Reflections on this year’s Revival.
Discussion
A993LAD said:
I have been to the revival a few times now but Friday was the best ever and I'm not sure how I will top it in future.
My wife and I were lucky enough to be in the Ford hospitality area quite early in the day when one of the Ford organizers came in and asked if anybody wanted a passenger trip in one of their GT40s doing a parade lap.
Needless to say my hand was in the air in a millisecond and I was quickly taken down to the the end of the pit lane to be introduced to the driver of the GT40 which was a car from the Ford heritage collection.
My wife came with me to take photos and when we got there the organisers said there was a second GT40 with an empty seat if my wife wanted to go out on the track in that one as well.
What an amazing and unexpected experience doing a lap of the track in one of my dream cars.
I got to ride in this red one from the Ford heritage collection.
My wife went around the track in this maroon car which was privately owned by a US collector.
Top marks to Goodwood for a brilliant event yet again and also to Ford for providing a dream experience.
Goodwood is one of the few places, where even the course cars are quite something.My wife and I were lucky enough to be in the Ford hospitality area quite early in the day when one of the Ford organizers came in and asked if anybody wanted a passenger trip in one of their GT40s doing a parade lap.
Needless to say my hand was in the air in a millisecond and I was quickly taken down to the the end of the pit lane to be introduced to the driver of the GT40 which was a car from the Ford heritage collection.
My wife came with me to take photos and when we got there the organisers said there was a second GT40 with an empty seat if my wife wanted to go out on the track in that one as well.
What an amazing and unexpected experience doing a lap of the track in one of my dream cars.
I got to ride in this red one from the Ford heritage collection.
My wife went around the track in this maroon car which was privately owned by a US collector.
Top marks to Goodwood for a brilliant event yet again and also to Ford for providing a dream experience.
Ok 2 days in. Friday good day obviously weather is a complete bonus. I think today was the busiest day I have ever seen at revival and I haven't missed a day in over 10 years. Racing size it just seems really bitty today with 2 or 2 races followed by parades etc. I do like the event but I go for the races so the members meeting is definitely more for me. That said bring on tomorrow
coppice said:
9.3 said:
Maybe we were spoilt by the train last year, but where were the cast members, the strolling singers, the St Trinians, 1960’s themed stuff?
Hmm- that stuff is why I now go to the MM - , call me Mr Grumpy Anorak but I go to race meetings because, y'know, I like racing . But panto? Not so much MM is now by far the best Goodwood event.
85Carrera said:
coppice said:
9.3 said:
Maybe we were spoilt by the train last year, but where were the cast members, the strolling singers, the St Trinians, 1960’s themed stuff?
Hmm- that stuff is why I now go to the MM - , call me Mr Grumpy Anorak but I go to race meetings because, y'know, I like racing . But panto? Not so much MM is now by far the best Goodwood event.
I’m off to the revival for the 20th time tomorrow! Hanging out by St Mary’s.
Last time I went there was a dress code, at least for Paddock entry. I sailed through in my hideous tweed jacket and viyella shirt (which nobody wore to the race meetings I went to in period) but my OH encountered a difficulty despite wearing smart blazer, silk shirt and liberty scarf. She was wearing trousers - very smart ones too - but obviously no woman in 1966 ever wore trousers, presumably as it might have triggered outbreaks of lust amongst men folk . Not a woman to be crossed , she pointed out the various sleb women in similar attire and was allowed in .
If you think it's more panto than racing then a mandatory dress code might fly - but I take the view it's a damn fine race meeting best enjoyed trackside at St Mary's . And I'd bet good money at least 60 % of the crowd never go to any other race meeting and wouldn't know an ERA from a Frazer Nash , nor , quite possibly , their arses from their elbows
If you think it's more panto than racing then a mandatory dress code might fly - but I take the view it's a damn fine race meeting best enjoyed trackside at St Mary's . And I'd bet good money at least 60 % of the crowd never go to any other race meeting and wouldn't know an ERA from a Frazer Nash , nor , quite possibly , their arses from their elbows
highway said:
Cheese platter for £10 struck me as fair value. Two small bottles of water at £5 was somewhat punchy. A dishevelled looking Clarkson asked for a bottle of water whilst stood in front of me. Clearly pissed and clearly not willing to chat.
They have so many water points that you’ve got to be crazy to go to an event these days without a bottle. As for clarkson celebrities will be inundated with people wanting to chat asking for a selfie and getting them to say their focus ST is the greatest car ever so I can understand why they may appear to not want a chat.
I went for the 1st time yesterday courtesy of PH free tickets (Thank you)
I thoroughly enjoyed it, the weather was hot and sunny all day, how some of the guys must of felt in a shirt, tie, waistcoat and jacket god knows as I was sweltering in a short sleeved shirt.
