On the manicured lawns of an English stately home, the tranquil sophistication of a summer garden party is shattered by a piercing wail. A Mercedes-AMG Formula One car screeches up the front drive, wreathed in tyre smoke. It’s an unforgettable experience: a visceral assault on the senses; an intoxicating display of speed and power. Welcome to the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard.
Held in the beautiful parkland surrounding Goodwood House, the Festival of Speed is motorsport’s ultimate summer garden party. Nowhere else will you get so close to some of the rarest cars and bikes in the world. Nowhere else will you enjoy such unrestricted access to the machines – and the drivers who made them famous: no barriers, no wire fences, a paddock open to all.
And then there’s the famous Hillclimb, which snakes to the top of Goodwood Park, testing the vehicles to their limits. It is a unique joining of the past, present and future of automotive.
The 2018 Festival of Speed is a particularly special occasion, celebrating the event’s 25th anniversary. The first Festival, in June 1993, redefined what a car event could be. In the years since, it has firmly established itself as the world’s greatest celebration of motorsport and car culture. To mark its Silver Jubilee, the Duke of Richmond (formerly Lord March) is choosing his 25 favourite moments from the first 25 events: personal highlights which – in very different ways – have been landmarks in the Festival’s history. These moments, and the cars and drivers which created them, will be cornerstones of this year’s event, alongside the usual gathering of extraordinary vehicles from the dawn of motoring to the present day and beyond.
Standard ticket pricing: Thursday from £37; Friday from £57; Saturday from £69; Sunday from £69; weekend (12-15 July) from £164.
Hospitality & Ultimate FOS Packages: Thursday from £135pp; Friday from £250pp; Saturday from £450pp; Sunday from £250pp.
Top ten must-see areas
Off-Road Arena
At the off-road arena, you can watch astonishing off-road machines fly through the air as they tackle a range of seemingly impossible obstacles, all set against a backdrop of breathtaking views over the South Downs.
The Hill
The 1.16-mile ribbon of tarmac that winds its way through the grounds of Goodwood House has witnessed more famous cars and drivers, bikes and riders than anywhere else on earth. The current record is 41.6 seconds, set by Nick Heidfeld in 1999 in a McLaren MP4/13 F1 car. Challenge accepted!
Main Paddock
Gathered together in the Main Paddock is the greatest collection of racing cars and bikes in the world, featuring everything from flame-spitting Edwardian leviathans to the latest Le Mans prototypes, F1 machines and all points in between.
Formula One teams
The Festival of Speed is the only event outside the official Grand Prix calendar regularly attended by all the top Formula One teams. Nowhere else can you get so close to these amazing machines.
Michelin Supercar Paddock
The paddock offers a chance to get up close to the latest, fastest and most glamorous supercars before you see them in high-speed action on the famous Goodwood Hill.
Forest Rally Stage
Make sure you find time to visit the Forest Rally Stage, at the top of the Hill, to view some great sideways action as the history of rallying is brought to life between the trees.
Goodwood Action Sports Arena
The Goodwood Action Sports (GAS) Arena is home to gravity-defying action on two wheels, from some of the world’s finest extreme athletes, across a range of disciplines.
Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’
A bastion of calm away from the high-octane action on the Hill, the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance is a celebration of automotive design from across the ages, assessed by a specially selected panel of celebrity judges.
Manufacturer stands
Head to the infield for exciting and interactive displays from the diverse range of Festival of Speed event partners, as well as a chance to get a first look at the latest car models.
Top Paddock
At the end of their runs, the drivers arrive in the Top Paddock, where they regularly perform burnouts and donuts, before getting out of their cars to meet audience members and sign autographs.
Porsche’s 70th Anniversary Central Feature
This year, the Festival of Speed will honour Porsche’s 70th anniversary in customary style. Porsche cars will adorn the world-renowned Central Feature in celebration of the iconic 356 – the marque’s first sports car, launched in 1948.
A range of Porsche’s greatest cars – old and new – will be showcased in a dedicated batch on the Goodwood Hillclimb, with other examples of the marque’s rich heritage also displayed around the site.
With more than 100 class wins to its name, including an unprecedented 19 overall victories, Porsche is best known for its successes at the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, but its pedigree runs much deeper and across all disciplines of the sport. Alongside a strong GT and prototype contingent, Goodwood will pay tribute to Porsche’s many successes, with examples on display from its history in Formula One, IndyCar and rallying, in addition to a number of road-going models.
Watching a 917 twitch and weave its way past the flint wall is a highlight that I’m very much looking forward to this July
This is not Porsche’s first time in this prestigious position. Previously at Goodwood, the German marque has celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998 and the 50th anniversary of the legendary 911 in 2013.
“Porsche has been one of our most loyal and enthusiastic partners, supporting the Festival of Speed since 1995, and the Revival since 2010,” said The Duke of Richmond. “This year, Porsche will become the first manufacturer to create the central display
at the Festival for the third time, underlining the huge contribution from this iconic manufacturer of world-beating racing
cars and road cars.”
A never-before-seen parade of Porsche cars that have helped define and guide the company’s vision over the years – on circuits and on the road – will feature in action on the Goodwood Hillclimb alongside static exhibits and the incredible Porsche Experience Centre.
This year, the Porsche stand will host a collection of the latest Porsche road cars, and will be joined by models that provide a glimpse into the future. Visitors will be able to enjoy an exhilarating ride in the all-new Cayenne as well as race cars virtually via simulators.
Alexander Pollich, Managing Director of Porsche Cars Great Britain, commented: “We thought long and hard about how best to celebrate the 70th anniversary of our sports car and how we could share this with enthusiasts, Porsche fans and owners here in the UK. The Goodwood Festival of Speed will be the perfect setting – allowing the cars that, over seven decades, have made Porsche so unique and so special, to be seen, and heard, in action. Watching a 917 twitch and weave its way past the flint wall is a highlight that I’m very much looking forward to this July.”
Book your tickets to the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018 now.
