Festival of Speed 2026 – The Rivals: Epic Racing Duels

A Different Goodwood Experience

The 2026 Festival of Speed marked a first for me. Not my first visit as a spectator photographer—far from it—but my first time attending on the Thursday and Friday rather than my usual weekend visit.

I wanted to discover whether the early days offered a noticeably different experience. Would the crowds be smaller? Would there be more opportunities for photography? Join me as I take you on a photographic journey around one of the world’s greatest automotive festivals.

Thursday at the Festival of Speed

For many years, Thursday has been promoted as the Moving Motor Show, traditionally offering a quieter, industry-focused atmosphere. It has always been considered the ideal day for wandering through the paddocks, chatting with drivers and getting close to the cars.

One of my biggest criticisms of the Festival of Speed in recent years has been the sheer number of visitors, so I hoped Thursday would provide a more relaxed experience.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

The opening day had already sold out before the event began, and the paddocks were packed from the moment the gates opened. My dream of a leisurely stroll with unobstructed views quickly disappeared.

The Rivals: Epic Racing Duels

This year’s Festival of Speed celebrated The Rivals: Epic Racing Duels, paying tribute to some of motorsport’s greatest head-to-head battles, from Hunt versus Lauda to Ford versus Ferrari at Le Mans.

One of the highlights was the reunion of three Ford GT40 Mk IIs from the famous 1966 Le Mans 1-2-3 finish. Watching them tackle the hill alongside a Ferrari 330 P3 Coupé created one of the weekend’s most memorable moments for endurance racing fans.

Goodwood always delivers spectacular headline attractions, although they’re rarely announced before tickets for the following year’s event go on sale. There is an element of trust between the organisers and loyal visitors. We buy our tickets months in advance, believing Goodwood will once again deliver something special.

Does the annual theme actually influence ticket sales? Personally, I don’t think so. I only discussed the programme with my travelling companion a week before the event, despite purchasing our tickets nearly a year earlier.

Exploring the Festival – Day one involved plenty of walking.

The Festival of Speed covers a huge area, and if you want to experience everything it has to offer, you really need at least two days. We concentrated on the paddocks around Goodwood House before making our way through the ever-expanding manufacturers’ displays at the bottom of the hill. The morning disappeared remarkably quickly.

The Manufacturers’ Area

The manufacturers’ displays now occupy a substantial section of the Festival of Speed. The impressive temporary showrooms continue to grow each year, with many manufacturers investing heavily in eye-catching displays.

This year, Chinese manufacturers made a particularly strong impression.

Walking through the area, it was impossible not to notice how much attention they attracted. Looking across from the established European and Japanese brands, I couldn’t help wondering whether a few sales executives were becoming slightly nervous.

BYD, one of China’s largest electric vehicle manufacturers, sold nearly two million EV vehicles during the first half of 2026 and overtook Tesla in second-quarter global sales. Those are remarkable figures for such a young company.

One marque that caught everyone’s attention—for both the right and slightly amusing reasons—was Yangwang, BYD’s luxury division. The name certainly generated plenty of jokes between us throughout the day. However, here was nothing amusing about the performance of the Yangwang U9. Producing almost 3,000bhp, accelerating from 0-62mph in just 1.9 seconds and capable of a claimed top speed of 308mph. The Yangwang U9 demonstrated just how far Chinese manufacturers have progressed.

If this display proved anything, it’s that Chinese car makers have arrived on the world stage in impressive fashion.

Balcony Moments

Balcony Moments have become one of the Festival of Speed’s most popular attractions.

The format is simple. Drivers arrive at the front door of Goodwood House—sometimes on motorcycles—before stepping onto the famous balcony for an interview and a warm reception from thousands of fans.

This year I particularly wanted to see the Ducati celebration. Marking 100 years of Ducati, the Festival displayed an outstanding collection of historic and modern motorcycles in the paddock, while famous riders demonstrated many of them on the hillclimb throughout the day.

