24h Le Mans
Next year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (13-16 July) is all set to prolong the celebrations held for the Centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-11 June 2023). The greatest cars and drivers from Le Mans history will be at the prestigious event.
Celebrations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary are already underway with Goodwood Revival in September among the events to show off the special Centenary trophy designed by the Monnaie de Paris. The trophy was brought out onto the grid for the Freddie March Memorial Trophy, a race for cars identical to models that competed in the past at the French endurance classic.
However, Goodwood Revival isn’t the only motorsport event at the venue to doff its hat to Le Mans this year. At the 79th Members’ Meeting, a unique evening demonstration of the Porsche 956 and 962 acclaimed the 40th anniversary of the 956’s first Le Mans win. In June, Porsche and BMW chose the Festival of Speed as the stage on which to unveil their Hypercars. The Porsche 963 climbed the legendary Goodwood hill on the Friday evening, while the M Hybrid V8 took pride of place on the BMW stand.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary will be part of a fantastic series of celebrations that Goodwood is set to host in 2023, including 75 years of motorsport at the venue and the 30th anniversary of the Festival of Speed.
Tom Kristensen, nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and Centenary Ambassador: “It’s amazing that Le Mans has been holding this great race for 100 years. Goodwood and Le Mans are so much fun, I always enjoy visiting and have had the privilege of driving fantastic cars there. It was great to get together with all those Le Mans winners at Revival this year – I’m already looking forward to the reunion next year. I’m sure it will be a remarkable celebration.”
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “The Goodwood Festival of Speed is famous for its display of jaw-dropping racing machines. It is wonderful to see the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary take pride of place at such an outstanding event, which is also celebrating an important anniversary. My sincere thanks to the Duke of Richmond and the Goodwood Festival of Speed for training their spotlight on the world’s greatest endurance race.”
Festival of Speed founder The Duke of Richmond: “As the 24 Hours of Le Mans is such an iconic and integral motorsport institution, it is only natural that Goodwood should join in the celebrations of its 100th anniversary. We were delighted to welcome our good friends Pierre Fillon and Stéphane Darracq from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to the Revival in September, and to host the Centenary Trophy on its relay around the world. I’m already looking forward to seeing the greatest collection of Le Mans cars and drivers that we’ve ever had at Goodwood in action on the Hill next year – it’s going to be spectacular!”
