There are plenty of reasons to go to the Goodwood Revival. Some involve E-types being driven at angles their current values really shouldn't permit. Others involve pre-war racers, old-school Grand Prix cars, Vespas, historic aircraft and spending an entire weekend pretending that touchscreens and lane assist were never invented. For 2026, though, there’s a particularly good reason to make Sunday the day. The Goodwood Revival returns from 18th to 20th September, but this year the final day is getting a significant shake-up.
Rather than the racing continuing after the RAC TT Celebration presented by Dunlop, the whole of Sunday will build towards it, with the Revival’s biggest race becoming its final race. And given what happens next, that’s rather more significant than it might initially sound. And what a race to finish with. Calling the RAC TT motor racing’s finest hour isn't much of an exaggeration. For 60 minutes, some of the most desirable GT cars ever made are raced with the sort of commitment normally reserved for machinery containing significantly fewer zeroes in its valuation. Jaguar E-types, Cobras, Corvettes and more will be let loose on a fast circuit with very little interest in providing modern levels of run-off. Then add the drivers. F1 World Champions Jenson Button and Jacques Villeneuve are currently set to go head-to-head in E-types, while four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Hélio Castroneves will make his historic racing debut. Tom Kristensen, Jimmie Johnson, Colin Turkington and a grid full of other seriously quick people will also be involved. So, yes, quite a lot can happen in an hour.
Goodwood is leaning into the occasion for 2026, too. Before the race, the cars will be lined up along the pit wall Le Mans-style, while the drivers head around the circuit on an open-top parade. Then comes the national anthem, the grid clears and an hour of extremely expensive, extremely competitive historic racing begins. Ordinarily, that would be a pretty spectacular way to finish a Sunday. This year, though, it’s only the beginning of the finale. Once the chequered flag falls and the top three return to the grid, the circuit will open up for the first ever Revival Closing Party. Sunday ticket holders will be invited onto the track to join the celebrations, with live music, food, drink and the weekend’s prize-giving before things continue Over the Road into the evening. In other words, watch motor racing’s finest hour, then go and stand on the circuit where it just happened.
Of course, this being the Revival, the headline race is only part of it. There’s plenty going on across all three days, with 2026 taking on a distinctly Italian flavour. Maserati’s racing history will be celebrated throughout the weekend, while the returning Lavant Cup should sound especially good thanks to a grid made up exclusively of 1950s Ferrari and Maserati sports cars. The Brooklands Trophy is back too, bringing enormous pre-war machinery from the likes of Bentley, Aston Martin, MG and Frazer Nash onto the circuit. Goodwood will also celebrate Sir Jack Brabham, 100 years after his birth and 60 years after he became the first, and still only, driver to win the F1 World Championship in a car bearing his own name. So while Sunday might have the biggest new addition, there’s plenty of reason to spend more than a few hours at the Revival.
Prefer something a little newer? All three of the Ford GT MkIIs responsible for the famous 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans in 1966 will be reunited. Prefer two wheels? Around 300 classic Vespas are expected to mark the scooter’s 80th anniversary, while the Revival will conclude Goodwood’s year-long celebration of Barry Sheene, 50 years after his first motorcycle World Championship. And if you somehow tire of racing cars, there is the usual Revival sensory overload away from the circuit. Historic aircraft, vintage fashion, the Revival Cinema, workshops, fairground rides and enough period detail to make returning to the real world on Monday morning feel strangely disappointing. There’s a lot to see before you even get to the racing, in other words. But for 2026, we’d still make sure Sunday is on the itinerary.
At the time of writing, Saturday tickets have already sold out, with Friday and Sunday availability now limited. And with the RAC TT moved to the final slot, followed immediately by the first Revival Closing Party, Goodwood has made a pretty compelling case for sticking around until the very last chequered flag falls. It’s a small change to the Revival’s traditional running order, but one that should give Sunday a rather different feel. The biggest race of the weekend gets the biggest possible stage, and then the circuit itself becomes the venue for the party. If there’s ever been a year to make a full weekend of the Revival, 2026 looks like a pretty good one.
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