The Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival Press Day was held Wednesday 14 March 2012 on the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex, England. Lord March’s official launch of the 2012 Goodwood Motorsports programs presented a wonderful introduction as to what will be in store at this year’s events.
Lord March announced the attendance of double Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who is due to appear at Goodwood for the first time.Sebastian’s Red Bull Racing teammate and regular Goodwood supporter Mark Webber will also be in attendance at the Festival this summer. The achievements of double F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel personify the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed theme – “Young Guns, Born to Win” – which celebrates huge motor racing talent at an early age whose ability and thirst for speed shocked the establishment, affording them immediate superstar status.
Notable cars at the 2012 Goodwood Motorsports Launch Day included many interesting varieties of Festival of Speed featured marque Lotus; Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe; Ferrari 250 GTO; Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C- and D-Type; several Ford GT40s; Sauber Mercedes Group C; Ferrari 250 GT TdF; Auto Union Silver Arrow and the 289 Competition Cobra currently on offer at SCD Motors.
A Jaguar won the ‘Most Spirited Getaway’ Award for the second consecutive year, as Alex Buncombe at the wheel of an XJS TWR owned by JD Classics was judged to have made the most enthusiastic, crowd-pleasing departure up the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill.
The 1984 Jaguar XJS TWR (chassis 005) was driven in period by Win Percy. It made a suitably dramatic start as the combination of slick tyres and a 485bhp, race-specification V12 and side-exit exhaust system ensured a visual and aural spectacle. It was joined on the Goodwood Hill by the iconic Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-8/9 run by Don and Justin Law – the latter aiming to once again set the pace at the 2012 running of the event having completed the run in just over 44 seconds in previous years.
Similar to the 2011 Press Day, photographer Tim Scott was on hand to document this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed Press Day, offering the following images that capture the essence of Lord March’s historic motorsport event. To see more from Tim, visit fluidimages.co.uk.
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012 – Launch Day Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture)
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[Source: Goodwood; Jaguar; photo credit: Tim Scott / Fluid Images]
Until the photos here of 39 PH, I guess I’d never (in fifty years) seen a Cobra with the cloth top in place.