Goodwood Speedweek to be held digitally in October

• Goodwood will host Speedweek over 3 days, October 16-18, behind-closed-doors
• It will incorporate events from both, Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival
• The event will be broadcast globally, free of charge, via the Goodwood website

The Goodwood Estate has confirmed plans to host a behind-closed-doors motoring festival in mid-October, in place of its cancelled Festival of Speed and Revival events, placing an equal focus on new metal and classic cars.

The digital event will allow the motoring festival to take place in some form in 2020, after its well-attended automotive fixtures had to be cancelled in light of the ongoing social distancing restrictions.

The new event, called Speedweek, will take place at the Goodwood Motor Circuit from October 16-18, rather than in the estate itself, meaning that the Festival of Speed’s hillclimb centrepiece will not feature. Instead, activities will revolve around the 2.4-mile (3.86km) racetrack that runs around the perimeter of the Goodwood Aerodrome.

Highly valuable classic cars will be driven competitively around the circuit by celebrities and famous drivers in Revival-style historic racing events, while rally stages will take competitors on, around and under the Tarmac track. The new Goodwood Gymkhana will see cars driven to parts of the estate that are usually out of bounds, exploiting the absence of spectators.

On the final day, the circuit will host a "winner-takes-all shootout over one lap", which will feature some of the fastest cars in motorsport history and is likely to set a number of speed records for the venue. The organisers said: "The official Goodwood lap record has stood for 55 years, and with modern cars never likely to return, it’s entirely possible that the times recorded at Speedweek will remain unsurpassed for the next 55."

The three-day event will be broadcast free of charge globally through Goodwood's website and social media channels, and a number of new car launches – a mainstay of the Festival of Speed – are expected to go ahead. Global auction house Bonhams will also be present to host an online auction, with prospective bidders invited to book viewing slots in the week leading up to the event.

Goodwood has long been considered the heart of Britain’s motoring enthusiast community. The annual Festival of Speed – which this year was scheduled to take place from July 9-12 – is regarded as UK’s primary motor show.

Last year’s edition hosted important unveilings and public debuts from an array of manufacturers, including Bentley, Ford, Mercedes-AMG, Radical and Volkswagen.

The Revival and Members’ Meeting celebrate classic road and racing cars and provide a rare opportunity to see highly valuable historic metal being driven competitively, in many cases by well-known racers.

It’s expected that all three events will be able to return to a more conventional format in 2021, and any purchased tickets will remain valid.

Also see:

How coronavirus has hit the global auto industry: a timeline

2020 Geneva motor show axed due to Covid-19 coronavirus

2020 Paris, Detroit motor shows cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Lamborghini to abandon motor shows, focus on exclusive customer events

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