Ducati Legends

World Champions Carl Fogarty, Troy Bayliss and Casey Stoner appeared alongside Ducati stars Shane Byrne, Michael Rutter, Josh Brookes and legendary test rider Dario Marchetti.

Joining them were current WorldSBK riders Nicolò Bulega, Iker Lecuona, Álvaro Bautista and British WorldSBK Superbike riders Tarran Mackenzie and Tommy Bridewell.

Fortunately, we had chosen Thursday to attend because this celebration took place on that day alone.

Moments like these capture everything that makes Goodwood special. World-class riders reunite with the machines that defined their careers while sharing stories from some of motorcycle racing’s greatest battles.

With the World Superbike Championship moving to Donington Park the following day, the current Ducati riders only had a brief opportunity to appear at Goodwood before returning to racing duties.

Tackling the Hillclimb

After lunch in the GRRC Pit Stop café—an ideal place to escape the crowds for a while—it was finally time to tackle the famous hillclimb.

The soaring temperatures and a satisfying lunch persuaded us to take the tractor-and-trailer shuttle to the summit rather than walk. Having experienced the dusty conditions last year, I packed all my camera equipment safely inside my backpack before climbing aboard.

When Goodwood enjoys prolonged dry weather, the chalk-based tracks become incredibly dusty. In wet conditions they quickly turn into deep mud, but on hot summer days the rally stages generate huge clouds of fine white powder.

Disembarking the transport we headed for the top holding area. Located near the summit it offers an excellent viewpoint, allowing spectators to watch the cars after they complete their run up the hill.

Although the previous low-angle photography position has now disappeared behind expanded grandstands, Goodwood has added a dedicated accessible viewing platform. It’s a welcome improvement and one that should make the top of the hill more enjoyable for many visitors.

Into the Rally Stage

The rally stage begins close to the summit before disappearing into the surrounding woodland.

After spending much of the morning in blazing sunshine, I welcomed the chance to photograph in the shade. Unfortunately, the dust was far worse than I had expected—easily the worst I have experienced at the Festival of Speed.

With virtually no breeze, the chalk dust simply hung in the air.

The marshals endured difficult conditions throughout the afternoon, shielding themselves with hats and improvised face coverings while continuing to keep everyone safe.

I moved steadily through the stage, grabbing photographs whenever visibility allowed. Despite cleaning my equipment as best I could when leaving the forest, everything—including me—ended up coated in fine white dust.

Back on the hillclimb, we finished the day at Molecomb Corner, one of the best spectator locations on the course. By then only the manufacturers’ demonstration cars remained on track, but they still provided an entertaining end to an enjoyable first day.

With the heat taking its toll, it was finally time to head for the hotel “rehydrate” and prepare for Friday at the Festival of Speed.

Festival of Speed 2026 – Friday

After experiencing the dust on Thursday, we quickly decided not to return to the top of the hill. The conditions had simply been too unpleasant, and neither of us fancied covering ourselves—or our camera equipment—in another layer of fine chalk dust. The paddocks and the hillclimb would be our focus for our final day.

Fortunately, the hillclimb programme changes slightly each day while repeating many of the runs. If you miss a batch of cars one day, you’ll usually have another opportunity later in the weekend.

With that in mind, we found a comfortable viewing position lower down the course and watched several batches we had missed the previous day.

The Assembly Area

One of the best places to capture memorable photographs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the Assembly Area. Located behind the main paddock, this holding area is where cars, motorcycles and drivers gather before tackling the famous hill climb.

It is also one of the most popular locations for spectators, offering excellent opportunities to collect autographs, grab a selfie with a motorsport legend or photograph some of the world’s most iconic competition machinery at close quarters.

Before the event begins, every vehicle is assigned a batch number, which can be found in both the official programme and the online schedule. Throughout the day, the paddock announcer calls each batch forward to the start line. If you are hoping to photograph a particular driver or car, it is well worth studying the running order in advance so you know exactly when to head to the Assembly Area.

The variety of machinery is one of the area’s biggest attractions. Formula 1 cars, endurance racers, rally cars, motorcycles and historic competition vehicles can all be found waiting together, creating an eclectic mix rarely seen anywhere else.

