Goodwood Festival of Speed: different but still special

Amid some office-based lethargy, Prior comes up with an antidote for the Goodwood nay-sayers

I heard some unexpected mutterings from colleagues about not enjoying the Goodwood Festival of Speed quite as much as normal.

I get some of it. How higher hay bales this year have reduced visibility after an errant wheel entered the crowd last year, and that if one wanted to watch an electric SUV drive past, one could go and stand by the M1.

But I think part of the issue could be over-exposure to the event. These are the grumbles of people who have been every year and seen it all before. I couldn’t make it last year so went this year with a new-found sense of energy.

I think if you save and plan and it’s an event you visit rarely, and to which you head with an intent to see some specific, incredibly special cars and people, Goodwood still retains its magic.

And when the crowds became just too much even for me, when I felt like Neo in The Matrix walking into 1000 people coming in the other direction, I took a walk up the hill into the forest rally stage. You can see barely a handful of people and yet have some of the world’s most special rally cars go past just a few feet away.

Maybe you have to look for it a little harder, but for me Goodwood still has it.