Gearing up for Goodwood

The wheels are in motion for this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed which will be held between 11-13 July under the theme ‘Hawthorn to Hamilton – Britain’s Love Affair with World Motor Sport’.

Key attractions for the 16th installation of what has become the world's biggest motorsport celebration - and which in the past has hosted such notable debuts as the Caparo T1 - where recently announced by festival founder the Earl of March at a gathering in the Park at Goodwood House in West Sussex. ‘It will be just fantastic to have so many great cars and drivers here at Goodwood to celebrate our theme for 2008. I look forward with much anticipation to seeing some of the great British drivers and British-inspired machines in action’ said Lord March.

The preview event also brought together Anthony Hamilton, the father of Formula 1 superstar Lewis, F1 legends Sir Stirling Moss and Jochen Mass, rally greats Rauno Aaltonen and Russell Brookes, BTCC drivers Andy Rouse, Anthony Reid and John Cleland, and motorcycle heroes Michael Rutter and John Reynolds, along with twelve-time world champion trials rider Dougie Lampkin (providing an outstanding photo opportunity on the staircase of Goodwood House).

So what's on show? The answer is just about anything you can think of from the high-powered automotive arena: cars and drivers from seven formulas one teams, a collection of iconic James Bond cars, the new Nissan GT-R and Land Rover LRX Black, plus an array of top competition cars, motorcycles and road-going supercars.

The cars of the motorsport legends on which the theme is based also formed part of the official launch - the Ferrari 246 Dino of 1958 (and Britain’s first) Formula 1 World Champion Mike Hawthorn and the 2008 McLaren-Mercedes MP4/23 F1used by current star Lewis Hamilton.

More info at the Goodwood Festival of Speed site.