Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011 preview

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Welcome to CAR Online's page for Goodwood Festival of Speed news, leading up to the 2011 event on 30 June - 03 July. Newest items appear at the top of the page. [If you're heading to Goodwood this weekend, make sure you stop by the CAR stand and pick up your free copy of our magazine!]

Made of steel tubes weighing 150 tonnes, the E-type Jaguar sculpture at Goodwood this year soars 28 metres above the lawns outside Goodwood House. The steel is supplied by Tata, Jaguar's owner. In previous years the sculptures have incorporated actual cars, but the E-type was judged too small and delicate to hoist in the air so sculptor Gerry Judah designed this installation based on the iconic E-type. Bit heavier, mind: it weighs the same as 122 series-1 E-types.

Chevrolet will have an expanded presence at the Festival of Speed, as part of their 100th anniversary celebrations. The entire UK Chevrolet range will be on display, with debuts ranging from the five-door Cruze hatchback and Volt to the European specification Camaro V8 coupe and convertible. Jason Plato will be driving the Corvette ZR1, Camaro and BTCC Cruze touring car racer in the hillclimb. 

Cummins will be displaying its 1931 diesel-powered Duesenberg racing car as part of the Indy 500 centennial celebrations at Goodwood. The pioneering diesel racer completed the Indy 500 without stopping, but couldn't turn that into a race-winning advantage. Cummins periodically returned to Indy in the 1930s and 50s before diesels were banned. The Duesenberg has been to the UK before - it ran at the Brooklands circuit in the early 1930s.

VW's Spanish brand will have an '80s nostalgia trip in store for Goodwood with its Ibiza Mk1 earning its 'System Porsche' stickers in the hillclimb. Parents can sign-up their 11-16 year-olds to drive the Ibiza E Ecomotive with driving instructor supervision. Pointing towards Seats of the future, the all-electric Seat IBE will be on display in Goodwood's FoS-TECH dome.

Nissan have two displays for festivalgoers this year, involving the Juke compact SUV and the Leaf EV hatchback. The Nissan Leaf EV has the potential to hit a reverse speed of up to 90mph due to its electric powertrain. With this in mind the Leaf will attempt the Goodwood hill in reverse. The Juke will also be gunning for an unconventional record, attempting to take the hillclimb on two wheels. Nissan's unlikely duo will be tackling the hill course on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The fastest accelerating electric concept car, Peugeots EX1, will be active throughout the Festival of Speed weekend. Reaching a speed of 60mph in just 3.49 seconds the EX1 will be using its two electric motors to climb the Goodwood hill. Peugeot will also debut the HR1, their MPV concept car and the 3008 HYbrid4, the world's first diesel/electric car.

The Vulcan is back for 2011. The Festival of Speed will once again be welcoming a flypast by the 1950's Avro Vulcan bomber on Sunday at 13:00. This could be one of the last opportunities to see the classic bomber airborne as it is nears the end of its flying life. Thursday, Friday and Saturday sees the return of the Red Arrows who will be displaying at 13:00 and 11:30 on the saturday.

Two firsts for Honda at Goodwood festival of speed this year. Not only is the new CR-Z Mugen making its UK public debut, but Honda have installed a 24 pod ferris wheel. They are also offering the chance for 18 Honda fans, plus friends, to win a Festival of Speed VIP experience. The big wheel will be running from 9am-6pm on all four days and one lucky winner will get the chance to spend those 10 minutes in one of the four 'racing designed' pods with one of Honda's racing riders or drivers. Among the racers are champion motorcycle riders John McGuinness, Keith Amor, Sam Lowes and Cameron Donald, as well as BTCC stars Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden.

To enter you'll need to sign up to follow @hondaeyespy on Twitter and, using '#hondaeyespy' to tag your entry, start your tweet with 'I want to spy through the Honda Eye at Goodwood…'  followed by what you'd like to see from the Honda Eye. The competition closes on Friday 24 June 2011 at 5pm and winners will be notified through their Twitter account.

And there's more! To win a whole host of Honda goodies such as a car, motorcycle, lawnmower, ATV, generator and inflatable boat, you'll need to log on to Honda's Goodwood page http://www.honda.co.uk/cars/campaigns/2011/goodwood/ download and complete the quiz. There's a whole lot of Honda going on at Goodwood this year.

Expect to see many current F1 drivers this year at the festival including the recent Canadian race winner Jenson Button, his team mate Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen, Timo Glock, Bruno Senna, Vitaly Petrov, Christian Horner and Adrian Newy who will all be in attendance both Saturday and Sunday.

A world debut for the Vauxhall Astra GTC, plus the Honda CR-Z Mugen, Range Rover Evoque and Citroen Survolt concept.

50 cars will participate in the run this year including the UK debut of the Ferrari FF, the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Pagani Huayra, Jaguar XKR-S, Marussia B1 and B2, Hulme Can Am Spyder, Hennessey Venom GT and the BAC Mono.

