23/01/2009 - Goodwood Breakfast Club 2009

Continuing the huge popularity of the Goodwood Breakfast Club, the themes and timings for these Sunday morning special networking events can now be announced for the 2009 season.

As in previous years – and with a couple of exceptions – the majority of the Goodwood Breakfast Club meetings in 2009 will be held on the first Sunday of the month at the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex. However, new for this year will be a couple of additional Breakfast Club meetings, to be held on the last Sunday of June and August, so as not to clash with the preparations for the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed (being held on 3-5 July) and the Goodwood Revival (18-20 September). A new December meeting has also been added to the schedule with a festive theme, including a Christmas market full of stalls selling authentic and appealing gifts.

The 2009 season Goodwood Breakfast Clubs once again promise an eclectic mix of vehicles and a tempting breakfast menu to whet the appetite of any motoring enthusiast. The Breakfast Club was originally launched to huge acclaim in March 2006 with a total of seven meetings, every one themed, and each attracting a strong ‘petrol head’ audience. For 2009, the Breakfast Club meetings have been enhanced with a new set of themes, as detailed below, plus other initiatives designed to appeal to the real motoring enthusiast with a healthy appetite. In addition to some great cars, there are also themes to encourage motorcycles, trucks, buses, and even aircraft to attend, with appropriate themed planes parked up on the grid along side the other vehicles.

Enhancements made to the Breakfast Club will make it easier for themed vehicles to park up on the hallowed Goodwood Motor Circuit, the scene of Britain’s first post-War motor race in 1948. Parking for non-themed spectator vehicles has also been improved to get enthusiasts closer to their breakfast, and some mouth-watering machines, with the minimum of delay.

The first of the 2009 Goodwood Breakfast Club meetings will be held on Sunday 1st March. A selection of vehicles, appropriate to each monthly theme, will be parked up and displayed within the Motor Circuit, whilst regular vehicles will be directed to the public car parking area just across the road. As in previous years, admission to the Breakfast Club remains free, and all visitors are welcome.

A revised and improved website, dedicated to the Goodwood Breakfast Club (www.goodwood.com/breakfastclub) is available on-line, highlighting updates on each monthly theme, and enabling visitors to pre-register on-line to secure easy parking and breakfast access.

A full list of the 2009 Goodwood Breakfast Club dates and themes follows, with a summary of the sort of eligible vehicles visitors can expect to see at this year’s events.

The Goodwood Breakfast Club is held on the first Sunday of every month, from March to December, with the exception of July and September, which have been rescheduled for 2009 as indicated below (*). Meetings are held from 08:30hrs to midday.

Sunday Date and Theme

1 March: ‘Mini Mayhem – for all Small Sporting Runabouts’

Attracting: Celebrating everything from the original Mini to the archetypal hot hatch and modern Supermini, plus RV sporting light aircraft.

5 April: ‘Fabulous Family Favourites – from Fords to Flaminias’

Attracting: Any practical collector’s car with room for all the family, plus four-seater and fixed gear aircraft.

3 May: ‘Everything But The Car – from Bikes and Buses to Tractors and Trucks’

Attracting: All forms of motorised transport except conventional passenger cars. Motorcycles, scooters, three-wheelers, campers, light and heavy commercial vehicles, off-road workhorses, other utility vehicles and even aircraft are all welcome – nothing is too bizarre!

7 June: ‘Supercar Sunday – the Ultimate Performance Machines’

Attracting: Mouth-watering (and mostly mid-engined!) ultimate performance cars and exotic superbikes, plus aerobatic aircraft.

28 June*: ‘Performance Car Legends – post-1970 Driver’s Cars’

Attracting: Sports and GT cars from the 1970s to the present day, from Jensen Interceptor to Ariel Atom, as well as Lotus, Caterham, TVR, Porsche and many more, plus retractable aircraft.

5 July: Not held due to Goodwood Festival of Speed

2 August: ‘Soft Top Sunday – a Taste of the British Summer’

Attracting: Roofless cars of all ages, shapes and sizes, plus all open cockpit aircraft.

30 August*: ‘Thoroughbred Sunday – the Quintessential Classic Car and Motorcycle’

Attracting: Any pre-1966 road vehicle or aircraft in the spirit of Goodwood circuit’s golden days.

6 September: Not held due to Goodwood Revival preparations

4 October: ‘Maserati Magnifica – a Tribute to the Trident and other Italian Icons’

Attracting: For all Maseratis and any other Italian collector’s vehicles, from a Lambretta to a Lamborghini, plus Continental aircraft.

1 November: ‘Souped-up Sunday – Modified and Custom Vehicles of all Ages’

Attracting: Everything from hot rods and custom cars to contemporary urban cruisers, plus home-built aircraft.

6 December: ‘Breakfast Club Christmas Cracker’

Attracting: Any cherished car or aircraft, preferably with a heater and plenty of boot space for your Christmas shopping. Yule be glad you came!