Goodwood To Celebrate ‘Motorsport’s Great All-Rounders’ in 2020

The first details of the 2020 Goodwood Festival of Speed have now been released, including the opening dates and a theme celebrating ‘the Maestros – Motorsport’s Great All-Rounders’.

In its official announcement for the 28^th running of the event, the doors for which will open 9-12 July, Goodwood officials claimed that the 2020 show is a tribute to “those who transcended the boundaries of motorsport, the true all-round greats who leapt across racing’s great divides to conquer it all.”

Headlining said Maestros is Jacky Ickx. A six-time Le Mans winner, for whom Porsche recently announced a ‘Belgian Legend Edition’ Porsche 911, the Belgian is – deep breath – an eight-time Grand Prix winner (11 if you count non-championship events), victor of the 1983 Paris-Dakar Rally, was crowned World Sports Car Champion 1982 and 1983, won the Formula 2 championship in 1967, was crowned Can-Am champion in 1979, and even boasts a 1965 European Touring Car Championship. And that really is just scratching the surface!

Joining Ickx on Goodwood’s honourees list is a veritable who’s who of motorsport:

• John Surtees, still the only man in history to win World Championships on both four wheels (‘64) and two (‘56, and ‘58-‘60).
• Jim Clark, F1 World Champion in ‘63 and ‘65, the British Saloon Car Champion of ‘64, victorious at the Brickyard in ‘65, and a three-time Tasman Series champion (’65, ’67 and ’68).
• Graham Hill, F1 World Champion in ‘62 and ‘68, and the inaugural, and so far only, holder of motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ (Monaco, ’63 and ‘64; Le Mans, ‘72; Indy 500, ‘66).
• Sir Jack Brabham, three-time F1 World Champion in ‘59, ‘60 and ‘66, and still the only man to win a world title in a car bearing his name.
• Dan Gurney, four-time Grand Prix winner (six including non-championship events), winner of Le Mans and Daytona’s epics in ‘67 and ‘62 respectively, and one of only three drivers to win in Formula 1, IndyCar, sports cars, and NASCAR.
• Sir Stirling Moss, arguably the greatest driver to never win the F1 World Championship, a victor of 16 Grand Prix (35 counting non-championship races), and winner of the ‘55 Mille Miglia, and the ’54 12 Hours of Sebring.

Alongside these maestros, the 28^th Goodwood Festival of Speed will also salute teams and manufacturers “who never allowed themselves to be bound to any one discipline through their careers.” Expect Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, Mercedes, McLaren, Ford, Williams, and the eponymous teams of Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi to feature prominently throughout the July weekend.

Whether Mario Andretti will also be celebrated at this year’s Festival of Speed remains to be seen. When you talk about ‘versatile’ drivers, you’d expect the ‘69 Indy 500 winner, four-time IndyCar champion, ‘78 Formula 1 World Champion, ’67 Daytona 500 winner, and ‘95 Le Mans podium finisher to feature heavily in that conversation.

And yes, alongside Dan Gurney, M.Andretti is one of the other F1/IndyCar/Sports Car/NASCAR race winners. Any guesses who number three is? The comment section awaits…

*Images courtesy of Historic Motorsport International, Porsche, Henry Surtees Foundation, Group Lotus, Brabham Automotive, Race Retro, Lister Motor Company, and Silverstone Classic. Also, our thanks to Will Broadhead for his shots from the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Be sure to check out Will’s reflections from the event HERE