Popular event in July will be rescheduled as a result of coronavirus pandemic
Goodwood Festival of Speed, widely considered as the UK’s leading automotive event, will be postponed because of the coronavirus crisis, Goodwood has confirmed.
The show was scheduled to run from 9-12 July. Goodwood said a new date will be confirmed in the coming weeks and is likely to be in late summer or early autumn. Tickets already bought will remain valid.
The Duke of Richmond, owner of the Goodwood Estate, said: “Over the last few weeks, we have been working together with everyone involved to understand the viability of the Festival of Speed going ahead in July. Due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus threat and not knowing whether the situation will have significantly improved by then, we sadly need to postpone the Festival of Speed in July.
“These are dramatic and unbelievable times but they will pass and we are already trying to think about just how exciting it’s going to be to welcome you all back to Goodwood for what perhaps might be the ‘Greatest Event Ever”.
It is the latest in a slew of delayed or cancelled automotive events. Following the last-minute axe of the Geneva motor show in March, the New York and Beijing shows, both scheduled for April, have been delayed. The Detroit motor show, which is due to open on 9 June, is still going ahead.
Goodwood Festival of Speed has grown in popularity in recent years, thanks to the absence of a successful British motor show, the appeal of dynamic vehicle appearances on the famous circuit, and a very British garden party atmosphere which is starkly different to typical exhibition-hall shows.
Last year’s highlights included reveals of the Mercedes-AMG A45, electric Mini and BAC Mono R. The VW ID R racer made a triumphant return by beating its own EV record at the Goodwood hillclimb – and taking the outright record, which had stood for twenty years, in the process.
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Source: Autocar
