Since its inception in 1993, the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed has grown into being one of the world’s top motoring events. In the early years the event attracted tens of thousands of people over the weekend and was seen as an elitist upper class enthusiast event, however over the last ten years the program and cars attending has broadened markedly and the crowds have grown exponentially.
In 2014 the Festival of Speed attracted crowds of around 100,000 on each of the three days it was held with a record crowd of 158,000 attending in 2003, before an advance-ticket-only admission policy came into force; with the crowds now being capped at 150,000 per day.
Nowadays with increased manufacturer support and a greater variety of cars on show, it really is one of the bucket lists weekends for so many motoring enthusiasts.
For me one of the highlights of recent events has been the incorporation of ‘Drifting’, and I reckon some of the original organising members and supporters must be rolling in their graves at the thought of it, let alone the fact that there’s a burnout ring now incorporated into the hill climb!!!
If you’re into drifting I reckon you’ll enjoy this video by Irish professional drift driver James Deane.
James began his career in competition drifting in 2006, driving a Ford Sierra in the Prodrift Junior Championship, finishing third in the series. In 2007, Deane won his first ever professional event at the age of fifteen, making him the youngest professional drift event winner in the world at the time.
Since then, he’s gone onto to become a 3-peat Formula D, Drift Allstars, Oman IDC and Drift Masters Champion, and has also won multiple National and European titles.