The organisers of the Goodwood Festival of Speed – Britain’s biggest motorsport event – have announced that they will change their 2013 date following the change in the Formula 1 calendar. The Festival was originally scheduled for the weekend of July 5-7, between the British and German GPs, but with Germany moving to the 7th and another race being inserted on the 21st the Festival is going to move. As yet no date has been decided.
“Given that the Festival of Speed is the only event in the world outside of a World Championship Grand Prix where you can get a close up view of the latest F1 cars and drivers in action, we will now have to change the Festival’s date in order to avoid this conflict with the amended Grand Prix calendar,” the organisers said in a statement. “Goodwood is now reviewing the 2013 Festival of Speed dates and will confirm these very soon. We apologise for any inconvenience this change may cause, but sadly this is outside of Goodwood’s control.”
Tickets that have already purchased will be valid for the new date when it is announced.
Next steps:
1. FoS announce new date.
2. F1 changes calendar again.
Agree with the sentiments entirely. The Festival of speed is a different event entirely albeit that Formula One likes to turn up (and I’m sure the visitors like to see Formula One). I certainly don’t think the FOS should allow the F1 calendar to dictate their event
Modern F1 has always been a key part of the FoS mix. Remember Brundle in the McLaren at the first event? Heidfeld’s (official) record climb? Today’s runs maybe only demos but they are often spectacular and sound great nonetheless. Also, many of the personalities – and sponsors – that are such a feature of the event have F1 commitments so, irrespective of any commercial or prestige considerations, Goodwood really has little option but to fit in with the F1 calendar, especially in its 20th anniversary year.
I’m jolly glad I still have Lord March’s ear…
Let’s have a FoS without F1. Personally I would find the remainder more than enough to fill one day. If the crowds were smaller and the prices cheaper then even better.
The lack of minders for F1 “stars” pushing people around would be the icing on the cake. No Ralph I have not forgotten.
Eddie Irvine did his own pushing!
I on the other hand pushed Emerson Fittipaldi!! By accident of course, while I was trying to see who the throng of people was surrounding – no entourage, just loads of people desperate to get close. I don’t like the idea of the FoS moving because of the F1 calendar, but it would be a very different thing without the modern F1 stars and cars…
I am sure that Mclaren and Ferrari and perhaps the rest of the grid are thankful that wiht the date change, Mr Newey will still have the opportunity to put himself out of commission in the historic series. I recall Christian Horner saying that “The problem with Adrian racing is that he has absolutely no fear”
I saw Adrian cheating once from behind the wheel.
Several years ago (same month and year as Cream reunion in Albert Hall, I think)… found myself in Shakespeare’s home town… some sort of rally for historic cars set off from there… the hotel parking lot was chock full of wonderful things from the 50′s and 60′s… I got up at oh-dark-thirty to watch them set off at intervals from the riverside… and look, there’s a beautiful old GT40, how wonderful… except it’s not… it’s a *new* Fort GT (you can see the diff, you know)… and guess who’s at the wheel?
Later, in the hotel across the little bridge from town… a very gracious young lady on her mobile in the lobby, trying to get the BBC to send up a replacement for a broken bit of TV-reporting kit… apparently the cars were due to return in a day or three, and someone she was speaking for needed a part… not sure who she was, but despite her frustration good breeding oozed from every pore (just as “expensive” oozed from every inch of conservatively tasteful clothing)… I suggested that she could overcome BBC’s reticence by explaining to them that she had a scoop! One famous Mr. A.N. caught cheating red-handed, running a new car in a rally that explicitly required the use of only old ones! She asked who Newey was… when I explained, she said she thought he was a friend of father’s… didn’t seem interested in the scoop at all…
Oh, well… I tried…
Well I know the FoS can’t be the following weekend (July 12-14). That’s the Festival of Slow (also FoS…); the start line for the Mongol Rally.
This is/will be a good move. Why compete for many of the same customers? I will admit thatI never knew Goodwood was Great Britain’s largest motor sport event. I assumed The British Grand Prix was. I do find that amazing, but like the saying goes “You learn something every day!”
A great event and one that F1 drivers of all ages genuinely appear to enjoy attending. It would be shame if they couldn’t due to a clash of dates as very rarely do you get a chance to meet the current crop so all credit to the organisers in changing the date.
At the rate we’re going Goodwood could be hosting this mythical “European Race”
Always some trivia, but a decent while ago, some idiot I got Bentley to sponsor chose to have their launch same weekend a the FoS. We still speak, kind of, I think we have a odd fondness of each-other’s foibles, but I’m taking Walter Matthau’s role in The Taking Of Pelham 123, which wreck cost me what was then about the price of a good house. (I’m, picky) And being laughing stock about my game for years, unfairly I think, as people covered their arses. Two years to find that out, and more to repair. Might be I am the only independent ever to book Bentley. That’s not a boast, that’s a war wound that still causes a limp I try to hide. I think this one redefines epic, because I just got maybe everyone involved to try, just try, to kiss and make up, and in reality the deal started out ca ’87. Call me a sentimental fool, you never leave a deal unfixed at any cost. Only functionaries say que sera, Sera, over business. Or get told that, by who really deals. Because it don’t matter, does it, if you still get the same salary, can’t loose your home and name, did anyone know your name anyhow? and so on, and so on, hide behind CV’s and let the headhunters eat 30% of your salaries . . You could say real names couldn’t give a toss. I really doubt that. Someone posted lately they were confused why Bernie can be such a b’stard and yet so generous. Think about that, and you find out a bit.
I’ve not commented in the other threads that lately have enthralled me. Flaming wonderful. Nor will I. I fear I’ll jinx them. Developing some bad “must go do x y and z” attitude lately. Not quite Bronson, ’74. though . . I just reckon I’d be significantly better off if I could have listened to the voices here, 20 years ago, and you lot know who you are, and likely can feel the grit within this post, so believe me. But I also know the vast gulf between information, and then to knowledge, and then to real things one can do.