Goodwood Revival 2024 guide: Here’s what to see and do at the world's fastest fancy dress party
Handbags, gladrags and oily rags
Described as the fastest fancy-dress party on Earth, the Goodwood Revival returns to the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit over the weekend of the 6-8 September, 2024. Over the weekend, some of the world’s fastest, rarest and most spectacular historic cars will race on the track, while attendees wear period attire from Goodwood’s heyday of 1948-1966 — in fact, those not wearing the right clothes or driving the right car are not even admitted to the infield and paddock.
How to watch Goodwood Revival on TV and online
But while the Revival calls itself “the only historic motor racing event staged entirely in period theme,” this year’s event also provides a glimpse into the future. Because while the cars may be old, the fuel they run on most certainly will not be. While last year’s Fordwater Trophy (more on that later) was the first Revival race run on sustainable fuel, this year’s event will see every car use sustainable e-fuels in every event.
And there’s a huge amount of racing. Classic machinery from the likes of Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford, MG and many more will be competing in a range of events that celebrate the circuit’s history. Historic motorcycles will be seen on the circuit, too, while aviation aficionados will be able to get their fill at the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation concours, which takes place on the airfield inside the circuit.
As if that wasn’t enough, plenty of famous faces descend on the Revival every year, and the 2024 driver line-up alone is mind-boggling. Former F1 drivers Sir Jackie Stewart, Jacques Villeneuve and Pedro de la Rosa will all be in attendance, along with Derek Bell, Jochen Mass and Jean-Eric Vergne. Le Mans winners Tom Kristensen, Andre Lotterer and Romain Dumas will also be at the event, alongside BTCC champs Gordon Shedden and Andy Priaulx.
And it isn’t just famous drivers who’ll be gracing the Goodwood circuit. Isle of Man TT winners Giacomo Agostini and John McGuinness will be there, along with NASCAR legends Dario Franchitti and Jimmie Johnson. And celebrities from the worlds of TV and music will be in the crowds, too.
What races are taking place?
The Goodwood Revival will see 15 races on the timetable, with grids full of F1 cars, Le Mans racers, motorcycles and classic touring cars all lining up.
Freddie March Memorial Trophy
It’s the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Goodwood Nine Hours endurance race, and the Freddie March Memorial Trophy will consist of a grid full of period sports cars from the likes of Jaguar, Aston Martin, Austin Healey and Fraser Nash. There are driver swaps at the pit stops, while the racing takes place at sunset to make it a spectacular sight.
Goodwood Trophy
At the opening of Goodwood Circuit in 1948, the only racing cars available were pre-war machines, and this event celebrates those ‘Voiturette’ vehicles of the 1930s and 1940s, from makes such as Maserati, ERA, Alta and more.
Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy
Named after arguably the most famous motorcycle racer the UK has ever seen, this event sees famous faces from the worlds of MotoGP, World Superbikes, the Isle of Man TT and British Superbikes take to the track. The machinery alternates between the 1950s and 1960s each year, with 2023 seeing the latter era celebrated with bikes from MV Augusta, Honda, Suzuki, Norton and others.
Fordwater Trophy
The Fordwater Trophy, which is a one-make event for Porsche 911s, was the first of the Goodwood Revival races to be run on sustainable fuel, which is no surprise given Porsche’s ongoing work in that sphere. However, the event is more than just a trailblazer for e-fuels, providing enthralling close racing between some glorious classic 911s.
St Mary’s Trophy
An annual favourite, the St Mary’s Trophy sees the best touring cars of the 1950s do battle this year. It will see machines large and small take part, with Jaguar MkIIs dicing with Austin A40s and Alfa Romeo Giuliettas, among others. It’s a two-part event, with the first race on Saturday contested by pro drivers from the world of modern touring cars, sports cars and even the American NASCAR series. Then the owners of the cars take to the wheel on Sunday for the final overall result.
Rudge Whitworth Cup
This year marks the centenary of the first running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the 2023 Revival has a special event to celebrate the pre-war pioneers of the endurance classic. The race will last 30 minutes and feature a driver swap, while cars from Bentley, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Talbot and Sunbeam should be on the grid.
Glover Trophy
Non-championship grand prix racing was a highlight during Goodwood’s later years, and this event celebrates the 1.5-litre single seaters that competed between 1961 and 1965. The likes of Stewart, Clark and Hill would take to the wheel for the Glover Trophy, and their modern-day equivalents will race cars from the likes of Lotus, Cooper and Ferrari.
Whitsun Trophy
One of the fastest classes to race over the Revival weekend, the Whitsun Trophy grid comprises Ford GT40s, Lola T70s and McLaren M1As and M1Bs, with these rumbling V8-powered machines barely able to keep within the confines of the Goodwood Circuit.
Lavant Cup
For this year’s Lavant Cup, the grid will be made up entirely of Ferrari GTs from the 1960s, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Graham Hill winning the RAC TT at Goodwood. It’s likely to be one of the most expensive races of the weekend, as multi-million pound 250 GTOs, SWBs and LMs do battle.
Chichester Cup
The Formula Junior class was a breeding ground for future grand prix stars, and this race is dedicated to those small single seaters that raced between 1960 and 1963.
Richmond & Gordon Trophies
Early grand prix cars are celebrated in this race, where front-engined Maserati 250Fs, Ferrari 500s and Lancia D50s duke it out with mid-engined revolutionaries, led by the British Cooper marque.
