On Sunday, October 18, 2020, the Goodwood SpeedWeek, which was invented because of Corona, came to an end after three days. It showcased the best of what Goodwood is known for, with breathtaking races, famous racing drivers and all the excitement that goes with it.
Fans from over 150 countries tuned in to the livestream, from places as far apart as Australia, the United States, Brazil, Japan, the Maldives, Mongolia and Tonga, all from the comfort of their own homes.
Via the SpeedWeek Hub, viewers were treated to on-track drama, once-in-a-lifetime competition and demonstrations of the greatest achievements in motorsport history, such as 70 years of Formula 1 and 50 years since Porsche's first Le Mans victory.
Two live streams provided entertainment from Friday to Sunday, showing all the action on the race track, as well as moments of "revival fashion", "the power of design", "women in motorsport" and they also gave a behind-the-scenes look at the Bonhams auction, which took place in parallel on the site, and last but not least, a look at the future of mobility and technology.
The competition
A special part of the event was the "Shootout presented by Mastercard". A one-lap sprint race in which, unique to the Goodwood Motor Circuit, modern and older cars competed against each other. It was an electrifying spectacle and the cars looked sensational on the fast and flowing Goodwood circuit. The winner was Nick Padmore in an Arrows A11 Formula 1 car from the 1989/1990 season. Designed by Ross Brawn and powered by a 3.5-liter V8 from Cosworth, the Arrows competed with other historic Formula 1 cars, complemented by sports prototypes and modern GTs. In an exciting turn of events, Padmore smashed the previous lap record on Saturday by going more than seven seconds faster, giving him a lap time of 1m 09.914s. Also surprising was how well a Nissan Skyline kept up with far more modern competition.
The one-off Rally Super Special and Goodwood Driftkhana impressed fans with drifting cars over parts of the Goodwood Motor Circuit that had never been used before. This created a dramatic picture each day and, in the case of the rally, even went on into the night. Victory in the Super Special was snatched by Rhys Yates in the Ford Fiesta R5 with an overall time of 10:04.4, while three-time Formula Drift World Champion James Deane took the top spot on the podium in two of the three Driftkhanas.
Many of the races at the Goodwood Revival and Members Meeting also had a place on the Speedweek program. Edwardian monsters powered by aircraft engines provided entertainment in the SF Edge Trophy. The coolest 'dad-mobiles' of the seventies battled it out in the Gerry Marshall Trophy and Sprint, while their sixties counterparts made up the friendly rivalry in the two-part St Mary's Trophy.
The "Kinrara Trophy", often referred to as "the most beautiful race in the world", was renamed the "Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy" in honor of "Mr. Goodwood" with E-Types and Astons dueling into the beautifully sunny Saturday evening. The weekend was rounded off by the RAC TT Celebration, which was attractive and exciting in equal measure.
SpeedWeek moments
Goodwood's automotive partners showcased their latest models, such as the eagerly awaited Lotus Evija and the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-e 1400. The event was also used to celebrate key anniversaries and milestones, such as 50 years of Range Rover and 40 years of Audi Quattro.
A poignant moment of the weekend was the ceremony in memory of the late Sir Stirling Moss, which included a special performance by his close friend and legendary guitarist Mark Knopfler. This was followed by the newly named Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy, which was a thrilling spectacle worthy of the illustrious namesake.
Off the track, commentators Dermot O'Leary, Mark Webber, Rory Reid and Siân Welby went head to head in a series of challenges. They also spoke to guests at the event including Keanu Reeves, Jay Leno and architect Lord Norman Foster.
The Duke of Richmond said at the end of the event: "We are thrilled to have been able to show fans from all over the world this SpeedWeek. In a challenging year for everyone, we are happy to bring some joy to the international Goodwood community and new fans when so many other events could not take place. We would like to thank our partners, suppliers, drivers, teams and the local community for bringing motorsport back to Goodwood. The amount of positive feedback from this event has been overwhelming and hugely humbling."
For those looking for a memento of the event, a limited edition Speedweek collection is available to buy from the Goodwood store. And there are plenty of videos on YouTube.
For those eagerly awaiting more motorsport from Goodwood, planning for 2021 is already in full swing. All the regular events such as the Members Meeting, Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival are set to take place and the dates will be announced in the coming months.
