The Earl of March has revealed the theme of next year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which will centre on Britain’s role in shaping motor sport worldwide.
The official title is ‘Hawthorn to Hamilton – Britain’s Love Affair with World Motor Sport’ and Lord March believes Britain has always played a key role in the global motor racing industry.
The theme also looks at how Britain has forged successful relationships with the rest of the motorsport world, from when Mike Hawthorn used a Ferrari to become Britain’s first Formula 1 World Champion fifty years ago, to Lewis Hamilton, driving a British engineered car with German power.
In between the festival will acknowledge the achievements of iconic British figures, including Jim Clark, John Surtees, Colin McRae, Barry Sheene, Jackie Stewart, Derek Bell, Colin Chapman, Gordon Murray and Adrian Newey.
In action will be everything from the pure-bred Vanwall of the 1950s, to the ground-breaking products of manufacturers such as Cosworth, Williams, Lola and Prodrive.
Goodwood Festival of Speed founder, Lord March said: ‘It will be just fantastic to have so many great cars and drivers here at Goodwood to celebrate our theme for 2008. I look forward with much anticipation to seeing some of the great British drivers and UK-inspired machines in action.’