Goodwood proudly announces that the 2024 Revival will serve as a landmark moment in motorsport history, as the entire weekend of historic racing is set to take place exclusively using sustainable fuel. Already an event that champions second-hand sustainability, today’s announcement sees the next Goodwood Revival further extending its Revive & Thrive ethos, with sustainable fuel ensuring the future of classic combustion engine cars.
Goodwood will require competitors to use a fuel which has a minimum of 70% advanced sustainable components, in accordance with the FIA’s current requirements for sustainable fuel. Serving as a drop-in fuel, no modification is required to the cars and there is no compromise on race performance. In fact, Goodwood’s first sustainably-fuelled winner came in the Rudge-Whitworth Cup at the 2023 Revival, as the 1925 Bentley Speed Model with the driver pairing of Ben Collings and Gareth Graham crossed the line ahead of competitors running on standard fuel.
As well as its first sustainably-fuelled winner, this year’s Goodwood Revival also hosted its first sustainably-fuelled race, as a grid of pre-1966 Porsche 911s took to the track to compete in the Fordwater Trophy. Drivers included 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, Goodwood hillclimb record-holder Max Chilton, and nine-time Formula 1 winner Mark Webber.
The iconic motorsport event welcomes preparer Richard Tuthill, sustainable fuel developer Anders Hildebrand and driver Emanuele Pirro for a panel discussion on the role of alternative fuels at the Revival. Those looking to find out more about the technology can access the full panel discussion available to view here and the transcription available to download.
Goodwood is firmly committed to supporting the transition to a carbon neutral future. Prior to the Revival, at the 81st Members’ Meeting (Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 April 2024) the use of sustainable fuels will be mandated for the Ken Miles Cup and Gordon Spice Trophy, and drivers and owners will be encouraged to use sustainable fuels across the event. Electric Avenue will return to the 2024 Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard (Thursday 11 - Sunday 14 July), championing not just electric motoring, but a variety of alternative fuels.
Rowan Atkinson, regular competitor and avid supporter of Goodwood, said: “I used synthetic fuel in my racing Jaguar at Goodwood this year and found it to be not just as good as the pump petrol used previously but in performance terms, superior to it in every way. It’s perhaps unsurprising that if you synthesise a fuel from first principles, you’re going to make a better product than that produced by just applying heat and pressure to some black gunk you dig out of the ground.”
The Duke of Richmond, founder of the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, said: “Goodwood has an illustrious motorsport history and one which we are delighted to continue with the announcement that at next year’s Revival, all of our races will run on sustainable fuel. I am proud that we are the first to be mandating the use of sustainable fuels at the event, and would like to thank all of the participating owners, drivers and preparers for their support.”
Thank you to Goodwood for providing words and images.