Indy 500 Celebration

Today Lord March placed the first of a set of original 100-year-old Indianapolis bricks on the Start Line of the Festival of Speed hillclimb

A row of these authentic, historic bricks have been sent over to West Sussex specifically to mark the centenary of the famous Indy 500 race in the USA, which Goodwood will be celebrating at the 2011 Festival of Speed with a stunning collection of 33 significant Indy 500 cars (most of which have never been seen outside of the USA), plus a host of successful Indy 500 drivers. 

The famous Indianapolis bricks are significant as the Indy 500 race was originally run on a surface made up of thousands of these bricks, ultimately leading to the American race track’s nick name of ‘The Brick Yard.’  Today the Indy 500 is run on smooth asphalt, but a yard of the original 1911 bricks remain at the start line to recall the Circuit’s bumpier past.

A yard of bricks will now also form a permanent part of the Festival of Speed hillclimb at Goodwood Park, as a homage to the spectacular North American Indy 500 race, as well as a reminder of the iconic Goodwood start line location.