Goodwood Revival – The first motorsport event at Goodwood took place in 1936, when the Duke of Richmond organized a hill climb for the Lancia Automobile Club on Ninth Day. He was driving along the road that ran in front of Goodwood House on his vast estate in the hilly county of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. Real motor racing on the Goodwood estate did not begin until 1948, when the World War II airfield perimeter road converted into the Goodwood Circuit, a high-speed racing track that operated until 1966.
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Some twenty-five years later, the 11th Duke of Richmond – like his grandfather, a great racing enthusiast – began to think about how to bring motorsport back to Goodwood: The main reason for this was just to see if Goodwood still meant anything to anyone. from a motorsport point of view. Opening the road was not easy: I ran into a brick wall in terms of getting permission from the local authorities. It was because of this that we began to wonder if there was somewhere else, we could try this idea, and a private road through the park seemed like an obvious choice.
The Birth of the Goodwood Festival of Speed
By again using a private road to climb the hill, the Duke of Richmond revived a different idea from his grandfather than he had originally intended. The event that brought motorsport back to the estate called the Goodwood Festival of Speed and took place on 20 June 1993. It planned to hold a relatively modest meeting dedicated to the centenary of auto racing, but the interest from both spectators and applicants was enormous.
The Duke of Richmond remembers the first edition well: It was an amazing year, that first year in 1993, when we realized we had something that really touched people and got them excited. We certainly tried to think carefully about what they would appreciate most, and obviously it was important to get closer to the cars and bring cars to market that no one had seen for years, a combination of all of that, but also to keep the original driver behind. the wheel was what really mattered. The feedback after the first year was amazing, although it was a huge effort and, in many ways, we couldn’t imagine doing it again. We did it, of course.
More than twenty thousand visitors to Goodwood Revival on its opening weekend treated to a stunning collection of racing cars and motorcycles. The entry list included a Ferrari 250 GTO, almost the entire range of Aston Martin’s post-war racing cars, Juan Manuel Fangio’s Monaco-winning Maserati 250F, and the then-new McLaren F1.
Growth and Evolution of the Goodwood Revival
All of these cars completed the 1.1-mile hill climb either by their original drivers or their often-famous owners. Between sessions, the precious cars parked in a paddock open to the public, who could virtually touch the cars and drivers they had previously only seen on TV or read in magazines. Auctioneer Brooks, now Bonhams, also held the sale.
Although the hill climb, open paddock and Bonhams auction remain to this day, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has grown to become one of the most famous motoring events in the world. Over the years, the Duke of Richmond and his team added a Concours d’Elegance rally stage designed by 1983 World Rally Champion Hannu Mikkola. For the past few years, the event has served as a de facto British Motor Show with stands from many of the major manufacturers. By 2003, 158,000 people attend the event; To maintain the original spirit of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, attendance is now limited to 150,000 people.
Not only is the Festival of Speed good for spectators, but participants also have a good reason to come back, as Scott George, Chief Curator of the Miles Collier Collections, explains: The Goodwood Festival of Speed has allowed us to expand our network of experienced automotive experts, drivers and restoration shops over twenty-six years. and share the Miles Collier collections outside the US with so many passionate and enthusiastic fans and Festival of Speed participants.
The Rich History and Leadership of Goodwood Revival
Additionally, being part of what is arguably the most successful and widely recognized automotive event in the world, celebrating 100 years of automobile competition and all of motorsport, is truly special. In addition, the beautiful Goodwood property and its rich history, as well as the attention to detail that is see repeatedly every year under the leadership of Charles Richmond and his Goodwood team, truly outstanding and we have privileged to attend since its inception.
This sentiment is echoed by Joe Twyman, who first attended the festival as a child and now represents collectors and regularly races around the hills in a variety of cars. Collectors always keen to bring their cars to the festival because it is such a fun festival. great event. He is well known for including some of the world’s best cars in his entry, so it is a real honor to include on the invite list.
The classes and exhibitions always very well organized and they always seem to manage to achieve something new. The event has changed a lot since I first attended in 1994, but every year it offers something new, which I think keeps people coming back. You can also read Star Drivers and Riders at the Goodwood Revival 2024.
