PETROL heads have reacted furiously after Saturday’s Goodwood’s Festival of Speed was cancelled due to “severe wind”.
Organisers of the popular motorsport event in Chichester, West Sussex, made the announcement on Friday after “consulting meteorologists, health and safety experts and other key stakeholders”.
It is the first time in the 30-year history of the festival that a day has been cancelled.
But it has come much to the dismay of excited festival-goers, many of whom had already purchased tickets.
The Sunday event is due to go ahead as planned and is sold out, but those who had been planning to attend a day earlier “will not be able to access the site”.
Those missing out will receive refunds for the event, but many have slammed the organisers for “overreacting” – having lost out on accommodation costs after travelling from across the UK and abroad to attend the event.
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One said: “We are in the camp site now. The wind isn’t bad enough to knock a one-man B&M tent over with no pegs in, let alone anything more! Could easily make something happen today even if a few things had to be changed up.”
Another wrote: “Think you have over reacted to forecast. With weather as it was Thursday into Friday you should have pulled the plug then if you were going to, not just today.
“Thousands left in a right state stuck here there and everywhere.”
A third said: “I’m laid in my hotel bed and now planning my drive home in the morning. Gutted.”
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A fourth added: “Just travelled 3 hours and paid for a hotel!!”
Another wrote: “Absolutely gutted. Travelled 3hrs tonight.”
It comes after a statement from organisers on Friday said the event would not be going ahead as planned due to “forecasted high winds posing a serious risk to the various temporary structures across the site”.
An updated statement this morning added: “As per the communication issued last night, due to the severe wind warning, the Festival of Speed will not take place today.
“Please do not travel to the site. The event will resume as planned on Sunday.”
It continues: “Thank you for your understanding – further updates will be provided via email in due course. If you are camping over the weekend, you are welcome to stay in the campsites.
“Please be careful during the high winds and consider taking down gazebos and awnings, securing tents with additional pegs or demounting during the peak wind period.”
It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds across the southwest of England and west Wales between 9am and midnight on Saturday.
Winds are forecast to reach 55mph in exposed places, with travel disruption also expected.
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Campsite managers will help those staying at Goodwood brave the storm over the weekend.
Meanwhile, fuming residents say they are trapped in their homes by the Goodwood Festival of Speed – and are taking action against gridlocked roads.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