RAC TT Celebration
The RAC Tourist Trophy is one of the flagship racing trophies to be awarded in UK motor racing, and between 1960 and 1964 it was raced for at Goodwood. This race is exclusively for closed-roof sports cars, and the grid comprises Ferraris, Corvettes, AC Cobras, Porsche 904s and Jaguar E-Type Lightweights for wheel-to-wheel action.
Sussex Trophy
The final race of the weekend is another sports car celebration, this time of the late 1950s. Expect Le Mans racers from the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lotus and of course Jaguar C-Types and D-Types galore.
Settrington Cup
One slightly leftfield event at Goodwood is the Settrington Cup, a race for junior drivers in classic Austin A40 pedal cars that takes place on the start/ finish line. It’s become one of the highlights of the weekend for many, with the biggest grid of any race — up to 70 drivers aged four to ten compete in two heats, with reversed grids and the times added together to get the final results.
We have to declare an interest in this one, as Driving.co.uk editor Will Dron has entered his family’s J40 for a second year, with daughter Eva once again at the wheel. See how she got on last year here: Goodwood Revival’s cutest race? In reality the Settrington Cup is seriously competitive.
What else is happening at the Goodwood Revival?
There’s more to the Revival than just the racing, and to celebrate the event’s standing as a look back to the past, Goodwood has established an initiative called Revive & Thrive. This harks back to the post-war mentality of ‘make do and mend’ and is encouraging people to reuse and recycle old clothes that are suitable for the Revival paddock. This could be anything from dusting off an old suit to making your own dresses or accessories, just as long as it has an element of sustainability about it.
The Revive & Thrive Village will feature plenty of stalls, while talks and presentations will help attendees make the most of their own sustainability ambitions.
Funfair and music
Lots of events take place “over the road”, which is across the bridge from the track, including a fairground, roller rink and classic movies. Stages feature live big bands and swing music for those who like to jive and jitterbug.
Revival Car Show
If you come to the Goodwood Revival in a car from the golden era of the circuit, i.e. a pre-1966 or tax-exempt car, then you’ll be able to take advantage of complimentary parking. This will create its own car show, as a wide variety of machines line up in the period paddock.
Freddie March Spirit of Aviation
Before racing, Goodwood was an airbase during World War II, and this event is a concours competition for pre-1966 aircraft, held at the still-functioning Goodwood Aerodrome, within the confines of the circuit itself. Pleasure flights will also be available to paying punters.
Bonham’s Goodwood Revival sale
On Saturday 9 September, Bonham’s will hold an auction featuring a variety of cars and memorabilia. The auction doesn’t cover Revival-period cars exclusively, although there are plenty of cars from that era included. Highlights include a 1973 Martini Porsche 911 3.0 RSR prototype, the 1955 Monte Carlo Rally class-winning Aston Martin DB2/4 co-driven by Maurice Gatsonides (the man behind Gatso speed cameras), plus a range of classic Land Rovers, Aston Martins from all eras, and historic racing-ready sports cars from the likes of Jaguar and Austin Healey – there’s even a 1952 AEC double-decker London bus going under the hammer.
Goodwood Revival dress code
As ever, period dress from 1948 to 1966 is encouraged, so anything along the lines of a WWII-era armed forces outfit, Teddy Boy get-up or a simple Tweed suit and hat or flat cap won’t look out of place on men.
For women, a Land Girl outfit, mini skirt combo or 1950s dress will work. But being creative earns extra points, and there’s usually a newspaper photographer or two taking photos of the best-dressed visitors.
Turn up in modern clothes and you’ll stand out for all the wrong reasons, and it rather spoils the ambience.
How much are tickets?
Tickets are still available ahead of this year’s event, although some tickets are sold out. Single-day admission starts from £80 for the Friday, while Sunday admission costs £100. Tickets for under-12s, however, are free.
Grandstand tickets are sold out for Saturday and Sunday, but Friday grandstand tickets are available from £52.
There isn’t a huge amount of racing happening on Friday beyond the Freddie March Memorial Trophy, but the “over the road” activities will be getting into their stride that evening, so it’ll still be fun if you can’t get there any other day.
Click here to see the available Goodwood Revival tickets.
Where is the Goodwood Revival?
The Revival takes place at Goodwood Motor Circuit, just down the road from the Duke of Richmond’s house in West Sussex. It’s located just outside Chichester, around 60 miles from London.
How do I get to Goodwood without driving?
For those not keen to contend with traffic queues and parking, trains run regularly from London Victoria to nearby Chichester, though there are services too from Brighton and Portsmouth.
From Chichester station, a Stagecoach bus runs from the station to the racing circuit between 7am and 11pm each day, with tickets available on board.
Some people take taxis, either from Chichester station or from home. If you wish to do so, the drop off and pick up point is the entrance to car park D, on Kennel Hill near to the New Road roundabout.
What are the opening times?
Music, dancing and other activities begin “over the road” at 4pm on Thursday, finishing at 10pm.
For the rest of the Revival, gates open at 7.30am, and everything shuts down by 10pm, apart from Sunday when events “over the road” finish at 9.30pm.
Free car parking opens from 7am.
How to watch Goodwood Revival on TV and online
The 2024 Goodwood Revival is shown live on television most years, but you only get the highlights. If you don’t want to miss a beat, it’s being streamed live all weekend on the Goodwood Road and Racing YouTube channel.
Related articles
- If you’re interested in the Goodwood Revival, find out more about the event’s transition to eco-friendly fuel
- You might like to check out the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held every summer
- Here are the fastest five hillclimb cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
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