Festival of Speed review
We pick six of the best cars to grace Goodwood and speak to the stars

Aston Martin at Le Mans
Motor Sport joins the team in the pits; Sam Hancock reports from the cockpit

Ferrari P4 can-Am
This rarity started life as a successful sports racer before heading Stateside

The logistics of F1
Williams reveals just what it takes to get a team to 19 Grands Prix a year

Lunch with… Mika Hakkinen
His run-in with Senna, his Adelaide crash, and that pass on Schumacher

Stuart Turner
Former BMC and Ford competitions boss recalls a golden time for rallying

Turbocharged talk
F1 chiefs discuss proposals for a 2013 engine with worldwide potential

Road cars
New section includes Goodwood motor show review and Mercedes SLS test

Le Mans Classic
Maserati Tipo and Porsche 917 are among the greats racing at La Sarthe

Pageant of Power
Cholmondeley Castle showcases some of Tom Wheatcroft’s favourite cars

Classic Racing Cars
The Porsche 911 Carrera RS – a road car that redefined the sports car ideal

Clark’s final race
One of the few English journalists at Hockenheim in ’68 recalls fateful day

Colin Chapman
The Lotus boss was a complicated but brilliant man, as a new book recalls

Goodwood preview
What’s new at the Festival of Speed

Renault’s renaissance
How F1 team overcame ’09 setbacks

The ‘new’ Silverstone
Racing royalty and the Duke of York turned out for the track’s relaunch

Sir Jackie Stewart’s scrapbook
The triple World Champion’s career has been uniquely captured in a new book

Lunch with… Tom Kristensen
We meet most successful Le Mans racer

Mark Blundell’s race return
He’s not raced for seven years, but now an Audi R8 GT3 and Spa are calling

Jaguar’s Le Mans return
American Paul Gentilozzi is readying an XKR GT2 for the 24 Hours

David Murray
The Ecurie Ecosse boss tasted success at Le Mans, so why did he disappear?

Road test: Jaguar XJ
New saloon combines charm and ability

Women in motor sport
Michèle Mouton and the FIA want to encourage more female racing drivers

Monaco Historique
Period F1, F3 and sports car action

Mille Miglia retro
BMW victorious, 70 years after first win

Classic Racing Cars
Don’t be put off by its bulk – the Jaguar XJ220 was one seriously quick car

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did…

Watch the video now (below) or watch it on YouTube

In the morning Lord March talked us through the highlights of this year’s Festival of Speed, to be held on July 3-5, the theme of which will be ‘True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance’. It celebrates the determination of drivers who have overcome physical, mental or mechanical challenges during their motor racing careers, such as Jackie Stewart’s famous victory in the 1968 German Grand Prix that he managed with a broken wrist. Dunlop will also bring together a display of winning machinery from endurance racing, and will build a replica of the Le Mans Bridge especially for the event! The main display will be an Audi centenary tribute at the front of Goodwood house. Frank Williams will also be celebrated after 40 years in the motor racing industry.

We can expect to see Jenson Button and the new Brawn GP team, Lewis Hamilton living his dream by driving an Ayrton Senna car (model to be confirmed). His charity, the Lewis Hamilton Foundation, will also benefit from fundraising at the FOS along with the Richard Burns Foundation.

The Revival will also have two 50th celebrations this year: it is half a century since Goodwood staged arguably its most famous race, the 1959 Tourist Trophy in which Aston Martin won the World Sports Car Championship; and it’s also 50 years since the launch of one of the UK’s most iconic passenger cars, the Mini. Those celebrations will include a guest appearance from flying Finn Rauno Aaltonen. Also there will be a special birthday celebration for Sir Stirling Moss, who turns 80 during the Revival event on September 18-20.

The highlight for me, though, was my passenger ride up the hill. The last time I did this it happened to be in a very relaxed and quiet Morgan, but at the Press Day I didn’t have a choice – I was going up in whichever car was at the front of the queue. There was a great line-up of cars which gave us all an idea of what would feature at the event in July, including the David Piper Le Mans Porsche 917 and the new electric Tesla driven by our very own Andrew Frankel. The Tesla was so unusually silent as it zipped off – it looked like it was attached to an elastic band. When my turn came I hopped into the Repsol Lancia Delta Rally car which Mike Rimmer was driving.

