A podcast of stars
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Recording the audio podcasts which run on our website (www.motorsportmagazine.com) is always a highlight here at Lots Road. Early on, Jody Scheckter joined us for one in the cavernous empty office next door, but the echoes were a problem so we subsequently chose to turf the MD out of her office and record there. It’s not bad, if you ignore the thudder-thudder-thudder of helicopters heading down the Thames to the Battersea chopper pad. Still, it’s a useful soundtrack for flying visits from our resident Niki Lauda impersonator.
In the past year the likes of Damon Hill, John Watson and Patrick Head have popped in, but we’ve taken the podcast out on the road, too. After the Hall of Fame, Brian Redman and Mario Andretti related some great stories at the Langham Hotel. We also journeyed up to Red Bull’s Milton Keynes HQ for a natter with Christian Horner – though I missed that one after the head gasket on my ageing BMW spoilt my day on the way up. This month was extra-special. On Revival Friday, Goodwood allowed us a corner of the library in the drivers’ club where we were joined by a rolling cast of stars. Motor Sport’s webmeister Ed Foster kept a steady supply of aces coming, and as one left another would sit down. We recorded ‘as live’ to keep the adrenaline flowing and after an hour and a half we’d chatted to Stirling Moss, Bobby Rahal, Tom Kristensen, Martin Brundle, Jochen Mass, Richard Attwood, Emanuele Pirro, that man Horner and Adrian Newey. The best bits? Well, listen for yourself, but Brundle asking Mass how it felt to be German with all those Spitfires buzzing around made us laugh. Fortunately, the polo mallet Jochen had been larking about with behind Martin was now out of reach.
These podcasts appeal to me for the same reasons that radio will always be closer to my heart than TV. Like the best radio, the shows are not particularly slick, there are few formalities and the emphasis is simply on good conversation. They’re fun because all of us involved – me, Rob Widdows, Nigel Roebuck, Ed, the special guests and even the man who records us, Alan Hyde – are enthusiasts talking about a subject we love. I hope that comes across.
And the best thing about these podcasts? They’re free. Giving away exclusive interviews with the sport’s favourite names? We’re clearly mad.
It struck me once more as we left the drivers to their club, and again as they lined up for the St Mary’s Trophy saloon car scrap on Saturday afternoon, that no other event in the world attracts names like the Revival – save the Festival of Speed, of course. Goodwood consistently sets the bar for all other historic racing events. Actually, strike that – all motoring happenings of any sort.
Lord March and his team always introduce something new every year, such as the period Tesco store that added a nice touch to the market area this time. But essentially, the Revival is the same every year – and long may that be the case. Why change a winning formula?
As for the races, I couldn’t care less who wins and I suspect that’s true for most of the crowd. It matters, of course, to the cars’ owners because a Goodwood win adds value, and it matters to the drivers because, well, they’re racing drivers. But for the rest of us, Goodwood is pure entertainment, capturing a spirit that is hard to find in serious, contemporary paddocks. A dose of Goodwood perspective should be compulsory for anyone involved in motor racing.