This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed is less than a week away. The annual summer outing at the Duke of Richmond’s country estate is always a unique feast of automotive audio and visuals. It is the only event to showcase more than a century of racing history in competition while also giving a glimpse into the future of the sport.
It can be easy to fool yourself into questioning how competitive the climb of Goodwood’s 1.17-mile hill can be. The 4.9-percent average slope may seem far-fetched, but the climb has an unforgiving trail considering the rock walls lining portions of the short route. Winning the competition to be the fastest to lead is still an honor, and it’s not uncommon for entrants to pursue a complete record-breaking run.
Besides the friendly competition, Goodwood is a living (or speeding) exhibit. Each Festival of Speed is organized around a main theme. This year’s theme is “Innovators – Masters of motorsport.” The Duke of Richmond said the theme “allows us to celebrate some of history’s greatest achievements, while highlighting the event’s evolving focus on future technology.”
A magnificent half century
A prominent feature of the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the central display, a statue temporarily erected in front of the Goodwood House dedicated to a particular maker. While the carnival theme is prominent, the celebrations are always well organized at Goodwood. This year’s artistic structure will honor BMW USA to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the German automaker’s high-performance division.
The recently announced BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh and the 1999 Le Mans Award-winning BMW V12 LMR sports prototype will form part of the screen, along with several other iconic M vehicles. While the LMDh doesn’t try to run up the hill, many other BMWs will drive furiously. A 1979 M1 and a 1983 Brabham BT52 F1 car highlight the Bavarian field.
An archetypal ideal
BMW won’t be the only manufacturer showing off its new endurance racing car. Porsche will also show off its new LMDh. Glickenhaus will also bring the SCG 007 Le Mans supercar up the hill. Even so, the 15 cars from the B group will form the largest group of prototypes to mark the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the portfolio, including the Porsche 956 and Sauber-Mercedes C9 pairs.
An electric future (near)
Along with the roaring gas-powered beasts, several electric-powered beasts show off their abilities. Mahindra will launch the 3rd generation Formula E car on the hill climb. Two Extreme E all-electric off-road SUVs will also hit the narrow paved track. And, a new electric hill-climbing monster aims to break the record completely in the Goodwood hill climb.
McMurtry Spéirling will probably be the fastest car by the end of the week, regardless of power source. This odd-looking machine weighs less than 2,200 pounds and generates more than 4,400 pounds of downforce with the help of a fan. The Spéirling can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in a second and a half. Former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Max Chilton will try to drive the Spéirling to achieve the record. The current record time is 39.9 seconds, driven by a Volkswagen ID R driven by Romain Dumas in 2019.
This is just a small sample of the exhibition complete input list. The Goodwood Festival of Speed begins June 23 and ends June 26.
