The Hillclimb Explained
How the Festival of Speed's signature format works
The hillclimb is the competitive heart of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and understanding how it works enhances the experience of watching it. Unlike a circuit race, where cars compete wheel-to-wheel over multiple laps, a hillclimb is a time trial. Each car makes an individual run up the course, and the fastest time wins. The format is simple, dramatic and perfectly suited to the Goodwood estate's geography.
The Goodwood hillclimb course is 1.16 miles long, running from the start line near the stable block of Goodwood House, through the parkland, past the house itself, through the flint wall section and up to the finish line beyond the top of the hill. The course is narrow, winding and lined with straw bales, hay barriers and spectators. There is virtually no margin for error, and the consequences of a mistake at speed are immediately apparent. This creates a tension that circuit racing, with its run-off areas and safety barriers, cannot quite replicate.
Cars are grouped into classes based on era and type. Historic Grand Prix cars, modern Formula One machines, rally cars, supercars and record-breaking specials all compete within their respective categories. The overall fastest time of the weekend is fiercely contested, with professional drivers pushing the latest machinery to its limits on a course that is far more challenging than its modest length might suggest. The outright record has been lowered repeatedly as car technology has advanced, and the battle for the fastest time is one of the talking points of every Festival.
The start procedure is dramatic. Each car is held at the start line while the previous runner clears the course. The lights change, and the car launches up the hill, the sound of its engine amplified by the parkland setting. Spectators lining the course are close enough to feel the displaced air as the cars pass, and the experience of standing at the flint wall section as a modern Formula One car screams past at over 150 miles per hour is visceral and unforgettable.
Timed runs take place throughout each day, with practice sessions in the morning and competitive runs in the afternoon. The shootout format, used to determine the outright fastest time, sees the quickest cars from each class go head to head in a final session. The atmosphere during the shootout is electric, with the crowd pressing close to the barriers and the commentary building the tension as each successive run is compared to the time to beat.
The hillclimb format also suits demonstration runs, where cars that are too rare or too significant to risk in competition make untimed passes up the course. These demonstrations allow the organisers to showcase extraordinary machinery, from pre-war Bentleys to modern electric hypercars, without the pressure of competitive timing. The breadth of machinery that appears on the hill across the weekend is one of the Festival of Speed's greatest strengths.
For spectators, choosing a viewing position is important. The start line offers the drama of the launch. The area around Goodwood House provides the backdrop of the central feature sculpture. The flint wall section is the fastest part of the course. The finish line area captures the reaction as drivers cross the line and check their times. Many regular visitors move between these positions during the day, sampling the course from different perspectives.
The hillclimb is Goodwood's own invention in its modern form, and it has become one of the most recognisable formats in international motorsport. The course, the setting and the quality of the machinery combine to create something that is uniquely Goodwood.