I say this every year but Goodwood Festival of Speed is the greatest motor show on earth. I stand by that and 2015 was no exception. If anything, Lord March raised the bar even higher, with faster, noisier and shinier metalwork on display than ever before.
I could list the brands, quote the celebrities, highlight the attractions but this is an audio visual extravaganza so what better way to illustrate this than the content my social feeds. I unleashed them all this year, from Twitter, Instagram and Vine to Periscope and Meerkat.
Mazda may have taken centre stage with this year’s Gerry Judah-designed sculpture on Lord March’s front lawn but for me there was another motor show encircling the event, pacing around in the shadows and threatening to derail my usual Goodwood visit. The show is question? Top Gear.
I can’t imagine the change of leadership at the flagship BBC show escaped the attention of many around the world (especially us petrol heads) but fewer are probably aware of the search for the final presenter line up. Chris Evens has thrown down the gauntlet to those with the passion, knowledge and drive (excuse the pun) to take up the second and third seats in this motoring behemoth.
This time last week, I was stood on a balcony outside a restaurant in Warsaw, with a dodgy mobile connection, no notes or timer, making a 30 second audition for the show on BBC 5 Live. The traffic providing the background noise should have been atmospheric. It wasn’t.
As you can probably tell, it didn’t quite go to plan thanks to the less-than-ideal circumstances and the fact the actual audition is meant to be a video. This aside, the professional speaking coach on the show thought I was too much of a geek, with no personality. Those who know me will probably agree with the geek analogy, however the personalty comment didn’t sit well with me. I make damn sure to put my heart and sole (and personality) into everything I do – especially when presenting so I’m not taking this one lying down.
30 seconds isn't long enough to tell the full story, such as my MG Montego talking car review at the age of 14, Sinclair C5 racing, an ownership history including a Citroën C6, Fiat Bravo and a Fiesta MkI (and the fast ones) and combining design, tech and vehicles at Brandwidth with a life-size holographic Toyota, a Lexus orchestra of cars (in the Top Gear studio), the first Apple Watch app for Porsche and a virtual reality X-Wing fighter! I even painted Tiff Needell's portrait – but that's another story. Fancy some more of this on Top Gear?
Here’s the video.
I’ll be a petrolhead until I die but to be honest, that includes vehicles of all forms of propulsion. Feast your eyes on the Festival of Fun…
