History

The West Sussex-based Goodwood Motor Circuit originally opened its gates to the public on September 1948 to host Britain's very first post-war motor race meeting at a permanent venue.

Twelve years earlier, Goodwood's very first motor sport event was staged when a hill climb meeting was held for a small group of pre-war Lancia enthusiasts, hosted by the 9th Duke of Richmond, Freddie March.

The Circuit Launch

The 1948 opening of the circuit was met with a rapturous response as the British public had been deprived of motor racing since Brooklands closed its doors in 1939 as a result of the Second World War.

The huge demand for wheel-to-wheel competition saw 85 drivers and
over 15,00 spectators turning up to Goodwood on 18 September 1948 to support the UK's first professionally-organised post-war motor racing event.

The story unfolds

RAF Westhampnett

The origins of the Goodwood track derive from an ex-military airfield. RAF Westhampnett, named after the village bordering Goodwood, served as a Battle of Britain base during the War and was the station from which RAF legend Sir Douglas Bader flew his last sortie.

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The Airfield

The Airfield was created on land that formed part of the Goodwood Estate - home to the Dukes of Richmond for over 300 years - and was donated by the 9th Duke to assist the
War effort.

Freddie March

The 9th Duke of Richmond, known as Freddie March, was a renowned amateur racer. Having won the Brooklands Double 12 in 1930 he went on to design both March sports car bodies and aircraft in his capacity as an engineer.

When the 9th Duke was approached by his friend Squadron Leader Tony Gaze, who suggested using the perimeter road that bordered the Aerodrome as a motor racing circuit, he seized upon the idea. The 9th Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon thus officially opened the track in 1948 by driving around the circuit in a Bristol 400, then Britain's state-of-the-art sporting saloon.

End of a chapter

In August 1966, after 18 years of memorable competition, Goodwood closed its gates to contemporary motor racing, although the circuit remained in continuous use as a testing and track day venue. It was the end of a chapter in Goodwood history, but not the end of the story.

50 years later...

On 18 September 1998, exactly 50 years to the day since the Goodwood circuit first opened, the 9th Duke's grandson, the present Earl of March, re-enacted the opening of the track at the very first Goodwood Revival meeting in the same Bristol 400 that his grandfather had used half a century earlier on the same track, untouched by the modern world.

Prior to the first Revival meeting in 1998, the circuit was painstakingly restored to look exactly as it did in its heyday, down to the very last detail.

The festivals are born

Goodwood Revival

So was created the Goodwood Revival, which in the subsequent years has established itself as the world's most popular historic motor race meeting, and the only event of its kind to be staged in the romantic time capsule of the Fifties and Sixties.

Over the last decade the Revival has entertained the huge number of racing enthusiasts with some exceptional wheel-to-wheel racing at the classic circuit.

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Festival of Speed

Goodwood's other famous motor sport event, the Festival of Speed, was established in 1993 and has gone on to become the world's largest celebration of motoring culture.

Staged every summer in the grounds of Goodwood Park, the Festival attracts the best drivers and vehicles on the planet, including most of the current Formula 1 teams, plus Le Mans winners, racing motorcycles, supercars, and much more besides.

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