Past Events
Goodwood 2005
Goodwood 2005
Goodwood Festival Report Vol.4
What can be compared to the clear exhaust sound of the Honda RA272 as it whizzes by at almost full throttle? It is a sound that no soprano singer could match. It no wonder many visit Goodwood just to hear it. The allure of a Grand Prix car is both great and mysterious.
It is no surprise that Honda is the main sponsor of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the world’s premier events for historic cars and bikes, in its 13th year, as Honda has entered many historic racing machines in the event every year since 1999.
The simple and beautiful RA272, with its transversely mounted 1500cc water-cooled, 4-stroke, V12 engine generating a sensual sound at the rear of its small body.
Since its F1 debut at the Nürburgring in Germany in 1964, Honda has continued to challenge F1 for more than 40 years, although there have been several pauses along the way. Looking at the history of the sport, there are many manufacturers involved in F1, but Honda is one of only two that have a 40-year history. European fans understand the importance of this history, which is why they give Honda’s machines the biggest compliment of all: cheers and applause.
At the Goodwood Festival, it is often the case that a son drives the car that his father drove professionally. This year, Jeff Bucknam, son of American driver Ronnie Bucknam, who drove the RA271 in its F1 debut at the Nurburgring, was scheduled to drive the RA272 at the event. Unfortunately, it did not happen.
On the other hand, Nelson Angelo Piquet, son of Nelson Piquet who brought Honda its first F1 constructors’ championship, took the wheel of the Williams Honda FW11, a monster of a machine with over 1,000 horsepower. Watching his brilliant driving was enjoyable, and though provoking.
Nelson Angelo Piquet (left). looked just like his father while driving the Williams Honda FW11 (right). His amazement of how his father and other drivers of the time were raced such machine was unmistakable.。
A short time later, Honda’s 2005 F1 car, the B-A-R Honda 007, driven by Jenson Button, one of the current F1 drivers, entered the main stretch with a distinctive high-pitched sound. The crowd cheered. Button slowed down in the middle of the track and then accelerated at full throttle. The tires squeal while generating a cloud of smoke. The crowd cheered again. Both the driver and the spectators were truly enjoying the F1 cars. The atmosphere in which the drivers, cars, and spectators become as one is the greatest attraction of the Goodwood Festival, undoubtedly the best event to satisfy the hearts of race fans. It was truly an amazing three days.
(fin.)
Jenson Button (left) posing for a photo with Sir Charles March in front of the monument. He was most happy to see the smiling faces of the guests up close. A cloud of white smoke billowed out as he demonstrated an exciting hill climb run in Honda’s latest F1 car (right).
The NSX-R GT that competed in the 2004 Nürburgring 24-hour race also ran the hill climb, driven by Anthony Davidson, B-A-R Honda’s third driver.
Original Japanese written by Tamotsu Kawakami
After working as a freelance photographer, Kawakami’s infatuation with cars led him to become a motor journalist. A lover of historic cars and an expert on racing from the olden days, he is an enthusiast with a collection of three thousand miniature cars. He lives in Echigo-Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture. Author of many books on historic cars.