Quote:
Originally Posted by FatBoy
Hi,
I thought I'd update you on Doug and mine's visit to the Goodwood Revival last weekend.
Unfortunately, Doug's other commitments meant that he could only stay for the Revival, so it was a bit of a flying visit as he had to be back home for Tuesday.
I picked Doug up from the airport at 7:00am on Thursday and we drove the short distance to my home for breakfast before loading the cars up for the 150 mile drive to Goodwood. My wife was taking all the luggage and equipment down in our Range Rover, before going on to spend the weekend with her parents, which meant the Cobra was pretty empty.
A flat battery on the Range Rover due to a cool box being left turned on meant that we were a little late getting away, but we eventually arrived at Goodwood at around 5:00pm, just as a pair of Spitfires were going through their display over the race course. 
The roads were pretty busy on the way down, but we were able to stretch teh Cobra's legs on a few occasions and once we got off the motorways, the roads through the country were and villages were very scenic, with plenty of other "classics" heading in the same direction.
We pitched up on the campsite next to a couple of guys with a beautiful 1928 4½ litre "Blower" Bentley in British Racing Green. At the time, we thought it was a bit of a rarity, but it became a bit of an "in" joke as there were at least a dozen more of them in the "Classic" car park over the weekend. 
Friday was warm and sunny and after getting breakfast in the NAAFI marquee, we had a great day watching the practices and qualifying for the various races on Saturday and Sunday.
We met up with some other members of The 289 Register for dinner on the Friday evening and Doug was keen to sample some British fish & chips. The plan was to drive into nearby Chichester and find a chip shop, but instead, I managed to blag a table at the Goodwood House Hotel restaurant, which apparently, had been booked up for at least 6 months prior to the event. As it turned out, fish & chips were on the menu, so we all had that, although Doug wasn't too keen on mushy peas.
I'll let Doug pick it up from here if he wishes. If he doesn't, I'll come back and tell you about the racing. 
Paul |
The whole Goodwood Revival was an incredible experience. The best part, far and away, was meeting Paul and his wonderful family. I can't begin to tell you all what a great guy Paul is, I was and remain so happy to meet him and to spend this time with him. He is indeed a great friend. The trip to England was a bit long, as I live in Houston and my airline does not go to Birmingham directly from Houston.
I had to go to NY first then board another flight to Birmingham. I had some pilot business to conduct in NY anyway, so it all dovetailed together very well. I got to NY (actually Newark), conducted the business I needed to attend to, and continued on. I left Houston on Wednesday at about noon Houston time, and I arrived in Birmingham at about 7:00 AM on Thursday morning. I was fairly worn out by the time I got there, but the great times were only beginning, the adrenaline was flowing, and my motor luckily kept up on that very long first day.
I met Paul in the airport, he was waiting outside customs with a sign with my name on it. I said "that's me" and we started to walk away together. About 10 steps later, in my fatigue numbed state, I finally thought to ask, "Are you Paul?"
We had a good laugh over that, and basically had a great time from that point on. We jumped into Paul's beautiful Range Rover for the trip to his home. For those wondering, yes, I did try to get in on the right hand side of the car, and no, it wasn't the last time I did that.
We drove to Paul’s beautiful home on some acreage in the English countryside, to say that the home and surroundings are beautiful is a vast understatement. It was there that I met his wife and daughter, who are so wonderful and made me feel immediately at home. We walked outside to Paul’s garage, opened the barn style doors, and there sat his fully polished Kirkham. What a gorgeous car, just beautiful. We pushed it outside into the morning sunlight, and it just sat there, gleaming in the early morning sun. It is truly a thing of beauty. We had a light breakfast at Paul’s home, and then proceeded to load up the Range Rover for the trip to Goodwood. The plan was to load all the stuff into the Range Rover, and to have Paul's wife drive it to Goodwood while we went along in the Cobra. All was working well until we went to start the Range Rover only to find a dead battery. Paul had a "cool box", essentially what we would call a cooler but with a very small refrigeration unit built in. He had left it plugged into the lighter outlet in the Range Rover while we ate breakfast, and I guess the load was too big and it quickly killed the battery while we ate. We finally got that rectified, and off we went.
The drive to Goodwood was nothing short of incredible. We were on major highways for about 2/3 of the way down. Every chance Paul got, when there was an opening in traffic, he would lay into the throttle. The car is nothing short of a rocket.
