Monday 4th July 2011

Supercars The Stars At Goodwood FoS

50 (count 'em) machines give performance fans a thrill

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The Koenigsegg Agera on the FoS hill

The Goodwood Supercar Run gave FoS visitors a great chance to see some rare and exotic machinery in action over the weekend - from the UK public debuts of the Ferrari FF (driven over and back from Italy for the occasion) and Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, to kit that was far more esoteric.

Over 50 cars took part this year (including PH in a blacked-out Panamera Turbo S with a 'Goodwood special' exhaust - woo-hoo!), and many of the cars had not been seen or heard with their wheels turning and exhausts barking in the UK before.

Highlights in no particular order included the Pagani Huayra, Jaguar XKR-S, Marussia B1 and B2 (did we miss them?), Hulme Can Am Spyder, Hennessey Venom GT, and the BAC Mono. The First Glance class was run for what the organisers (or should we say paying exhibitors) deemed to be 'interesting performance cars', and included our Panamera, plus the world debut of the Vauxhall Astra GTC, the Honda CR-Z Mugen, Range Rover Evoque and Citroen Survolt concept.

Hulme Can Am Spyder

Also 'giving it the beans' to varying degrees up the hill were the Ginetta F400, Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0, McLaren 12C, Covini C6W, Bentley Continental Supersports, Volvo Polestar, Noble M600, Koenigsegg Agera R, Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, Ferrari 458, Corvette ZR1 and Aston Martin One-77... well, you get the picture. (And if you've got pics of the ones we missed, do drop them into the thread below.)

Given that you could drool over most of these cars in the paddock, as well as watch them in action, the Supercar Run would almost have made the FoS worth the entry ticket on its own, we reckon.

BAC Mono	Bowler Nemesis
Bristol Fighter	Caparo T1
Spyker Aileron	Noble M600
McLaren MP4 12C	Lexus LFA
Pagani Huayra	Ferrari FF
Lamborghini Aventador	Aston Martin One-77
Ariel Atom V8	Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0
Corvette ZR1	Covini C6W

[Maxus]

That Aston looks far more shapely and stand out from the DB9 in that picture than in the magazine articles.

Very nice.

[schmalex]

I was there yesterday. Every single car there was just stunning. My 7 year old was particularly chuffed to literally bump into Lewis Hamilton as we were wandering through the F1 paddock

[Reardy Mister]

I love the FOS. I went on Friday last week.

Its still a great way to spend a day and whichever way you slice it, just sitting for a pint in the grounds of a Stately Home listening to F1 cars go by is my idea of heaven.

But considering the cost of getting in now, plus getting to a grandstand to actually see the hill and then the 7.50 for a burger and 4.00 for a pint of warm bats piss, Id like to go there and NOT see the same 100 or so cars with just a few updates or additions. Its a getting a bit samey for the money, is what Im saying.

The Supercar lineup is nice, but when youve seen them idle up the hill once.....

Plus the same 10 or so touring cars, the same Indy and F1 cars. Yes yes, I should be grateful just to see some of them still in action, but on cost vs content, Im starting to the think the FOS is a better 4-5 yearly prospect, than yearly or even 3 yearly visit.

The bikes section smacks slightly of tokensim too. I mean, a stock 04 Hayabusa? Whilst I have a crap £7.50 burger and a warm pint and peer over peoples heads? Its a bit of a struggle. Not to mention waiting while the cars that got to the top are brought carefully back down, then the cars going to the start wait for them and are taken carefully to the start. Sometimes it was an hour between runs.

I dont mind paying, but show me the value Lord March. Maybe he has enough folks who will pay big bucks just to be seen there and arent fussed about content. Presumably the same ones who spend all day in the Veuve enclosure plying the promo girls with bubbly and shouting over the din of the pesky motorsport.

And would someone please set up a stall offering Segway Hire to get about the place? Its crying out for it and it seems to me the crowd and environment there are custom made for it.

[Chris-R]

Reardy Mister said:

Not to mention waiting while the cars that got to the top are brought carefully back down, then the cars going to the start wait for them and are taken carefully to the start. Sometimes it was an hour between runs.

