Today (18 September 2023), the Goodwood Motor Circuit celebrates its 75th anniversary and looks back on three quarters of a century of unique motorsport history and heritage.
Following the conversion of the perimeter road of RAF Westhampnett, the 9th Duke and Duchess of Richmond opened the Goodwood Motor Circuit on Saturday 18 September 1948, in their Bristol 400. It was the very first race meeting to be held at Goodwood, and it proved an auspicious day, as Stirling Moss claimed his first race win, establishing Goodwood as the spiritual home of British motor racing.
Between 1948 and 1966, the Circuit hosted World Champions Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Juan Manuel Fangio, Giuseppe Farina, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Denny Hulme, Jochen Rindt, John Surtees and Sir Jackie Stewart, along with a host of other stars. Following the cessation of racing in 1966, some of the biggest and best-known racing teams, including Brabham, Eagle, Ford, Honda, Lotus, McLaren and Tyrrell, continued to test their cars at Goodwood.
When the Earl of March (now 11th Duke of Richmond) returned to Goodwood in the early 1990s he set about bringing motorsport back to Goodwood, succeeding first with the Festival of Speed in the parkland surrounding Goodwood House in 1993, and following this five years later with the Goodwood Revival at the Goodwood Motor Circuit.
On Friday 18 September 1998, 50 years to the day since the inaugural meeting, The Duke of Richmond followed in his grandfather’s wheel tracks by opening the very first Goodwood Revival in a Bristol 400. Continuing the tradition, The Duke opened the 2023 event last weekend in a Bristol 400.
The Duke of Richmond, founder of the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, said: “Today sees the culmination of a year of celebrations at Goodwood, with 2023 marking not only 75 years of the Goodwood Motor Circuit, but also 30 years of the Festival of Speed and 25 years of the Goodwood Revival and Goodwood Road Racing Club. I’d like to thank everyone who has joined us at Goodwood throughout the year to celebrate our anniversaries - it has been fantastic to share the occasion with you all. I’m not sure my grandfather could have ever envisaged that we would still be racing here at Goodwood 75 years later, but it's wonderful to see how much joy it brings to people. Here’s to the next 75 years!”
A bumper year of celebrations
In what has been a truly exceptional year for motorsport at Goodwood, our ‘Goodwood 75’ celebrations have seen us celebrate 30 years of the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, 25 years of the Goodwood Revival and Goodwood Road Racing Club and now 75 years of the Motor Circuit.
Throughout the ‘Goodwood 75’ celebrations, Goodwood and The Duke of Richmond have been determined to recognise the rich history of motorsport, whilst continuing to look forward and ensure its future. For instance, the 30th edition of the Festival of Speed saw the return of four-time Formula 1 Champion Sebastian Vettel promoting his ‘Race Without Trace’ programme, driving Formula 1 cars from his own collection on sustainable fuel, as well as the event’s biggest-ever celebration of MotoGP.
The 25th Goodwood Revival paid a meaningful tribute to one of the Circuit’s luminaries, as Sir Jackie Stewart took to the track in his 1973 Tyrrell 006, 50 years to the day since he secured the last of his three world championships. The Revival also hosted its first all-sustainable fuel race and celebrated the first sustainably-fuelled winner in the Rudge-Whitworth Cup as the driver pairing of Ben Collings and Gareth Graham took the chequered flag in their 1925 Bentley Speed Model.
The Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) has marked its silver jubilee with a series of special moments for its founding members. These included a photo moment at the Festival of Speed in front of the Central Feature and a grid walk on the Sunday afternoon of the Goodwood Revival ahead of the Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration. As we look ahead to the next 75 years of motorsport here at Goodwood, the growing GRRC community of motorsport enthusiasts remains at the heart of Goodwood’s iconic events and motoring legacy.
On Sunday 4 June, Goodwood Motor Circuit hosted 75th Sunday, a special one-off Breakfast Club to celebrate the cars and bikes that have made Goodwood so special over the last 75 years. We welcomed everything from a Jaguar XJR-15 to a Raleigh Runabout across the morning. We also revealed a number of photo moments for visitors to capture and share images as part of the #Goodwood75 campaign. Users on social media were given the opportunity to win a Revival Racing Experience and a Goodwood 75 goodie bag for sharing their best photos taken at the circuit.
As the Circuit continues to evolve, we opened our new Race Simulator Suite in June that features 4 Exsim VR5 Simulators that use D Box actuator technology and custom-developed motion profiles, which allow users to drive some of the most iconic cars that have driven on track over the years for the ultimate race simulator experience.
To mark the occasion, Goodwood’s 75-year motorsport history has been immortalised in a new publication: 75 Years of Motorsport at Goodwood. The beautifully-curated hardback features photographs and stories from across the years. Available from the Goodwood Shop.
