2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ticket, Travel and Event Information for Auto Racing Celebration

Jan 13, 2009

Motor sport fans travel in their thousands to Goodwood each July for a festival celebrating Formula 1, sports cars, rallying, NASCAR, motorcycling and much more.

The theme for the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed will be ‘True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance.” The event, as usual, is set to attract a mouth-watering collection of famous racing machinery. Well known faces from motorcycle racing, Formula 1, rallying and sports cars will also be in attendance.

2009 Festival of Speed Attractions

The 2009 Festival of Speed takes place on July 3rd-5th. It will feature cars and bikes tackling the famous 1.16 mile hillclimb course, while rally fans can watch their heroes tame the Forest Rally Stage. Several important anniversaries will also be commemorated at the festival. 2009 marks the centenary year of Bugatti, Audi and Morgan. It is also 50 years since the Daytona International Speedway opened. The festival will also be celebrating half a century since the launch of the Mini.

The festival has established itself as a major date on the international motor sport calendar. This is reflected by the number of Formula 1 teams willing to send cars and drivers to the event. Past attendees have included Lewis Hamilton, Giancarlo Fisichella, Mika Hakkinen and Mark Webber. The rally stage has been graced by such luminaries as Petter Solberg, Hannu Mikkola and the late Colin McRae. Motorcycle greats have also taken to the hill, including John Surtees, Troy Bayliss and James Toseland.

Away from the racing cars there will also be a selection of the most desirable road cars ever produced. The Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance will celebrate some of the great automotive designs from throughout history, while the Sunday Times Supercar Paddock will be home to current road going machinery.

Live music can be enjoyed at the stage next to the cricket pitch, while there willl also be a huge selection of stalls to visit, selling racing memorabilia and much more. The festival organisers have also commissioned several life-size replicas of the cars from the Wacky Races cartoon series. These make regular runs up the hill piloted by Dick Dastardly and various other characters, delighting young and old alike.

The Festival of Speed takes place in the grounds of Goodwood House, situated near Chichester in West Sussex. It is around 60 miles from London, and there are trains from the capital to Chichester. The A27 is the nearest major road, and the route to the festival is clearly signposted from there. Car parking is available near Goodwood House, with a free park and ride system being operated between there and the festival entrance.

2009 Festival of Speed Tickets

Children 12 years and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available from the Goodwood website.

The copyright of the article 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed in Auto Racing is owned by Kevin Guthrie. Permission to republish 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.