Scale, scope, and spectacle. Three things the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) has excelled at for over 30 years, and for which it’s still unparalleled.
FoS sits at the intersection of a bona fide motorsport event, a rolling automotive museum, and an assault on the senses. After all, there aren’t many, if any, places on earth where you’ll see a Praga Bohemia parked next to Colin McRae’s stage-winning Subaru Impreza, as well as a brand-new BYD Shark.
Don’t get me wrong, I know our audience, and as such I won’t be delving into the details of Xi Xingping’s finest making their way across the globe. But even if you can’t find it within you to appreciate China’s exponential automotive growth, the simple fact that there’s a three-story mobile car dealership parked just off the Goodwood hillclimb’s straight is undeniably impressive.
Again, that’s where Goodwood’s scale comes in, and it feels as though the event is growing every year. There were three of us at FoS this year, with Alec and Alen both experiencing the event for the first time, yet with those two tied up in client work and me taking a semi-relaxed approach, we simply couldn’t cover the necessary ground. The solution is calling in the cavalry.
Which is why, around these words, you’ll find photos from some of Turnpike’s friends: Laurie Southern, Jathu Thillai and Stephen Fung, as well as Alec’s and my own. Even then, there’s a lot you’re not seeing.
The main spectacle of FoS is the hillclimb itself, which offers spectators and photographers the chance to see historic racecars, the most exotic supercars, and some brand new metal being driven in anger – or in a leisurely manner.
From pre-war, steam-powered (yes, seriously) behemoths and early interpretations of what a car should look like to the latest, record-breaking electric prototypes, there’s something for everyone. This year featured a celebration of American motorsport, meaning plenty of NASCAR series stock cars from various decades, as well as IndyCars and some IMSA legends – such as the Audi GTO.
Formula 1 cars always attract the crowds, but where the lower-rank race cars are driven by owner-drivers and assorted professionals, the top-tier open-wheelers are piloted by current and former F1 racers. This year’s lineup included Pierre Gasly at the wheel of the Alpine E20 and reigning F1 world champion Lando Norris driving his McLaren MCL60 – and the upcoming MCL-HY endurance racer.
In addition to the Formula cars, F1 drivers past and present participated in the supercar shootout and demo runs of the rarest prototypes. Liam Lawson, for example, took the Guntherworks F26 for a run up the hill, while Kimi Antonelli unveiled the all-electric Mercedes-AMG CLA 45… shredding the tyres in the process.
Valentino Rossi even made a surprise appearance, not just in the saddle of his Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike, but from the driver’s seat of a BMW V12 LMR… which ended up facing backwards at the dusty second corner.
Speaking of which, the dust at this year’s event was outrageous. We’ve had a few hot summers in the UK, with relatively little rain between them. This meant little chance for the Goodwood Estate lawn to recover since last year, and with the off-road arena and forest rally stages busier than ever, the air was thick with powdery earth.
Not only did this mean a mandatory face covering towards the top of the hillclimb, but trying to photograph down the legendary flint wall became a mission in itself. Some air with pulp wasn’t enough to discourage me from venturing up to both areas, because the off-road action is my personal favourite part of the Festival of Speed.
There’s something about watching tonnes of metal flying through the air that gets me going in a way that circuit motorsports doesn’t. Compounding this was the Audi S1 Quattro that totally f**ked up the jump and headed straight towards me before bouncing off the bank I was shooting from. I guess I love a thrill…
The centrepiece of the event is the enormous art statue on display in front of Goodwood House – the Central Feature – which for 2026 was dedicated to Singer. This was accompanied by seven models on display, ranging from the first, more subtle Singer restomod to the outrageous, bewinged, track-trim DLS Turbo.
Supercar and hypercar highlights included the new Porsche 911 GT3 S/C – a machine I pine for – as well as the Red Bull RB17, an Adrian Newey-designed F1 car for the road, powered by a naturally aspirated V10 engine. Safe to say, it was deafening going up the hill, as was the Pagani Huayra R.
In fact, the ‘Supercar’ and ‘First Glance’ paddocks were practically priceless with the sheer amount of rare metal on display. The OEMs may have had the most impressive stands, with BMW, Porsche and Lamborghini having the most presence behind BYD, but that’s not to say the aftermarket couldn’t hold its own.
Our friends at Regal Autosport broke up the OEM mix with a little tuning corner, demonstrating stance, motorsport and drift builds featuring CSF Race cooling components. I do wonder what the BMW PRs thought of the AST Moton BMW E91 WTCC homage on display, just across the road…
If I were to recall everything I saw at FoS this year, I’d end up writing a dissertation, and as a picture paints a thousand words, here’s a five-man-strong gallery of this year’s Goodwood shenanigans.
I’ll leave you with a sentiment, however. The best thing about the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the sense of community surrounding it. From catching up with OEM PRs over drinks to complaining about the heat with other photographers in the media tent, FoS brings everyone together. Long may it continue. Enjoy the gallery.
