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Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014
02 July 2014
On Thursday 26th June, alongside the Marshall Sales Team, Jonathan Ross and Richard Baird were delighted to entertain over sixty people across two days to an action packed day at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Last week’s trip was the ninth year the ML team have entertained clients at the event, which is claimed to be today’s best British motor show.
The team arranged an early meet in the morning for breakfast and a short coach trip up to the festival (which gave the bacon sarnies enough time to settle!) This year, to enhance the experience, the day was partnered with Volvo and Citroen. This included refreshments, lunch and drives ‘up the hill’ for as many as possible.
The four-day festival was well under way when we arrived. The sound of the engines roaring in The Moving Motorshow echoed as you walked through the entrance. This year’s central display [pictured below] was quite a talking point. The sculpture, weighing 150 tonnes, towered 26 metres over the Goodwood House, a feat of counterbalance!
After taking in the sights around the festival, and watching a few customers take to the track, it was time for lunch in the Volvo hospitality stand. Graeme Oswald, from Volvo Car UK joined us for lunch where we tucked into a selection of terrines, salads and an impressive array of colourful desserts for those who had room!
Graeme says,
“On behalf of Volvo UK, I would like to thank Marshall Leasing for the opportunity to meet so many of their customers at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It was a pleasure to sponsor the event and great to hear the enthusiasm around our new Volvo V60 Polestar, which was attracting attention on the hillclimb. A fantastic day out in great company - you cannot ask for more!”
The Festival of Speed isn’t just about fast cars and driving around a track, the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ area had an incredible display of exquisite original cars dating back to the 1930s. They host an annual competition and rumour has it Rowan Atkinson was one of the judges. Zoe Lawson from Marshall Motor Group, a Goodwood first-timer, said:
“This year was my first experience of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, so I was thrilled to be invited to join my Marshall Leasing colleagues. From start to finish, the whole Marshall Leasing team looked after everyone, which made the day extremely enjoyable. I was particularly delighted to have an opportunity to go ‘up the hill’, and I thought Cartier Vintage Car display was fascinating. All in all, an experience I’ll never forget!”
We rounded up the troops as it started to cloud over, and made our way back to the coach after a great day out. Not all of us travelled on the road, though. Liz Hollands from The FTA (Freight Transport Association) has her own pilot’s license, and was able to fly in and out of the festival to avoid the traffic! Liz brought her receptionist along for the day, who was lucky enough to go on a drive.
According to Liz, her highlight of the day was looking at the Grand Prix and Superbikes in the top paddock. “They brought back good memories of watching them race in their heyday.” She said.
So – here’s to another great Marshall Leasing outing and an extremely enjoyable day, with Richard having the final word: “We’ve been going to Goodwood for 9 years now, and each one seems better than the last! It’s an absolute honour to see our clients take time out of their busy schedules to come and spend the day with us. A big thank you to everyone involved.”
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