Motor Sport’s new managing director Juliet Parker (left), myself and editor -in-chief Nigel Roebuck

Once I got over the strange six-point seat belt situation (not advisable in a dress) and fitted my helmet on, we were suddenly off! We approached the first corner at an awesome speed and Mike seemed to find it very funny, laughing away as I yelled out at the top of my voice. But I really loved every minute of it. One scary moment came when two deer ran out in front of us… Luckily we saw them in time to slow down. No doubt they were running away from all the noise!

Simon Hildrew photography

When we arrived at the rally stage for a short break before our return I caught up with legendary Le Mans driver Jacky Ickx sitting in the Gulf Mirage, who complemented me on the magazine and said how much he enjoys reading it. He will be making an appearance at FOS this year.

On my arrival back to the finish line I couldn’t wait for another run up the hill and I found myself jumping the queue to find another ride – this time in the Ferrari 250 GT0 ‘Breadvan’. There was no seat belt to get tangled up in and I held on for dear life! But I was in good hands with experienced driver Max Werner (above) at the wheel who, when he is not racing cars, works for RM Auctions as a car specialist.

We pulled up at the house just in time for a special preview of the Bugatti Type 57C with Jodie Kidd posing beside it, which will be part of Cartier’s Style et Luxe Concours at the FOS. The car that is… not Jodie Kidd.

One funny moment was watching 12 models in ’60s themed dresses and knee-high boots squeeze into a mini – it looked pretty uncomfortable to say the least and Lord March struggled to close the door.

The rest of my day I spent talking to some familiar faces who regularly attend press days and we discussed Goodwood’s exciting plans while enjoying tasty homemade canapés. Veuve Cliquot champagne seemed to flow all afternoon but sadly I had to drive back to London. I am so looking forward to the Festival of Speed and the Revival meetings this year and would encourage you all to visit Motor Sport at our stand. See you there!

James and Darren are carpenters. Their task this week has been to give our kitchen what I believe is known as a ‘makeover’. In old money that means ripping the old one out and putting a new one in its place. If only it were so simple.

Right now, James and Darren are grappling with Plan F, or it might be J, I’ve lost count. Plan A looked pretty good but somehow life is rarely straightforward. Like most people I meet, these two lads like to watch a bit of Grand Prix racing and James is a big fan of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. More than that, they listen to Capital Gold while they work and that is music to the ears of my generation.

Now, as we’ve said before, motor cars and motor racing either remain hugely popular or I only come across people who take an enthusiastic interest. Today in Geneva the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) revealed their collective response to the results of a global survey which asked a comprehensive list of questions about what we like – or don’t like – about 21st century F1 racing. You may have completed this internet survey yourself. If so, you will – like millions of us around the world – be hoping that FOTA (and the FIA) have taken note of our opinions.

As the Fat Cats of Formula 1 gathered on the stage for a press conference in Switzerland, they were concerned with two important things. These are cutting costs, to preserve the sport in years to come, and to make the whole thing more entertaining, more fun for the people who pay large sums of money to sit in the grandstands or stand behind the fences. In broad terms this entails more overtaking, more generous access to the cars and drivers, a more thrilling and glamorous day out, and television coverage that leads us deeper into the political labyrinth that is currently the unacceptable face of F1.

The early signs are good. “This is an unprecedented moment in Formula 1 history,” said FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemelo. “We all share one common goal – to work together to improve F1 by ensuring its stability, sustainability, substance and show for the benefit of our most important stakeholder, namely the consumer.” That’s you and me, and the carpenters, so bravo Luca and we’re right behind you.

The reason that people like James love the Festival of Speed is that they feel part of the show, a welcome paying guest at a fantastic party for those who want a great day out surrounded by spectacular sights and sounds. This, in recent times, has not been the case with Grand Prix racing, where you pay a lot of money to see something in the distance and your heroes pass by on the back of a sponsored trailer before they disappear back into the safety of the paddock.

