WARNING - If you're not remotely interested in cars, you may as well go and find some kind of cooking or knitting website, coz this journal entry is pretty much about cars and it got kinda long too! Don't say I didn't warn you.

Before coming to the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS), one of my motorsport mad mates told me it's the best motorsport event he'd ever been to. With this in miind I was really looking forward to going. We'd arranged to meet up with Nik and Eric (a couple of Canadians we met in Portugal). Nik is also mad about cars and was pretty stoked to be going too. Eric and Zilla on the other hand are not car crazy so were expecting to be dragged around looking at loads of cars. We had weekend tickets, 3 days, giving us plenty of time to soak it all in without rushing around. For those of you that have never heard of the Goodwood FoS, it is a hillclimb event, where some of the greatest racing cars from every era and type of racing are gathered. It's basically a time trial from the bottom of the hill to the top. There is also a rally stage, where the rally cars compete on a specially made chalky dirt track. While the cars are not competing, they're parked under tents and people can freely walk around them.

Friday was mainly spent wandering around the parked cars. The array of cars was amazing; cars from the 20's that were made for racing on the Brooklands oval; some of the earliest grand prix cars; classics from every era. There was a section devoted to innovative ground-breaking cars, featuring the 6-wheeled Tyrell F1 car, the first ever fan-driven suction car with an extra engine to drive a fan to suck it to the ground for extra grip, a car that can be best desctibed as a catamaran. There were two wheelie cars, with huge powerful engines mounted in the back, that drive down the track on the two back wheels. I can't really do some of these cars justice so if you want to check out the photos, have a look at the photo gallery. 6 of the current F1 cars were there, as well as heaps of F1 cars from the 70's and 80's. There were rally racers designed for the Pikes Peak track - hugely powerful with massive wings. Heaps of Le Mans prototype racers including Audi's deisel powered R10. There was an area full of most of the current road-legal supercars - McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari P4/5, and the list goes on.

There was also a heap of motorbikes, from the past and present. Unfortunately there was a Moto GP race this weekend, so they weren't there. Superbikes were well represented though, and a bloke doing some crazy stunts on a BMW bike.

As well as the cars on show, there were manufacturers tents showing off their new models, and also a display dedicated to alternate fueled cars and efficient cars. Some of these were basically concept show cars and were really different and interesting.

While we were looking at the parked cars, there was the constant sound of the cars running up the hillclimb course to distract us. We caught a little of the track action, mainly the F1 car runs which blew the F1 virgins away with the noise and speed.

Saturday was pretty much rally day. We spent the whole afternoon at the rally stage, standing out in the forest watching the cars sliding around corners and catching air at the jump. About halfway through the day there was a huge thunderstorm and a massive downpour which really made it feel like a real rally. Of course we were underprepared for the rain, so we got soaked. The rally cars ranged from 70's SAABs and escorts, through to current WRC beasts and a new concept car designed by Colin McRae. Unlike a normal rally, we got see multiple runs by each car so there was plenty of action.

The event is held on the grounds of Lord March's estate, basically all paddocks. After the rain, the grassy walkways were transformed to slippery mud tracks. We managed to make it back to the car park - also a paddock - without slipping over, and found that the tracks in the car park had also been turned to mud. Needless to say the drive out in the rental car was good muddy fun.

On Sunday we awoke to constant drizzle. Zilla stayed in the car for a bit of a snooze, while Nik, Eric and I ventured in hoping to find some umbrellas. We managed to pick up a brollie for 10 quid each, and found a good possie on a hill overlooking the hillclimb track and watched all the cars go past. Highlights were the F1 cars which put on a great show of wheelspin, Pikes Peak cars - so fast in the wet, WRC cars drifting around the corner towards us, wheelie car on 2 wheels even in the wet, crazy motorbike stunt dude, and the parade of supercars. Due to the rain not all the cars ventured out - way too valuable and uninsurable - which was a bit sad. It was really cool to see the faces on the people driving some of the open-topped classics in the rain, they were having way too much fun enjoying their toys.

This weekend has definitely been one of the highlights of the trip for me. Hopefully we can get organised in time for the European F1 race in Germany in July for another top weekend.

Bye, Paul.