Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019 preview: star drivers, classic cars and ticket prices

‘Motorsport’s Record Breakers’ head for the
famous Hillclimb as the event marks Michael Schumacher’s 50th
birthday

Preview

The Chichester-based celebration of all things fast opens its
gates to the public next week, and those attending can expect to
see many of their heroes – both drivers and machines – from
contemporary and historic motorsport series. 

Each year, Charles Gordon-Lennox, Duke of Richmond and the
owner of the Goodwood estate, selects a theme for the event. These
often celebrate the anniversary of a car manufacturer, racing
series or motorsport hero. 

This year’s theme is Speed Kings – Motorsport’s Record
Breakers. To mark the occasion, the duke has invited
record-breaking drivers and owners of some of the world’s greatest
racing cars to put on a show for fans up the hallowed Goodwood
Hillclimb. 

Here are the stars and cars fans can see next week, as
well as how to get your hands on tickets:

Dates

The Festival of Speed runs from 4 to 7 July. Each day is
packed with cars to see both on and off the Hillclimb, but the
Saturday and Sunday runnings of the event usually attract the
bigger names from the motoring world. 

Ticket prices

Thursday is by far the cheapest day of the show, with
prices starting at £39. Tickets for Friday kick-off at £58 and
prices then jump to £70 for either Saturday or Sunday.

There’s also a four-day pass for £169, which we recommend
for diehard car fans. The Festival of Speed has grown considerably
in recent years and it’s impossible to see everything in one day
alone. 

All tickets can be ordered directly from Goodwood’s website. It’s best to be quick,
though, as weekend tickets are short in supply.

Which stars are driving up the hill?

The Festival of Speed is one of the only events in the motoring
calendar where the public can rub shoulders with racing drivers and
team bosses. It’s not uncommon to stroll through one of the many
paddocks and see the likes of 1996 Formula 1 champion Damon Hill or
nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen chatting with
fans. 

Attendees can expect to see both of those drivers at this year’s
event, The Daily Telegraph says. Hill is due to pilot
his championship-winning Williams F1 car, while Kristensen will
drive one of his many Le Mans-winning prototypes.

While Lewis Hamilton won’t be attending this year’s event,
new Renault F1 signing and former Red Bull Racing star Daniel
Ricciardo will take to the Goodwood hill, as will rookie F1 drivers
Lando Norris and Alex Albon. 

Double world rallycross champion and 2003 world rally
champion Petter Solberg will also be present, while drifting legend
Ken Block will be “cremating tyres galore as he serves up his own
brand of automotive mayhem”, the newspaper notes.

And what about the cars?

Whether you’re a fan of blisteringly quick F1 machines or
elegant vintage grand tourers, there’s something for everyone at
the Festival of Speed. 

A host of Michael Schumacher’s F1 cars will mark the 25th
anniversary of the first of the German driver’s seven F1
championships and his 50th birthday, Motor Sport Magazine reports. 

Expect to see the two Benettons that he piloted to the
championship in 1994 and 1995, plus the five Ferraris that
dominated the sport between 2000 and 2004, the magazine
adds. 

A number of manufacturers are due to unveil new models. Ford is
gearing up to reveal a radical version of its GT supercar and
Porsche will bring its flat-six 718 Cayman GT4, says Autocar. 

But it wouldn’t be the Festival of Speed if it weren’t for
the classics. We’re expecting Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason to
bring along a few models from his collection, such as his Ferrari
250 GTO, and it’s almost a given that a swarm of historic Le Mans
machines will take to hill.