Goodwood SpeedWeek Reveals Final Driver Lineup, Schedule
Goodwood has announced the final entry list for the inaugural Goodwood Speedweek, which includes drivers from various disciplines in cars that span Formula 1, NASCAR, V8 Supercars, DTM, WRC, BTCC, Le Mans, Trans-Am and more.
Taking part in the Gerry Marshall Trophy presented by Sure will be nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro, three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and three-time BTCC champion Gordon Shedden, all in Chevrolet Camaros; former World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff in a Ford Capri; F1, Le Mans, Formula E racer and Sky Sports F1 presenter, Karun Chandhok, driving a Ford Fiesta; and 2016 Le Mans 24hr winner and World Endurance Champion, Neel Jani, in a Rover SD1.
Drivers competing in the St. Mary’s Trophy include Formula E and Sportscar driver Tom Blomqvist in a Mini Cooper S; his father, 1984 World Rally Champion, Stig Blomqvist, in a Ford Galaxie; British Touring Car Champions Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan in a pair of Lotus Cortinas; former F1 driver, Le Mans podium finisher and BTCC race winner, Tiff Needell, in a Jaguar MK2; and Rowan Atkinson in a Plymouth Barracuda.
The Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration, meanwhile, will feature brothers Dario and Marino Franchitti battling in identical AC Cobras, against Le Mans winners Guy Smith and Romain Dumas (both in Cobras), Jochen Mass and Emanuele Pirro (both in Jaguar E-types), Andre Lotterer (Lister Coupe), David Brabham (Lotus Elan), and Neel Jani, Richard Attwood and Marco Werner (all in Porsche 904s). Always a highlight of the Goodwood Revival, this year’s TT looks set to be a classic.
Other notable drivers will appear in races and demonstrations across the weekend, including the Whitsun Trophy, Lavant Cup and Sir Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy (previously known as the Kinrara Trophy). The full entry list, including all drivers and cars, can be found at www.goodwood.com/grr/
Meanwhile, a host of star names, including F1 World Champions Sir Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi and Damon Hill, will take part in a huge celebration, spread across the three days of SpeedWeek, marking 70 years of Formula 1. Also celebrated will be 50 years since Porsche’s first Le Mans victory, and 30 years since Jaguar’s final Le Mans victory. All will be brought to life through a combination of significant cars and drivers on track, mixed with documentary films and interviews with the week’s line up of contributors.
Adding a whole new dimension to the track action, Goodwood says, will be the SpeedWeek Shootout presented by Mastercard, which will feature ‘modern’ competition cars competing at Goodwood for the first time. The shootout will begin with practice on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday, and a winner-takes-all finale on Sunday. The final will be broadcast live.
Two other never-to-be-repeated competitions taking advantage of the fact that there will be no spectators at this closed-doors event are the Rally Super Special and the Goodwood Driftkhana. The former will be run on multiple occasions over the weekend, the first on Thursday night as the sun falls. The Super Special has both a north and a south loop, incorporating parts of the motor circuit, the infield and perimeter track to provide a challenging combination of mixed surfaces, swift changes of direction and long, flowing corners. Decades of World Rally Championship machines will be represented and the drivers to watch will be current WRC leader Elfyn Evans in the Toyota GR Yaris and the legendary Stig Blomqvist in a Ford Escort Cosworth.
Having debuted in 2014 at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, drifting has become a firm favourite of the Goodwood crowds. At SpeedWeek, a dedicated ‘Driftkhana’ course will see the cars sliding sideways through parts of the Goodwood Motor Circuit site never used in anger before. Highlights will undoubtedly be three-time Formula D champion James Deane in the E92 BMW M3 and Vaughn Gittin Jr in the incredible Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400.
The full event schedule is now available to view here.
