1926 mots | Temps de lecture : 9 minute(s)
Goodwood: Britain's great festival of motoring heritage
Summary
- Goodwood: An Estate, a Motor Sport Dynasty
- The Festival of Speed and its Mythical Hill Climb
- The Goodwood Revival: A Journey Through Time
- Motorcycles in the Spotlight: The Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy
- A Unique Atmosphere and Global Status
- Summary Table
- FAQ
Goodwood: An Estate, a Motor Sport Dynasty
About a hundred kilometers south of London, in the verdant hills of West Sussex, lies one of the most sacred places in motoring heritage: the Goodwood estate. This immense property has belonged to the family of the Duke of Richmond for centuries, and it is around the ancestral home, Goodwood House, that one of the most beautiful mechanical spectacles on the planet takes place each year. Here, the past doesn't sleep in museums: it roars, smokes, and smells of hot oil.
Goodwood's mechanical history began in 1948, when the 9th Duke of Richmond, known as "Freddie March," a racing enthusiast and former driver himself, inaugurated a motor racing circuit on the perimeter of a former Royal Air Force airfield. For nearly twenty years, this fast track became a hotbed of British racing, before closing to competitions in 1966, as speeds became too high for its period facilities. The circuit then lay dormant for several decades. As with the Assen "Cathedral" or the mythical Tourist Trophy, some places possess an aura that time never erases.
It was Freddie March's descendant, Charles Gordon-Lennox — long known as Lord March before also becoming Duke of Richmond — who would awaken the sleeping giant. In the 1990s, he dreamed of reopening the family circuit. Failing to obtain permission, he devised a seemingly more modest alternative, which would become a global phenomenon.
The Festival of Speed and its Mythical Hill Climb
In 1993, Lord March launched the first Goodwood Festival of Speed. The idea was brilliantly simple: invite legendary cars and motorcycles, accompanied by their drivers, to ascend the hill climb traced along the estate's own driveway, in front of Goodwood House. This timed event, the famous "hillclimb," covers 1,890 meters (about 1.16 miles) and features nine corners with an elevation gain of approximately 92 meters.
The first event, held on Sunday, June 20, 1993, attracted some 25,000 visitors, a figure ten times higher than the organizers' expectations. It already featured 101 cars and 32 motorcycles. The event, initially held over a single day, quickly expanded: Saturday was added in 1994, then Friday in 1996, making the Festival a multi-day event. Today, it gathers around 150,000 spectators and each year features a spectacular central sculpture on the lawn, created by artist Gerry Judah since 1997, celebrating a manufacturer or a figure in motor sport.
Unlike Pikes Peak, another major hill climb where timing is crucial, motorcycles are not timed at Goodwood: after a fatal accident occurred in 1993, they participate in demonstrations, for the pleasure of sight and sound. You can thus see Grand Prix machines, exceptional sports bikes, and their champions parade in a proximity to the public that is almost impossible to find elsewhere.
📸 Want to hang a piece of this legend in your home? Discover our most beautiful posters in the Motorcycle Posters & Prints collection.
The article celebrates legendary machines exhibited at Goodwood; a poster extends this heritage passion onto the motorcyclist's walls.
The Goodwood Revival: A Journey Through Time
Building on the success of the Festival of Speed, Lord March finally realized his initial dream in 1998: reopening the historic circuit. Thus was born the Goodwood Revival, a unique event of its kind in the world, held every September. For the inauguration, the Earl of March completed a lap in the same Bristol 400 with which his grandfather had opened the track fifty years earlier. The circle was complete.
The Revival only celebrates the original operating period of the circuit, from 1948 to 1966. Only cars and motorcycles that actually raced during those years are allowed on the track, for non-championship races pitting machines, some of which are worth millions, against each other. But the most incredible singularity of the event lies in its audience: it is the only historic meeting in the world to take place entirely in period costume.
Spectators, drivers, marshals, and vendors all play along with astonishing fidelity: Royal Air Force uniforms, 1950s dresses, hairstyles, advertisements, and parking vehicles—everything recreates the atmosphere of post-war England. It feels like stepping into the setting of the cafe racer and British youth of the Mods and Rockers era. It's a life-size costume ball centered around motor sport, a world away from a simple car show.
