The Goodwood Festival of Speed   in 1997 was wet - very wet - and you can read about it by clicking here, and also here, if you haven't already done so. In comparison, the 1998 Goodwood Festival of Speed was only quite wet.

If you have ever tried a 27k one day canoe descent of the Ardèche Gorge or spent a working day in the company of Royal Marine Commandos there is of course no equivalent measure of wetness. Either way you expect to be permanently soaked and you just have to get used to it. In extremis you can freeze in your bivvy on a bad day.

So Goodwood is better because it is warmer and they let you go home at night.

At Goodwood however you suffer one minor variation - you have your ordinary clothes on and consequently you are not prepared either for prolonged or intermittent immersion. The answer of course is a good stout brolly. Strange how few people carry one these days now that they are no longer essential for separating fighting dogs.

We Brooklands Society folk however, now have a (formerly) secret weapon; our new E-Z Up shelter which can be erected in no time at all by two men, or hardly at all, by one man in a howling gale in Lord March's back garden. There it was though at Goodwood for all to see and for many to shelter in during showers.

Belgian Brooklands Society member and automobilia specialist Geoffrey Severin, poses amongst our Goodwood photo display.

Inside it we put up a reasonable show of photographs old and new - many of which can be seen on this web site. Over the three days many members dropped by to discuss the urgent issues of the day - like where is the Brooklands Paddock? How do you get water out of alcohol? And so forth.

The main Goodwood paddock area contains most of the 'modern' cars and with its unrestricted access to all but the F1 teams, is a joy to wander through, particularly early in the day before it gets really crowded.

Saunter over to the other side of Goodwood House via the Cartier Concours d' Elegance display and you will find the Brooklands Paddock where all of the early cars are in almost constant preparation and fettling. It is always bustling, but in true Brooklands tradition never overcrowded.

A 'Right Crowd' and no crowding.

There are many trade stands and displays at Goodwood. A plethora of small firms offering vehicle restoration, spare parts, automobilia, car hi-fi, corporate hospitality, helicopter flight training and so on, but one of the best displays is always the Gibson Moore Fine Art marquee.

Wanted - new rose joints and corner weight gauge.

Here you can temporarily leave the noise and bustle of competition and enter the genteel world of the motoring artist.

Funny how people go quiet in the presence of art and books. If only I could get my two sons to do that in the proximity of my study door.

Come to think of it, where is my study door?

RHT 1998

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