Goodwood Revival

The Goodwood Motor Circuit closed in 1966 because it was no longer safe enough for the speeds of the time. When the Revival opened in 1998, the same track reopened — unchanged, unwidened, with the same sightlines and the same corners that had defined British motor racing for eighteen years. That decision to leave the circuit exactly as it was is the reason the Revival works.

The 2026 edition runs 18 to 20 September and carries two anniversaries with it. Jack Brabham was born a hundred years ago; the Revival brings together up to 50 cars from his career, from the early Cooper-Altas to the championship-winning Brabhams of the 1960s, driven by a man who uniquely won the Formula 1 title in a car bearing his own name. Alongside this, Maserati's centenary of competition is marked with a track parade of more than 50 pre-1966 cars — 250Fs, 300Ss, 450Ss and earlier single-seaters — referencing their first major win at the Targa Florio in 1926. The overarching theme is "La Dolce Vita", with Italian style running through the weekend's presentation.

Fifteen races fill the programme across three days. The Stirling Moss Trophy on Friday evening opens proceedings with pre-1963 closed-cockpit GTs — E-Types, DB4GTs, 250 SWBs — in a two-driver format that tends to produce the closest racing of the weekend. The Whitsun Trophy for sports-racing prototypes is the loudest race on the schedule. The St Mary's Trophy, for production saloons of 1960 to 1966, consistently draws the most recognisable faces into the cockpits. Dress code is enforced: period clothing from the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s. The Revival Style Village runs workshops and a Best Dressed competition throughout.

The circuit is eleven kilometres from Chichester, easily reached by train from London Victoria in under two hours and then taxi or shuttle. From the south coast, the A27 from Brighton or the A3 from London reaches Chichester directly. The paddock gives unrestricted access throughout the weekend — mechanics working on cars that are racing in an hour, the kind of proximity that no modern event permits. Arrive early on Saturday morning before the crowds build, when the paddock is at its quietest and the cars are being prepared.