since then been placed in the midfield. The last true privateers and fighters! For the next 40 years!

A large gathering of Williams friends and drivers turned up to celebrate 40 years in racing.

DC with JYS, FW and 1980 world champion Alan Jones.

Jenson Button pays a visit to his old boss.

Two legends. Frank Williams and Patrick Head.

A large gathering of famous FW cars.

Listen Lewis, you'll have to bring more speed into the corners! Back in '68 when I won at Nürburgring I...

Gone but not forgotten.

Damon Hills championship winning chassis.

Strictly speaking it should be Carlos Reutemans car with 28.

The first 'real' Williams so to speak - the FW06

Yes it is a March, but that was the car Williams used in 1977, driven by Belgian Patrick Neve.

Adrian Newey trying his hand in one of his old designs - the FW-16.

Adrian at speed

Damon Hill taking a look on a modern era F1 Williams.

Get af life!

Well he did actually, but the result was rather predictable. The infamous W-12 Life engine had not too much life when 'racing' in F1 - or rather trying to prequalify in 1990. They didn't do too well then and didn't fare much better at the festival to the amusement of some!

No need for fast shutter speeds on the camera to catch this one. Life W-12 in the back.

And the car at the end of the rope is - a Life!

40 years of the biggest bangers of them all - Porsche 917

In 1969 probably the most famous of the racing Porsches - the 917 had its debut. In the beginning it was an animal only a few drivers had the guts to drive flat out. The 917 was designed to have the lowest possible cw value to cut through the air like a bullet. The drivers cell was flimsy tubing with some very thin fibreglass to add strength and a massive 4.5 litre engine in the back. The drivers feet were well in front of the front wheel centre line, so even the slightest accident would result in massive injury - at best! It was another time where driver safety was not high on the list. The only thing that mattered to Porsche was to build a world beater - and they did. Winning Le Mans in 1970 and 1971 before rules were changed and they had to run the cars somewhere else. It became the twin turbo Can-Am monster that won everything in the hands of American legend Mark Donohue from the Penske team.

At Goodwood Festival of Speed there was a mouthwatering gathering of these fantastic cars, for all to see and not the least hear!

Legendary 1971 Le Mans winner. I'm not exactly sure it is the same chassis - but at least it looks like the real thing.

Porsche 917-10 as used in the Interserie.

The 1000 BHP+ 917-30 monster, driven here by Le Mans legend Derek Bell

One of the early Can-Am Porsche 917 cars.

This is again the 917-10.

Gulf Porsche 917 from the John Wyer team.

The 917PA that was an early development of the Le Mans type Porsche 917, to be used in Can-Am.

Another Le Mans winner from 1970. Possibly not the 'correct' chassis,

My personal favourite Porsche 917 paintjob. The 'Langheck' from Le Mans 1971 directly from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.

Le Mans celebrations

As ever a large selection of the cars has competed in Le Mans and to the delight of many myself included we had the main protagonists of the last Le Mans barely a month ago on the show. The winning Peugeot 908 HDI FAP with drivers Brabham, Gene and Wurz all present as well as the third placed Audi R15 TDI of which only Tom Kristensen were missing. Almost every other Audi driver were there to celebrate 100 years of Audi, including multiple Le Mans winners Emanuele Pirro, Marco Werner, Frank Biela, 'Dindo' Capello and Allan McNish.

In fact a 'staged' fight broke out between David Brabham and Allan McNish over the Le Mans trophy, where Derek Bell had to be called in as a referee to calm things down a bit.

It's mine! No it is mine!

Good looks and a good sound from this one - the Lola Aston Martin in Gulf colours.

Emanuele Pirro having a great time at Goodwood.

The predecessor to the all conquering Audi R8's the R8R from 1999.

A car as noisy as the picture... Le Mans winner Peugeot 908 HFI FAP. It has the looks but not the sound.

Peace broke out without having to bring in the Marines.

American talk show host and car enthusiast Jay Leno drove the Harrods McLaren from 1995 Le Mans

The Americans were there!

NASCAR were very much in force at Festival of Speed. Always good to hear some big old American V8 muscle in contrast to the humming sewing machines from Audi and Peugeot. On friday the two NASCAR drivers Rusty Wallace and Mike Skinner were followed round by some hefty looking 'bodyguards'. But these were later sent back as they found out that the crowd at FOS is never a mob, but a pleasent knowledgeable peaceful gathering of people! These days it is still good to know that at Goodwood you won't find any drunken idiots spoiling the show for everybody else!

One of the famous Dale Earnhardt no. 3 cars.

Mike Skinner

Big and noisy - can only be American. Trophy Truck driven by Jesse James.

Look at that suspension travel!

Yep that is Jesse James from the TV-show 'Monster garage'.

1989 NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace had a great time at Goodwood

Taylor Earnhardt the 20 year old daughter of the late Dale Earnhardt was driving one of her dads old cars with the famous no. 3

Another famous no. in NASCAR - no. 24 Dupont Chevy - Jeff Gordon. Not driven by him though.

Easy Rider

As well as Porsche 917, Frank Williams and the moon landing - it was also the 40'th anniversary of the legendary road movie 'Easy Rider'. What would be more appropriate than having Peter Fonda to ride a replica of the chopper from Easy Rider while playing 'Born to be wild' on the speakers? Fonda enjoyed the crowd as well as himself although he couldn't hear what was being played due to the helmet and noise from the machine.

Fonda on Captain America chopper.

Peter Fonda - Hollowood legend.

Born to be wild roaring out of the speakers.

Famous lids - and those that may be in the future!

As always the large gathering of drivers show off their helmets. The older guys tends to have simplistic designs while the new kids on the block looks like mad graffitti artists have been let loose! Matter of taste naturally, but we won't get beck to the days when a guy like Jochen Rindt wore a new Bell helmet with his name written with a speedmarker!

Steady Eddie with his well known Jaguar-era helmet

Mark Webber concentrated before starting a new climb of the hill.

Pedro de La Rosa still a McLaren test driver

Marco Werner in the Audi R10 TDI

Allan McNish with his wellknown lid.

A flashy 'Dindo' Capello complete with chrome finish helmet and boots to match!

New Finnish driver Mika Mäki. The Finns do not have a large selection of firstnames it appears! ANOTHER Mika?

Timo Glock is German! The German colours proudly worn on the sides of the helmet.

No prices for guessing this one!

Jenson with his new colours on the helmet, but the same well known design.

No not that Nico - the other Nico 'the Hulk' Hülkenberg

Williams testdriver Sam Bird.

'Understated and anonymous' lid worn by the motormad 'Monster Garage' Jesse James

Atmosphere.

There are a lot of things going on in three days. It is absolutely impossible to cover it all singlehandedly, so things like the rally stage, style et luxe and supercars isn't covered in this article. For me the main thing is cars with stickers on that rides on tarmac, and the trek up to the rally stage is rather a long one and you might miss something exiting around the F1 paddock! But it is absolutely worth the trip, and can be recommended. In fact everything can be recommended!

Red Arrows and blue skies - only one word: Glorious!