Public debuts will include new cars as diverse as the Citroen DS4, Morgan 3-Wheeler, Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, Ford Focus Estate and BMW 1 Series M Coupe.

Lord March marks the centenary of the Indy 500 race, by placing the first of a yard of bricks at the start of the hillclimb. The Indy 500 was originally run on these bricks back in 1911, they will now be a permanent part of the hillclimb.

The Bac Mono a new British high-performance car will make its world public debut. The single-seater boosts 0-60mph in 2.8 secs weighs in at 540kg, and has a maximum speed of 170mph. You'll be able to see the BAC Mono go up the hill in the supercar run and it will be based in the supercar Paddock.

Jenson Button

McLaren MP4-1, MP4-23 and the new MP4-12C supercar on the hill

Lewis Hamilton

McLaren MP4-1, MP4-23 and the new MP4-12C supercar on the hill

Timo Glock

Expected to be in action with the Virgin F1 team

Christian Horner

Expected to be in action on the hill in a historic car

Heikki Kovalainen

Expected to be in action on the hill in his 1988 Le Mans winning Jaguar XJR9 LM

Adrian Newey

McLaren MP4-19 and Bobby Rahal's 1986 Indy 500 winning March 86C

Vitaly Petrov

On the hill driving for the Renault F1 team

Nico Rosberg

On the hill with the Mercedes F1 team

Bruno Senna

On the hill driving for the Renault F1 team

Mark Webber

Will be in action with the Red Bull F1 team

Gil de Ferran

On the hill in his 2003 Indy winning Penske

Emerson Fittipaldi

On the hill in a Penske PC23

Dario Franchitti

On the hill in a Lotus 38 and Mercedes-Benz 190 Evo II

Bobby Rahal

On the hill in his 1986 Indy 500 winning March

Bobby Unser

On the hill in his 1981 Indy 500 winning Penske PC9B

Thierry Boutsen

Expected to drive the Toyota TS020 GT One on the hill

Emerson Fittipaldi

On the hill in a Penske PC23

Peter Gethin

Will be in action in a car from his career

Damon Hill

On the hill in a Williams FW15C

Nigel Mansell

On the hill driving the new Lotus T125 and Evora GT4

Jochen Mass

On the hill in a Benz 200 'Blitzen Benz' and Mercedes-Benz W194

John Surtees

Will be in action riding a BMW Type 255 Kompressor and driving the Mercedes-Benz W165

Richard Attwood

On the hill in his BRM P261

Derek Bell

On the hill in a Rothmans Porsche 956

Jan Lammers

On the hill in his 1988 Le Mans winning Jaguar XJR9 LM

Jackie Oliver 

Andy Wallace

On the hill in his 1988 Le Mans winning Jaguar XJR9 LM

Marco Werner

On the hill in his Audi R18 Tdi

Rauno Aaltonen

Mini Cooper S on the Forest Rally Stage

Ken Block

On the hill in his Ford Fiesta Gymkhana car

Russell Brookes

Forest Rally Stage in an Opel Manta

Juha Kankkunen

On the hill driving a Bentley Continental and Toyotal Celica Twin Cam Turbo

Jimmy McRae

Forest Rally Stage in a Vauxhall Chevette HS

Kris Meeke

On the hill and Forest Rally Stage in the new Mini John Cooper Works WRC Arturo

Andreas Mikkelsen

On the hill and Forest Rally Stage in his Skoda Fabia S2000

Hannu Mikkola

On the hillclimb and Forest Rally Stage in an Audi Quattro S1l

Dani Sordo

On the hill and Forest Rally Stage in the new Mini John Cooper Works WRC

Guy Wilks

On the hill and Forest Rally Stage in his Peugeot 207 S2000

New for 2011 is the Goodwood Action Sports (GAS) area, presented by Seat. A first for this kind of event to be hosted in the UK the GAS area will be filled with live actions sports. You'll be able to catch FMX, BMX and MTB trials bikes taking on a host of jumps, rails and ramps. Motorcycle trial bikes and mini bikes will also be on display.

Top professional riders will be wowing the crowds with the latest tricks, times trials and head to head competitions, finished off with an hour finale featuring a multiple jump scene where all riders aim to be in mid-flight at the same time. 

Kids get the best view from the Seat Clubhouse 

Young Person (13 to 18 year old) ticket holders who will have full access to the Seat Clubhouse including activities and balcony views of the display area.

Drive the latest Seat Ibiza

Seat's young driver programme is offering 11-16 year olds the opportunity for a taster driving lesson with a fully qualified driving instructor. The training includes; steering, accelerating, braking, changing gear, reversing and manoeuvring. You'll need to be signed though, Click here to fill in the form. 

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By Sarah-Jayne Harrison