Goodwood has announced its theme for the 2024 Festival of Speed will be ‘Horseless to Hybrid – Revolutions in Power’, celebrating the journey from the origins of motorsport to where we are today.

Organised competition in motorsport began with the Paris-Rouen Trial on Sunday 22 July 1894 and this year’s Festival of Speed will honour the advances in technology and engineering which have advanced the industry forward since then, as well as potential new ideas for the future.

Among the entry list for the Paris-Rouen event 130 years ago were vehicles powered by steam, petrol, electricity and even gravity, showing that it was still undecided as to which source of power was the best at the time. Of course, the internal combustion engine subsequently dominated how vehicles would move on our roads, but electric, hydrogen, hybrid and sustainable fuels have offered a glimpse into the future. ‘Horseless to Hybrid’ will take a greater look at what could be the next form of vehicle to dominate roads over the years to come, with cars and drivers taking on the Goodwood Hill in new, innovative vehicles.

It was announced at the end of last year that this year’s 2024 Goodwood Revival will exclusively use sustainable fuel for all its races, something that was demonstrated by four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel as he drove his ex-Nigel Mansell 1992 Williams FW14B and ex-Ayrton Senna 1993 McLaren MP4/8 on sustainable fuel as part of his “Race Without Trace” campaign.

A number of significant anniversaries will also be recognised during the 2024 Festival as Niki Lauda will be remembered on what would have been his 75th birthday. It has also been 50 years since his first Grand Prix win and 40 years since the last of his three World Championships, which he won with McLaren. Other anniversaries include Shadow team’s Can-Am Championship 50 years ago and Joest Racing’s Le Mans win 40 years ago.

Tickets for the Saturday at Goodwood are sold out, however, they remain available for Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place between Thursday 11 – Sunday 14 July 2024.

words: Mike Booth
picture: Jordan Butters & Drew Gibson for Goodwood