Year of celebrations planned for Goodwood 75

The operators of Goodwood Circuit have announced a string of celebratory events across the course of the 2023 season to mark 75 years since the opening of the racing venue.

Goodwood 75 will be a year-long celebration of not just the inauguration of the circuit in 1948, but will also be used to mark a host of additional anniversaries of Goodwood’s headline events, such as 30 years of the Festival of Speed and 25 years each since the inaugural Revival meeting and the formation of the Goodwood Road Racing Club.

Squadron leader Tony Gaze – an Australian fighter pilot who had been stationed at RAF Westhampnett during World War II – first suggested to the ninth Duke of Richmond that the airfield’s perimeter road may make for an interesting race circuit. That set the cogs in motion and the Goodwood Motor Circuit was officially opened on September 18 1948. The first event attracted 15,000 spectators and was opened by the Duke and Duchess completing a lap in their Bristol 400. A total of 85 drivers took part in races that day, including a young Stirling Moss, who would score his very first car racing victory in the 500cc event held at the venue.

The Revival celebrates the golden years of the circuit, between 1948-1966, when Goodwood established itself as the spiritual home of British motorsport. The venue then ceased to hold racing after 1966 when costly modifications and additional chicanes were required to control the speeds of the cars. The lap record was already shared between Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, a 1min20.4sec lap set during the Glover Trophy of 1965, the final Formula 1 race at the track.

While Goodwood continued to be used for testing, it wouldn’t be until 1993 that Goodwood hosted another competitive event, with the launch of the Festival of Speed, held on private roads within Goodwood Park. Then, in 1998, after several years of planning, the 11th Duke of Richmond successfully re-opened the Motor Circuit, marking the event with a lap in the same Bristol 400 his grandparents had used during the very first event 50 years prior.

Having been founded in 1924, Motor Sport has covered every Goodwood event in period, and will once again be present throughout 2023.

The Duke of Richmond said: “It’s fantastic to be able to celebrate 75 years since my grandfather opened our wonderful Motor Circuit back in 1948. Today Goodwood motorsport is celebrated and cherished by millions around the world, which the whole Goodwood team are immensely proud of. We have a very special year planned for 2023, and I can’t wait to celebrate with our fans as we reflect on our history, but also look ahead to the next 75 years, and beyond. I’d like to thank everyone who has been so enthusiastic and supportive and so much look forward to welcoming everyone during this special year.”

Each of Goodwood’s events this year will feature a celebratory twist to mark Goodwood 75, with some details below.

2023 Celebrations

Motor Circuit
A number of photo moments will begin to appear around the circuit from Spring 2023, where visitors will be able to take their own snapshots through time as part of the #Goodwood75 campaign. A new simulator centre will also be launched, with the addition of four Exsim VR5 Simulators using cutting-edge motion technology.

On Sunday, June 4, the circuit will host the ‘75^th Sunday’ Breakfast Club, boasting a specially curated grid of cars from across the last 75 years. The exact 75^th anniversary date of the circuit’s opening falls on the same day as 25^th anniversary of the Goodwood Revival, on Monday, 18 September.

80^th Members’ Meeting
The first race event of the year will be the 80^th Members’ Meeting on April 15/16, which will feature a packed schedule for races themed to celebrate some of the famous names to have raced at the circuit. The Moss Trophy, for closed-cockpit GT Cars and prototypes run in the spirit of the classic RAC Tourist Trophy events of 1958-1962, will be a highlight as will the Tony Gaze Trophy, which will cater for GT cars raced between 1948-1954.

The Festival of Speed
Goodwood 75 will be the central theme of this year’s Festival, and a collection of cars and bikes will be assembled to mark each era of the circuit’s history. Vehicles will be separated into five categories: The Racing Years (1948-1966), The Testing Years (post-1966), 30 Years of the Festival of Speed (1993-2023), Racing Returns (1998-2023) and The Next 75 Years.

Goodwood Revival
Arguably the highlight of Goodwood’s competition season, this year’s Revival will gather a group of cars that originally competed at the track in 1948, and the event will honour the legendary racer-turned master tuner Carroll Shelby, who would have celebrated his 100 birthday this year. Shelby took part in arguably the most dramatic race in Goodwood’s history, the 1959 RAC TT, when Moss jumped aboard the Aston Martin DBR1/300 of Shelby and Jack Fairman after his own car has caught fire, fighting back through the field to win both the race and the World Sportscar Championship title for Aston Martin. The Revival will also feature a special tribute to the Lotus marque, which itself celebrates 75 years in 2023.

2023 Event Dates

April 15/16      80^th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport
Jun 4                ‘75^th Sunday’ Breakfast Club
July 13-16        Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard
Sept 8-10         Goodwood Revival

Tickets

Tickets for all Goodwood events are on sale now at goodwood.com, or by calling the ticket office on 01243 755055, and customers can save an extra 10% on tickets for the Festival of Speed and Revival by booking before March 31 and April 30 for the respective events.