The Hill Climb
This event takes place one weekend in late June/ early July each year. It is becoming more and more popular, however the organisers are not going to increase the ticket sales, therefore you need to book your tickets early. But, if you leave it later you are able to find out which drivers are going each day so you can arrange your day around that, if you are interested in one driver in particular.
The Goodwood hill climb is a great way to see formula one drivers, past and present, along with a majority of other motorsport drivers race up the hill. The only downside I would say is that you just see the cars come by once each as opposed to being at a circuit. But, the range of cars and drivers it has to offer are certainly a reason to head to this event. On a bright summers day, Goodwood is the place to be, surrounded by hay bales and fast cars racing up the hill. The cars from across the decades are on display, from Bruce Mclaren's and the early F1 years, from the likes of Prost and Senna, to the modern day fast and furious porsche, Ferraris and Mclarens.
Past cars on display at Goodwood
Driver Access
This is what I found was one of the main highlights of going to FOS. There is a lot more chance of seeing a driver and getting autographs than there are on a normal race weekend. The teams often hold lots of opportunities to meet the drivers throughout the day. For example, I almost walked into Kimi Raikonnen by accident, but then the swarms of press arrived. Also, I was lucky enough to meet my hero, Lewis Hamilton. 'Best Day of My Life'. After an hour of waiting I got my cap signed! The drivers are also more relaxed than they are on a normal race weekend because they have little pressure as they are just driving up the hill, as opposed to racing for the championship. I also saw ex-formula one driver and now Porsche driver Mark Webber just eating his lunch.
The Tricks
The drivers tend to enjoy their time racing up the hill, and would rather put on a great show for the fans, than set a time. Recently, formula one drivers in modern cars have been banned from setting fast times due to the unfair advantage and the fact that it could be dangerous. However, I would say this is a benefit. It enables fans to see drivers such as Lewis Hamilton perform doughnuts across the track which is an exciting sight and the noise that comes with it is a great experience. Especially the sound of the good old V8 engines from the 2013 season and beforehand. Even though I am coming round to the new V6 turbo engines because of the different sound and the chance to hear cheers from the crowds, unlike ever before. |