The Goodwood Festival of Speed

The name “Goodwood” is synonymous with racing, though most people associate it with the four-legged variety today. But for motor racing enthusiasts, Goodwood is a historic venue conjuring up images of 1950s Aston Martins, Stirling Moss, and the late great Peter Collins. The Goodwood motor racing circuit dates back to 1948, whilst nearby at Goodwood House, the famous hill-climb course saw events from 1936 onwards. The Goodwood Festival of Speed was first established in 1993 by Lord March not long after he acquired the Goodwood estate. Unfortunately, Lord March couldn’t get a permit to host the festival at the circuit itself, so he decided to host it in his own grounds. There were few entrants for that year’s hill climb, but the whole event still pulled in a crowd of 25,000 and it steadily grew from there. In fact, today, it’s fair to say the festival is the biggest “motoring garden party” anywhere in the world, Held each year over three days at the height of the summer, the festival is planned to fit into the motor racing calendar avoiding date clashes with Grand Prixes. Visitors can see cars and motorbikes from a century of motor racing climb the famous hill, including some of the very latest Formula One cars and some of the best-known faces in the sport. Attendance had to be capped at 150,000 people in recent years, so it’s advisable to book tickets early for the 2014 event which will be held from the 26th to the 29th of June. The 2014 theme will be “Addicted to Winning; the Unbeatable Champions of Motor Sport.” It is designed to celebrate those drivers and teams who have dominated different eras and different areas of motorsport down the years, including Bentley’s five Le Mans 24-hour race wins during the 1920s and the all-conquering Silver Arrows team from the 1930s. Fangio’s five Formula One world driver’s titles from the 1950s, Jim Clark and the Lotus team of the 1960s, Porsche’s 16 victories at Le Mans from 1970-1998, as well as Sebastien Loeb’s nine consecutive World Rally Championships will also feature - due to the dominance they each achieved in their day. The 2014 Goodwood Festival of speed promises to be an unmissable event for fans of motorsport everywhere, so book your tickets well in advance.