Feature: A Wet Day at Goodwood

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For the initiated the Festival of Speed is held every year at Goodwood House near the West Sussex coast in the south of England to allow fans of motorsport to get up close and personal with their heroes and see their cars and bikes in action with only a couple of hay bails between you an Giancarlo Fisichella in a Renault 26, or Nigel Mansell in his Lotus or Indy title winning Lola, or Allan McNish in this year’s Le Mans winning Audi R10.

2006 Le Mans winning Audi R10

Me with the 1995 Lola Cosworth (Nigel Mansell's CART Title Winning car)

First things first – I had come to Goodwood with a mission. As an Alfista I was determined to get a good sit in the new Alfa 159 (a car that will one day replace my current 156), I also wanted to see if the Brera looked as sexy in the flesh as it did as my desktop background. Approaching the Alfa stand I wondered past one of this year’s Williams Cosworths and decided to save my chance to sit in it until later (yes you really could sit in one of this year’s cars – even if it was now denigrated to the ranks of a show car!). I approached the Alfa stand and was greeted by one of a number of politically incorrect (but pleasing to the eye!) models who were attending the various Alfas. Immediately I was invited to try a Brera for size (which was a little disappointing on the inside!) and then got to have a go in a 159 and then the first UK Brera Spider. Please God, can they both be mine?

2006 Williams FW28

Having dispensed with my own personal agenda I sat back and waited for the show to begin. First past was Renault driver Heikki Kovaleinen. The Finn is widely tipped to be replacing Alonso at Renault and, following his beating Michael Schumacher in the Race of Champions in Paris last year, had clearly decided to set a new fastest time up the hill (beating Nick Heidfeld’s time of 41.9 seconds set in 1999 driving a McLaren). Despite the incessant rain the Renault R25 blasted past in a blur of blue and yellow unofficially shattering the time (39 seconds) despite the rain which had now set in for the day.

2005 Renault R25 - Alonso's title winning car

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