General FoS 2017 Thoughts/Reviews Thread
Discussion
I thought it would be a good idea to have one thread for general thoughts, reviews, complaints(!) etc.
I've just noticed that Roger Clark Motorsport have confirmed they have not been invited back to defend their title, very surprised by that. Manufacturers throwing their toys out of the pram?!
I've just noticed that Roger Clark Motorsport have confirmed they have not been invited back to defend their title, very surprised by that. Manufacturers throwing their toys out of the pram?!
The Hypno-Toad said:
It's at least as busy as a Friday now, the place is heaving.
Really?! Surprised by that, was considering going just on the Thursday next year given it's a pretty full schedule of stuff this year.The paddock looked super-quiet on the vids this morning, i.e. when they unveiled the AMR Pro Vulcan thing it was hardly heaving.
Enjoyed my first 4 hours here today so far. By far the quietest year for spectators so far on a Friday for probably 8 years or so. Maybe the addition of extra stuff on Thursday has spread the load a little.
The paddocks were absolute bliss for a good hour or two this morning. Currently at the top of the hill and again it's very quiet. Happy days!
Line up feels very average and uninspiring though, probably the worst year for cars for some time. Desperately need a new batch to mix things up (80s/90s supercars?) Also a good hour behind already despite only a couple of minor stoppages, organisation isn't as efficient as usual.
The paddocks were absolute bliss for a good hour or two this morning. Currently at the top of the hill and again it's very quiet. Happy days!
Line up feels very average and uninspiring though, probably the worst year for cars for some time. Desperately need a new batch to mix things up (80s/90s supercars?) Also a good hour behind already despite only a couple of minor stoppages, organisation isn't as efficient as usual.
Edited by ukaskew on Friday 30th June 11:14
Strange day, shortest queue I've ever seen at A East going in, was in the Paddock at 7:01. Paddocks were the quietest I've known them for years (they're always quiet for the first hour, but today especially so)
I looked around the Cartier Lawn and after the supercar paddock was still like this...
Took my time heading up to my usual spot at the top as there were so many spots near the house to view from early on, it's usually stacked out with camping chairs. Spent the rest of the day up the top, no space issues whatsoever, worked my way down later and still found good vantage points. Drove straight out and arrived at my hotel in Fareham 40 minutes later.
Organisationally no issues whatsoever, I just choose to avoid the areas that annoy me (i.e. everywhere below the house after 9am). I found the vehicle line up deeply uninspiring, admittedly I've been 11 years in a row so I've got to expect the same old stuff, but this was some way short of even that. Most years they usually dig up something a bit different to mix things up (the Trophy Truck a few years back was great, for example, hill, rally stage and off-road area in one hit) but this year it poor...by Goodwood standards, which admittedly is still pretty exceptional.
I looked around the Cartier Lawn and after the supercar paddock was still like this...
Took my time heading up to my usual spot at the top as there were so many spots near the house to view from early on, it's usually stacked out with camping chairs. Spent the rest of the day up the top, no space issues whatsoever, worked my way down later and still found good vantage points. Drove straight out and arrived at my hotel in Fareham 40 minutes later.
Organisationally no issues whatsoever, I just choose to avoid the areas that annoy me (i.e. everywhere below the house after 9am). I found the vehicle line up deeply uninspiring, admittedly I've been 11 years in a row so I've got to expect the same old stuff, but this was some way short of even that. Most years they usually dig up something a bit different to mix things up (the Trophy Truck a few years back was great, for example, hill, rally stage and off-road area in one hit) but this year it poor...by Goodwood standards, which admittedly is still pretty exceptional.
ewand said:
Was the blue Honda NSX in the Supercar paddock still roped off like it was yesterday?
Yup! Agera and LFA next to it with no ropes! The new Ford GT and FXX's were roped off too, worrying trend.Also slightly annoying how many cars were still covered this morning, probably 1/5th of the supercar paddock first thing.
Blue One said:
The persistent use of hay bails which greatly reduces ground level visibility and the fact that most prime sites are enclosed helps ensure this - basically economic segregation which I think is wrong.
Generally I'd agree, it's definitely got worse in that respect, but, if you're willing to put the leg work in or get a spot early there are still good spots.The top of the hill is excellent (free open grandstand too) despite the fact that they put no effort in for people who are willing to walk that far. The toilets are a hell of a walk down and there is just one or two food/drink outlets (but they do seem to be cheaper).
I managed to do an entire day on Friday without once getting anything near a crowd, and that's as a peasant general ticket holder.
Crossing the track has always been a pain, hard to know what the answer is short of them building a tunnel.
It's not the fault of the marshals, they can guesstimate opening times but they're at the mercy of the competitors and course director. The pre-war batch alone took well over an hour on Friday morning and obviously no one could have predicted that, scheduled timings were out the window before it even reached 9am.
It's not the fault of the marshals, they can guesstimate opening times but they're at the mercy of the competitors and course director. The pre-war batch alone took well over an hour on Friday morning and obviously no one could have predicted that, scheduled timings were out the window before it even reached 9am.
thecremeegg said:
I didn't go but a lot of people have said it seemed quieter - do we think they've listened and reduced the number of tickets sold?
Definately quieter, significantly so from the past few years. Maybe expanding Thursday into a an-almost proper FoS day helped spread the load?Nik da Greek said:
XP5 on the McLaren stand was the car that first did 240 mph. Quite a thing to have shoved over the back out of the way!
That's my favourite thing about FoS. You might have crowds around the latest Ferrari but it's always a nice surprise what you find just sat there with hardly anyone looking. I like that one of the Audi Le Mans winners is still being rolled out - unwashed - from its win however many years ago.I'd agree that the Members Meeting is the one to go for now. I've always enjoyed FoS but 73MM was hands down the best Motorsport event I've ever attended (and that list is well over 200 long).
So much more relaxed yet the lineup is easily as impressive as FoS each year, it was also much easier to find a cheap hotel relatively nearby!
So much more relaxed yet the lineup is easily as impressive as FoS each year, it was also much easier to find a cheap hotel relatively nearby!
Do Goodwood survey attendees, out of interest? I've never had anything personally.
I only ask because the Royal International Air Tattoo (which is similar in that it's pretty much the top event in its field) send out a fairly detailed survey to everyone a while after the event. They appear to act quite specifically on feedback, and then let everyone know which changes they've made and why. They have to balance the needs of a large number of very hardcore aviation enthusiasts and the general public, which is kinda like FoS (although the differences aren't quite so extreme with cars, imo), and also cater to a significant number of 'higher end' clientele.
Any event attended by 200k people or whatever is clearly never going to please everyone, but it would be interesting to know what, if anything, Goodwood do to collect feedback.
I only ask because the Royal International Air Tattoo (which is similar in that it's pretty much the top event in its field) send out a fairly detailed survey to everyone a while after the event. They appear to act quite specifically on feedback, and then let everyone know which changes they've made and why. They have to balance the needs of a large number of very hardcore aviation enthusiasts and the general public, which is kinda like FoS (although the differences aren't quite so extreme with cars, imo), and also cater to a significant number of 'higher end' clientele.
Any event attended by 200k people or whatever is clearly never going to please everyone, but it would be interesting to know what, if anything, Goodwood do to collect feedback.
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