One of the unique aspects of the Goodwood Festival of Speed is seeing legendary drivers reunited with the cars and motorcycles they raced decades ago. Being close enough to witness these moments—and to capture them with your camera—is what makes the Festival of Speed such a special event for photographers and motorsport fans alike.

Drifting at the Festival of Speed.

Friday had less of the Moving Motor Show atmosphere and featured a more eclectic mix of machinery. Many of the more unusual and interesting cars and motorcycles appeared throughout the day. The outright hillclimb contenders were saving themselves for the competitive weekend runs, giving Friday a more relaxed and entertaining atmosphere.

The drift cars certainly weren’t chasing outright times. Instead, they spent much of their allotted runs performing spectacular donuts, filling the air with tyre smoke and delighting the crowds.

They provide a complete contrast to the beautifully restored Ferraris, Bentleys and other historic machinery traditionally associated with Goodwood. Personally, I think that variety is one of the Festival of Speed’s greatest strengths. Motorsport comes in many forms, and Goodwood celebrates them all.

Americana Comes to Goodwood

The United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of its independence in 2026, and Goodwood recognised the occasion with an impressive Americana display.

More than 50 iconic American race cars and motorcycles representing IndyCar, NASCAR, Can-Am, Trans-Am and IMSA filled the Cathedral Paddock before taking to the famous hillclimb.

The unmistakable rumble of American V8 engines echoed across the Sussex countryside as they thundered past the hay bales. It brought a little slice of American motorsport culture to West Sussex and proved hugely popular with spectators.

The American influence extended beyond the on-track displays.

One of the weekend’s biggest announcements centred on the Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC), long regarded as the heart of the Goodwood community.

Goodwood confirmed that it will expand the successful GRRC concept across the Atlantic with the launch of GRRC of America.

Scheduled to open in California during 2027, the new club aims to introduce Goodwood’s unique motorsport culture to American enthusiasts while strengthening the historic estate’s international presence.

Membership will provide access to Goodwood’s flagship UK events alongside an exciting programme of activities in the United States. The first major American event is planned for Willow Springs International Raceway in 2028, marking an exciting new chapter for the Goodwood Road Racing Club.

Festival of Speed Highlights

Choosing the highlights from this year’s Festival of Speed is no easy task. Here are a few from Thursday and Friday, there were lots more over the weekend like Damon Hill celebrated the 30th anniversary of his 1996 Formula One World Championship by driving the restored Williams FW18 up the famous hillclimb on Saturday and Sunday.

John McGuinness Takes Centre Stage

Friday’s Balcony Moment belonged to one of motorcycle racing’s greatest legends—John McGuinness MBE. The tribute celebrated two remarkable milestones: 30 years since his Isle of Man TT debut in 1996 and the 20th anniversary of his famous 2006 TT hat-trick.

The “Morecambe Missile” attacked the hill aboard a Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP wearing the colours of his original 1996 Honda RS250R.

After an enormous burnout outside Goodwood House, McGuinness rode to the front doors before joining the Duke of Richmond on the balcony alongside Michael Dunlop, Davey Todd and Peter Hickman. Following a standing ovation from the crowd, McGuinness joked, dishes age that he wasn’t planning to hang up his leathers just yet.

Lando Norris and Valentino Rossi

The final Balcony Moment of the day was perhaps the most unexpected. Fresh from becoming Formula One World Champion, Lando Norris arrived in a Wataru Kato Monster Energy-liveried Liberty Walk Nissan S13 drift car. Kato-san the owner of Liberty Walk and one of the most radical car designers in the world went largely unnoticed in the crowd, which is how he probably likes it.  After entertaining the crowd with a series of burnouts, Norris briefly became stranded on the grass before the marshals helped him back onto the course.

Once outside Goodwood House, enthusiastic fans immediately surrounded him, prompting security to escort him quickly onto the famous balcony. Joining Norris was nine-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, with Karun Chandhok hosting the interview.

