The Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard celebrated its 30th Anniversary in spectacular style this past weekend (July 13-16) as a bumper crowd flocked to West Sussex for the 2023 edition of motoring’s greatest garden party. 

Bringing together a host of eclectic road and competition cars, legendary drivers, riders and global manufacturers, this year’s Festival of Speed was one of milestone accolades as it focused on the past, present and future for both the venue and industry as a whole.

Sadly, the event did see a 30-year first take place as organisers were forced to cancel Saturday’s planned schedule in response to a Met Office weather warning for high winds, with 50mph gusts battering the south coast.

The event resumed as planned on Sunday and – along with the action that took place across Thursday and Friday – those in attendance were treated to fest of edge-of-the-seat moments that will undoubtedly live long in the memory. 

In addition to it being the 30th year of the Festival of Speed, this year’s theme – Goodwood 75 – saw the world-famous attraction celebrate 75 years of motorsport at Goodwood whilst the likes of Porsche, Lotus and McLaren also marked their own special anniversaries.

As always, a stunning Central Feature took pride of place outside Goodwood House and this year it commemorated 75 years of Porsche. The incredible sculpture, created by Gerry Judah, paid homage to more than seven decades of the German marque with several iconic models taking centre stage.

Whilst the Central Feature stood tall for all to see, jaw-dropping machinery was around almost every turn with a wave of new cars launched, the Supercar Paddock showcasing exotic machines and Electric Avenue offering a glimpse into the present and future for the automotive industry. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be the Festival of Speed without a plethora of star names and this year proved to be no different with the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Travis Pastrana, Oscar Piastri, Casey Stoner and Mick Schumacher being just some of the motorsport royalty that attended.

On the coveted one-mile Hillclimb layout, all manner of cars and bikes entertained the masses and on Sunday afternoon the all-important Hillclimb Shootout saw Marvin Kirchhofer claim bragging rights as he piloted the brand-new McLaren Solus GT to a time of 45.34 seconds.

As always, the British Automobile Racing Club continued its tradition of playing a critical role in the organisational side of the multi-day event too by overseeing driver sign-on and providing marshals and officials.

With hundreds of trade stands, live entertainment, an action arena and aerial acrobatics from the Red Arrows – plus much, much more – the 2023 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by MasterCard staked its claim to being one of the best yet.

You can watch back all the action from the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard HERE.

To view the full classification of results from Sunday’s Hillclimb Shootout, CLICK HERE.

Dates for the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard are expected to be announced in due course.