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What is the Goodwood Festival of Speed?

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The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual event held in the UK that is a 'playground' for racing fans of all ages and all series. Since the 1990's the Goodwood property has hosted a car and racing festival in the summer on their estate celebrating all things cars and British motorsport from rally to road cars to Formula 1. The event is generally held on a weekend near Silverstone (British Grand Prix) and the organizers pledge to 'never host it on a weekend clashing with F1 grand prix's or Le Mans'.

At the core of Goodwood is the ability to see legendary road cars, rally cars, Formula 1 cars, and more drive the 1.16 mile circuit on the Goodwood grounds. You will also have the opportunity to see your favorite F1 drivers (past, present, and future), F1 team principals, F1 commentators, and more... hop behind the wheel of cars throughout the weekend. In addition to the cars, Goodwood is a stage for new and emerging automotive cutting - edge technology. This year Red Bull's FIRST road car designed by Adrian Newey was even revealed!

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Goodwood 2024 Entry List for Reference: Entry List

Goodwood 2024 Schedule for Reference: Schedule

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How do you get to Goodwood?

Goodwood is located on the Goodwood House Estate in West Sussex in Southern UK.

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Driving and Parking (Recommended)

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While there are public transportation options to get to Goodwood - many fans choose to drive and park on the property. Car Park spots are available for purchase on the Goodwood Website!

It will take you about 90 minutes to 2 hours from Central London to get to the estate. You will find guiding signs that begin  ~15 miles outside of the event that will guide you to the general area, and then at ~2 miles out you will see further guiding signs showing you to specific car parks. Traffic in the morning from around 8:30AM - 1:00PM will add time onto your journey, so plan to arrive early or allocate extra time for traffic. If there is bad weather, note that the car parks will be extremely muddy and add further time onto the commute.

There are upwards of 10 car parks including campgrounds (yes, you can camp on the property), and options for paying £40 per day to display your car if you have something cool to show off!

If you are parked in further away car parks or have poor mobility there are tractors that run around the car parks similarly to an airport shuttle.

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** If you have an electric car make sure it is charged before you arrive. There are no electric chargers at the venue and all options around the venue in neighboring towns will have plenty of people trying to use them. If you need to charge give yourself plenty of time to do so before arriving to the venue. **

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Public Transportation

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Getting to Goodwood by train is a much cheaper option than driving, but locks you in to train times and very very packed train cars.

The event has a ticketing partner called Train Hugger that will allow you to pre-purchase all train tickets needed to commute to the site. The journey from Central London to Chichester (the closest station to Goodwood) is a 90 minute ride - with another shuttle bus ride to the festival grounds that will add between 30 minutes to an hour on to your commute. The shuttle only runs from 7 AM to 8 PM. During peak times and on Saturday and Sunday of the Festival of Speed, expect long wait times for the shuttle to and from the grounds and Chichester Railway Station. All in all, if planning on taking the train to Goodwood, plan on a 2 hour to 2.5 hour commute.

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How should you plan for Goodwood?

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Security and what you can bring to the Festival of Speed

Security at the Festival of Speed is quite relaxed. You are allowed to bring nearly anything you would like into the festival from picnic supplies to personal filming equipment. Weapons and 'excessive amounts of alcohol' are the only prohibited items.

Wait time for security depends on your arrival time. Peak times you could face a wait of up to 40 minutes. They will only check your bags and not your person.

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Goodwood App

Goodwood has an app to help you navigate the weekend! If you are unsure or lost, download the Goodwood app - this has a full map, schedule and planner so you can safely navigate through the event. It will show you the location of nearest toilets, water bottle refill stations, food, information desks, first aid/pharmacy, etc...

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What kind of food, drink, and amenities are at Goodwood?

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You can find food and drinks throughout the entire venue similarly to a Formula 1 race. As mentioned above, fans are welcome to bring their own food, drinks, and alcohol to the circuit, but if you don't want to carry that with you to the festival - there are many other options!

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The main food and drink areas are close to the entrance of the Paddock and the central cricket pitch area. There are options that range from Greek food, fried chicken, burgers, pizza, Thai food, and a variety of other cuisines. Food at Goodwood is quite expensive - a normal meal including a drink (Main+Drink) will set you back anywhere between £15-20 so it's advised to take some food/snack with you.

