Goodwood Festival of Speed highlights
Electric future joins motorsport’s greatest hits at the Festival of Speed’s 25th anniversary
Global motorsport’s order continued to change with a lightning bolt in the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s silver jubilee edition. Porsche’s 70th anniversary celebration centred on an extraordinarily slender satellite-like installation bearing six landmark cars, while sister marque Volkswagen stole the show with its electric I.D. R, showcased by Pikes Peak record-breaker Romain Dumas.
France had won football’s World Cup in Moscow when Dumas – Le Mans 24 Hours winner with Audi and Porsche in 2010 and ’16, respectively – made history in Sunday’s shootout with the event’s and all-time EV fastest run. Having slashed compatriot Sebastien Loeb’s Pikes Peak record last month, Romain ascended the 1.16-mile hillclimb in 43.86s, which was but 2.26s shy of Nick Heidfeld’s benchmark of 41.60s set in a Mclaren MP4/13 Formula 1 car in 1999.
Another EV, the incredible NIO EP9 of Peter Dumbreck, was second – leaving the wonderful Judd V8-engined BMW E36 of bold Jorg Weidinger best of the internal combustion-engined competition in third.
“The action [was] spectacular, a fitting way to celebrate the 25th anniversary,” said the Duke of Richmond who, then as Lord March, founded the event in 1993.
Porsches, from 356-001 driven by 2015 World Endurance champion Mark Webber to the 919 Hybrid Evo that recently blitzed the unofficial Spa-francorchamps and Nurburgring Nordschleife lap records (driven here by ’16 Le Mans winner Neel Jani), made a sensational presence. Richard Attwood, whose 1970 victory at La Sarthe with Hans Herrmann in a 917 opened a new chapter in the brand’s story, enjoyed a special reunion.
Among many intertwined themes, enthusiasts were wowed by cavalcades of Jaguar XK120S through C, D and E-types marking 70 years of the XK engine. The recently departed Dan Gurney, great friend
of Goodwood, was remembered in style when Martin Brundle took a glorious Eagle-weslake – the Duke’s favourite F1 car – up the hill.
Champions of yesteryear, from Sir Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi to Jenson Button (above) and NASCAR king Richard Petty earned rapturous receptions. But, among the brilliant driving and showmanship, including Terry Grant driving a Range Rover SVR to the summit on two wheels in 2m27s, wild drifters and an Australian madman strapped to a jet pack, spectators found a new favourite. Spontaneous applause erupted every time Billy Monger hurtled up in his Carlin British Formula 3 car.