The 20th running of the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed took place from 12 – 14 July and featured an awe-inspiring array of vehicles, celebrity-status motoring personalities and around 150 000 spectators.
Among the attendees was Giniel de Villiers and his Dakar Racing Toyota Hilux. De Villiers (41) drove the Hilux on hot laps on the 4 km Goodwood forest stage and was chosen by marshals and the clerk of the course as the most exciting driver on the weekend,earning himself the 2013 Goodwood Driver’s Award.
Just as impressive was the fact that Giniel and his Hilux set the fourth fastest time of all the forest stage contenders, running behind three World Rally Championship (WRC) cars.
Refering to spectators and a handful of fortunate passengers, Geniel said, “The guys really liked the bakkie! I had the Hilux on two wheels on Friday and I guess that people really enjoyed that.”
Giniel returned to Goodwood after a first taste in 2012. “We come here to have some fun and showcase the Dakar Racing Hilux, yet in some sense it is also the spiritual start to our Dakar campaign, which will start in full force at the end of this month in the Namib desert,” says Giniel.
Toyota Imperial South Africa Dakar team principal Glyn Hall was on hand to monitor Giniel’s driving. “Giniel’s driving at Goodwood makes me very excited about our upcoming tests in Namibia. We have a large number of changes and improvements to test and it will give us a good idea of what our chances are in the 2014 Dakar.”
“The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an amazing show,” says Giniel. “So many great and historic racing cars and drivers are on hand and the atmosphere is incredible. If you love cars, you have to attend this festival at least once in your life.”
