The Lewis Hamilton Foundation were the chosen charity of this year's annual Festival of Speed. They chose to give Keech Cottage Children's Hospice (near Hamilton's birthplace) and Chestnut Tree House (local to Goodwood) tickets to the opening day of the world famous weekend.
My brother and I are ardent fans of motorsport, particularly Formula 1. We were delighted when we received the opportunity to attend the festival on Friday 3rd July. On the early evening of Thursday, with my parents and younger brother, Gavin, we set off for Chestnut Tree Hospice who kindly agreed to accommodate us overnight.
Fortunately, the traffic was limited and following a pit stop to eat, we arrived at Chestnut at around 8pm. On arrival, we were shown around the facilities which were marvellous. Before putting our heads down, we had a game on the Wii which to my disappointment, Gavin won.
After a good nights sleep, we made our way to Goodwood. When we finally arrived, we were told to go to the Pirelli stand where we met up with other families from Keech and Chestnut. Everyone who had organised the day and made it successful were also there; Rebecca Kelly (Keech), Heather Nash (Lewis Hamilton Foundation), Gavin Miller (Richard Burns Foundation) and Ellen Kolby (McLaren). Ellen gave us the caps that Lewis wears after races which we proudly wore all day.
First up was the Forest Tree Rally Stage. There were lots of rally cars on view such as Subaru, Peugeot, Renault and many more. My dad changed into protective clothing and helmet before entering the Mitsubishi alongside journalist Rob Gill, who was driving. It only took 2.38 minutes for the car to fly around the track. Once my dad had recovered from the excitement, he said that it was a ‘once in a life-time experience'.
While looking around at the different cars, I spotted rally driver and brother of the late Colin McRae, Alistair McRae who was about to get into a car for a lap of the circuit. Before he did, Gavin Miller introduced me and I was able to have my photo with him.
We now had to leave this part and head down the hill to the Formula 1 paddock. We decided to take the shuttle bus down which wasn't what we had expected. The ride was bumpy and my wheel chair was jumping around. My dad said the rally car which was going at ridiculous speeds was more comfortable. I got to the end in one piece but decided that I'd take the path up the hill on the way back. Luckily, my wheelchair is electric and works on all terrain.
When we reached the McLaren tent, we were treated like celebrities. The crowd parted and we got to see two historic cars close up. The first was the legendary MP4/4 which used to be driven by the late great Ayrton Senna. The other car was the MP4/23 which helped to deliver Lewis a world championship last year. We were privileged to hear the ferocious roar of the engine. The noise was so loud that everyone nearby had to wear ear plugs or cover their ears.
The engine was turned off and each child received a Lewis Hamilton souvenir bag which included a signed magazine, a signed poster and Lewis' autobiography. We then had a look at the other teams' cars; Ferrari, Brawn and Toyota to name but a few, before leaving the F1 paddock.
Next, we saw cars of past and present. The supercars looked sleek and modern whereas the older cars in the Cartier ‘style et luxe' design competition looked elegant and classy. Just outside Goodwood House, standing at 35M tall was a commemorative sculpture celebrating 100 years of Audi. Gerry Judah's grand project had many people talking and they seemed in awe of this abstract work.
We met up with everyone at 3:30 pm at the entrance to Goodwood House for late lunch and a tour around a few of the rooms. The house was impressive with huge tapestries and valuable paintings which had security alarms fitted. During lunch there was a brilliant display by the red arrows who performed spectacular stunts. My favourite manoeuvre was when they made a love heart from smoke.
Throughout the day, Bonhams were holding an auction in the back garden of the house. Many famous and historic cars were being sold for vast amounts of money. Before the cars were driven away by their new owners, Tony Reed (caretaker) allowed us to take a look around. Bonhams kindly gave us catalogues of the cars which were sold. The catalogues are £30 each normally.
The festival was nearly over and so we made our way back up the hill to the car. As we got into the car, a man from ‘The Andrew Years' rally team stopped us and gave us a picture. This topped off an amazing day and one that shall live in my memory forever. I'd like to thank everyone who made this day possible and made it enjoyable for my family.
