2018 Goodwood Revival Fast Facts:
- 2018 Goodwood Revival – Friday, September 7 to Sunday, September 9.
- The Revival meeting marks 20 years since competitive racing returned to the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit.
- Unlike the exhibition-based Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Goodwood Revival features wheel-to-wheel racing around a circuit as opposed to the Festival of Speed’s hillclimb format.
- 150,000 visitors are expected to attend, all dressed in period dress.
- Rolex has a long-standing appreciation for the beauty of classic cars having supported Goodwood Revival since 2004 when the brand became Title Sponsor of the prestigious Drivers’ Club.
- The three-day event will see cars and motorcycles from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s parade and compete at the iconic track. The event is defined by its period dress code: tweeds and trilbies for men, furs and frocks for the ladies. It is also famed for its War-bird flying displays in recognition of Goodwood’s history as a wartime fighter base.
- As part of Goodwood Revival’s 20th anniversary celebrations, the pits will be themed to hark back to early 1950s Silverstone, in honor of the Northamptonshire circuit’s 70th anniversary, while the Revival Winners parade will assemble 50 renowned and victorious race cars from the past two decades.
- The 2018 edition of the Revival comprises 14 races, with the action beginning on Friday evening when the Kinrara Trophy sees a stunning array of pre-1963 GT cars race into the sunset.
- The Fordwater Trophy is set to be a particularly memorable feature of this year’s event, with a number of Jaguar XK120s taking part to mark the 70th anniversary of the manufacturer’s illustrious sports car.
- A returning highlight, that promises to be as entertaining as ever, will be the St Mary’s Trophy, the two-part race contested by professional and amateur drivers.
- Speed, performance and precision will all be fundamental to success at the event, as the Rolex clock on the Marshal Tower provides drivers with a visual reminder that timing is of the utmost importance.
- 2009 FIA Formula 1® Drivers’ World Champion Jenson Button will make his Goodwood Revival debut for the JD Classics team, as he joins a long list of motorsport stars who have graced the track, including Rolex Testimonees Sir Jackie Stewart and Tom Kristensen, David Coulthard, Jean Alesi, Derek Bell and Dario Franchitti.
- The drivers will all be vying to stand out from the rest of the field in their bid to claim the highly coveted Rolex Driver of the Meeting award – the winner of which will be announced by the Duke of Richmond at Sunday evening’s prize-giving ceremony.
- Rolex Testimonee and three-time FIA Formula 1® Drivers’ World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart reflects on Goodwood’s role at the heart of motorsport.
- Sir Jackie Stewart says: “I was first invited to drive at Goodwood Motor Circuit by Ken Tyrrell in 1964, to find out whether I had what it took to be a racing driver; it proved to be an instrumental moment in my life and led to three World Championships. I have since been fortunate enough to see Goodwood Revival evolve into one of the greatest events of its kind. For 20 years it has celebrated the most beautiful cars that have ever been built and it takes me back to the early days of my racing career.”
- This year marks Sir Jackie Stewart’s 50th year as part of the Rolex family.
- He says: “Rolex’s close ties with the Revival demonstrate a shared passion for style and beauty as well as a quest to preserve and learn from the past. The partnership underlines the Swiss watch brand’s commitment to motorsport as a whole.”
ROLEX AND ENDURANCE RACING
Rolex, a Swiss watch manufacture headquartered in Geneva, is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. Its Oyster and Cellini watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. Founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905, the brand pioneered the development of the wristwatch and is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Through philanthropic programmes and a broad palette of sponsorship activities, Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports and exploration, and encourages the spirit of enterprise, as well as the conservation of natural environments.
