High-octane Goodwood Festival celebrates

The 25th annual Goodwood “Festival of Speed” for motoring enthusiasts was held from June 29 to July 2 in Sussex, UK, attracting tens of thousands of visitors over four days.
The festival is becoming one of the largest in the world and offers attractions for an enjoyable day out for the whole family.
It is hosted in the Goodwood estate owned by Lord March. He said on inaugurating this event: “Our festival theme for 2017 is ‘Peaks of Performance — Motorsport’s Game Changers.’ To illustrate the theme, we have filled the paddocks with cars and bikes that were so much faster, and more sophisticated, than their rivals that in many cases the rules were changed to restore competition.”
Goodwood this year celebrated the 70th anniversary of Ferrari with a display of 70 Ferrari cars including some of their most

Successful Formula 1 cars. Another memorable occasion was the 110th anniversary of the oldest dedicated racecourse in the world at Brooklands, Surrey, with the festival displaying some of the classic models that raced on the historical circuit.
One of the traditional features of Goodwood is the hill climb in which cars race against the clock on a narrow track. From F1 to classics and electric cars, taking part in the hill climb is a mark of prestige.
This year the packed program included some new features including drift competitions, auctions and debut reveals of new car models. Aston Martin launched the DB11 while Bugatti uncovered the latest Chiron.
There was also a parade of Formula One cars taking part in the hill climb.

This year’s focal point of Goodwood was the sculpture in front of Gooodwood House which this year celebrates the life and times of Formula 1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone. It features an arch with five cars in recognition of his five-stage career as driver, manager, team owner, sponsor and a legend of the sport.
New cars were on display, some of which were first reveals. These included the Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge, the McLaren 570 Spider, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, and the Range Rover Velar. Alfa Romeo also displayed its latest sport utility vehicle (SUV), Stelvio, which took part in circuit racing ahead of arriving in showrooms later this year.
A new DB11 with a V8 engine was debuted by Aston Martin and driven by the company’s CEO Dr. Andy Palmer. A Vulcan AMR Pro from Aston Martin also made an appearance. Audi had one of the largest stands with 29 cars including the R8 Spyder V10 Plus, which made its world debut along the Q8 Sport Concept, a preview of the upcoming SUV flagship.
Another UK debut came from Bentley, which unveiled its 700-bhp Continental Super Sport, which raced the hill climb with driver Derek

BMW premiered its new 8 Series Concept along with the M4 CS, which also took part in the hill climb event.
Joining the hill climb was the Range Rover Velar, which is due for first deliveries this summer.
A glimpse of future transportation in London came in the form of the new TX5, the new electric London cab in its first public demonstration and dynamic debut. Mini also showcased its first-ever plug-in hybrid, the Countryman PHEV.
Porsche delivered its most potent 911 yet, the 911 GT2 RS with 690 bhp, which the company said promises to push the boundaries of what is possible on the track from a road car.
Beyond the hill climbing, there is the Goodwood Action Sports arena, which features freestyle motocross displays, among other things. Also available to visitors were Formula 1 and supercar paddocks, and manufacturer stands, which allowed visitors to get as close as possible to their favorite cars.

Yet another feature was the Style et Luxe, an exhibition of historic classic cars held at the lawn near the central sculpture. There was also a rally organized in the woods away from the main site.
Famous faces
Visitors to Goodwood go to see many of their favorable motor sports stars as much as the action and the cars.
This year an array of famous faces made an appearance at Goodwood including Mercedes F1 driver Valtteri Bottas and reigning world champion Nico Rosberg; other figures and sports legends like Ross Brawn, Adrian Newey, Martin Brundle, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sir Jackie Stewart, Rene Arnoux, Jochen Mass and Robert Kubica were also present.
Model Jodie Kidd and actor Rowan Atkinson (who plays Mr. Bean) also made appearances.
There is no doubt that showing cars in a festival atmosphere with exciting events and competitions is a more appealing proposition for future marketing instead of car shows which seem to be declining at the present time.
The next festival-type event this year will be Pebble Beach, California in August 2017s.

Source: Arab News