Goodwood Festival of Speed to go ahead next month

Goodwood Road and Racing has confirmed its 2021 Festival of Speed will take place as planned on July 8-11.

The Festival will now form part of the UK’s Events Research Program (ERP), an initiative which aims to bring major events back to the country as Covid-19 restrictions begin to ease.

As part of the ERP’s rules, all festival-goers must have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine at least 14 days before the event, or otherwise show proof of a negative Lateral Flow Test taken within 48 hours of attending.

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Covid-19 restrictions were due to be scaled back in the UK on June 21, but high case numbers forced health authorities to delay changes by four weeks. Had the Festival of Speed failed to become part of the ERP, just 4000 spectators would have been permitted, despite the event normally attracting 100,000 visitors each day.

Along with tickets from 2020’s cancelled event, the Festival’s theme has been rolled over to this year. ‘The Maestros – Motorsport’s Great All Rounders’ will celebrate drivers who have excelled across multiple racing disciplines.

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F1, IndyCar and Nascar hero, Mario Andretti, will be in attendance, while late icons such as John Surtees — the only man to claim World Championship honours on both two wheels and four — will be honoured.

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Other Festival highlights include the world debut of Toyota’s new GR 86, a roster of rare performance machines in the Supercar Paddock, and plenty of current-day F1 cars and drivers.

Though tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are completely sold out, Goodwood Festival of Speed Thursday tickets are still available here.