I thought the racing was great and you could get close to the track or sit/stand on the banking for a great view.
It was a shame to read on my FB feed this morning that 6 cars have been disqualified from the 1st St Mary's Trophy race including the winner, one chap saying he raced in 2001 with a lap time of 1.49 (he came 4th) the winners are now 14 seconds faster.
I would certainly go again, it would be easy to grumble at how much a coffee and burger cost there but that is the same for all these types of events and to be expected.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, the weather was hot and sunny all day, how some of the guys must of felt in a shirt, tie, waistcoat and jacket god knows as I was sweltering in a short sleeved shirt.
I thought the racing was great and you could get close to the track or sit/stand on the banking for a great view.
It was a shame to read on my FB feed this morning that 6 cars have been disqualified from the 1st St Mary's Trophy race including the winner, one chap saying he raced in 2001 with a lap time of 1.49 (he came 4th) the winners are now 14 seconds faster.
I would certainly go again, it would be easy to grumble at how much a coffee and burger cost there but that is the same for all these types of events and to be expected.
jeff666 said:
I went for the 1st time yesterday courtesy of PH free tickets (Thank you)
I thoroughly enjoyed it, the weather was hot and sunny all day, how some of the guys must of felt in a shirt, tie, waistcoat and jacket god knows as I was sweltering in a short sleeved shirt.
I thought the racing was great and you could get close to the track or sit/stand on the banking for a great view.
It was a shame to read on my FB feed this morning that 6 cars have been disqualified from the 1st St Mary's Trophy race including the winner, one chap saying he raced in 2001 with a lap time of 1.49 (he came 4th) the winners are now 14 seconds faster.
I would certainly go again, it would be easy to grumble at how much a coffee and burger cost there but that is the same for all these types of events and to be expected.
I hadn’t seen that but just had a look some big names disqualified. (And 7 in total now!)I thoroughly enjoyed it, the weather was hot and sunny all day, how some of the guys must of felt in a shirt, tie, waistcoat and jacket god knows as I was sweltering in a short sleeved shirt.
I thought the racing was great and you could get close to the track or sit/stand on the banking for a great view.
It was a shame to read on my FB feed this morning that 6 cars have been disqualified from the 1st St Mary's Trophy race including the winner, one chap saying he raced in 2001 with a lap time of 1.49 (he came 4th) the winners are now 14 seconds faster.
I would certainly go again, it would be easy to grumble at how much a coffee and burger cost there but that is the same for all these types of events and to be expected.
Nik da Greek said:
I really, really hated it this year.
TBH, I'm over the fancy dress nonsense, the cost, the crowds, the irritating old biddies with feather dusters, the cost, the stalls selling fur coats, the false-ness of it all. It just annoys me now from start to finish. But then, I did have to go with the wife.
Love the cars, love the bikes... actually, I really love the cars. All the rest of it I could just live without
That's why the Members Meetings are more enjoyable, genuinely of tasteful period ambiance with the 'right crowd' attending, all without the pantomime. Stopped attending the FoS & the Revival the moment it got overcrowded & overdone. TBH, I'm over the fancy dress nonsense, the cost, the crowds, the irritating old biddies with feather dusters, the cost, the stalls selling fur coats, the false-ness of it all. It just annoys me now from start to finish. But then, I did have to go with the wife.
Love the cars, love the bikes... actually, I really love the cars. All the rest of it I could just live without
Have to respect the planning & the physical work it all entails though so no doubt the Goodwood coffers overflow these days.
WJNB said:
That's why the Members Meetings are more enjoyable, genuinely of tasteful period ambiance with the 'right crowd' attending, all without the pantomime.
so the ‘Harry Potter’ school houses, and ‘field games / house points’ have escaped you then?WJNB said:
Stopped attending the FoS & the Revival the moment it got overcrowded & overdone.
The events have grown in physical size, so actually, they really are no more “crowded” ( in real terms ) than when they started. There are bigger areas to ‘soak up’ the bigger crowds.WJNB said:
Have to respect the planning & the physical work it all entails though so no doubt the Goodwood coffers overflow these days.
Quite. It’s an epic undertaking, and never fails to impress.I went Friday and Saturday after last attending around 10 years ago and not being since.
It was superb, dressed up or not no one cares. I made an effort on Friday but dressed more casually on Saturday as it was so warm. Having a blanket dress code would be a nightmare to enforce and probably affect ticket sales, would they turn away someone in a suit that wasn't period yet let some in a set of £95 Goodwood cotton overalls attend for example?
The downside of the dress "code" was the number of muppets in fancy dress military uniforms. Minimal effort, looked ridiculous and a tiny bit Walty.
The cars attending as always were the attraction for us, the tax exempt car park outside "Over the road" entrance was like a classic car show in its own right and well worth spending a couple of hours wandering around.