Motorcycles in the Spotlight: The Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy
While Goodwood is primarily famous for its automobiles, motorcycles hold a special place there, particularly at the Revival. It's worth noting that during the original circuit's era, motorcycle racing was an exception: only one two-wheeled meeting was held there on April 14, 1951. It took until the Revival, in 1998, for motorcycles to finally roar back onto the Sussex track.
The big two-wheeled event today is the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy. This race, reserved for motorcycles from 1948 to 1966, lasts approximately 25 minutes, with a team of two riders per machine, and begins with a memorable Le Mans-style start: riders run on foot to their motorcycles before speeding towards the first corner. Knee-down on classic machines, the competitors offer a spectacle that is as elegant as it is thrilling.
The event pays tribute to Barry Sheene, two-time 500cc World Champion in 1976 and 1977, who himself participated in the first editions of the Revival. His last race took place at the 2002 edition, when he was already seriously ill; he passed away in March 2003, at just 52 years old. The trophy, previously called the Lennox Cup, was then renamed in his honor and has been raced at every Revival since 2003. To discover the flamboyant character behind this name, dive into our portrait of Barry Sheene, the 500cc Rebel. You'll find legends of the Tourist Trophy and Superbike champions, all reunited on bikes from another era.
🏍️ Ride the legend onto your shelf with our selection of Miniature Motorcycles.
A Unique Atmosphere and Global Status
What sets Goodwood apart is this impossible-to-replicate alchemy: on one hand, an aristocratic setting (a ducal residence, perfect lawns), on the other, popular enthusiasm and access to machines and drivers that no other major modern event allows. Visitors rub shoulders with Formula 1 single-seaters, Triumph Bonnevilles, and legendary Nortons just inches away, without insurmountable barriers.
As a result: Goodwood's two events are now among the largest gatherings of historic vehicles in the world. Where a Sturgis celebrates biker freedom and a Wheels & Waves cultivates a lifestyle spirit, Goodwood embodies the living memory of motor sport. For any enthusiast of beautiful machines, attending the Festival's hill climb or the Revival's costume ball once in a lifetime is a true pilgrimage.
Summary Table
| Element | Verified Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Goodwood Estate, West Sussex (England), property of the Duke of Richmond |
| Original Circuit | Inaugurated in 1948 by the 9th Duke of Richmond, closed to racing in 1966 |
| Festival of Speed | Created in 1993 by Lord March; 1st edition on June 20, 1993 (~25,000 visitors) |
| The Hillclimb | ~1,890 m, 9 corners, ~92 m elevation gain, in front of Goodwood House |
| Motorcycles at the Festival | In demonstration (untimed since 1993) |
| Goodwood Revival | Created in 1998 on the historic circuit, in September; era celebrated: 1948-1966 |
| Revival Signature | Audience and participants entirely in period costume |
| Feature Motorcycle Race | Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy (motorcycles 1948-1966, ~25 min, 2 riders, Le Mans start) |
FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival take place?
Both events are held on the Goodwood estate, in West Sussex, south of England, owned by the family of the Duke of Richmond. The Festival of Speed runs on the hill climb traced in front of Goodwood House, while the Revival takes place on the historic motor racing circuit.
What is the difference between the Festival of Speed and the Revival?
The Festival of Speed, created in 1993, is a celebration of all eras of motor sport and motorcycles around a timed hill climb. The Revival, created in 1998, focuses exclusively on the 1948-1966 period of the original circuit, with the audience and participants dressed in period costume.
Are there motorcycles at Goodwood?
Yes. At the Festival of Speed, legendary motorcycles ascend the hill in demonstration. At the Revival, they compete in races, particularly during the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, reserved for machines from 1948 to 1966.
Who was Barry Sheene, after whom the motorcycle race is named?
Barry Sheene was a British rider, two-time 500cc World Champion in 1976 and 1977. He participated in the first Revivals; his last race took place in 2002, and he passed away in March 2003, at the age of 52. The Revival motorcycle trophy was renamed in his honor.
Why are motorcycles not timed at the Festival of Speed?
Following a fatal accident that occurred in the very first edition in 1993, the organizers chose not to time motorcycles during the hill climb. They therefore participate in demonstrations, which does not detract from the spectacle.