Of course the number of folk who actually go to races is not the prime concern of those who run the show. It is the television audiences that really matter, that bring in the serious money. The survey, sponsored by Renault partner ING, undoubtedly established that a great many viewers wish to be taken closer to the action. It will be interesting to see if Auntie is allowed any further than the previous incumbents.

Next week the electricians arrive. A small bet says that at least one of them will be a motor racing fan. We don’t talk about football – it’s just too edgy and explosive. Just what Grand Prix racing needs to be.

However, on a quest to get some words out of the Formula 1 drivers I set off for the top paddock and having inhaled two burgers and a hot dog already that morning I really had to go on foot. It turns out that it is, especially when you are part jogging as you can hear “and Lewis is on the hill” over the loud speaker, a long bloody way.

Once there, I managed to get a quick snippet from Lewis and had a good chat with Marc Gené, who is a thoroughly decent bloke by the way.

Anyway, back to the point, just as I was contemplating turning round and trekking back down to the Motor Sport stand, I spotted the Ferrari F1 support van just about to leave, (with more than a handful of people needed to start an F1 car there was a van per car).

Trying my best to remember my Italian I asked if there was room for one more and after some frantic waving of arms and ‘Si! Certo’, I climbed aboard.

What followed was perhaps the most hilarious moment of the weekend for me. With the side door of the van open to the ‘adoring fans’, the driver nailed it down the hill beeping the horn. While struggling to stop the Formula 1 equipment from falling out I watched as the two mechanics on the door waved to the crowd, blew kisses and shouted in their heavily accented, Italian-English, “I love you, I love you”. While all this was going on the others gave certain attractive girls in the crowd marks out of ten.

You’ll be pleased to hear that no one scored less than 8. At one moment, one of the mechanics had to be stopped from jumping out of the van while it was travelling at 30mph, and pursuing a 9 and a half pointer.

Nearing the F1 paddock, I couldn’t resist and gave a half-hearted wave myself. Sorry about that.

Jumping out of the van at the end of my, actually quite bizarre, journey the wrong way down the hillclimb, a six-year-old girl asked me for my autograph. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was in fact a meagre journalist who nobody has heard of and gave her little pink notebook the best ‘Ed Foster’ I could muster.

Historically the question has always been: ‘How fast from 0 to 60, Mister? And what will it do flat out?’
Increasingly, the question is: ‘How far will it go on a gallon of fuel, mate?’

Here at the Goodwood Festival of Speed there is love in the air, pure love of speed, and a need for noise. This is where we gather together each summer to indulge our passion for racing cars and to share our passion with folk from every corner of the planet.

Lest we be accused of not caring for the planet on which we live, there have been some interesting developments at the Festival. Away from the noise and the speed I draw your attention to a new attraction known as FOS-TECH, introduced last year to bring new technologies and ‘green’ solutions into the heart of this great event.

Once you’ve had your fix of dragsters, Grand Prix cars, MotoGP motorcycles and Le Mans winners you should perhaps take a look inside the FOS-TECH building in the park. It is here that you will see the cars of the future, learn about new fuels and be astounded by what will be the personal transport of generations to come. There’s also a simulator where you can test your skills, not at speed, but as slowly and economically as possible. The idea is to see just how little fuel you can use to travel from A to B. Makes a fascinating change from the sheer, unadulterated passion for raw power that pervades the event outside.

The sun came out on Friday, the F1 cars shrieked up the hill and the rally cars kicked up the dust in the Goodwood forest. As ever, the legends of the sport walked amongst their fans, barely taking a step without signing their names.

There’s John Surtees! There’s Damon Hill! Look, that’s James Hunt’s son Freddie in the Hesketh! Isn’t that Tom Sneva? And that must be Bobby Unser!

And so it goes on until Sunday when Lewis Hamilton arrives. This is as close to Beatlemania as motor racing gets.

The Festival of Speed has lost none of its glamour and glitter. Where else can you see such a spectacular collection of racing machinery? You can’t. At a press conference on the opening day Lord March introduced World Trials Champion Dougie Lampkin who, of course, rode his bike into the press centre. A short flight of stairs is nothing – later he appeared on top of buildings and made it all look so easy.