The selection of cars and drivers for the inaugural Goodwood Festival of Speed was just a taste of what was to come. Major collections, museums, racing teams and manufacturers are doing everything they can to provide audiences with something they haven’t seen before. Some cars even specially restore so that they can shown at Goodwood Revival.
Running Past Goodwood Revival House: A Spectacular View
Among the many great memories event patron Stirling Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson reunited with the same Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR they drive to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia; fire-breathing Fiat Grand Prix Beast of Turin; and a massive crowd reception for MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.
Snaking through what is now a literal festival ground is the same 1.1-mile road that used for the Lancia Automobile Club Hill Climb in 1936 and for every Goodwood festival of speed since. At the bottom of the hill the start is on a tree-lined track followed by two right-handers and a straight section past Goodwood Revival House.
For Twyman, the start is special every time: It’s always fun to start from a standing start; With the exception of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, there are currently very few places in historic racing where you can do this. Running past the House is great too because you come out from under the trees and everything opens up and you really get a sense of the magnitude of the event that is Goodwood Revival.
High-Speed Thrills and Final Turns
The straight section passing the House then passes under the bridge, followed by the corner of Molecombe. This is a blind lefty with a braking zone over the ridge that has caught many a driver over the years. Twyman believes it’s important for Molecomb to hit the brakes early: Of course, you can buy more time coming out of the flint wall. I suspect that 90 percent of the accidents that occur there were due to braking too hard! The road is rough and cars tend to slide over the bumps and I always felt like I could break a little later every time I drove down it at speed. Although I’m always very grateful that I didn’t; it’s risk and reward.
There is another straight ahead and then a fast but narrow section with a flint wall on one side. It’s a tricky section, especially in a modern car, as two-time Le Mans winner and Pikes Peak record holder Romain Dumas recalls: Our car is very wide and big, so there’s no room for error. He also remembers the final left turn fondly: The last turn last year was flat at 230 km/h. It’s not just the start that Twyman enjoys, but the finish as well: When you’ve done a time trial, it’s nice to know that you finished it and didn’t get a ‘moment’ in front of a hundred thousand people!
In the first few years, some Formula 1 teams tried to set the best time of the day. McLaren in particular was looking to win and brought in Mika Hakkinen in 1999 to win the 1998 MP4/13 World Championship for test driver Nick Heidfeld. Thanks to the heating of the tires, he managed to show a time of 41.6 seconds.
Safety Enhancements and Regulation Changes
For safety reasons, the use of tire heaters banned from the following year, and since then Formula 1 teams have only conducted demonstration runs. The rest of the field continued to compete for fast times, but no one came close to Heidfeld’s record until 2018, when Romain Dumas brought the all-electric Volkswagen ID-R he had just won Pikes Peak with.
The car raced at Pikes Peak in 2018 but still clocked a time of 43.9, third fastest ever. For 2019, the Volkswagen team returned with different tires and revised suspension tuning to suit the track and no heaters, as Dumas explains: The hardest thing about Goodwood is that it’s such a short run and normal tires don’t get hot, so you need a car softer.
However, the car is so powerful, and despite all-wheel drive, Dumas still suffered from wheel slip. What makes things even more difficult, according to Dumas, is that track conditions are never the same: With so many shows, you never know how muddy the track will be. None of this seemed to bother the Frenchman much as he first clocked 41.2 and then 39.9 during training. Dumas remembers his run fondly: It was a lot of fun to ride.
Goodwood Revival – Safety Enhancements and Regulation Changes
Dumas continues with his favorite moment of the weekend: The best time at Goodwood is at the end of the day when you can see all the cars up close; it was perfect. I have so many photos from the last two years – all the rally cars, Formula 1, DTM, Group C, etc. It’s clear that this passion for cars and motorbikes in general and motorsport in particular is shared by everyone at Goodwood, it the Duke of Richmond himself, competitors, visitors or the marshals who keep everyone safe throughout the weekend.
Unfortunately, the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed has had to canceled for 2020. Knowing the Duke of Richmond and his team, the event will return next year, bigger and better than ever.
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