Goodwood Festival of Speed
The world famous Goodwood Festival of Speed is a spectacular event, that incorporates a hill climb, held in the grounds of Goodwood House, in West Sussex. The highly popular race, against the clock, up a 1.16-mile length of road that runs up towards the main house features historic motor racing vehicles usually driven by motor racing’s elite.
It was started in 1993 by the Earl of March, with the idea of bringing motor racing back to the estate which was already steeped in British motor racing history.
Not long after taking over the estate Lord March was very keen to bring motor racing back to the Goodwood Circuit, but did not have the necessary permit to hold a race there.
Undeterred he decided to host the race at his own grounds, inviting a small selection of invited entrants racing historic vehicles. After the first event proved to be such a success, attracting a crowd of over 30,000 people, he elected to hold it each year from then and became a highly esteemed annual British motor sporting event.
Usually held in early July, the event has grown enormously, attracting daily crowds of around 100,000 visitors over the three days. It is always scheduled to fit into the motor racing calendar and primarily to avoid a date clash with the Formula One season. This is to ensure that both fans and the many teams involved in current motor racing championships can attend this prestigious festival.
Visitors to the Festival of Speed will encounter cars and motorbikes from over 100 years of worldwide motor racing history. Climbing the hill will not only be the latest Formula One cars, but also a plethora of wide ranging racing machines, many driven by world famous names including iconic motor sport figures and hollywood celebrities.
Probably one of the other most popular attractions is the Supercar Run for road-going supercars. This has been running since 2000 and is ideal for specialist car manufacturers to show off their latest sports model. Other attractions that make the event popular are the real life replicas of the Wacky Races cars, and the air shows, which usually include the RAF Tornado and the famous Red Arrows.
What makes the atmosphere of the Festival of Speed, so special is that visitors are free to walk around several paddocks where the cars and drivers can be viewed at close quarters, unlike most top end motor sport events where fans are separated from drivers and machines.
This unique event fully embraces and encourages participation by the fans, who are only separated from the action by a few metres and reinforced straw bales.
More than just a race meeting, the Festival of Speed, with its stunning location, unparalleled views and determination to reflect the style and history of motor sport offers, is a chance to rub shoulders with the stars as they wander among the crowds in their race suits before slipping behind the wheel.
Contact: www.goodwood.co.uk/site/content/festivalofspeed/Default.aspx