When and Where is the Goodwood Festival of Speed?

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is held annually in late June or early July and although the date varies each year it is specifically planned so as not to clash with other events in the world of motor racing. The 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed will be held on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July.

Goodwood is just a short drive from the beautiful city of Chichester in Southern England. Chichester has plenty of accommodation, restaurants and other attractions to keep you busy when you’re not attending the Festival of Speed.

What is the Goodwood Festival of Speed?

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a ‘hill climb’ event. For those not familiar with this term, ‘hillclimbing’ is a type of motor sport, and one of the oldest forms of motor racing in the world as the first one took place in France in 1897!

A hill climb is a course (the length of which can vary, though usually in the UK they’re quite short) which goes up hill. Competitors will run one at a time so it’s not a race against each other, but a race against the clock. The competitor with the fastest time up the hill course wins.

Readers interested in attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time may think this doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but the hill climb race is just one part of the festival…

Imagine watching the 2008 Formula 1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, roaring past in the actual McLaren F1 car he won the championship in! Lewis has attended the festival for the past two years, but Goodwood Festival of Speed has built a steadfast reputation for attracting many drivers and teams from the world of Formula 1, in addition to many other famous names from motor racing.

On Friday and Saturday, the competitors practice the hill climb course, ready for the races on Sunday. In the meantime, visitors can get really up close and personal with drivers and their cars as many of the paddock areas are open to the public. Other events include an air show commonly featuring the famous Red Arrows, and then there’s the fun replicas of the Wacky Races cars and the Junior Festival of Speed area which the children are bound to love!

The actual line-up varies each year, though you can also expect to enjoy live music, classic cars, hundreds of exhibitors, a forest rally and the chance to have a go in a variety of vehicles. There really is so much to do here that the whole family can enjoy their visit, whether or not motor sports is something that interests you!

Please be aware that entrance into the Goodwood Festival of Speed is by advance ticket purchase only, i.e. you cannot buy a ticket on the gate.

A History of the Goodwood Festival of Speed

The history of the Goodwood Festival of Speed can be traced back to the Second World War when the owner of the Goodwood Estate, the Duke of Richmond, known as Freddie March, allowed an airfield for use by the RAF to be constructed on his land.

Motor racing had always been popular in Britain, though the famous Brooklands circuit had been closed before the war and the public were crying out for some more racing action. Freddie March was himself an amateur racing driver, so when the war ended and a friend suggested the perimeter road of the airfield be used as a racing track he jumped at the opportunity to make this possible.

In September 1948 Goodwood Motor Circuit held its first race meeting which was won by the legendary Stirling Moss. The circuit remained popular for the next 18 years, eventually closing for race meets in August 1966. During its memorable history as a racing track, great names like Graham Hill raced here and it was at Goodwood that Stirling Moss later had the accident that ended his racing career.

It was not until 1993 that racing came back to Goodwood, though surprisingly Goodwood Motor Circuit was not the location! The Earl of March wanted to bring racing back to the estate but without the proper permits required he couldn’t hold a race at the circuit. Instead he decided to do something within the private grounds of Goodwood House, and so the Goodwood Festival of Speed was born.

For the inaugural Festival in 1993 a crowd of 30,000 attended. The Festival has grown and grown in popularity, now attracting around 150,000 people over the three day event and many big names in the world of motor racing, both past and present, including 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Following the great success of the Festival of Speed, Goodwood Motor Circuit was fully revived for motor sports in 1998 when the circuit was restored to its former glory for the first annual Goodwood Revival, exactly 50 years to the day since Goodwood circuit had first opened! This event, also hugely popular, takes place in September each year and as the name suggests it’s a revival of the glory days. The Goodwood Revival is a historic race meeting with no vehicles built after 1966 allowed, and many visitors and staff wear period costumes too!

Christopher Auriol is a European Travel Specialist who works for TwilightBlue Travel http://www.twilightblue.eu