Dates for the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, Goodwood Revival and 78th Goodwood Members’ Meeting have been announced, signalling a return to action for the trio of iconic events.
The Goodwood season will kick off later than normal with the re-scheduled 78th Members’ Meeting moving from its originally announced March 2020 date to 15th and 16th May 2021. The Festival of Speed will follow, taking place from 8th-11th July before our racing season ends with the Goodwood Revival on 17th-19th September.
The 78th Members’ Meeting will feature most of the crowd pleasers you would normally expect to find at the revived events, which have been the season openers on the Goodwood calendar since their return in 2014. The meeting moves for the first time from early spring to late after a review of the 2021 Goodwood event season and other key motorsport events.
Star cars, drivers and demonstrations will be announced in the New Year, but you can expect to find favourites like the bonkers S.F. Edge Trophy for Edwardian specials and Gerry Marshall Trophy presented by Sure for the Group 1 cars that dominated the touring car scene in the 1970s.
The Festival of Speed returns to a July date and carries over the theme that the 2020 event would have had as we celebrate “The Maestros – Motorsport’s Great All-Rounders”. This will see the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill filled with the teams, drivers and manufacturers that have shown their true greatness by succeeding in a range of motorsport disciplines.
One very special Maestro, who has already confirmed his attendance, after the pandemic stopped him visiting Goodwood in 2020, is legendary American racer Mario Andretti. Mario said: “Goodwood in July sounds wonderful to me right now. I welcome the invitation and look forward to being there for the third time. It is truly one of the most fan-friendly motorsports events. A very unique jewel. There is simply nothing like it on the planet.”
Expect to see cars and bikes from every top level motorsport category on the planet plus the very latest supercar and road car debuts and the return of the incredible smoke-fuelled drifters who have become a favourite at the event over the last few years.
Finally the Revival will return in September, taking a slightly later position on the calendar, but still bringing the same mix of incredible motorsport action from 1948-1966 as ever. Much more than just a recreation of the past, the Revival celebrates the timeless ethos of ‘repair and re-use’, promoting a spirit of sustainability which is more relevant now than ever. Expect to see some of the most beautiful and valuable cars of all time in genuine, no-quarter-given racing in favourites such as the RAC TT Celebration, and the newly-renamed Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy.
All the events will be run strictly in accordance with the Government’s COVID-19 guidelines on social distancing in place at the time. Goodwood’s number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved, whether working behind-the-scenes, at the wheel, or attending the spectacle. Plans for ensuring this, while still maintaining the atmosphere and excitement that characterises Goodwood’s events, are well advanced and spectators will find even more to enjoy in 2021.
Thanks to your incredible generosity in rolling your 2020 purchased tickets over to 2021, tickets for the events are already strictly limited and will go on sale to the public from 0900hrs on Monday 1st February. Members of the GRRC community will receive pre-sale access up to two weeks earlier. To find out how you can join the GRRC, click here.
The success of October’s first ever digital-only Goodwood SpeedWeek presented by Mastercard means our audiences online can expect to see more action in more formats than ever before, as well as some new and innovative interactive features making it feel like they are at the event in person.
Looking forward to welcoming fans back to Goodwood next year, the Duke of Richmond said: “More than anything else it is the people who make our events so special; the drivers, the teams, our staff and above all the fans. We were incredibly disappointed not to be able to welcome them to our much-loved events in 2020. Now we are thrilled to be able to announce that all three motorsport events are planned to be back next year. Thank you to all our loyal followers who either rolled over their tickets or joined the Goodwood Supporters’ Association, which helped us immeasurably in a very tough year. We absolutely cannot wait to see them and plenty of new fans in 2021.”
Report by Ben Miles for goodwood.com
Photos by Jordan Butters