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Goodwood also has a ticketed opportunity to eat at some of the 'nicer' restaurants and hospitality - including dinner in the great hall of the Goodwood Estate. These meal options are much more expensive than the food in the general festival grounds, but may be worth it to fans who have been outside in the heat or inclement weather all day.

Restrooms and water refill stations are also scattered throughout the Goodwood grounds. You will never be too far from one, unless you are at the Rally stage

You can always use the Goodwood App to find the closest food, water, and restroom options.

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Thursday at the Festival of Speed

Thursday is the least busy day of the weekend at the Festival of Speed. However, it is still very busy -  definitely busy enough for queues for food, toilets etc... However, it is easy to move around. Note that a lot of activations and stores will not have AC or ventilation so it can get very very warm. As the day goes on, it gets busier especially in the grandstands and immediate areas around the track. As cars run down the hill out of the paddocks the roads leading onto the hillclimb become blocked to let traffic out onto the track - which can cause blockades.

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Stand Out Events

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Red Arrows

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Red Arrows are the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team in the United Kingdom who did an airshow from 11:45 AM - 12:10 PM to kick off the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year (and ran again on Friday). It's a beautiful and very thrilling display that you can watch from nearly anywhere on the festival grounds. These can be seen anywhere with open skies in the event which is almost everywhere. A few hours after the display you might be lucky enough to catch the pilots wandering around. No specific place but they can be identified by red overalls.

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Batch 4 - Formula 1 Cars

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If you're an F1 fan.... Thursday is a day you MUST attend. Different types of cars run in batches throughout the weekend on the aforementioned 1.16 Mile Circuit throughout the grounds.

Every year different Formula 1 drivers and teams will run prior year's cars including iconic additions such as the RB16.

This year the cars in this batch included Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and BWT Alpine.

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Batch 6 - Supercar and Hypercar

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The supercar and hypercar batch is well worth watching, as well. The festival this year boasted exotics such as Buggatti Mistral, Bolide. Koenigsegg CCX850, Jesko and Agera, Lamborghini Revoluto, Hurucan STO, Aventador, Aston Martin Valkerie, Valour, AND Victor, and many more.

These run in Batch 6 Class 19.

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Sim Racing

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If you are an avid or new sim racer - you could test your skills all around the track! Most notably, HeyCar UK was hosting a fastest laptime competition. The winner would be rewarded a passenger drive up the iconic Goodwood Hill. If you didn't want to compete, there were multiple sim rig activations around the festival including in the Alpine Stand, Williams Stand, and Pirelli Stand.

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How to meet F1 Drivers and see legendary F1 Cars

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F1 Pit Lane

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Yes, you heard that right.... for the first time in many fans' lives you can access the 'F1 Pit Lane' at Goodwood. Thursday is easily the least busy day at the festival, so take this time to go to the F1 Pit Lane before wait times to enter can go as long as 2 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

In the F1 Pit Lane you will be able to see F1 cars up close and personal... not just recent years' F1 cars but iconic additions such as Ayrton Senna’s championship McLaren MP4, Jenson Button’s Brawn car, Lewis Hamilton’s championship winning Mercedes W10, and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari.

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As with all F1 pit lanes, you will have the opportunity to cross paths with F1 drivers and legends. Often times, especially on the less busy days, you could catch people like David Coulthard, Mark Webber, and even Max Verstappen walking through the Goodwood Pit Lane.

The teams that participate in Goodwood each year don't just bring drivers and cars - they will often put on talks and question and answer sessions with team members from physios to team principals!

** Note that the pit lane and team 'garages' will close at 7PM **

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Top Thursday Tips

1. Spend time with the cars and in the paddocks before the venue becomes very busy.
   1. This includes the F1 Paddock. You may find some crowds around the F1 Team Marquee, but you have a VERY good chance at possibly spotting or meeting your F1 favorites on Thursday.
2. Try out E-Sports rigs before the lines get very long during the rest of the weekend - specifically try to go first thing in the morning or towards the end of the day.
   1. Williams and Alpine are the most popular sim rigs
3. Bring ear protection for the very loud cars
   1. F1 cars are generally quite loud, but there are many other cars running that are even louder throughout the day.
   2. The information desks will have small rubber ear plugs if you forget yours!

