Fabulous Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Goodwood Festival of Speed in its 22nd year encompasses all that is good about motorsports and motoring on both two and four wheels. My first coversation of the weekend was with John Surtees, an icon of both 2 and 4 wheeled racing and clearly still very passionate and knowledgable about the sport.

One of the greatest achievements of the FOS is to bring together the motorsport greats from all corners of the globe and from all disciplines of the sport. Sebastian Loeb, Al Unser, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Lewis Hamilton, Wayne Gardner, Giacomo Agostini, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jenson Button, the list goes on, everybody wants to play a part in this Festival of motorsport.

Throw in great displays from the Red Arrows and the only airworthy Vulcan plus the Moving motor Show, world debuts of the new Ford Focus ST, Bentley Continental GT3 R, Honda NSX Concept and Peugeot 208 GTi 30th anniversary edition, plus show stands from most major car manufacturers all set to the background of the sights, sounds and smells of classic and modern machinery flying up Goodwood Hill some trying to beat the record, others just showboating and entertaining the enthusiastic crowd, this is the great recipe for the success of this annual Festival

The Festival grows in numbers and popularity year on year, this year topping 200,000 and it is no wonder, this is truly a family festival with something for all ages and interest, people sunbathe and picnic on the cricket pitch, whilst others browse the numerous stalls, selling motoring related merchandise, there are also food and drink outlets a plenty.

One thing that truly impresses the visitor is the superb organisation of the event, and the friendliness of all the stewards and helpers, making this one of the most enjoyable motoring events to attend.

Walk around the Michelin supercar paddock, Bonhams Auction, Maserati centenery display or the Cartier Style et Luxe. Browse the paddock areas, watch the incredible GAS FMX Stunts, there is something new around every corner. All in all a fantastic Festival of motoring in all respects.

Friday at the Festival

Gamer-turned racer Jann Mardenborough smashed the supercar record for the Goodwood Hillclimb with a sensational performance in a dramatic Michelin Supercar run at the Festival of Speed on Saturday afternoon.

Welsh wizard Mardenborough, whose only race experience until winning the GT Academy in 2011 had been of the online variety, was at the wheel of a Nissan GTR–NISMO 'Time Attack' and assaulted the 1.16-mile Hillclimb in a staggering 49.27 seconds, his run edging out the Noble M600, driven by touring car legend Anthony Reid.

Lexus, Ferrari, Lotus, Porsche, McLaren, Audi, Jaguar, Pagani, Bentley, Maserati, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Sin, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo and Ginetta were all represented with ex-Formula 1 racers Bruno Senna and Rupert Keegan and sportscar legend Derek Bell all taking a turn behind the drivers' seat.

The Supercar Run was not the only highlight on Saturday. Fresh from his pole position at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, Felipe Massa wowed the crowd by driving Damon Hill's 1996 Formula 1 World Championship-winning Williams FW18 and 2009 champion Jenson Button did likewise in a McLaren MP4-26-Mercedes-Benz.

The Forest Rally Stage presented by Skoda featured former World Rally Champions Sebastien Loeb – driving one of his title-winning Citroen DS3 WRCs – Hannu Mikkola in an Audi Quattro S4 and Bjorn Waldegard in a Toyota Celica, while two-wheeled legends Wayne Gardner, Giacomo Agostini and Dougie Lampkin grabbed plenty of attention on the Hillclimb and the GAS Arena respectively.

Celebrity guests included Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay in the ultra-special LaFerrari, Sir Chris Hoy driving a Nissan in the Supercar Run, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, current England international footballer Glen Johnson, TV presenter Jake Humphrey and rockstar Chris Rea while the traditional Festival of Speed Ball was set to round out the day's proceedings with a special performance from The Beach Boys.

Loeb adds another trophy by winning Festival of Speed shootout

Sebastien Loeb added victory at the Goodwood Festival of Speed shoot-out to his enormous trophy cabinet with a stirring run during Sunday afternoon's against-the-clock timed run.

The nine-time World Rally Champion, who now races for Citroen in the World Touring Car Championship, had qualified second fastest in the fearsome Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car, and shaved almost a second from his Saturday time to take the top spot when it counted most in a time of 44.60 seconds.

It is the second year in a row in which the Pikes Peak special has set the fastest time at Goodwood; Gregory Guilvert tying for the top spot in 2013 with Nick Heidfeld's Lola B12/60-Toyota in 45.86s. Loeb's time was the sixth-fastest time ever set on Goodwood's iconic 1.16-mile Hillclimb.

Loeb's nearest challenger was former GT1 World Champion and ex-grand prix driver Michael Bartels, whose Maserati MC12 'Goodwood Cent 100' missed out on the spoils by 1.22s.

Two more GT monsters, a McLaren F1 GTR 'Long-tail' driven by Indy 500 winner and former IndyCar champion Kenny Brack, and a Nissan GTR–NISMO GT3 piloted by Jann Mardenborough – Saturday's Michelin Supercar Run winner – were next up while the best Formula 1 car was Didier Sirgue's ex-Andrea de Cesaris Jordan 191-Ford.

Such was the intensity of the competition on Sunday that several big names were left trailing, including ex-grand prix and Indy racer Max Papis in a Chevrolet Impala NASCAR, World Touring Car racewinner Jordi Gene in a SEAT Leon Eurocup racer and two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip in one of his own team's Toyota Camry NASCARs.

