Goodwood’s Celebration Festival

The weather gods smiled on the 21st running of the Goodwood Festival of Speed as the whole weekend bathed in glorious sunshine with temperatures akin to the Mediterranean, rather than England’s south coast. From relative humble beginnings this event has become the “Circus Maximus” of the motoring and motor racing worlds, and an established blueprint that many have tried to emulate worldwide with varying degrees of success—often imitated, never duplicated. Those who have tried to copy the Goodwood formula have often failed as they ignore those formative years of development, which have witnessed it mature into a major global event that has now truly come of age. The Goodwood Festival of Speed wasn’t built in a day!

For the spectator, it has become difficult to take in all the experiences in one day. While many stay transfixed by the variety of drivers who strut their stuff in a conglomeration of vehicles—everything imaginable from Roman chariots to contemporary Formula One machinery—on the hill, the kingpin of the event, they tend to miss many other arenas of entertainment and exhibition. This year, the 20th Anniversary, Goodwood took on a reflective mood, inviting many of the vehicles, drivers and riders that have played a part in the success of the festival over the years. Lord March and his trusty team had their work cut out when the dates had to be changed due to the F1 Grand Prix calendar, as the event then clashed with major historic motor racing events at Brands Hatch and Dijon, France. It can be said by regular sojourners and purists that the Cathedral Paddock lacked a little sparkle, but for first-time or infrequent visitors it was probably mind-blowing. Nevertheless, there is a certain magic to those four words “Goodwood Festival of Speed” that conjure up a sell-out event many weeks before the gates open.