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Heaven scent at festival
MOTORCYCLES produce sounds, smells, vibrations and I'll add that cars do the same.
Reference books provide facts and flat illustrations, museums provide actual examples, but they will be cold and dormant.
No offence to either medium for viewing bikes and no offence either to on-screen or online moving pictures with sound.
I appreciate all those ways of enjoying bikes, but there is no substitute for getting close to rare and famous bikes when they are running and being ridden.
And that's what makes the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FOS) so marvellous - machines (four and two- wheeled) are treated with reverential abandon by some of the most famous and talented riders/drivers in the world.
If you haven't watched the video clip of Dougie Lampkin (pictured right), trials rider extraordinaire, ride into and through Goodwood House to emerge on the roof then go online to goodwood.co.uk and follow the link.
Once you've stopped laughing, bear in mind host Lord March's promise that Dougie will be up to even more extreme antics this weekend.
This 16th FOS opens this Friday for three days of fabulous action and the above website will provide information on where it is, when it happens and how to get in.
Remember you must book your tickets in advance - none on the gate (see panel below).
Once inside the grounds you'll be hard pressed not to get a buzz from all the glorious machines collected in one place, it's quite simply a heaven for petrolheads.
A very brief selection of what's to see at FOS 2008.
Bikes heading up the famous Goodwood hillclimb include: a 1925 Brough-Superior SS100 (winner of a Brooklands Gold Star in 1926) and the innovative supercharged 1939 DKW350SS triple that produces beautiful music.
Other famous machines taking on the hill are - the ex-John Surtees 1957 MV Agusta 500, a 1957 prototype big head' Gilera 500 and the 1971 Ducati 500GP responsible for the beginning of the Italian legend.
Other gems include the ex-Barry Sheene 1975 Suzuki XR14 RG500, ex-Mick Grant 1981 Yamaha OW53 YZR500 and ex-Randy Mamola 1989 Cagiva V589.
Older race fans (myself included) will get a surge of adrenalin when the infamous 1978 Ducati 900SS, on which Mike Hailwood completed one of the most legendary TT comebacks, fires up.
Modern, ultra-competitive, machines in action include current World Superbikes such as the Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000, Endurance race bikes such as the BMW HP2 Sport and Phase One Yamaha YZF R1, as well as the HM Plant Honda CBR1000RR and Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000.
A veritable who's-who from the race world eagerly attend FOS.
Just a few for this year are Troy Corser, Luigi Taveri, Mick Doohan, Alex Barros, Yukio Kagayama, John Surtees, Carl Fogarty, Stuart Graham, Chas Mortimer and Stan Woods.
12:27pm Tuesday 8th July 2008
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