Driving to the Goodwood Revival in a classic Aston Martin DB5 I live close to Goodwood and on two weekends a year the locals pull out the deckchairs, pull the cork on a bottle and watch the classic cars heading to the Festival of Speed or Goodwood Revival. Sadly not all of them make it. The stricken vehicles parked, bonnet-up with two wheels on the verge, are a sad evocation of the sepia prints showing steamed-up queues of Standard, Austin and Morris Eights, and sundry post-Second World War saloons filling the tiny Sussex lanes en route to the original motor circuit races. With a sizable part of my father's legacy lying under the bonnet of Gobbo, my family's Aston Martin DB5, I'm not about to jeopardise the cooling system, camshafts and general demeanour of the old bus without a few precautions. Coolant, cooling and timing are the secrets to a good Goodwood. Travelling early and going home late are my secret weapons. So that's a picnic breakfast en route and into the boot go the Coleman stove, a cold box and some folding chairs. So, while others are struggling to leave the car parks, we're brewing up, chatting about the day and getting our gnashers around a couple of rounds of sarnies. And when we do leave, there's a choice of some of the finest pubs in the country in which to imbibe a leisurely pint and meet like-minded enthusiasts. And slow and gentle is the best way. Normally the Weald of Sussex is the quintessence of light-touch policing, but not on Goodwood weekend it isn't. Speed camera vans, unmarked and traffic cars sprout like weeds on every route to the Earl of March's estate. The old Aston is still a formidable performer, but on Goodwood weekend, I stay off the loud pedal. The quick boys are on the track and no one's going to thank you for showing your prowess on the public road.