At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a mouth-watering variety of drivable racecars and road cars - from eras past to the present are brought together. The hill climb on its own draws in excess of 300 vehicles, among them everything from ancient to modern F1 cars, Indy cars, Group C machinery, GT cars to Touring- and classic cars. In addition, there are more than 50 rally cars that take to the event's forest stage.

Furthermore, every car is meticulously maintained. The TWR Jaguar Group C contenders, which gathered for The 50th Anniversary of the Jaguar E Type all look brilliant and as if they were brand new. Cigar-shaped racecars from the inter-war years radiate a brilliance comparable to the latest LMP1 and GT1 machines. One soon realizes that racecars, as one reason for their existence, must be driven.

Applause arises from the crowd when the MC announces the names of famous drivers before they make their ascent. The roar becomes especially loud when the announcer mentions British drivers. Nostalgic names like that of Andy Wares and Nigel Mansell, and current heroes such as Lewis Hamilton get the most rapturous applause - as does Sir Stirling Moss. Johnny Herbert is one of the most popular drivers. While the Mazda 787B is getting set at the starting line, the MC introduces it as, “the Mazda 787B, restored for the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours where this June Johnny Herbert was finally able to fulfill a long-cherished desire, to stand on the podium at La Sarthe.” The crowd goes beserk!

This year's Goodwood Festival of Speed has come to an end. A record number of fans made the trip in 2011, some of them saying to us, “Thank you for coming, especially as your country is so far away,” and “I'm pleased I was able to hear that glorious rotary sound,” to “I'm a big fan - now and forever.” I think it's a good idea I came here to make this report.