RAIKKONEN AND SURTEES PAIR UP WHILE HAMILTON WOWS CROWD ON FINAL DAY OF FESTIVAL OF SPEED

The final day of the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed more than lived up to its theme of 'Addicted to Winning' as two Ferrari Formula 1 legends, John Surtees and Kimi Raikkonen, were united for a unique moment on the iconic 1.16-mile Hillclimb on Sunday.

The 50th anniversary of Surtees' 1964 F1 title was marked with a special run up the hill in his Ferrari 164 in tandem with Raikkonen's 2007 title-winning F2007 that the Finn drove right behind him.

Current title contender Lewis Hamilton performed pirouettes in front of Goodwood House in his Mercedes F1 machine – formerly raced by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher – while Damon Hill was reunited with the Williams FW18-Renault in which he claimed the 1996 title.

British MotoGP aces Bradley Smith and Scott Redding jetted in overnight from the Dutch TT at Assen to entertain fans of two-wheeled motor sport. Smith rode an ex-Kenny Roberts Yamaha YZR 500 while Redding – last year's Moto2 runner-up – was on a Honda NSR 500 raced in period by two-time 500cc world champion Freddie Spencer.

Spencer, 1987 title-winner Wayne Gardner, World Superbike ace Jonathan Rea and stunt ace Mattie Griffin were obvious crowd favourites, and were joined on the Goodwood Hillclimb by 15-time grand prix world champion Giacomo Agostini on a classic MV Agusta.

On the Forest Rally Stage presented by Skoda, the fastest time of the event was claimed by Hyundai World Rally Championship driver Dani Sordo, whose i20 WRC wound up over 15 seconds clear of nearest challenger Neil Simpson (Skoda Fabia S2000) following the combined times of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Classic Toyota, Saab, Ford and Subaru machinery also highlighted at the top of the Hill.

GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED HILLCLIMB RUN ACHIEVED IN UNDER 10 SECONDS BY MIDAIR SQUADRON HAWKER HUNTER JET

The Goodwood Festival of Speed air display took a new turn today (Sunday), as the Midair Squadron Hawker Hunter XL577 set a flown time of 9.98 seconds across the notorious Goodwood Hillclimb in front of Goodwood House.

As the first and only attempt of this kind, the Hunter, piloted by Squadron Leader Dave Piper (retired) reached a top speed 361 knots (415 mph), as he weaved his way to the top of the course.

The driven record is held by Nick Heidfeld in a time of 41.6 seconds set in 1999 in a McLaren MP4-13-Mercedes Benz with an average speed of 104 mph, meaning the Midair Squadron's time shaved 32 seconds off Heidfeld's time – admittedly in a jet!

Midair Squadron leader Mike Davis said: “It was an opportunity we couldn't resist. After setting the world air speed record in 1953, the Hunter has continued to be acknowledged as one of the fastest and most agile fighter jets ever built. This new way of timing the Goodwood Hill Climb brings a whole new dimension to the Festival of Speed and we look forward to a challenge in 2015; regardless of any future outcome, this is a wonderful tribute to British engineering and the piloting skill of the Midair Squadron.”

RECORD 200,000 CROWD FOR GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2014

Goodwood is delighted to announce that the 2014 Festival of Speed, held on June 26-29, was the largest and most successful in the event's history, attracting 200,000 highly-enthusiastic visitors to West Sussex.

With superstar names from the world of motorsport, including John Surtees, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastien Loeb, Didier Auriol, Richard Petty, Mark Webber, Giacomo Agostini, Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer, guests were treated to non-stop entertainment throughout the weekend.

From the Michelin Supercar Run held against the clock and creating a popular winner in gamer-turned racer Jann Mardenborough and victory on the Forest Rally Stage presented by Skoda for Dani Sordo on the UK debut of the Hyundai i20 WRC, to adrenaline-fuelled action in the GAS Arena, the 2014 Festival of Speed had something for everybody to enjoy.

The Moving Motor Show presented by The AA in association with The Telegraph drew in a crowd of 34,000 motoring enthusiasts, making it the most-attended Thursday of the Festival of Speed since a fourth day was added.

Proving the status of the Moving Motor Show, the day attracted an all-time high 20 exhibitors: Audi, BMW, Citroen, Dacia, Ferrari, Ford, GKN, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Rolls Royce, SEAT, Skoda, Toyota and Volvo.

A total of 18 UK first views for new machinery, including the world debuts of the new Ford Focus ST, Bentley Continental GT3 R, Honda NSX Concept and Peugeot 208 GTi 30th anniversary edition, created yet more buzz around the event, which is now firmly established as the unofficial British Motor Show.

Lord March said: “Once again the Festival of Speed has produced a thrilling spectacle on the Hillclimb and delighted hundreds of thousands of visitors who have brought their enthusiasm for motor sport to Goodwood.

Our event theme was 'Addicted to Winning' and with reams guests that include seven Formula 1 world champions and some of the greatest drivers from NASCAR, rallying, sportscars and motorcycling, we've managed to gather more famous names from motor sport than ever before. And we were blessed with splendid weather all weekend too.”