So, plenty of noise, plenty of drama and a grand day out as only the British can do. People even stood downwind of the revving dragsters, the methanol bringing tears to their eyes. No matter, they’re here for the crack, and they’ll be back. Why? Because this is motor racing up close and personal. Like it used to be.

Being British at such a very British event there must surely be something to moan about? I’m struggling to think what that might be.

Against his will, Paul Tracy is sitting on the sidelines this year, a victim of the fall-out from the reunification of Champ Car and IRL. When reunification finally came late last winter, Champ Car co-owner Jerry Forsythe’s antipathy towards Tony George was such that he decided he would not run his team in the IRL series. As a result, Tracy’s five-year contract to drive for Forsythe meant nothing and the 38-year old Canadian found himself without a ride and with no options in the IRL.

Through the spring Paul has been looking for a proper IndyCar seat, but none are available. Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IRL chief Tony George talked to Tracy about running four IRL road races in a third Vision Racing entry. George owns the Vision team but in the end he offered Tracy only a one-race deal for Edmonton with no testing. It’s unlikely Paul will take George up on his offer. Meanwhile, Tracy has had plenty of conversations with NASCAR team owners and will make his debut in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck series at his home track in Las Vegas on September 20th driving a Toyota truck for 2007 championship-winning team owner Tom Germain.

“I really want to stay in Indy car racing,” Tracy remarked. “But there isn’t anything out there. Nobody has any money to spend and nobody has a serious program to offer. It’s very disappointing. I’m talking to people in NASCAR and sports car racing. There’s lots of interest out there but in IndyCar everyone is desperate for sponsorship. Nobody’s willing to pay any serious money. They just ask how much sponsorship I have and, like I say, nobody’s offered any kind of serious program.”

If there’s a good part to all this it’s that for the first time in his career Tracy has the time to fly to England to enjoy this weekend at Goodwood as one of Lord March’s guests. It’s his first trip to Goodwood and Tracy will drive a couple of Penske Indy cars and a replica of Graham Hill’s 1966 Indy 500-winning Lola T90. “I’m really looking forward to it,” Paul said. “I’ve heard so much about it over the years and everyone involved in organising the trip has been so nice. So far, it’s been very refreshing.”

Tracy is a natural showman, in and out of the car. He only knows how to drive flat-out and with his competitive juices still flowing at full force amid a dull year he will be delighted to be back at the wheel of a racing car. I expect Paul will be one of the stars of the show.

If you’re at Goodwood, be sure to get his autograph. And ask him almost anything you like. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Paul speaks his mind freely, without an ounce of political correctness and with a grin and jab or two of humour, too. He should be in his element at Goodwood.

This week, in the sporting headlines, we have Schumacher the cyclist and Rooney the runner. How long before Hamilton the hurdler?

Stefan Schumacher pulverised the opposition in yesterday’s Tour de France time trial at Cholet, a full nine seconds quicker than the pre-race favourite. Sounds familiar for a Schumacher.

Martyn Rooney, having won his 400 metres in style, has his sights set on gold in Beijing. If only Wayne could run like that, what a footballer he would be.

I mention this as a distraction from rain and recession. Not sure which is worse, though the rain will probably cease before the recession. One man who hopes so is the Earl of March and Kinrara whose considerable powers of persuasion stop short at improving the weather. The 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed starts tomorrow with a viewing of the Bonhams auction which this year is notable for an extremely valuable D-type Jaguar.

We will be there in force. I am using the royal ‘we’ here as the two chaps who own our magazine will be in attendance as well as the Editor-in-Chief, the Editor, the Publisher and many other lesser mortals from the ‘original motor racing magazine’.

We all very much hope to meet as many of you readers as possible at our tent in Goodwood Park. There will be champagne, a chance to talk to Nigel Roebuck and a complete range of our new DVDs containing the Motor Sport archives. End of plug.

I can tell you that today the Festival arena is looking a little sorry for itself. It’s cats and dogs, and soon to be toads, down here in sunny Sussex. By Friday, though, the place will be humming and this year’s display outside the front of Goodwood House will blow your mind. The supercars will be first out, at 8-45, while the rally cars will venture out into the forest just fifteen minutes later. Then it’s relentless action right through until 6pm when the historic Grand Prix cars will be on the hillclimb course. Pack your wellies and your umbrellas just in case – remember last year? But we all had fun anyway.

