GOODWOOD SPEEDWEEK
A celebration of Porsche’s Le Mans wins.
Porschephiles disappointed by the season’s lack of shows rejoiced when Goodwood Speedweek continued Porsche’s tradition of presenting a wide array of the brand’s motorsport machines at the historic Chichester venue. Celebrating unparalleled success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a high number of historic race cars from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart landed in West Sussex, as did a selection now in the hands of privateers and collectors.
Goodwood Speedweek is the most ambitious event to take place at the 2.4-mile circuit to date — to ensure high viewing figures through online channels and uninterrupted coverage on ITV4, no less than twelve miles of high-speed fibre cabling and forty-nine high-definition cameras were installed, including nineteen trackside cameras and fifteen live-broadcast on-board units. A television crew of almost two hundred operators helped bring the extended weekend to life, with ten presenters and two production studios required to cover all the action. Each day was dedicated to celebrating the automotive industry’s past, present and future, bringing together the best elements of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival using the latest technology.
Across the event’s three days, current Porsche works drivers, Andre Lotterer and Neel Jani, joined 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and Porsche brand ambassador, Richard Attwood, in driving demonstration laps and contributing to the eagerly awaited Porsche Le Mans Parade, a special feature showcasing the open-cockpit 936 Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx drove to victory (with a fourteen-lap
lead) in 1981, the carbon-clad, Mezgerpowered 911 GT1 from 1998 and the 2016 919 Hybrid driven to the top spot by Jani, Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb. Additionally, a 993 GT2 R was given a run around Goodwood’s hallowed asphalt, much to the delight of television viewers and trackside spectators.
Fans of Group C were in for a treat, not least thanks to a selection of 956 and 962s making a welcome appearance. Among the pack was chassis 956-101, beautifully dressed in restored Kenwood racing livery. 2020 marked the first time the car had hit the track since being retired from racing in 1986. The recently established Peter Auto Group C series has enabled these cars to enjoy a new lease of life at the hands of enthusiastic owners, with the backdrop of Europe’s best-loved circuits forming part of the attraction. We’re hoping for far less Covid-related disruption when the competition returns in the coming year.
To illustrate the Porsche tradition of support for customer motorsport, as well as a way of demonstrating hierarchy of performance, the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid was a highlight of the Friday livestream. Representing the primary tiers were the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport and the four-litre 991 GT3 Cup. The GT4 was driven at Goodwood by Sprint Challenge competitor, Tom Jackson, while the GT3 Cup was piloted by Carrera Cup GB Junior champion, Harry King. Porsche Experience Centre Silverstone’s Ben Mcloughlin drove the new 992 Carrera S road car, leading the trio off the start line. After a high-speed lap, all three cars crossed the finish line together in a dramatic photo finish intended to highlight how motorsport pedigree runs through every Porsche street car.
Talking of which, never let it be said Porsche doesn’t miss a good opportunity to show off its latest offerings — joining the 992 in a paddock of new Porsche
products was the Taycan Turbo S, a technological trailblazer setting the benchmark for high performance and day-to-day practicality in an all-electric automotive future. Driven by Reema Juffali, the first-ever Saudi Arabian female racing driver, the high-powered Porsche was included in Goodwood Speedweek’s highly anticipated Supercar Run. At the opposite end of the ‘power source spectrum’ was the brilliant 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, combining a traditional flat-six boxer with a manual six-speed transmission and sports exhaust, delivering 182mph and the dash to 62mph in a mere 4.5 seconds. Free of the more aggressive trappings of its GT4 stablemate, the luxuriously kitted GTS offers everyday usability in a seriously potent Porsche package.
GTS celebrations continued with a showing of the same-badged Cayenne Coupe, while the Panamera 4S E-hybrid also made itself known to those lucky enough to attend the event in person. Away from Porsche celebrations, rare Barnato-hasan and Passey-hassan Bentleys raced together for the first time in ninety years, F1 and Group B rally cars strutted their stuff, Range Rover icons were celebrated and a new form of motorsport, Driftkhana, was introduced to proceedings by drift champion, James Deane, and his bonkers 2Jz-powered widebody BMW M3.
Wit the year’s Festival of Speed and Revival postponed due to the current global health crisis, Speedweek was a rare treat, and one we hope will return in the coming months as part of a complete package of high-octane entertainment at Goodwood. See you there!