Yes, what was that all about? I drove in the Supercar run on Friday, and it was about an hour and a half late. There were some big gaps in the traffic for the group ahead of us - the pace/turnaround definitely needed to be quickened from the spectator's PoV, I thought. Was it the same on Sat/Sun?

[Reardy Mister]

Chris-R said:

Reardy Mister said:

Not to mention waiting while the cars that got to the top are brought carefully back down, then the cars going to the start wait for them and are taken carefully to the start. Sometimes it was an hour between runs.

Yes, what was that all about? I drove in the Supercar run on Friday, and it was about an hour and a half late. There were some big gaps in the traffic for the group ahead of us - the pace/turnaround definitely needed to be quickened from the spectator's PoV, I thought. Was it the same on Sat/Sun?

You would think there is a case for a running track around the back of the whole event that links the start, finish and paddock, so that its seemless and much quicker?

[P4ROT]

Was an awesome day this year- highlights were seeing Horacio Pagani driving the new huayra round the paddock, hearing this years lotus F1 do the national anthem lol and seeing the hurricane bomber again!

[bass2rez]

Reardy Mister said:

You would think there is a case for a running track around the back of the whole event that links the start, finish and paddock, so that its seemless and much quicker?

I do agree that the gaps between runs was rather long, however, I enjoyed watching the cars come back down the hill, the relaxed nature of the return journey allowed various antics such as burnouts, donuts and other forms of showing off to the crowd, so a shortcut around the back would spoil this, somewhat.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the event, well done to all concerned.

[bass2rez]

P4ROT said:

Was an awesome day this year- highlights were seeing Horacio Pagani driving the new huayra round the paddock, hearing this years lotus F1 do the national anthem lol and seeing the hurricane bomber again!

Was it Horacio Pagani that was also driving the Huayra up the hill?

[Noe]

To have blinked and missed the covini must have been a good thing. What a beast

[DMC2]

That Ferrari FF truly is a dog.

[fatboy69]

Yes it was Mr Pagani himself doing the driving & it was the Vulcan bomber, not a Hurricane bomber - sorry for being a little pedantic.

I stood trackside for 5 hours on Friday morning without moving & i did think that some of the gaps between the runs were a little too long however i guess that if broken down cars have to be retrieved from the hill then that adds to the time.

I would also imagine that organising the cars into their correct groups is a logistical nightmare & i wonder whether or not they should just let all cars run up the hill as they please rather than group them together.

However as a true petrolhead i am not going to complain too much because at how many other events can you wander around a car park & stumble across a row of Group C Silk Cut Jaguars, Mark Donoghues 917, Lotus F1 cars, Senna's McLaren etc etc just left for all to view?

Can you imagine doing that at fortress Silverstone next week? Of course not because it just wouldnt happen.

The whole event is awesome due, in my opinion, to the fact that it is so relaxed, there are no security 'goons' anywhere, no high fencing, no one saying 'dont breathe on my car' etc etc.

It is an event for enthusiasts put on by enthusiasts & that is the difference.

My only real complaint is the cost of the food as other people have said - i mean, £6.50 for an inedible beef buger, £3.00 for a portion of chips & £4.50 for a pint of lager (not to mention getting fleeced for £6.50 for a vodka & coke on Friday night!!) Its a joke & this need to be addressed before next year.

That is the only aspect of the event that needs to be reviewed as next year i will be taking my own food & drink solely to keep the cost down a little.

That said i had a great time so a big thank you to Lord March & his team for once again putting on an awesome show.

I just wonder what Lord M will come up with for next year!

[Vantagefan]

Chris-R said:

Yes, what was that all about? I drove in the Supercar run on Friday, and it was about an hour and a half late. There were some big gaps in the traffic for the group ahead of us - the pace/turnaround definitely needed to be quickened from the spectator's PoV, I thought. Was it the same on Sat/Sun?

Massively off (two hours almost on Sunday). As sad as it sounds but if you're planning the day to get as much in as possible in a short space of time arriving to find that the Supercars are'nt running for another hour or two throws everything else off. You don't want to go and do anything else in case you miss it - like I did.