Now, a word of advice. You are probably familiar with Dougie Lampkin, the multiple world champion trials rider – if not, you soon will be. Throughout this coming weekend Dougie will be performing some completely insane stunts inside, and outside, Goodwood House. There is nothing this man cannot do with a motorcycle so prepare to be amazed and keep your eyes peeled. And bring your ear plugs – the dragster ‘cacklefest’ on the cricket pitch will demonstrate just how exciting these machines can be without actually going anywhere.

You won’t see any Rooneys or Schumachers, but you will see Lewis Hamilton. On Sunday he will drive his McLaren-Mercedes, a lap of honour in celebration of that wonderful victory last weekend. He must feel like he can walk on water. Perhaps he always has. And I’m personally looking forward to seeing all those Lolas in their 50th anniversary year. Then there’s Petter Solberg, one of the sport’s great showmen, in the WRC Subaru, and the new Airbus A380 will fly just for us, and… it goes on and on…

See you there.

The beginning of the Grand Prix season in Europe always seems to represent some kind of turning point in the year. It’s Spring time, sunny days are warm enough for sitting in the garden, and even the cats wake up for at least part of the day. Yes, I know there’s lots of other motor racing going on, but somehow the arrival of the transporters in Barcelona seems to mark the end of PREviews, and the beginning of the long stretch before the REviews. Such is the year for those with deadlines.

So, what am I doing to keep myself out of mischief? Writing previews, of course, the last two before the truckies roll across the Pyrenees. There’s Audi versus Peugeot at Le Mans to examine and there’s the Goodwood Festival of Speed to consider, the Earl of March having just held his ‘press day’ at his home in West Sussex.

It’s such a nice day, the Goodwood press day, especially when you’re a guest and not an organiser. I speak from experience. Apart from keeping a hand on the forthcoming TV coverage, and making a short video for the Festival website, I was able to enjoy the special atmosphere of Goodwood Park on a beautiful English Spring day.

The hard work is yet to come. For now there’s time to enjoy a blue sky, the odd fluffy white cloud, and the sound of racing cars warming up in the early morning air. And not just any old racing cars. There’s something very special about a 1906 Mercedes being warmed next to a 1997 Penske-Ilmor, a 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta being given its final polish, while a few feet away the oil is warmed within the mighty 12-cylinder engine of a 1990 Le-Mans-winning XJR Jaguar. Fried eggs and bacon are served on a huge barbecue next to the startline on the hillclimb while butlers offer steaming coffee, or Bull Shot, on silver trays. If only every event preview could be like this, but we know that won’t happen.

Anthony Hamilton was there, straight off the plane from Bahrain, and paying close attention to a McLaren F1 GTR parked a few yards from a replica of his son’s 2008 McLaren Mercedes-Benz. Does this mean Lewis will appear at the Festival in July? Nobody knows. Up in the woods Rauno Aaltonen flung a Mini Cooper S around the rally stage while World Champion trials rider Dougie Lampkin did impossible things with his new Beta bike before appearing on the balcony of Goodwood House, still on the bike. Yes, he rode it up the stairs. Only at a Goodwood press day.

Sir Stirling Moss was there, looking as sharp as ever, and giving interview after interview. The man is a star in every sense of the word. Every young driver should aspire to this.

There were James Bond cars, and Bond girls too. A collection of 007’s cars will be a highlight of the Cartier Style et Luxe exhibition – a tribute to the secret agent’s creator Ian Fleming.

None of this is real motor racing, it is not a series or championship, it is not political and it is not under the jurisdiction of a governing body. It is entertainment. My colleague Nigel Roebuck – who spoke at length to the Earl of March – and I will be previewing the event in Motor Sport in June, by which time the season will be well and truly underway.

Spring is here, the lambs are in the fields, and the trees are beginning to flower. Lots to look forward to, certainly, on and off the circuits. Our Prime Minister still looks pretty miserable so maybe it’s time for votes of confidence in the real world too.