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Notes to Editors:
A timeline detailing Goodwood’s 75 years of motorsport history can be found here.
Catch up on all the action from the Goodwood Revival with ITV4’s highlights programme this evening (Monday 18 September) at 7pm.
2024 Event Dates:
- 81st Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport, Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 April
- Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, Thursday 11 - Sunday 14 July
- Goodwood Revival, Friday 6 - Sunday 8 September
Tickets
- Tickets for the 81st Members’ Meeting are available to purchase at goodwood.com by Members and Fellows of the Goodwood Road Racing Club
- Tickets for the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard and Goodwood Revival go on sale at goodwood.com on the following dates:
- Saturday 28 October - Goodwood Road Racing Club Members
- Monday 30 October - Goodwood Road Racing Club Fellows
- Monday 6 November - General Public
- As in previous years, children aged 12 and under go free and a half-price Young Person ticket will be available for those ages between 13 and 21.
Join the Fellowship to receive an additional 10% off on Goodwood tickets
Members of the public can get early access to tickets and buy from Monday 30 October by joining the Goodwood Road Racing Club. For just £79 a year, the Goodwood Road Racing Club Fellowship provides many prized benefits; headline event ticket priority window; a private on-event Pit Stop enclosure at the Festival of Speed and Revival, access to tickets for the exclusive members-only Members’ Meeting; a year round calendar of events and competitions, and much more.
Importantly, the Fellowship also includes an exclusive 10% discount on up to two Festival of Speed and Revival tickets and grandstand passes, which customers can take advantage of when tickets go on sale at the end of October. Plus, Fellowship is the only entry route to join the Goodwood Road Racing Club as a full member. Join the Fellowship.
Something special
Goodwood’s unrivalled hospitality packages will be available to book for the Revival on Monday 6 November online at goodwood.com, by emailing hospitality@goodwood.com or calling 01243 755054. Whether customers are looking for a great day out with friends, entertaining clients or celebrating something special, Goodwood’s hospitality provides the ultimate setting to enjoy the events.
Further details of the 2024 motorsport events will be announced in the months ahead.
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Contact
For more information about Goodwood’s motorsport events, please contact Katharine Morgan, PR Manager: Katharine.Morgan@goodwood.com
For all other press enquiries please contact: media@goodwood.com
Imagery and news from Goodwood are available from our Press & Media site.
Stay up to date with all future announcements and on-event action across our social channels:
X (formerly Twitter) | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
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About the Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport
The Goodwood Members’ Meeting is an access-all-areas, epic weekend of motor racing, hosted by and exclusively for the Goodwood Road Racing Club.
As well as a full programme of racing, the Members’ Meeting features all kinds of cars from classic tin-tops and GTs, to motorcycles and open wheeled Formula 3 and Formula 1 machines, offering visitors a friendly and intimate atmosphere. A winning formula of spectacular cars, high-speed track demonstrations, car launches, fun-packed festivities and great entertainment, along with the very best food and drink.
Founded by the Duke of Richmond, the annual event aims to recreate the atmosphere and camaraderie of the original BARC Members’ Meetings held at Goodwood throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
About the Goodwood Road Racing Club
The Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) is the community of motorsport enthusiasts at the core of Goodwood’s iconic events and motoring legacy. The club is a growing community of all ages who share The Duke of Richmond’s passion for motorsport.
Entry fellowship status is open to all at just £79 per year. Joining the GRRC Fellowship is the only way to become a full GRRC Member.
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About the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard
First staged in 1993, the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard is the world’s largest automotive garden party; set against the spectacular backdrop of Goodwood House in West Sussex, UK. Over 600 cars and motorcycles spanning the phenomenal history of motoring and motorsport take part along with legendary figures from the automotive world. Highlights include Future Lab presented by Randox, Electric Avenue presented by bp pulse, Forest Rally Stage, Supercar Paddock, F1 Pit Lane presented by Sky, Roger Dubuis Drivers’ Club, GAS Arena, Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance and Bonhams|Cars Auction.
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About the Goodwood Revival
The Goodwood Revival is the world’s greatest historic motor race meeting, and the only sporting event of its kind to be staged entirely in a period theme. An immersive celebration of vintage lifestyle, championing exceptional craftsmanship and the enduringly fabulous stories told by second-hand treasures. ‘Revive & Thrive’ is the thoroughly modern message woven through the Revival landscape; a clever stitch with which the old is made new again, it runs through every carefully restored classic car, each beautifully preserved piece of clothing as it is passed from one generation to the next.
All the cars are original, having been lovingly maintained since new, many of the outfits have been handed down through generations, and even the retailers specialise in pre-owned artefacts – everything from clothes and accessories to automobilia and books.
It is, proudly, the world’s biggest and most glamorous second-hand event.