Friday at the Festival of Speed

Friday gets busier, the queues are longer and the grandstands are more full. It starts quieting down at around 6:30-7pm. 

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Stand Out Events

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Batch 3 Class 10 - Drifting Shows

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Drifting is another HUGE part of Goodwood. Drifters will run up the iconic hill and 'put on one hell of a show'. Remember when we said that some cars are louder than F1 cars and you need ear protection... these are those cars.

Mike ‘Mad Mike’ Whittet was running the ‘MadMac’ McLaren P1 - which has been converted to a rotary engine with insane modifications. Not only do these cars run the circuit, but they will do burnouts in front of the Main House and the start and finish line of the hillclimb.

Balcony Moments with Richard and Kyle Petty

Balcony Moments is a series held near the Main House and main straight that serves as the interview stage for motorsports legends. The 'Moments' are used to honor drivers who have excelled in their discipline or have been influential amongst motorsport.

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On Friday, the stand-out interviews were with Richard and Kyle Petty who are Nascar Royalty.

In order to view these moments you want to be as near to the Main House as possible on the main straight or opposite across the track, and underneath the balcony of the house.

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The RB17

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We have all heard at this point that Adrian Newey and Red Bull Racing unveiled their newest 'lovechild' at Goodwood. In the Cathedral Paddock where the Red Bull Racing Paddock was located (not the F1 Paddock), Red Bull unveiled their very first road car.

They also brought 12+ cars from all eras of F1 racing and drivers from Patrick Weisacher and David Coulthard to Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, and F1 Academy Driver Hamda Al Qubaisi.

** These drivers all ran different Red Bull Machinery throughout the weekend including Team Principal, Christian Horner, and Adrian Newey himself. **

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What fans should see and do on Friday at Goodwood

Go visit the top paddock and the rally stage where greats such as the Group B legends, the Audi Quattro, and modern Rally cars such as the Hyundai I20 WRC reside. There is a path that goes around the rally stage and viewing for spectators is very accessible. Friday gets busier, the queues are longer and the grandstands are more full. It starts quieting down at around 6:30-7pm. 

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Top Paddock

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The Starting Line gets busy and they’ve raised the protection hay bales so fans cannot see as much this year. However, if you want to see cars and drivers up close - head up the top paddock. This is where the cars are held after their runs and the drivers often interact with the fans. If the fans are especially excited, they may even do burnouts, donuts, or at worst rev the engine. Drivers will subsequently all get out of their cars and have a chat with each other. Perfect if you want to see your favorite driver! This paddock is also very far away from most of the action, so its normally not busy and there are plenty of public viewing platforms around.

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Rally Stage

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The Rally stage and Rally paddock are also near the Top Paddock. There is a public path that loops the rally stage and is great for viewing. The rally cars have no real schedule but will run fairly regularly. You are going to see one or two every few minutes. 

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Helicopter ride

For £85 you can take a 10 minute ride around the grounds of Goodwood Festival of Speed.

If you want unrivalled views this is the way to do it! The helicopter pad is located south of the Supercar Paddock at the very South tip of the course. You will not go over the track, as helicopter traffic is prioritized for TV helicopters, but you will be flown around the surrounding estate and area. You obviously will be able to see the track and event - just not fly directly over it.

This is a VERY unique experience and while a bit expensive, a once in a lifetime opportunity.

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Top Friday Tips

1. Don't want to walk around as it gets busier? NO PROBLEM! There are tractors that will take you to the further parts of the festival (Top Paddock and Rally Stage) every 5 - 10 minutes. Take advantage - it's a long walk.
   1. During peak times a wait for the tractor can take up to 30 minutes so plan ahead if there's an event you're trying to attend.
2. Take advantage of the further viewing platforms to avoid the crowds.
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3. Consider packing food as the lines will be longer.

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Saturday at the Festival of Speed

Saturday is arguably the busiest day of the event as now a lot of families are attending, this means queues now start getting longer and the more sought out areas get busier and busier. Places like the F1 Paddock, the Assembly area, Supercar Paddock and now facilities such as toilets, food and information desks are the ones that are affected from the increased traffic the most. Traffic getting into the event gets worse. I’d recommend aiming to get there at 7:30 and avoiding the South road through Chichester as much as possible as these roads in particular get very congested. Coming down from the North there are multiple routes in and traffic is evenly split between different routes meaning you only really hit bad traffic a few miles out of the venue.  

