Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Festival of Speed is to be regarded more as a tribute to motorsport than as a serious race, even though this forms the backdrop to the whole occasion. It is perhaps best described as a cross between the Monaco Grand Prix and Royal Ascot. Over the weekend of the 3rd to 5th July, the Earl of March will play host to the 17th such event at his Goodwood Park estate. This year's special theme is 'True Grit - Epic Feats of Endurance'.

At the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed, main sponsor Mercedes-Benz will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows. The Mercedes-Benz museum will be sending across several original Grand Prix racing cars from its collection. These will include the W 25 which Manfred von Brauchitsch drove in the 1934 Eifel Race and last year's McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23 in which Lewis Hamilton won the F1 World Championship. Goodwood is one of the finest celebrations of motorsport heritage, indeed of motorsport in general, as you can see for yourself from the highlights of last year's show in the gallery below.