IT'S THAT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED TIME OF THE YEAR!
The Goodwood Festival of Speed was first held in 1993. It was initiated by Charles Gordon-Lennox, known as the Earl of March at the time, later becoming the Duke of Richmond. The Earl wanted to revive motorsport at Goodwood House, which had a rich history of motor racing dating back to the mid-20th century. The original Goodwood Circuit had been closed since 1966, so the Festival of Speed provided a new way to celebrate this heritage. The central feature of the Festival of Speed is the hill climb, a 1.86 km course running through the picturesque grounds of Goodwood House. This has remained a key attraction, showcasing a wide variety of cars and motorcycles, from historic vehicles to modern supercars. Over the years, the event has grown significantly in both size and scope. It now includes various attractions such as the Forest Rally Stage, the Cartier Style et Luxe concours d'elegance, and the Moving Motor Show. The event has become famous for attracting renowned drivers and celebrities from the motorsport world, including Formula 1 champions, Le Mans winners, and legendary figures in the automotive industry. Each year, the Festival of Speed has a different theme, celebrating milestones in automotive history, particular manufacturers, or specific types of vehicles. The event has embraced new technologies and trends in the automotive world, featuring electric and autonomous vehicles alongside traditional internal combustion engine cars. In recent years the Festival has become highly interactive, with visitors having the opportunity to get up close to the cars, meet drivers, and participate in various activities. The festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned in 2021 with enhanced safety measures and a focus on digital engagement for those unable to attend in person. The FoS has become one of the highlights of not only the UK motoring calendar but also the worldwide calendar.
The event is well-known for being a way for automakers to introduce new models to the world, or showing off what recently-released models can actually do. Since last year’s event, there have been plenty of new fast car releases, particularly on the EV side of things, and many of those cars have only been seen in press releases or in marketing videos and not in person at an actual event that’s streamed live, worldwide. Being streamed live means there are no real second chances, if you mess up everyone will see, and if it’s bad enough it will be a story that follows the car for years. Like this year that story (so far) belongs to Lotus thanks to the rather spectacular cock up. It was pretty catastrophic, the car was badly damaged but not as much as the car’s reputation. As far as we can tell, the 2,000 hp Lotus Evija X suffered an electronic malfunction of sorts, likely software-related. The car has four electric motors, one per wheel, and when Scott Maxwell mashed the fast pedal to the floor, the instant torque lit up the rear tyres into a massive spin and we’re guessing the software wasn’t quite sure what to do about it or how to make the front motors catch up and the thing took a hard right into the hay bales and ended the R41 million car’s Goodwood campaign. It seems the men in white coats working on EVs have some new issues to consider when creating ridiculously powerful setups. There’s a lot more to the event than EVs taking themselves out, all manners of street cars, and race cars are seen in action. It’s a true bucket list event for many out there, myself included. Time to win that lotto!
Take a look at the YouTube video from the shenanigans on the opening Thursday of the event - and then be sure to subscribe to the channel to see all the subsequent live feeds and recaps - that what our weekend will look like: Thursday Full Highlights | Festival of Speed 2024 | Goodwood Road & Racing
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!