The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the biggest motorsport events of the year, no matter where you are from. The event brings together some amazing sports cars and drivers that you won’t see together anywhere else in the world. The 2022 event opened on June, 23, and Goodwood is also live-streaming the event on its YouTube channel, which is also celebrating 50 years of BMW M.
Goodwood has compiled a highlights package of the first day of action from the event, giving a taster of what the crowds will get to see over the rest of the weekend.
The Highlights Of FOS Opening Day
One of the main highlights has to be the McMurty Speirling. This is a fan car, electric as well, that is undergoing testing and development. The car is being driven at the event by former F1 and IndyCar driver Max Chilton, and it effectively takes the Brabham fan car technology to the extreme. It looks incredibly fat as it blitzes the hill despite its small size, and the acceleration of the car is what really stands out, as does the way the dust and dirt is all chucked out by the fan.
Wayne Rainey Rides Again
One of the other highlights has been witnessing 500 cc World Champion (the forerunner to MotoGP) ride again on his 1992 championship winning Yamaha. Rainey is sadly paralyzed from the chest down following an accident at the 1993 Italian Grand Prix of Misano. At Goodwood, he rode his 1992 Yamaha, which is now modified, so he could ride it with his limitations. Alongside his fellow riders from the time, it made for an emotional sight, and Rainey was not afraid to gun his two-stroke Yamaha a little bit for the crowds in attendance.
The Ford Electric SuperVan
Ford is not afraid to experiment a bit when it comes to electric vehicles, and they have brought to Goodwood the insane SuperVan, effectively a 2,000 hp electric Ford Transit. It is quite far removed from a basic van with the powertrain and all the aero parts attached to it. But watching this quite large vehicle launch its way up the Hill Climb is surely one of the most remarkable sights of the entire festival in 2022. You might not be able to store much luggage in the back of it, but whatever you are carrying, you can get it to its destination fast!
Source: Goodwood YouTube Channel