Inside we trawled the stalls, the Bonhams auction cars, ate, had a cold beer and watched some of the track action on the Friday. There was some lovely stuff amongst the stalls mixed with a lot of overpriced tat for Homes and Gardens crowd.
Saturday we spent around the Paddock, the Manufacturers displays, the Italian Job set up, the infield aircraft displays and then settled into a decent infield viewing spot to watch the track action and soak up the sun. Met Troy Corser before he set off in the Barry Sheen memorial, pretty much the highlight of the day feeling all of my atoms being agitated each time one of those bike revved in the pits
Loads of unique and interesting stuff in the publically accessible paddock as usual, the fenced off paddock was nicely done in that you could still see everything even if you didn't have a pass.
We drove down both days from near Twickenham and had no issues with traffic or queuing, leaving on the Saturday was a little congested but they're very well organised and traffic wasn't a problem. About an hour 20 each way both days arriving around nine and leaving around 6.30.
The weather makes a huge difference to the experience, last time it rained a lot and made wandering around and watching the track action a little more unpleasant. I'll not attend again for a few years, like the FoS it's probably best to leave a gap and let the memories fade a bit before attending again.
One thing that did strike me this year was the number of E-Types there, has there been a mass restoration program going on as there seemed to be hundreds of the things!
It was superb, dressed up or not no one cares. I made an effort on Friday but dressed more casually on Saturday as it was so warm. Having a blanket dress code would be a nightmare to enforce and probably affect ticket sales, would they turn away someone in a suit that wasn't period yet let some in a set of £95 Goodwood cotton overalls attend for example?
The downside of the dress "code" was the number of muppets in fancy dress military uniforms. Minimal effort, looked ridiculous and a tiny bit Walty.
The cars attending as always were the attraction for us, the tax exempt car park outside "Over the road" entrance was like a classic car show in its own right and well worth spending a couple of hours wandering around.
Inside we trawled the stalls, the Bonhams auction cars, ate, had a cold beer and watched some of the track action on the Friday. There was some lovely stuff amongst the stalls mixed with a lot of overpriced tat for Homes and Gardens crowd.
Saturday we spent around the Paddock, the Manufacturers displays, the Italian Job set up, the infield aircraft displays and then settled into a decent infield viewing spot to watch the track action and soak up the sun. Met Troy Corser before he set off in the Barry Sheen memorial, pretty much the highlight of the day feeling all of my atoms being agitated each time one of those bike revved in the pits
Loads of unique and interesting stuff in the publically accessible paddock as usual, the fenced off paddock was nicely done in that you could still see everything even if you didn't have a pass.We drove down both days from near Twickenham and had no issues with traffic or queuing, leaving on the Saturday was a little congested but they're very well organised and traffic wasn't a problem. About an hour 20 each way both days arriving around nine and leaving around 6.30.
The weather makes a huge difference to the experience, last time it rained a lot and made wandering around and watching the track action a little more unpleasant. I'll not attend again for a few years, like the FoS it's probably best to leave a gap and let the memories fade a bit before attending again.
One thing that did strike me this year was the number of E-Types there, has there been a mass restoration program going on as there seemed to be hundreds of the things!
Edited by Smiljan on Sunday 15th September 20:35
Today was my sixth Revival, though the first since 2005. So what has changed? Well the racing was good. It was the first time my younger son had been to a proper race meeting, if you discount the fact he was only 2 months old at our last Revival. I've taken him to the FoS since 2011, but this was his first time watching track action and he loved it.
The aircraft static display was good, though we did miss not having the airshow, but that has been discussed elsewhere.
The downside was the number of people. It was manic. Both my partner & myself felt that there were far more people than when we last went in 2005. Everything seemed a bit crowded and you didn't seem to be able to appreciate the cars/bikes on display due to the throng of people. I'm a fairly seasoned airshow goer and am used to getting a quick photo of planes before people walk in front of you, but this was by far the worse meeting I have been for this.
We didn't feel relaxed like we have in the past, partly due to the crowding, but the spirit didn't seem to be there anymore. Maybe I'm just getting old. I suppose that's a good excuse to give the Members Meeting a go. Is it me or the event?
The aircraft static display was good, though we did miss not having the airshow, but that has been discussed elsewhere.
The downside was the number of people. It was manic. Both my partner & myself felt that there were far more people than when we last went in 2005. Everything seemed a bit crowded and you didn't seem to be able to appreciate the cars/bikes on display due to the throng of people. I'm a fairly seasoned airshow goer and am used to getting a quick photo of planes before people walk in front of you, but this was by far the worse meeting I have been for this.
We didn't feel relaxed like we have in the past, partly due to the crowding, but the spirit didn't seem to be there anymore. Maybe I'm just getting old. I suppose that's a good excuse to give the Members Meeting a go. Is it me or the event?
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