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Track guide · road course
Goodwood Motor Circuit
Goodwood Motor Circuit at a glanceChecked 2026-09-10
- Length
- 3.862 km2.4 mi
- Turns
- 9
- Opened
- 1948
- Location
- Chichester, West Sussex
- Type
- road course
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Owner
- Goodwood Estate (Duke of Richmond)
- Phone
- +44 1243 755055
Track map and layout
Goodwood was laid out in 1948 on the perimeter road of RAF Westhampnett, a Battle of Britain-era fighter station, and its 2.4-mile, nine-turn lap has changed remarkably little since. Broad, fast corners such as Madgwick, Fordwater and St Mary's flow into one another with almost no run-off in period style, ending in a chicane before Woodcote that leads back onto the pit straight - a layout regarded as one of the most demanding and unforgiving in Britain precisely because it has not been modernised. Racing stopped there in 1966 when the circuit's owners declined to install the barriers and run-off that faster cars of the era required, and it did not reopen to competition until the Goodwood Revival in 1998. The circuit today is used almost exclusively for historic racing, testing and members'-only track days rather than modern national championships.
Named corners and sections
Madgwick.
The fast opening corner after the pit straight, taken with minimal lift.
Fordwater.
A long, high-speed sweeping bend that tests commitment and confidence in the car.
St Mary's.
A demanding, blind-crested corner regarded as one of the trickiest on the lap.
Lavant Corner / Lavant Straight.
Leads onto the circuit's longest straight, where the highest speeds of the lap are reached.
Woodcote (with chicane).
The final corner complex before the pit straight, tightened by a chicane to reduce speed.
Configurations
Full Circuit
3.86 kmUnchanged since the late 1940s/1950s; the only layout in use
Events and race weekends
Goodwood's motorsport calendar is built around two headline historic race meetings: the Goodwood Revival in September, a period-dress festival of pre-1966 racing widely regarded as the world's leading historic motorsport event, and the Goodwood Members' Meeting, a spring gathering for the Goodwood Road Racing Club that mixes historic racing with demonstrations. The separate Festival of Speed hillclimb, held on the Goodwood Estate's driveway rather than the circuit itself, is the estate's third and largest motorsport event. Outside these fixtures the circuit hosts GRRC and Fellowship member track days and test days rather than public national racing.
Goodwood Revival
Historic motorsport festival (pre-1966 eligibility)The circuit's flagship event since 1998; period dress encouraged
Annual eventWhenSEPSeptemberGoodwood Members' Meeting
GRRC historic racing and demonstrationsMembers-focused spring meeting
Annual eventWhenAPRAprilGoodwood Festival of Speed
Hillclimb (held on the estate driveway, not the circuit)Separate from the Motor Circuit but part of the same Goodwood motorsport calendar
Annual eventWhenJULJuly
Getting there and parking
The circuit is on the Goodwood Estate a few miles north of Chichester in West Sussex, just off the A285 and A27. Chichester is the nearest railway station, with a taxi taking around 15 minutes or a shuttle bus running during major events. Southampton Airport is the closest with scheduled flights, and Goodwood also has its own aerodrome next to the circuit used for private aviation during events.
- SOUSouthampton Airport (SOU)about 45 mindrive
- LGWLondon Gatwick Airport (LGW)about 60 mindrive
Parking
On-site parking is available for major events, often at additional cost with pre-booking recommended; shuttle buses run from Chichester station during the Revival, Members' Meeting and Festival of Speed.
TipCheck event dates well ahead: the Revival in particular sells out and needs tickets booked in advance.
Hotels and camping near Goodwood Motor Circuit
Chichester, a few minutes' drive away, has the widest choice of hotels and is the practical base for most visitors, while the Goodwood Hotel on the estate itself offers the closest on-site option. Bognor Regis and Petworth add further choice within a short drive. Accommodation across the area books out well in advance of the Revival and Members' Meeting, often a year ahead for the Revival.
Where to look
Chichester (closest, widest hotel choice), the Goodwood Hotel on the estate itself, and Bognor Regis or Petworth for further options within a short drive.
Camping
Camping and glamping packages are offered directly by Goodwood for its headline events (Revival, Members' Meeting and Festival of Speed), catering for tents, caravans and motorhomes, and are booked as part of event ticketing rather than year-round.
RV
Motorhome and caravan pitches are available as part of the same event camping packages.
Drive or ride at Goodwood Motor Circuit
Goodwood sells its own-car track days and coached driving experiences directly, and outside organisers such as evo Trackdays hire the circuit for track days.
- track dayNo. 01
Goodwood Track Days
- Drive
- own car (no open-wheel or 3-wheel cars)
- From
- £199
- racing schoolNo. 02
Goodwood ProDriver Experience (with DTO)
- Drive
- Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, McLaren 570 GT4, BMW M2 CS Racing
- From
- Price on booking page
- racing schoolNo. 03
Goodwood Junior Driving Experience
- Drive
- BMW 230i (track & skid pan); classic Land Rover (off-road)
- From
- £199
- racing schoolNo. 04
Goodwood Driving Academy (ARDS race licence courses, track day tuition)
- Drive
- —
- From
- Price on booking page
- track dayNo. 05
First time on track? Checklist · What it costs · Insurance · HPDE explained
Checked on each provider’s own site in October 2026. Prices are the lowest publicly listed and change often. Some links may earn us a commission at no cost to you (disclosure).
