90 Years of BMW Motorrad motorcycle collection, WSBK rider Chaz Davies and stunt star Mattie Griffin thrill 185,000+ visitors.
BMW Motorrad helped ensure that the 20th Festival of Speed was the biggest and best ever. With weekend visitors to Goodwood house topping 185,000 over the three day event, star riders, motorcycles and staff from BMW Motorrad helped keep the crowds entertained in the beautiful sunshine.
To celebrate BMW Motorrad’s 90th year, a collection of key BMW motorcycles ranging from the 1923 R32 to the 2013 HP4, too pride of place in the Goodwood House grounds.
In addition to ground-breaking production motorcycles such as the R 80 G/S and the fully-faired K1, and race-winning bikes including Marco Melandri’s S 1000 RR and Georg Meier’s Type 255, two concept motorcycles also went on display: the C evolution and the Concept Ninety.
Two racers from different eras of BMW Motorrad, current World Superbike rider Chaz Davies and former Isle of Man TT and endurance racer Helmut Dähne both took part in the famed Goodwood Hill Climb. Davies rode a HP4 while Dähne rode a 1966 R50. In addition, a BMW Power Cup K 1200 R and Boxer Cup R 1100 S were ridden by guest riders including British journalists Michael Neeves and Adam Child, French classic BMW racer Sophie Smith and by Chaz Davies.
BMW Motorrad UK’s sponsored stunt rider, Irish star Mattie Griffin, also made his third visit to the Festival of Speed, treating the crowds to a stunning display of tricks and breath-taking machine control on the Hill on his F 800 R.
The Festival of Speed welcomed legendary riders from all eras and areas of motorsports, including Giacamo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Kevin Schwantz, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost, Sterling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart and many more.
Chaz Davies and Mattie Griffin both took the time out to visit the huge three-storey BMW Pavilion, home to cars and motorcycles, for interview sessions and to sign autographs and take photographs. They were joined on stage over the weekend by TV presenter and motorsport fan Jake Humphries and former Top Gear and Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell.
Chaz Davies said: “Goodwood is always an amazing place to be. It’s so much fun to be here, it’s almost like having a little holiday. The HP4 was great to ride. The traction control really comes into its own, as the surface on the Hill Climb is slippery enough, and that’s before you get a hundred years’ worth of old cars and bikes leaking oil all over it! But the HP4 managed to keep on top of it all.
“The 90 Years of BMW Motorrad stand was fantastic. I got to explore it on Saturday and the bikes are very cool. I especially love the Concept Ninety. I had hoped they might let me take it up the Goodwood Hill! But it was needed for display of course. Maybe next year!”
Mattie Griffin said: “I had a fantastic time at Goodwood and was delighted to be invited back to perform. There’s a wonderful atmosphere here and you can’t help but join in with the fun. Getting to perform some of my stunts along the Hill is a great privilege – and it’s a real buzz when you hear the crowds. Add to that the fact that it’s an open paddock and the visitors get to wander around and see the bikes and cars up close and you have an event you just couldn’t match anywhere else in the world.”