The acceleration is amazing, and the bark of the sidepipes is what ripping steel must sound like. The best part however, was the last 1/3 of the trip down, through the beautiful rolling hills of the southern English countryside. Narrow winding roads, lined on both sides for miles and miles by ancient English hedgerows, a dewey, foggy mist clinging to the hillsides in the distance, reflecting the light of the English countryside while cows and sheep grazed peacefully, the bellowing of the engine hammering off the hedgerows back at us as we blasted through the canyons they have created for centuries - I am so eternally grateful for having the opportunity to ride in a Cobra through the streets of the heritage into which it was born, and yet on a much smaller level at the same time disappointed that I will likely never have that thrill again. To see the gleaming Cobra in it's element, to hear the engine and suspension work, and to watch Paul expertly guide the Cobra through the climbs, dips and turns, it was in short one of my life experiences that I will never forget. I am so thankful for having that wonderful experience.
We arrived in Goodwood after a glorious 3+ hour drive, and set up a tent and campsite, ready to prepare for the excitement of the three days ahead. We got the tent and campsite set up just at dusk, Paul’s lovely wife headed out to visit local family members for the next few days, and we settled into the darkness to use Paul’s VERY cool camping grill to whip up a few burgers by flashlight (we had no electricity nor light at the campsite) before turning in for the night. The burgers were delicious and expertly cooked, and we chatted while we ate in the dark about Cobra’s, life, and our common affliction of cancer. By this time, I was so tired I was almost comatose. I have had a very difficult time regaining some sort of stamina, and on a normal day I’m about toast at 9 PM or so, being awake about 15 hours on a normal day. On this day, I was awake for about 34 or so hours, with only a brief catnap on the plane over, as I don’t sleep well on aircraft. To say that I was dead on my feet would be about right. We turned in for the night, and I think I was out cold before my head made the pillow warm. I don’t remember a thing, however Paul was not quite that lucky – one of the wonderful side effects (of many) that I came away from all this treatment with is a terrible snoring problem. I’ll let Paul fill in the details…… Sorry, my friend. At least you know I’m still alive!
We awoke the next morning, headed over to the showers, dressed, and proceeded to awaken the entire campsite with the mere turn of a key! The beast barked to life, and everyone came over, smiles on their faces, to see the magnificent alarm clock. The smiles on peoples faces, the thumbs up, the yells that come directed toward it.... this car gets tremendous positive attention, and rightfully so. It’s as if royalty is rolling through.
Now the fun really started. Goodwood has two parking fields, one for older classic cars, and one for “normal” cars. We of course parked in the classic lot. That may be the best part of the show. Paul is far better versed than I in identifying the various ultra rare, ultra exotic, ultra expensive European cars that are parked in this huge grass field, unattended, the way most of us would leave our everyday driver in the lot at the local Home Depot. It was just incredible. Millions and millions and millions of dollars (actually pounds Sterling, to be precise) in incredible cars just sitting there unattended, waiting for their owners to return to them at the end of the day. Ferrari's, Bentley's, Maserati's, Bugatti's, Jaguars, and SO much more, all vintage racing era, all just sitting there looking like the parking lot of the Heaven branch of Krogers. I was, and I remain, simply astounded, and we hadn’t even walked into the gate yet. By the way, I got a stern lesson in the proper English pronunciation of Jaguar. It's NOT Jag-waar. It's Jag -u - aar. Paul made VERY sure I understood that, and it's a lesson well learned. I'll never (I hope) say Jag-waar again.
Having seen all the incredible cars in this beautifully kept and trimmed grass field, I thought that it couldn't possibly get any better than this. We were about to walk through the gate, and I was about to be proven oh, so wrong.... so VERY wrong....
This is getting long, and I need to take a break (I’m a bit worn out, as I had another recent “tune up”.) There’s SO much more to come, I hope you all (assuming anyone reads this ancient thread anymore !!!!) enjoy this first installment, I’ll be back in a bit to add on.
Paul, if you are reading this, once again, I have no words that are even remotely sufficient to thank you properly. This whole experience was truly one of the highlights of my life. Wherever life takes me, whatever is in store for me, I shall take this time with me. You are a true, dear friend, and I thank you so very much. Of all the highlights of the trip, meeting you is easily at the top, thank you so much, my friend.
More to come, gotta take a quick break……