It's Good To Be At Good Wood

IT'S GOOD TO BE AT GOOD WOOD

FAST FREDDIE TAKES US BACK TO LORD MARCH'S FESTIVAL OF SPEED

Freddie Spencer

MY INITIAL INVITE to the Goodwood Festival of Speed came in 1998, from my hero and friend John Surtaes, who organized the motorcycle portion of the festivities for me first six years. In that first 1,1 rode a Honda Grand Prix bike from my era, a 1987 version of the RS500 V-3. Walking from the Goodwood Hotel to the paddock on that Saturday morning, I passed a batch of 1970s Fl cars that included the iconic 1978 John Player Special Lotus. I recognized the red-striped silver helmet right away: Mario Andretti, who had won his World Championship in that same car 20 years earlier. Mario looked my way, and his eyes smiled when he saw mine. He nodded, dropped the clutch, and lit up the rear tires all the way to the start line! Seeing Mario drive this car again was perfect; it beautifully captured a time when a man, a machine, and a team all worked as one to fulfill destiny.

A few years after my first Goodwood, I rode Surtees' personal 1939 Isle of Man-winning BMW Kompressor, but that's a whole other story. In 2004,1 rode the 1985 NSR500 V-41 won the World Championship on. At the Goodwood Revival meeting [at the Goodwood circuit] in the fall of 2002,1 got to ride with Barry Sheene (I rode John's 1957 500 MV Agusta, his personal bike). Barry had announced earlier that he'd been diagnosed with cancer, so spending time with him was priceless. Watching him ride the Manx Norton reminded me of our battles in the World Championship in 1982. He rode the same, and I felt I might not see him again. Wayne Gardner was there with us. Barry passed away the next spring.

My daughter, Jordyn, 9 at the time, accompanied me to the 2008 Goodwood Revival, and we were privileged to stay in the main house with Charles [Lord March], Janet, and family. Jordyn and Frederick (their young son) got to hang out in the kitchen and watch an old tube-style television. One night, Jordyn overheard a conversation regarding the extensive art collection and the valuable paintings in the house, so she asked Charles if she could ask him a question: "Couldn't you sell one of those paintings and get flat-screen TVs in the rooms?"

So when the invite from Charles arrived for the 20th anniversary this year, I got excited! I have always appreciated the personal remarks and attention to detail from Lord March. For the 1600-plus-people Black Tie Ball, Charles does the seating arrangements himself. He created this event in the spirit of a proper British garden party to showcase all of motorsports, to bring together the best of the best from the past to the present.

Back to this year: I made the walk over to the paddock to see my 1984 NSR500 V-4. This is the first time the bike has been out of Japan since being restored in 2009, and the Honda Collection Hall sent Rocky and two other technicians to take care of it.

When I got to my NSR, it was time to get to work, such as it is. I signed some photos, programs, magazines from the past, took photos with fans, chatted about their memories. Rocky got my attention about the time the last fan walked away: "Excuse me, Freddie-san. Where is your gear?" Now, that was a good question. My last event had been in Saint-Cergue, Switzerland, in the middle of June, and Ed stayed in Europe most of the spring. I had three technicians from Japan, four video crew members from Honda Europe, two "minders" (as they call them in the UK), and no gear bag. Hmm. The Spirit of Speed guys, a group of classic GP bike collectors, had kindly agreed to bring my gear to Goodwood for me, so once I tracked them down, I was back in business.

In the locker room, I got to meet 2011 British Superbike Champion Tommy Hill and catch up with Derek Bell and Bobby Unser and his wife. Then Kenny [Roberts] and Randy [Mamola] walked in. Time spent with Kenny is always an experience. The respect I have for our battles on the track and for the effort it took to compete with him is intertwined so deeply into who I am. I remember as a 10or 11-year-old watching from the pits in the Astrodome how Kenny would effortlessly pitch his XS650 into turn one at the Friday Night TT. It's such a vivid memory. Ten years later, I was competing head to head with him. Each practice, each qualifying session, each race, it was just he and I who were pushing the limits of the bikes, tires, ourselves. It took all of my ability, mental, emotional, and that unknown gift, to compete and sometimes win. I considered it then and do now, a tremendous privilege; I am humbled to be a part of all of it.