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Stand out events

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Michael Dunlop Balcony Moment

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The Isle of Man TT legend, Michael Dunlop was honored with his very own Balcony moment over at the Goodwood House on the main straight. He was interviewed and ran his iconic bike up the hill in the corresponding batch for the rest of the day. 

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Official Timed Shootout Practice - Batch 7 Class 21

Saturday is when official practice for the timed shootout runs begin. These runs will include drivers really pushing the limit of their machinery and is well worth getting into position for. You can catch some great moments at Turn 2 that then runs onto the straight and turn’s 3 and 4 that run up to the famous Flint Wall section.

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What fans should see and do on Saturday at Goodwood

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Cartier Concours

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If you like well presented cars then the Cartier Concours Lawn is well worth checking out. You can weave in and around such beautiful classics such as a Lamborghini Diablo SV or Zonda C12 amongst many others. There are food stalls and facilities nearby and the Cathedral Paddock is just a small distance away where all the Red Bull cars are held. 

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Main Paddock

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The Main Paddock is where the majority of hillclimb cars and bikes are stored and prepped before they head out onto the hillclimb cars such as retro Le Mans classics, Drift Cars, a small selection of Rally Cars and a few works teams displays as well.

This is also where the Sky Sports F1 Paddock is as well as F1 Teams merch shops.

The ‘Assembly Area’ is also nearby, this is where cars are held before they head onto the hillclimb. If you want to spot famous drivers this is the place to be. Drivers will also sign autographs and sometimes if you're very lucky hand out free merchandise. 

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Top Saturday Tips

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1. Start planning to move around to stay ahead of schedule to get around the grounds
   1. Take advantage of Track Crossings that open after batches have run on the hillclimb but make sure you are in position as these are not open for long.
   2. You can plan ahead using the Goodwood App that has a function on it that plans your ‘ideal Itinerary’ it gives you alerts as to when your desired batches are about to run up the hill. 
2. ‍Eating early/later is better as queues to get food are extremely long in some places.
   1. Food can be found all over the site and have covered places to eat and drink nearby in case the weather gets foul. You can choose to eat at the normal lunch hour, but be aware that it could take up to 30 mins to get food.
3. If you want to get the best viewing option (without Grandstand Tickets) then you need to be in position nice and early as some people will get there early to hold their spot.
   1. The best GA viewing positions are as close to the hay bales lining the track as possible. These are identified by white rope that marks the closest you can stand.
   2. The best GA viewing position is along the straight that runs up to the Flint Wall out of Molecomb Corner (T4). This section climbs uphill which means the higher you get the better the view you get of T4 itself. There are eating benches along this section where people will stand upon to get the best view. Marshalls dont mind this so it's worth taking advantage of ….

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‍Sunday

Sunday being the final day is extremely busy with levels about the same as Saturday. Again, queueing for things takes more time and therefore you need to be vigilant with timekeeping otherwise you will miss out on things. 

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Stand out events

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Timed Shootout both on track and Rally - Batch 7 Class 21

Sunday being the final day, means that the final competition - the Times Shootout happens. Here, a winner is crowned by setting the fastest time up the hill. This session is usually delayed by crashes as drivers are pushing their cars to the limit on a very narrow track that has very little margin for error.

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Molecomb is a great viewing point that features a very hard braking zone - with cars braking down from about 130-150 mph to as little as 40 mph. The hay bales on the exit of Molecomb have seen many a car go into them.

Other great viewing points include along the main straight and from either side of the track (although the side where the house is gets extremely busy). 

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It's not just on the hillclimb that we see timed action! Up at the Rally Stage, they also hold their own timed event. The Rally stage can be accessed by the tractors which can be picked up outside the Media Centre and Alight at the very top of the hill. The Rally Stage has great access and has a path running around a majority of the course. The Start and Finish line are very close together and there are viewing points of jumps on the Rally Course.

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‍Red Bull Parade and Balcony Moment

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‍The culmination of the event this year was the Red Bull Moment where all current and a few past drivers ran their respective RB cars up and down the hill in a parade.

