With multiple grand milestones to be celebrated, we bring you the Goodwood events in 2023 that will be absolutely unmissable, and how you can experience them the best way with premium tickets and hospitality.
Goodwood Circuit and its events are a staple of the British motor racing scene. Since its first opening in 1948, fans and spectators have witnessed some amazing racing at Goodwood.
2023 will be a big year for the estate and track, as they celebrate some major milestones for the Goodwood motor circuit, Goodwood Festival of Speed, and Goodwood Revival.
Find out about the milestone events and how you can celebrate Goodwood events in 2023 in high style with premium tickets and hospitality.
75 Years of the Goodwood Motor Circuit
The Goodwood motor circuit first opened in September 1948. The circuit is not to be confused with the hill climb course that the Festival of Speed competes at.
From 1948 to 1966, there was regular racing at the circuit, with many of the times’ best drivers such as Graham Hill, Jim Clarke and Guiseppe Farina competing in various races.
The Glover Trophy was a non-championship Formula 1 event that was held from 1949 to 1965. For the 17 races it ran, it was competed mostly by British drivers, with a British winner in all but two years of the race.
There was also an endurance race named the Goodwood Nine Hours that ran in 1952, 1953 and 1955, and the Tourist Trophy sports car race ran between 1958 and 1964. Both these events are still competed albeit in modified short forms in the Goodwood Revival event which runs every year (more on that later).
In 1966, the Goodwood motor circuit hosted its last race meeting, as the owners of the track didn’t want to modify the track layout any further with more chicanes to control the increased speeds of the modern race cars.
As such, racing operations ceased at the track until 1998 when the success of the Goodwood Festival of Speed at the hill climb led the new owners of the circuit to bring back racing at the track in the form of Goodwood Revival.
30 Years of Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is world-renowned for its unique showcasing of racing, with the hill climb being only one part of what the festival is all about.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed was founded in 1993 by Lord March, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond.
He wanted to bring racing back to the Goodwood estate, which had a rich history of racing in years gone. He had taken over the estate in the early 1990s and wanted to go racing again at the Goodwood Circuit.
Unfortunately, he was not in possession of the necessary permit to be able to host a race there, and therefore his dream of modern racing at the circuit was over. So he decided to host the racing on his own grounds, and thus the festival was born.
In its 30 years of existence, it has grown into a true staple on the British motor racing calendar, with the summer event scheduled around the British Grand Prix, meaning fans can enjoy a lot of racing during the warmest season of the year.
With 150,000 people attending over the long weekend, it is an unmissable event. And with 2023 celebrating 30 years of the festival, it is sure to be a grand occasion. Check out our Goodwood Festival of Speed guide to best prepare for the event.
Over the four-day weekend of the Festival of Speed, car manufacturers all across the world will be showing off ranges of their cars, new and old, often showcasing their newest innovation for possibly the first time.
Many categories of motor racing also make appearances, with Formula 1 always being a big draw. Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, and even Alain Prost have all made appearances in the past, and multiple teams are usually scheduled to be in attendance each year, although they do not compete in the hill climb competition, but may do a run in one of their previous contenders.
The main event of the weekend is the hill climb shootout. Throughout the four days, any driver and car with an entry to the hill climb are free to race the point-to-point circuit to set as fast a time as they possibly can.
On Saturday and Sunday, the main portion of the racing comes into play, as Saturday sees qualifying for the Sunday shootout, where the drivers with the fastest times who qualified the day before go once more to see who can set the fastest time that year and be crowned the hill climb champion.
In 2022, a new record was set by former F1 driver Max Chilton, who set a time of 39.08 seconds in a McMurtry Speirling.
As mentioned earlier, the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed is sure to be a grand celebration of the 30 years since its inception. The theme may not be announced yet, but it is sure to be one that will do the popular festival true justice, so you will not want to be left out.
Buy Goodwood Festival of Speed hospitality25 Years of Goodwood Revival
The Goodwood Revival event is a three-day festival held at the Goodwood motor circuit, and it celebrates classic British racing at the track.
It has been held since 1998, and it is exclusive for racing cars and motorcycles that would have competed during the circuit's original run in 1948–1966 before it was forced to cease racing.
As opposed to the Goodwood Festival of Speed which features a hill climb event, Goodwood Revival showcases wheel-to-wheel racing around the classic circuit, with the cars and bikes that compete untouched by modern development and thus bringing the drivers and the spectators back to the glory days of the circuit.
Famous former F1 Grand Prix drivers have raced at the event, such as the father-son duo of Phil & Damon Hill (although not at the same time), Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jack Brabham and John Surtees just to name a few.
They may not be the fastest cars we have at Goodwood, but they’re certainly some of the most lairy! Hughie Walker is doing his absolute best to keep this 1913 car on the circuit during a wet qualifying. #80MM pic.twitter.com/3s1MLRRbVw
— Goodwood Road & Racing (@GoodwoodRRC) December 21, 2022
There are several races over the three days. The Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy is a one-hour race for GT cars that was originally run in 1963. It is known as one of the most beautiful classic races in the world.
The Glover Trophy is revived and sees a 20-minute race featuring the 1.5 litre F1 cars that competed between 1961–1965.
The Goodwood Trophy is another 20-minute race for Grand Prix and Voiturette cars from between 1930–1951.
With the first Goodwood Revival coming in 1998, the festival will be celebrating 25 years in 2023. It is due to be a fantastic commemoration of the classic racing at the iconic British circuit, so you won’t want to miss out.
Buy Goodwood Revival hospitalityGoodwood Festival of Speed & Revival Hospitality
With a premium Goodwood hospitality package to either the Festival of Speed or Revival, you can watch all the action from both events as a true VIP, experiencing everything while living it up in luxury.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed hospitality and the Goodwood Revival hospitality have many packages to choose from that provide their own unique luxury experience. Some of the things you will enjoy are:
- Delectable three and four-course lunch meals
- Complimentary drinks for the day
- Fantastic access around the grounds and circuit, including the paddock*
- A viewing area with only the best sights of all the action
- And a lot more depending on the package!
Make sure to check out the packages available for either event, choose the day you want to attend, and secure your premium Goodwood events hospitality now!
Buy Goodwood Festival of Speed hospitalityBuy Goodwood Revival hospitalityBe sure to check out everything Seat Unique has to offer for motorsport hospitality and premium tickets, including Formula 1 and MotoGP.
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