Running a Guntherwerks F-26 at Goodwood Takes PrepGuntherwerksThe Goodwood Festival of Speed is not quite a hill climb. It isn't not a hill climb, either, but officially, it is an exhibition event designed to showcase what we all love about cars in a controlled environment. It still ends with timed runs, and whether or not anyone is willing to crown a winner, that makes it racing.All of that means that a week ago Sunday, Scott Speed did something that was not technically winning a hill climb. Behind the wheel of the 1000-hp Guntherwerks F-26, he ran up the automotive world's most famous driveway in 50.41 seconds, the quickest time by any road-legal car in an event full of purpose-built race cars. The next-quickest time by a road car was set by a TWR Supercat, more than four seconds behind the 911-shaped hypercar.Speed, a well-experienced driver known for his time in F1, NASCAR, and rallycross, accomplished the feat in his third appearance at the Festival of Speed. His past two appearances were in Subaru's purpose-built Project Midnight, but he tells Road & Track that his prep time in both that and the road-going Guntherwerks F-26 were similar: Testing on a more conventional track, untimed demo runs early in the weekend, and one final sprint with the clock running.Guntherwerks"Testing any vehicle somewhere in preparation for Goodwood is a bit of a futile effort," Speed says, "because the conditions and dynamics of the course at Goodwood are so unique. Most notably, the size of the road is so narrow at Goodwood that it really feels a lot different than any other type of driving that you would typically do."AdvertisementAdvertisementWithout any simulation tools with the hill climb installed to work off, Speed notes much of his prep for the course itself comes in the form of watching videos. Another major variable, the ever-changing weather in England, was not a major factor this year. In the past, though, it was another point of concern."Although this year was pretty consistent, normally the conditions on the course are very different from one run to the other. Typically you'll get two runs a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and they're usually very different because of the weather and because of the conditions. This year was a unique, optimal weather condition for the event, so every time we were on the track, the course felt pretty similar... The fact that it was dry was the big thing, because if it rains at any point, even if it rains before they prep the track, it's not a race track. It's not like they're sweeping it off and making the road conditions good. There will be muddy tire marks going across the track from setup day on some occasions."GuntherwerksSpeed notes that there are a few other differences from a more conventional hill climb, most notably in the spirit that competitors bring to the final timed event. While everyone is pushing for their best time, they are doing so with an awareness that they need to keep a respect for the event in mind."You get a couple of runs up the hill and you know there's a couple corners here, especially the wall, where you leave a little bit extra for the moment that it matters. You also have to be conscientious of the event," Speed continued. "Goodwood is such a unique event, the fact that we're still allowed to bring cars at this pace up the hill with the barriers that we have, which are effectively hay bales, is because the people that have done this in the past have treated it with respect. There typically aren't a lot of crashes because of that, and I think that's what keeps so much of this really cool aspect of the Goodwood Festival of Speed alive, us that are doing the time attack are treating it with respect and always leaving it with that margin so we continue to have the opportunity to do such a cool part of the event in the timed hill climb."AdvertisementAdvertisementWith only time on conventional race tracks that does not translate to the hill climb to work off before the week's first runs up the mountain, Speed says he did not get a sense of the car's one-run speed until after about three runs. By then, he knew it was likely to beat out the other road-going cars in the test. While that pace is nice, his biggest praise for the car was about its balance."Typically if you get into a road car, especially one that has as much rear weight as a typical Porsche, it's not uncommon to have understeer, but the way they designed the car, the front end is really positive. That allows the driver to really manipulate the car as you want, so the feeling in the car, especially on a race track, is really amazing. You, as a driver, have so much influence over the car, especially in high-speed corners, because of the lack of downforce. As soon as you add downforce and grip to a car, your margin for being able to go over the edge of grip is smaller and smaller. Because this car doesn't have any downforce, I can slide it pretty well regardless of the speed of the corner. That is just really fun as a driver."Thanks to the respect for the event held throughout the field of timed runners, this year's climb was once again held without a major incident. The next one, complete with yet another timed run up a hill that is not quite a hill climb, is a year away.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State