Drivers included Patrick Freisacher, Mark Webber, David Coulthard, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen, Christian Horner and even Adrian Newey. They drove up the hill (doing some donuts outside the house), back down the hill to the start, and then up to the house where they drove in and parkd in front of the house.

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Viewing the moment is best done from around the path that leads up to the house, but be warned this is exceptionally busy and if it’s hot weather I would personally avoid getting too close. If you do want to get close to this then watching all on track action from the House side of the track is a must (see top tip for why)!

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What fans should see and do on Sunday at Goodwood

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Red Bull Paddock

Go early to the Red Bull Paddock, and you might catch the F1 Red Bull Drivers entering and getting into their cars. Its best to stay inside the paddock as marshals and police will start to cordon off the area before the cars got to track. This area got very busy and congested - therefore planning ahead is a must. 

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Burnouts/Donuts

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Now that its the last day, any teams with excess tires will use them.

Drivers will do donuts in areas that have open space around them these include: Turning around area behind the Start Line, Outside the house on the main straight, the area after the finishing line at the Top Paddock, and the assembly area in the Main Paddock.

The F1 cars in particular will do burnouts all the way up the hill in order to put on a show for fans. (F1 cars particularly the V8, V10 and V12 engines are insanely loud and require ear protection when doing burnouts or donuts.) 

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Exhibits - JLR, BMW, POLESTAR, GENISIS, MG, BTCC, PIREILLI, etc...

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There are a multitude of exhibits this year! Jaguar and Land Rover have their own buildings with interactive exhibits featuring new and existing cars to wander around and explore. You can also pay to have an Land Rover off-roading experience where experienced drivers will take you in different Land Rovers over an obstacle course that will see you on three wheels at times.

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Porsche have followed suit with their own area that includes all kinds of different Porsche’s new and old. You can view models, and even spec out your own Porsche. They have an area where they interview key Porsche Personnel - both in motorsport and in the road car company. There is a cafe to get tea and coffee at and a DJ booth where live music will be played as well as sitting areas on the lawn overlooking the Porsche Car Park. 

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BMW, very similarly, have their own exhibit where you can view a lifesize replica of their BMW Le Mans Hypercar, buy BMW merch, grab a drink and watch on track action from their balcony. They also have live events including interviews and even beatboxing contests.

Bugatti have smaller display but they are displaying their brand new Bugatti Tourbillion on a plinth outside next to the main straight which is well worth looking at. 

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Polestar, Genesis, Lotus, and Koenigsegg all have similar stands, and these can all be located amongst the main central area around the cricket pitch. You can view and interact with cars and activations, and buy merchandise at all of these locations.

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Top Tips for Day 4

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1. Plan ahead when using the bridges. The two central bridges to cross over the track have 4 lanes (2 either way). During peak times, these get very congested and will take up to 7 - 8 mins to get across. I found these particularly busy crossing over after viewing the Red Bull parade from the house to getting in position for the Balcony moment. Everyone was trying to do the same thing!
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2. Stay hydrated. Sunday is your last day to see things you might have missed over the last 3 days, so chances are you are going to be doing a lot of walking. You need to stay hydrated, particularly when its hot. No fear, there are water bottle refill station dotted all around! Again, use the app to locate them. You might experience a small amount of queuing, but it's never that bad. They shouldn't run out of water as they are regularly monitored. 
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3. Shop for souvenirs! FoS is a great experience and therefore you might want a souvenir of the event.
   1. If you want official Goodwood Merchandise then head to the main goodwood shop next to the bridge on the main straight. Though they are a little pricey with a shirt setting you back £40-50.
   2. Car brands have shops on their stands as well. However, there is an area that is just dedicated to buying things including model cars, artwork, or F1 merch. This area is located north of the Cricket Pitch and can get busy during the middle of the day.
      1. I would recommend going there early or later, but be warned if you go later - the item you want may be sold out. 
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4. Leave plenty of time for car park queues. The final day means that EVERYONE will be trying to leave the car park at the same time. It goes without saying that this can cause chaos. Particularly if it is raining as the car parks are all fields and aren't flat which means getting stuck is a very real possibility.
   1. If you aren't fussed about watching the later batches go up the hill then leaving early is a good call to save time getting home. 

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