MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Every year I mark down on my calendar when the Goodwood Festival of Speed is taking place with hopes of attending.
This year it all came together with an invitation from the Duke of Richmond and Gordon to come help unveil a massive new project with the Goodwood Road Racing Club.
The first thing you have to understand about the Duke of Richmond and the folks who put on the three major events a year at the Goodwood Estate — The Members Meeting, The Festival of Speed and the Revival — is that they only do things to the highest level of quality, showmanship and presentation.
This year’s theme for the Festival of Speed was Rivals. Such as James Hunt and Niki Lauda, Ford vs Ferrari, Barry Sheene and everybody. This provided unforgettable moments on the hill circuit, which is just over a mile in length and is the Duke of Richmond’s driveway that runs in front of the Goodwood House.
A magnificent 300-year-old structure that most of us on this side of the pond would consider a castle, it is the Duke’s primary residence.
A remarkable and endless variety of vehicles from DTM, F1, Endurance Racing, NASCAR, Moto GP, IndyCar and the latest Hypercars charged up the haybale lined hill all day for four straight days. The famous machines are only part of what makes Goodwood special.
The legendary names who are wandering the paddock with helmet in hand is staggering. For example, at one point on Friday night of the weekend, I was standing in the foyer of Goodwood House and within a 20-foot radius of where I was standing, I counted winners of 20 world championships. That had nothing to do with the Le Mans, Indy 500 and NASCAR champions within that same circle.
Goodwood doesn’t just celebrate one theme. They also honor a featured marque by including their vehicles within the stunning sculpture created each year by renowned artist Gerry Judah. These sculptures have to be seen in person to truly appreciate how spectacular they really are.
Known as the Central Feature, they are massive in size and are constructed each year in front of Goodwood House. For this year’s featured marque Goodwood chose to honor Singer Vehicle Design and their bespoke Porsches reimagined by Singer.
With three multi-million-dollar Singer Porsches attached to the gigantic structure and hanging perilously over the Goodwood House front lawn, it made for a jaw dropping piece of art, especially at night with multi colored lights beamed up onto the Central Feature.
Goodwood has always had a strong connection to American motorsports. Every year there are numerous American cars and stars in attendance. This year with America celebrating its 250th birthday, Goodwood joined the celebration with a full-blown toast to American motorsports.
A large field of machines representing different eras of NASCAR, IndyCar, IROC, Can-Am, sports car racing and motorcycles filled the paddock. A star-studded field of America’s best racers were there as well driving and riding the machines up the hill and sharing stories with the fans.
Competitors such as Mario, Michael, Marco and Jeff Andretti were joined by Freddie Spencer, Kurt Busch, Kevin Schwantz, Travis Pastrana, Butch Lietzinger, J.C. France, Al Unser Jr. and world champions Kenny Roberts Sr. and Jr.
While there were numerous moments on the hill that were unforgettable, the one that will stick in the memory of everyone who experienced it, was the recreation of the famous 1966 Le Mans photo that cost Ken Miles the victory in that year’s 24-hour classic.
The staged photo op that Ford Executive Leo Beebe insisted on as Ford finally triumphed over Ferrari. It was an incredible moment because for only the third time in their history those three original Ford GT 40 Mkll were on track together in the exact same formation as they were at Le Mans in 1966.
Only this time they were driving up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with Mario, Michael and Marco Andretti behind the wheel. What a sight, sound and moment for those of us lucky enough to have witnessed it.
A sidebar to this story. Rob Kauffman owned the winning black No. 2 car that was driven by Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren. The family of Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller owns the second and third place finishing cars. The second-place finisher driven by Ken Miles and Denny Hulme along with the third-place machine that was wheeled by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson.
Before the weekend was over a deal was struck between Kauffman and the Millers that saw Kauffman sell his winner to the Millers for an undisclosed price. So now all three podium finishing Ford GT40 Mklls from the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans will never be separated.
We were told they will live together on display at the Shelby American Collection in Boulder, Colo.
Goodwood used this year’s American celebration to launch the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America. Finally American motorsports fans and enthusiasts won’t have to travel to England to enjoy the Goodwood experience. The Duke of Richmond is bringing the vibe, style and spirit of Goodwood to America, specifically, Willow Springs Raceway.
The Goodwood Road Racing Club of America, like its sister club in England. will organize around 100 events for its members to partake in each year. These will range in size from Cars and Coffee events, touring the most exclusive car collections, road trips and attending the biggest motorsports events around the world.
Of course, there are numerous clubs across the country that do similar things. So why join the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America? Because none of the others have the connections to provide the level of experience that Goodwood does to its members.
Beginning in the fall of 2028, the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America will host its inaugural major event at Willow Springs. This will be the American version of the famed Festival of Speed.
• One of the top racing series in the world that doesn’t get enough attention in the States is the Australian Repco Supercar Series. If you have an interest in the series, check out the new documentary on the championship called “Supercars – Road to Glory.”
The project was put together by a good friend of mine named Nathan Pendergast who is the Producer for the Supercar Championship’s television coverage. He is an exceptional Producer and did an outstanding job putting this together. You can find it on Amazon Prime.
• If you love IndyCar racing, one of the best authors on the modern-day history of the series is John Oreovicz. Oreo, as he is known throughout the paddock has written some of the best books documenting significant moments in the history of IndyCar racing.
His newest work, “Class of 99” is a perfect example. It’s about one of the most dramatic, exciting and tragic seasons of IndyCar racing.
A year that saw the rise to stardom for a special group of racers, including Dario Franchitti, Max Papis, Greg Moore, Paul Tracy, Tony Kanaan and that year’s champion Juan Pablo Montoya. John was right in the middle of it covering the action and documenting it along the way.
Oreo goes deep into how each of these star drivers handled the extreme highs and gut-wrenching lows of that intense and brutal season. It was a year full of spectacular performances by a group of young wheelmen who showed the world that IndyCar racing was about to enjoy years of exceptional competition.
Unfortunately, that same season was marred by the tragic passing of the brightest and arguably most talented driver of the group, Greg Moore.
This book is a fascinating trip into that year’s IndyCar paddock. You can get a copy of “Class of 99” from Octane Press.
