Arriving at Goodwood House I was filled with the anticipation of entertaining the crowds again, and be part of the whole experience that many love and enjoy. Also it was as if it was the day after last year.! The whole place comes alive and is transformed into a motorsports village. A remarkable feat given this is a magnificent country house. Already you could hear the noise of revving engines from the various paddocks. From the Vanwall F1 car of yesteryear, to the current Renault F1, practising the National Anthem. Yes, they played the British and French National Anthems using the engine exhaust note. Brilliant!! Seems all you need is an F1 car and a laptop now!



After signing on and doing all the usual motorsport technicalities, I headed to where I would be entertaining the Lloyds TSB Private Banking clients, and then to the supercar paddock. I met Mike Rawlings of Brecklands Technology who is the car manufacturer in the UK to make arrangements for the first runs up the hill on friday. Mike is very passionate about the car, and with good reason too.



Friday was to include 2 runs up the hill and I had arranged with Private Banking the 2 lucky clients who were to accompany me in the car. The car, The Mosler MT900 in road going spec boasts a 5.7litre Chevvy engine, over 400hp and 0 to 60mph in just over 3 seconds. And in silver with the Private Banking logo emblazoned on its doors, it looked and sounded awesome!



I was joined this year by Oliver Gavin, a well known British driver currently driving the Corvette in the ALMs series in America and with a recent class win at Le Mans under his belt. Ollie would be driving the new road-going Corvette Z06, also a great car.



It was time for the first run up the hill. After doing one of my infamous burnouts off the startline, I launched the Mosler up the hill. Having not driven the car in anger before I thought it best to take it easy…. But not too much! Once back to the Private Banking hospitality, the client who was in the car with me simply said, "That was absolutely incredible, thank you James". Although some of the cars in other classes compete for times over the weekend, the supercar class is all about showing off the car to the crowds. An ideal opportunity for a racing driver really, and across the weekend I met many people who commented on the Moslers ability on the hill and my brisk drives, which not only gave me a sense of achievement, but also demonstrated the enjoyment that can be had by all parties at the festival, which is simply a fantastic event.

The second run on Friday followed what can only be described as a deluge of rain. The track was wet, very wet!
I was told after the run that both the owner of the car, and my father thought I was pushing very hard on that run as I whisked passed them in the sponsors enclosure, but of course all was under control, especially the burnout that spanned 3 gears off the slippery startline!!



As well as driving the Mosler over the weekend, my other responsibilities were to hosting the Private Banking clients invited over the 3 days of the event. Not only did we talk about the weekends activities, but I was able to share stories from my career and the trials and tribulations of being a racing driver. This also included trips to the inner sanctum of the Dunhill Drivers club, where I was able to introduce the clients to the good and great in the world of motorsport, past and present. Great names like Sir Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Nigel Mansell and current F1 drivers, Mark Webber and Jenson Button.



Saturday and Sunday each had one supercar run, not as many as I would have liked, but I was able to push very hard, gaining ever more knowledge about the car and tracks characteristics. Thankfully though all my runs were clean and trouble free, even if the clutch did get a little hot whilst entertaining the crowds with huge burnouts. Its all part of the experience you have to understand!!!

The entry list had over 30 cars including the new Bugatti Veron, Prodrive P2, and the latest version of the Mclaren SLR. The only misshap this year was by a bright yellow Ferrari 599 GTB that was put head first into the hay bails, never a good thing! But I do believe that the Mosler was the best looking car there, and with its race car looks and handling people could not take their eyes off of it!
The whole weekend was absolutely superb. Expected crowds of over 150000 where treated to a fantastic event. The Private banking clients will have gone away with an experience to treasure and not forget. To close, I would like to thank Lloyds TSB for giving me the opportunity to be part of the great event as their ambassador and letting me share my experiences, and enhance those of others. Also my thanks go to Mike Rawlings from Breckland Technology and Mosler EU for the use of their amazing supercar, which quite frankly, I didn’t want to give back at the end of the weekend, and would most definitely like to sit in one on the race grid! I’m looking forward to next year already!