It has a blistering, relentless pace that feels like it will go on forever. It’s a testament to the confidence the Rocket inspires that I accelerated hard under the bridge in second and third, feeling the full force of the bike’s record-breaking engine. Yet, such is the engineering prowess of the bike, once on the move, its size and weight is largely forgotten. So, as the marshall gestured for me to begin my run, I engaged first gear, let out the clutch and edged forward in what was likely the slowest start of the day. As I approached for my own slot I considered a wheelie of my own, then I thought of the 200,000 plus people that attend the Goodwood festival each year, and their glee at watching a man in a too-tight leather suit drop a 2.5-litre bike before even getting going. Ahead of me in the queue at Goodwood was Martin Craven, the motorcycle stuntman from No Time to Die, who wheelied off the start line with the precision of an expert marksman. When attempting something for the first time it doesn’t help to watch professionals do it first. So, when I found myself queuing up at the start line, mounted on what is essentially a car engine with two wheels, hideously underqualified, a wave of terror consumed me. These people are heroes and legends of motorsport. More recently, I saw Valentino Rossi ride into Goodwood House itself. I would stand next to my dad and marvel at Sir Stirling Moss in his Mercedes 300 SLR, or Juan Pablo Montoya in his Williams BMW F1 car. I had, for years, watched skilled drivers and riders catapult themselves up this particularly pretty part of Sussex with reckless abandon. Particularly when that invitation involves the most powerful production motorcycle ever made: the Triumph Rocket 3.įor someone with relatively little motorbike experience on the road, let alone climbing a hill at a speed, it was a particularly daunting prospect. Especially when the invitation comes from Triumph. The opportunity to ride up the famous Goodwood Hill Climb during the Festival of Speed is one such chance. There are some opportunities that you just don’t turn down.
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