The Mole brings you... Lee McKenzie at Goodwood
The Mole welcomes ´óÏó´«Ã½ F1 pit-lane reporter Lee McKenzie back on to the blog, to discuss her experiences at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend.
What a special weekend the is. It has become an institution in the British motorsport calendar since it was founded by in 1993 and this year's event, which took place over the weekend, continued the tradition.
The Festival features hundreds of cars - some of the most expensive, the fastest, the most memorable and the strangest in the world. That also goes for bikes, and in some cases drivers, too!
Goodwood is much more than just an event. It is a complete celebration of all things motorsport and I absolutely love it. Nowhere else in the world can the public get so close to the cars and, of course, the drivers.
There are no motorhomes or closed-off paddocks, and not many places for them to hide. And the Drivers' Club, which is where they head for food and drinks, really was a who's who last weekend.
As I walked in I met the always charming Murray Walker, strolled past and in one quick glance could see multiple world rally champion , Le Mans winner , five-time Grand Prix bike champion , 's nephew and the very first man to spray champagne after winning a race, 1960s Formula 1 legend .
On Sunday, and came along to drive the hill and entertain the crowds, joining a number of other current F1 drivers who attended over the weekend - including Red Bull's , Williams's and and Toyota's .
Without fail, the drivers find enthusiasm for Goodwood is contagious. Glock was so excited by the whole event and so disappointed when he discovered he could only drive up the hill twice a day in his F1 car that asked if he could drive the Toyota Corolla World Rally Car on the forest stages - which he did and loved. That makes a third rally convert in the F1 paddock - between him, and , there will be no drivers left in F1 at this rate!
One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing the McLaren-Honda MP4/4 in which Ayrton Senna won his first world title being driven up the hill, with the great Brazilian's nephew Bruno at the wheel. The same helmet, same colours, same driving style - it was quite spooky.
There were plenty of celebrations, too - 100 years of (former F1 driver drove a 1939 ); 75 years since the arrival of the Mercedes Silver Arrows. And Sir Frank 's 40 years of F1 were marked by a collection of the team's cars and drivers, past and present. The 1980 world champion got back behind the wheel as did and . Current Williams reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg drove 's1982 championship-winning FW08, slightly concerned about both having to change gears and the H-shape gearbox as he negotiated the hill.
But Goodwood was looking forward as well as back over the weekend. Racing car constructor had a car running on made from carrots and potatoes - even the steering wheel was made from and . Maybe F1 teams could cut costs by saving up all the waste from the catering and turn in to spare parts - there's an idea for !
In all seriousness, though, that is the great thing about the Goodwood Festival of Speed - variety and quality and some of the best cars, bikes, driver and riders in the world across all genres. It is a fabulous weekend for anyone with an interest in motorsport pre-war, post-war or present day. And if you have never been before or haven't been for a while, then mark it in the diary for 2010.
And to give you a flavour of the event, here are a few photos of the weekend.
Championship leader Jenson Button was one of many F1 drivers at the Festival.. ... and drove the 1934 Mercedes W25 Grand Prix car
Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine drives Gilles Villeneuve's 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 at Goodwood
Damon Hill was reunited with the Williams in which he won the 1996 world title
Lewis Hamilton drives his world championship-winning McLaren at Goodwood
Stirling Moss in the 1954 Mercedes W154
Timo Glock smokes the tyres on his Toyota, almost obscuring the Red Bull of Mark Webber behind
Team owner Frank Williams celebrated 40 years in F1 at Goodwood
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