Despite shocking weather that cancelled the show on Saturday, the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed was a massive hit, with 200,000 people through the gates. BDN’s Alan Dowds visited as a guest of Triumph, and had the chance to ride the new 765 Street Triple Moto2 Edition on the famous hill climb course. The Hinckley firm was at the festival alongside Norton, Ducati, Royal Enfield, Yamaha, Aprilia and Honda. And on the racing side, there was a smörgåsbord of two-wheel race legends, from Niall Mackenzie and Mick Doohan to Casey Stoner and Pecco Bagnaia.
But what’s the point of attending Goodwood for a motorcycle manufacturer? On the face of it, it’s a massive car event: riding through West Sussex on the show’s first day, the 15-mile traffic queue was completely insane – and totally bizarre. It’s probably the only traffic jam in the world where Porsches and Lamborghinis outnumber Kias and Dacias!
We asked Yamaha and BMW Motorrad why they attended Goodwood, and both were very positive about the marketing and PR benefits of the festival, “It is an amazing event, that’s for sure,” said Jeff Turner, marketing manager at Yamaha UK. “Goodwood makes a real effort to make sure there is something new every year. A number of my colleagues from Yamaha Europe were there for the first time, and I think if you’re into motorsport or you’re a petrolhead, it’s got to be on your list of places to go.”
BMW agreed. A spokesperson told us, “Goodwood Festival of Speed is an iconic event allowing BMW Motorrad to showcase its brand to thousands of motorcycle and motorsport fans from the UK and worldwide. For the 2023 festival, we had an eclectic mix of bikes – from custom bikes to the latest production motorcycles – running up the famous hill climb and on display. We interacted with highly engaged festival-goers and reached a significant additional audience through related social media activities.”
But you need to have a great story to tell for the best results, especially online. Turner again: “I think if you’ve got something interesting to show, you get global coverage and coverage outside ‘normal’ media. We showed the prototype DB40, which is part of a strategy of retro-styled machines, and Goodwood’s atmosphere and iconic location was ideal.”
But there was an even bigger story for Yamaha at the 2022 festival, when 500GP legend Wayne Rainey, paralysed since a crash at Misano in 1993, rode his factory Yamaha YZR500. “The Rainey thing was extraordinary,” said Turner. “It’s in the history books now, and everyone will remember the time Rainey came back and rode his bike at Goodwood. It genuinely brought tears to people’s eyes, and on our social media channels, when we ran the video, interest went through the roof.”
It’s probably fair to say that the Rainey story wouldn’t have happened anywhere else, just because Goodwood has the sheer gravity to attract that level of interest. Where else would you see Schwantz, Agostini, Doohan and Spencer sitting together in the paddock?
“There are two sides to Goodwood,” said Turner. “One is the commercial side, where we showed the DB40, and the other is the racing and heritage side. I think when you move from being a current champion to being a revered champion in the history books, it’s the only place on the planet to go.”
In terms of practicalities, attending Goodwood does need time and administration. It doesn’t necessarily cost a massive sum of cash to be part of the show, but the organisers do expect you to have an interesting, meaningful story to tell. At a more prosaic level, the festival comes at a busy time of year. “There’s always a lot going on in June and July,” said Jeff Turner, “you have to look at the calendar and decide whether you can do it, and have something unique, special, and newsworthy to promote.”
www.goodwood.com/motorsport/festival-of-speed