Goodwood Festival of Speed
An annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England. It was started in 1993 by the present Earl of March in order to bring motor racing back to the Goodwood estate - a location steeped in British motor racing history. Shortly after taking over the estate in the early nineties, Lord March (as he is formally known) wanted to bring back motor racing to Goodwood Circuit, but did not have the necessary permit to host a race there. Therefore he instead hosted it on his own grounds.
The Festival of Speed is unique as a motor sport event. Thanks to the event's classification as a hill climb, its stunning location and desire to reflect the style and history of motor sport, visitors are afforded unparalleled views of the action - separated only by a few metres and reinforced straw bales from the track. In addition, visitors are free to walk around several paddocks where the cars and drivers can be viewed at close quarters. The atmosphere of the Festival of Speed, when compared to the separation of fans from drivers and machines common to most top end motor sport events, encourages participation by the fans.