A Rallying Cry from Goodwood FOS

It is easy to get carried away talking about the supercars of Goodwood Festival of Speed but one of the main attractions is still the 1.1 mile Rally stage. Set within a wooded area in the grounds of Goodwood House, the Special Stage plays host to rallying legends from all generations and believe me, the old cars are just as entertaining to watch as their modern, four-wheeled-drive offspring.

A twisting path runs through the middle of the Rally section offering great opportunities to get close to the action. The range of cars is unbelievable but a highlight for me and I’m sure for many other Rally fans was the uncompromising roar of the Metro 6R4, a Group B beast that stalked through the woods, terrorising corners and scaring children, probably…

The course provides plenty of challenges for drivers and is not an ‘easy’ spectacle made only for the fans. This is a competitive stage and is hotly contested by the drivers, pushing their machines to the limits. I couldn’t help but notice that some of the younger spectators, for whom, this may of been their first experience of Rallying, seemed completely beguiled by the cars dancing around dusty corners and tackling the kind of terrain that posed problems to many people on foot, let alone in hundreds-of-horsepower machines!

Jumping for Joy

Of course, no rally stage is complete without some completely airborne action and Goodwood is no different. Judging by what a challenge it was to photograph, I can only guess it was more-so of a challenge to actually land the cars and keep going in a straight line without hitting the imposing trees on each side.

The Rally praise does not end there though, with examples of Rallying varying guises spilling over into the main event with a range of classics on display. I have always been a fan of Rallying and I can’t help but find it heart warming that Goodwood still embraces one of the most exciting and exhilarating forms of Motorsport going. Good for you Goodwood!