2024 Festival of Speed: 7 reasons to get excited
Goodwood's star-studded event is fast approaching. Here's why we can't wait | Promoted
1. New year, new theme
How does Goodwood keep the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard feeling fresh and exciting after 30 incredible years? With new and exciting themes of course! This year’s event (July 11th - 14th) will centre on ‘Horseless to Hybrid - Revolutions in Power’, which is inspired by the 1894 Paris-Rouen Trial where petrol, electric, steam and an array of other propulsion methods battled it out to replace the horse and carriage as the future of moving about. As we’re at a similar crossroads in 2024 (only with sustainable fuels and not ponies), this year’s theme will bring together some of the competitors from the event - 130 years on - with cars representing the present and future of propulsion. The Festival of Speed never disappoints when it comes to variety, and this year promises to up the mix of metal to another level.
2. F1 stars
Nothing gets people flocking to the spectator areas quite like the sound of a V10 Formula 1 car doing a burnout across the start finish line. The F1 world has moved on since the days of screaming naturally aspirated engines, but the Festival of Speed sees cars across all eras - from modern hybrid V6s to Ford DFVs - tearing up Goodwood hill with an F1 star behind the wheel. This year’s event will also mark several Niki Lauda anniversaries on what would have been his 75th birthday, so expect a host of cars from the three-time World Champion’s 13 seasons at the pinnacle of racing. Expect current F1 teams to bring along their latest hybrid space-ships and see some stars of the future in action, too. Lando Norris and George Russell made their Goodwood debuts before arriving in F1, you know…
3. Forest Rally Stage
One of the Festival of Speed’s hidden gems, the rally stage sees superstars from the world of rallying fly through a tight and twisty dirt course in the depths of the Goodwood grounds. And because rally drivers only have two settings - 'flat-out’ and ‘off’ - it’s the perfect place to see historic WRC and Dakar machines sliding about with as much vigour as they would have done in period. Last year saw Group B monsters such as the Metro 6R4 and Audi Quattro, alongside Group A icons like the Lancia Delta HF Integrale and Subaru Legacy. The Forest Rally Stage is located right at the top of the hill, and can be accessed either by shuttle or a walk along the hillclimb to the accompaniment of roaring engines. Trust us, it’s well worth the trek.
4. Cartier Style et Luxe
There are few places on Earth where you can get up close and personal with some of the most exclusive (and definitely most expensive) cars in existence than the Cartier Style et Luxe Lawn. Last year, the lawn was decked out with an extraordinary collection of cars, including a McLaren F1 once owned by Elon Musk and a Nissan R390 GT1 Le Mans car that’d been converted for road use by the man who raced it, Erik Comas. They sat shoulder to shoulder with some truly historic vehicles, such as a one-of-two Land Rover Series 1 adapted for the SAS and the only Aston Martin DB2/4 Vignale in existence. We can’t wait to see what Goodwood has up its sleeve for this year’s event, although if last year’s roster is anything to go by (and the one before that and so on) then expect to be well and truly blown away.
5. Supercar Paddock
Similarly, the Supercar Paddock attracts all the heavy-hitter performance cars that have graced your social media and YouTube feeds for the last 12 months. We’re talking about cars at the cutting edge of speed, with last year’s event featuring the F1-engined Mercedes-AMG One, Pagani Huayra R and Gordon Murray’s GMA T.50. Most will take a run up the hill, engines singing at the top of their lungs, but they’re just as impressive when parked up alongside each other. The Supercar Paddock is quite possibly the highest concentration of unobtainium in the world, completely open for you to have a poke around and talk the ears off those looking after them. And if you needed proof the combustion engine is still alive and kicking, be sure to stop by and bask in the presence of supercar greatness.
6. Electric Avenue
It seems like there’s a new electric car announcement every week and, frankly, it can be tricky staying on top of it all. And that is what’s great about Electric Avenue, as it brings together all the latest and greatest offerings from the EV world under one roof. Think the new (and really rather cool) Renault 5 E-Tech and Abarth 500e parked alongside silent supercars such as the Pininfarina Battista and Lotus Evija - not to mention an array of vehicles from budding startups. If you envision an EV joining your fleet in the near future, or just fancy getting up to speed with the ever-changing automotive landscape, then Electric Avenue is a must.
7. Sunday Shootout
Just as a music festival saves its biggest act till the end, so too does Goodwood. On Sunday afternoon, the fastest runners of the weekend do battle on the hill in one final time trial to crown the overall winner of the Festival of Speed (it’s not all demo runs and donuts). Last year’s victor was GT racer Marvin Kirchhöfer in the manic, V10-engined McLaren Solus GT hypercar with a blistering time of 45.34 seconds. However, the year before saw the fastest-ever run up the hill, with ex-F1 driver Max Chilton driving the bonkers McMurtry Speirling to a record-obliterating 39.08-second run. That’s a mighty hard time to beat, but the same was said about Nick Heidfeld’s long-standing record in the McLaren MP4-13 F1 car. All the more reason to stick around until the very end.
Of course, that’s only a fraction of what’s in store at the legendary show, and there’s plenty more yet to be announced. Which F1 drivers will be present? What cars can we ogle over at the Supercar Paddock? And does anyone have anything up their sleeve to raise the bar at the top of the time sheets? If you haven’t done so already, be sure to pick up tickets as they’re selling out fast. All signs point to another cracker of a Festival of Speed, and it’s certainly not one you’re going to want to miss.
Sure you can spend a fortune if you go for all the options but I still think it's very competitively priced
Sure you can spend a fortune if you go for all the options but I still think it's very competitively priced
I went to the 2nd GFOS and it was brilliant! Cheap entry price, no crowds, you could walk around the paddock, see the cars and talk to the drivers - including John Surtees.
Every year it got busier so when Fridays got included I started going on Fridays, until everyone else did too.
Then I gave up until I got a Corporate invite in 2010 - the traffic jams getting there nearly made me give up and go home!
I won a competition to drive a Toyota GT86 up the hill in 2012 on the Thursday which was interesting, but haven't been back since.
It's just an over-crowded, over-priced corporate/season type thing now with little to appeal to car lovers.
The Kop and Shere hill-climbs are way more fun.
Come on chaps, getting the correct manufacturer of a car is pretty basic for an advertorial on a car enthusiast site.
Maybe I'm just too much of a grumpy "old" man, maybe the increased popularity of Goodwood is actually a really good thing, but it just feels like it's lost its soul in the desire to be popular.
Every year it got busier so when Fridays got included I started going on Fridays, until everyone else did too.
It started getting too corporate and busy around 15 years ago, but I still go every other year as it's a good day out.
Ticket prices don’t bother me much, generally comparable to festivals or gigs. What does bother me is camping. And traffic chaos on the way in. Getting out is also bad but it doesn’t seem to matter as much.
It’s a great event, if a bit corporate these days, but I will go again soon.
You probably need 2 days to get to see it properly.
last year i did say to myself i wouldn't come again as the hoards of crowds basically anywhere was just too much to actually enjoy. shame. live feeds on youtube for a few days it is!
Forums | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff