In celebration of 110 years since the opening of Brooklands, the ancestral home of British motorsports, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, presented by MasterCard, will host an array of cars and motorcycles from the Surrey historic circuit’s past when it unfolds on the weekend of June 29-July 2.
The brainchild of Hugh Locke King, Brooklands was the world’s first purpose-built race circuit. From its first competitive event on June 28-29, 1907 — 110 years to the day before the opening of this year’s Festival of Speed — until the outbreak of World War II, the circuit hosted some of the sport’s most memorable characters. Assembled with the support of the Brooklands Museum, the Festival class will celebrate the diverse machinery that made Brooklands great.
Because Brooklands’ banking allowed sustained high speeds, it was also the scene of many early Land Speed Record attempts, represented at FoS by cars like the Blitzen Benz, Fiat S76 and “Babs.” At the opposite end of the size spectrum are the tiny Austin and MG specials, and three-wheeler Morgans, which were a mainstay of club events, while the first British Grands Prix (held at Brooklands in 1926-’27) are represented by a quartet of fabulous Delage 15 S8s. Also featured will be the Napier-Railton Special in which John Cobb set the ultimate Brooklands lap record of 143.44mph in 1934. Together, they will provide a fitting tribute to the pioneering spirit of Brooklands, the bravery of its drivers and the creativity of its engineers.
Saturday and weekend tickets to the Festival of Speed are now sold-out, with Sunday tickets limited and Thursday and Friday tickets selling fast. Hospitality packages are available throughout the weekend. To buy tickets or enquire about hospitality, please visit www.goodwood.com