Leathers on at last! The 1984 NSR500 was the first Honda 500CC V-4, the brainchild of Mr. [Shinichi] Miyakoshi, the engineer who'd also designed the NS500 V-3. That NS triple was Honda's first two-stroke GP bike. We first raced it in 1982 and won the 500 championship on it in 1983. As a reward, Miyakoshi—who'd been a car guy—got to really push the envelope designing the 1984 bike with its gas tank on the bottom to get the center of gravity as low as possible and pipes over the top of the chassis. This bike had such an impact on what would come next: the more conventional 1985 NSR500 V-4. Designed by Mr. [Satoru] Horike, it would become the most successful bike in Grand Prix racing history, and over the next 16 years would win more races and championships than any other machine. The issues of the '84 bike told us what to do next. That is the point, maybe? You have to be willing to try more, to risk, and be willing to fail and learn from it. With its low center of gravity, the '84 bike was great in high-speed corners at a track like the old Silverstone. But we had problems with stabilizing the fuel with baffling, and that made the bike unpredictable under heavy braking and corner entry. I had my well-documented struggles, yet I can see why this bike matters.

I'd asked Rocky about the clutch. The last time I rode the bike at Suzuka it was grabbing, and it was doing the same thing in 2009 at Motegi. Rocky said, "It's okay," but when I got on the bike, he grabbed my arm, leaned in, and said, "Be careful with the clutch. It may be a problem."

"I know," I smiled. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." This NSR is Rocky's baby as much as mine. Maybe more: He's more willing to overlook its faults. On the run up the hill, the '84 bike has such a high first gear I could barely get into third, so it is mostly first and second gears. At Goodwood, it's not about the speed, but the sound and the acceleration that people like to see.

With a bike this priceless, my job is to make sure I get up there and back safely.

The next day, Randy Mamola and I met for breakfast at the Goodwood hotel. I've known Randy since 1977. He was there with Gary Nixon and Erv Kanemoto in October of 1977 at the WERA Grand National Finals at Mid-Ohio, the race where I met Kanemoto. My dad had pitted next to Erv, and that weekend, he talked with him. My dad had worked on my bikes by himself since I began racing in 1966—no one else. But that weekend, he had a feeling he should talk with Erv: "I think my son is pretty good. I spent all I can, and he can ride beyond what I can give him. I don't want to hold him back." Defining moments that we either see or we don't. My dad saw it. He knew it was Erv who would help me, and he walked away.

The rest of the day was watching and riding. It was great to be together with my fellow Americans: Kenny, Randy, and Kevin Schwantz. Lewis Hamilton drove the Mercedes Fl car Saturday morning. Fernando Alonso's Ferrari Fl and Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull were both lined up behind us. Sunday morning, I noticed the 1971 Tyrrell Fl car and immediately recognized the openfaced helmet of Sir Jackie Stewart. I'd first met Jackie at the FOS in 1998; he was the inspiration behind my video of the GP bike versus streetbike versus car we shot at Laguna in the summer of 1984—on the NSR I'm riding this year (see Freddie Spencer vs. Street Bike vs. Street Car on youtube.com). It made me smile to see Sir Jackie in that car once again—the man and his machine!

We had a good second run, easy on the clutch and savoring each shift and moment, something I am much better at today than before. When you're young, it's always what's next. Also, it only takes about 40 seconds to get up Lord March's driveway. After our run,

I went to the Honda Europe display and talked about GP racing, again, with the fans—something I never get tired of doing. I've been through so much with Honda. I remember looking at a photo of Mr. Honda on the wall in the office of Mr. J.W. Gorman, who owned Power Cycle Honda in Shreveport, Louisiana. I was only about eight years old, but I remember the feeling. And then one day—and it doesn't seem that much later—I found myself sitting next to Mr. Honda after winning the 500CC championship for him. That was a special moment. What I maybe didn't appreciate as much 30 years ago as I do now is quite how many wonderful people it was special for and how long good memories can last. There could be no better reminder than Goodwood.