During the conversation, Norris revealed that he would love to race alongside Rossi one day. What started as a light-hearted suggestion about entering the Goodwood Revival together soon escalated into talk of tackling the 24 Hours of Le Mans as teammates. It certainly sparked the imagination.

Could Le Mans eventually become another step towards Norris chasing motorsport’s elusive Triple Crown? Having already won the Monaco Grand Prix, adding victories at Indianapolis and Le Mans would complete one of the sport’s greatest achievements.

The idea may not be as far-fetched as it first sounds. Rossi has established himself as a successful GT and endurance racer with BMW, while McLaren Racing is developing its MCL-HY Hypercar for future World Endurance Championship and Le Mans campaigns.

Earlier in the weekend, Norris even drove the MCL-HY during its public debut on the Goodwood hillclimb. Perhaps this Balcony Moment hinted at something more than simply bringing two world champions together. Only time will tell.

The Beast of Turin

One of the weekend’s most heart-warming stories happened away from the main headlines. Engineer, historian and collector Duncan Pittaway brought his extraordinary Beast of Turin to Goodwood, as he usually does, and spent the weekend giving paid passenger rides up the hillclimb.

Beast of Turin at Goodwood 2025

Every run raised money for regular FoS attendee Maria Costello MBE. Earlier this year, Maria suffered life-changing injuries during Sidecar qualifying at the 2026 Isle of Man TT after her outfit reportedly struck a hare at high speed. She sustained multiple serious injuries, including significant spinal damage, and now faces a long and challenging recovery.

Pittaway approached the Duke of Richmond with the idea of using the Beast of Turin to raise funds. The Duke immediately supported the initiative and even covered the enormous fuel bill. That was an incredibly generous gesture. Powered by a colossal 28.4-litre four-cylinder aero engine, the Beast of Turin can consume around 2.6 gallons of fuel every mile under full acceleration. By the end of the weekend, the Duke’s wallet had probably drained as quickly as the petrol from the Beast’s enormous fuel tank.

Acts of generosity like this perfectly capture the spirit of Goodwood. Behind the spectacular machinery and famous names lies a motorsport community that always comes together when one of its own needs support.

Maria Costello MBE Road to Recovery Fundraiser

Festival of Speed 2026 – Thursday and Friday summery 

Before leaving Goodwood, it was worth reflecting on what two days at the 2026 Festival of Speed had delivered. Thursday may have dashed hopes of smaller crowds, but it more than compensated with outstanding paddock displays, the spectacular Ducati centenary celebrations and the chance to explore the event before the competitive weekend began.

Friday brought a more relaxed atmosphere, an eclectic mix of cars and motorcycles on the hill, American motorsport taking centre stage, and memorable Balcony Moments featuring legends from Formula One, MotoGP and the Isle of Man TT.

Combined with exciting announcements such as the launch of GRRC America and heart-warming fundraising efforts led by Duncan Pittaway and the Beast of Turin, the Festival of Speed once again proved why it remains one of the world’s greatest celebrations of motoring and motorsport.

Whether you visit as a spectator, photographer or lifelong enthusiast, Goodwood continues to offer a unique experience that leaves you planning your return before you’ve even left the estate.

Fastest cars up the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb 2026

On Sunday the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed Timed Shoot-Out was won by Romain Dumas, who guided the all-electric Ford Super Mustang Mach-E to a record-winning time of 41.97 seconds. Dan Ticktum finished just 0.49 seconds behind in the new Formula E Gen4 car with 42.46 seconds, while Alex Summers secured third place in the Shadow-Chevrolet DN4 with a time of 46.30 seconds, making it the fastest internal combustion-engined car in the Shoot-Out.

The result marked Dumas’ third consecutive Goodwood Timed Shoot-Out victory and highlighted the growing dominance of electric power, while the thunderous V8-powered Shadow proved that classic racing machinery can still challenge at the front.

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Thanks to RPW Photography for the images used in the Festival of Speed 2026 report. All other images are by the editor. You can find our other Festival of Speed reports below