[Garlick]

Reardy Mister said:

I dont mind paying, but show me the value Lord March. Maybe he has enough folks who will pay big bucks just to be seen there and arent fussed about content. Presumably the same ones who spend all day in the Veuve enclosure plying the promo girls with bubbly and shouting over the din of the pesky motorsport.

I'll hold my hand up here and admit that the hill content is a nice addition to a great day for me. This is the only show that I attend with the Mrs as we enjoy the whole affair. We like to look at the classics, the paddock have some tea and then wander around the trade stands and manufacturers new cars. In between all this I will pop over to the hill climb to watch the noisy stuff (F1, Can Am etc) before wandering off to have a nosey somewhere else. We always buy things from the exhibitors and enjoy sitting in the sun watching people go by while having a coffee.

I hear you about the content, and I agree that once you have seen the cars pass once you need not bother again, but I love being there too much to let the hill cars be the star of my day.

[orouge]

Do you know where I can see what times these exotica achieved on the hill? Or were they all just giving pointless demo runs?

[Garlick]

Most weren't flat on it runs as they stopped to burnout or drift. Those that were going for it would be hindered by a slower car doing a burnout further up the hill.

It wasn't pedestrian though and was well worth a watch. In fact those that 'drifted' etc were more fun to watch than the flat out fly-by.

[NicePlaceToBe]

Reardy Mister said:

Chris-R said:

Reardy Mister said:

Not to mention waiting while the cars that got to the top are brought carefully back down, then the cars going to the start wait for them and are taken carefully to the start. Sometimes it was an hour between runs.

Yes, what was that all about? I drove in the Supercar run on Friday, and it was about an hour and a half late. There were some big gaps in the traffic for the group ahead of us - the pace/turnaround definitely needed to be quickened from the spectator's PoV, I thought. Was it the same on Sat/Sun?

You would think there is a case for a running track around the back of the whole event that links the start, finish and paddock, so that its seemless and much quicker?

This is what they do on the Moving Motor Show on Thursday, running a loop for the showroom stuff that turns left off the hill just after the finish. Sounds like they need to do the same thing for the supercar runs

[Jw Vw]

The McLaren looks fantastic

[TheRoadWarrior]

Chris-R said:

Reardy Mister said:

Not to mention waiting while the cars that got to the top are brought carefully back down, then the cars going to the start wait for them and are taken carefully to the start. Sometimes it was an hour between runs.

Yes, what was that all about? I drove in the Supercar run on Friday, and it was about an hour and a half late. There were some big gaps in the traffic for the group ahead of us - the pace/turnaround definitely needed to be quickened from the spectator's PoV, I thought. Was it the same on Sat/Sun?

There seemed to be gaps in the traffic on Saturday too. I also heard some marshals grumbling about how late a particular session was too.

Not something i'd noticed the last 2 years I've been going to FOS.

[DanBMW]

I went for sat and sun this year and still absolutely loved it but as has been said the times between runs was a bit long this year and I thought there was too much old metal and the driving was alot less lairy than previous years. Thats the reason we go, to get up close to the cars and hear and see them thrashed. The distinct lack of revving from most of the supercars was a diappointment too. I think that if you dont appreciate that your driving a Koenigsegg/Zonda/Bug then you shouldnt be allowed to drive it.

[Garlick]

DanBMW said:

The distinct lack of revving from most of the supercars was a diappointment too. I think that if you dont appreciate that your driving a Koenigsegg/Zonda/Bug then you shouldnt be allowed to drive it.

I think the drivers try to put on a show, but the lack of noise from factory exhausts means the spectacle is lost. Inside that car the poor chap is trying to wrestle an unfamiliar car up an unfamiliar course and he probably thinks it looks awesome (as he is giving his all in there) but all we see is a fairly quiet car go past quite briskly.

Put a man like Plato inside and you'll get a drift around the right hander, but it's a rarity these days and the pressure can only be increased when a collector lends you his £5million historic rarity for a run. The last thing you want to do is bin it.