Goodwood Revival is world’s first historic motorsport event to race only with sustainable fuel

November 29, 2023

The Fordwater Trophy ran on sustainable fuel at the 2023 Goodwood Revival. Image: Goodwood

Goodwood, the English stately home estate of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, has said that the entire 2024 Goodwood Revival weekend of historic racing will take place exclusively using sustainable fuel.

Already an event that promotes second-hand sustainability, the announcement sees the Revival further extend its Revive & Thrive ethos with sustainable fuel, ensuring the future of classic combustion-engine cars. This marks a global first for a motorsport event that is among the most prestigious in its class.

“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,” the Duke said in a statement.

The Duke founded the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival on his estate, targeting aficionados of race, vintage and vintage cars.

Rubber meets the road
Goodwood will require competitors to use a fuel which has a minimum of 70 percent 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-fueled 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-fueled winner, this year’s Goodwood Revival also hosted its first sustainably-fueled 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.

“It was great to be a part of the Fordwater Trophy, which brought together classic cars and the very latest in sustainable fuel technology,” said Jenson Button, 2009 Formula 1 World Champion who raced in the Fordwater Trophy at the 2023 Goodwood Revival, in a statement.

“What’s so exciting about these fuels is that they can guarantee the future of historic racing, enabling us to enjoy combustion engine cars for years to come,” he said.

Goodwood also invited 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.

“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,” said Rowan Atkinson, a regular competitor and avid supporter of Goodwood, in a statement.

“It’s perhaps unsurprising that if you synthesize 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,” he said.

The Fordwater Trophy at the 2023 Goodwood Revival ran on sustainable fuel. Image: Goodwood

Carbon fiber
Goodwood claims it is firmly committed to supporting the transition to a carbon neutral future.

Prior to the Revival, at the 81^st Members’ Meeting April 13-14, the use of sustainable fuels will be mandated for the Ken Miles Cup and Gordon Spice Trophy. Drivers and owners will be encouraged to use sustainable fuels across the event.

Electric Avenue will return to the 2024 Festival of Speed July 11-14 presented by Mastercard, championing not just electric motoring, but a variety of alternative fuels.

“The Duke of Richmond and his team have done a brilliant job at bringing motor racing to a new audience whilst celebrating the history of our beloved sport,” said Karun Chandhok, former Formula 1 and Formula E driver, in a statement.

“I've been a very vocal supporter of sustainable fuels alongside electrification of motorsport and I think it's hugely important to show the public that older high performance cars can run successfully on new fuels,” he said. “This is an exciting and innovative step to ensure that we can all still enjoy these fantastic cars in a socially responsible way for the future.”

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Goodwood Revival is world’s first historic motorsport event to race only with sustainable fuel

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