Next year’s Goodwood Revival is to exclusively use sustainable fuel across the entire weekend of historic racing. The 2024 event will require competitors to use a fuel which has at least 70% advanced sustainable components, as is the requirement in FIA sustainable fuel rules.

Goodwood’s Revive & Thrive ethos and hope is to ensure classic cars can continue racing with no compromise on performance. The 2023 Revival already provided sustainable fuelled racing as a 1925 Bentley Speed Model driven by Ben Collings and Gareth Graham won the Rudge-Whitworth Cup ahead of standard fuelled competitors. Another race on the day was the Fordwater Trophy which saw a grid of pre-1996 Porsche 911s take to the track in the first sustainably fuelled race to be held Goodwood, with drivers including Jenson Button, Max Chilton and Mark Webber.

The 81st Members; Meeting in April will provide another insight into what’s to come as the use of sustainable fuels will be mandated for the Ken Miles Cup and Gordon Spice trophy.

Sustainable fuels offer an alternative avenue to electric vehicles and a way to preserve the classic vehicles which we’ve known and loved for decades. The continued use of them in racing can hopefully pave the way for them to be introduced into wider society and potentially save the internal combustion engine in the future.

Sebastian Vettel, who drove his ex-Nigel Mansell 1992 Williams FW14B and ex-Ayrton Senna 1993 McLaren MP4/8 on sustainable fuel at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, said: “I enjoyed sharing my ‘Race Without Trace’ initiative with the fans at the Festival of Speed and having the opportunity to show that sustainable fuels are a fantastic way to ensure a possible future pathway for the sport that we love. It’s great that Goodwood is leading the way in promoting the use of sustainable fuels at historic racing events.”

The Duke of Richmond, founder of the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, said: “Goodwood has an illustrious motorsport history and one which we are delighted to continue with the announcement that at next year’s Revival, all of our races will run on sustainable fuel. I am proud that we are the first to be mandating the use of sustainable fuels at the event, and would like to thank all of the participating owners, drivers and preparers for their support.”

Goodwood Revival takes place between 6th – 8th September 2024. 

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Goodwood