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Goodwood sells its own track days, where you can drive your own road car on the historic circuit, alongside coached ProDriver experiences in race cars, Junior Driving for under-17s and race-licence courses through the Goodwood Driving Academy. Outside organisers such as evo Trackdays also hire the circuit. Noise limits apply on every track day.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern outright, Group 7/Can-Am-style | 1:18.217 | Nick Padmore | Lola T70 | 2015 |
| Historic outright, Formula 1 (pre-1966 era) | 1:20.4 | Jim Clark / Jackie Stewart | Formula 1 car | 1965 |
Drive Goodwood Motor Circuit in a sim
These racing games and simulators include Goodwood Motor Circuit as official content. Mods and community tracks are not listed.
Gran Turismo 7
base gameLayoutsGoodwood Motor Circuit
Building a sim rig? Four example setups from $279 → · Every real track in sim racing games
Checked against each publisher’s track list in October 2026.
Spectator guide
Goodwood's flat, tree-lined former-airfield setting gives good views along several of its fast corners, and the Revival in particular is as much about the period atmosphere - vintage dress, funfairs and aircraft displays - as the racing itself. Grandstands and viewing areas are set up specifically for the Revival and Members' Meeting weekends.
Best places to watch
The grandstands around the finish straight and the paddock/pit lane area give the closest views of cars and period atmosphere during the Revival; St Mary's and Lavant Corner are favoured spots for watching the racing itself.
Weather
- Sep: generally mild for the Revival, but the South Downs can bring sudden showers
- Apr: cool and changeable spring weather for the Members' Meeting
History of Goodwood Motor Circuit
An airfield in wartime
Goodwood Motor Circuit began as RAF Westhampnett, a satellite fighter station built in 1940 to support nearby RAF Tangmere during the Battle of Britain, with Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons operating from its grass airstrip. After the war the 9th Duke of Richmond, an enthusiastic motor racing driver himself, saw the potential in the airfield's perimeter road and laid out a permanent circuit on it, opening for racing on 18 September 1948 - one of the first purpose-built post-war circuits in Britain.
The golden years
Through the 1950s and early 1960s Goodwood became one of the leading circuits on the British calendar, hosting Formula 1 non-championship races, sports car racing and the Tourist Trophy, and drawing stars including Stirling Moss, who suffered a career-ending crash there in 1962. Bruce McLaren was killed testing a Can-Am car at the circuit on 2 June 1970, four years after racing had already stopped there.
Closure and dormancy
Racing ended at Goodwood in 1966 when the circuit's owners refused to add the barriers, run-off areas and other safety modifications that increasingly fast cars of the era demanded, judging the changes incompatible with the character of the track. For more than three decades the circuit was used only for testing and driving experiences, its unmodified 1966-spec layout effectively frozen in time.
Revival and today
The circuit reopened to competition in 1998 with the first Goodwood Revival, a period-dress historic race meeting confined to cars and motorcycles eligible for the track's pre-1966 heyday, which quickly grew into the world's best-attended historic motorsport event. The Goodwood Members' Meeting followed in 2014 as a members-focused spring counterpart. Today the circuit, still owned by the Goodwood Estate and the Duke of Richmond's family, operates almost entirely around these two events plus club track days and testing for Goodwood Road Racing Club members, preserving its 1948 layout largely unchanged.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Goodwood Motor Circuit?
The circuit is 2.4 miles (3.862km) with 9 turns, and it has run largely unchanged since the 1950s.
Can the public drive Goodwood Motor Circuit?
Yes. Goodwood sells its own track days for road cars (no open-wheel or three-wheel cars), plus coached ProDriver and Junior Driving experiences, and evo Trackdays runs days there too. See the Drive it section above for current options.
What is the difference between the Goodwood Revival, Members' Meeting and Festival of Speed?
The Revival (September) and Members' Meeting (April) are historic race meetings held on the Motor Circuit itself, restricted to pre-1966-eligible cars for the Revival. The Festival of Speed (July) is a separate hillclimb event held on the driveway of Goodwood House, not the circuit.
Where are the best hotels near Goodwood Motor Circuit?
Chichester, a few minutes away, has the widest choice of hotels, and the Goodwood Hotel on the estate itself is the closest on-site option. Bognor Regis and Petworth offer further choice a short drive away.
Can you camp at Goodwood Motor Circuit?
Camping and glamping are offered as part of ticketing for the Revival, Members' Meeting and Festival of Speed, catering for tents, caravans and motorhomes, but this isn't a year-round campsite.
Why did Goodwood stop hosting racing in 1966?
The circuit's owners chose not to install the barriers and run-off areas that faster, more powerful cars of the mid-1960s required, and racing ceased rather than modify the layout. It didn't return to competition until the first Goodwood Revival in 1998.
Which racing games and sims have Goodwood Motor Circuit?
Goodwood Motor Circuit is officially available in Gran Turismo 7. Some of these include it in the base game and others sell it as paid content; the table above shows which.
Other tracks nearby
Facts checked against 12 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.