Meet the Instructor - Jody Fannin

06th November 2025

Meet Jody Fannin, one of our Goodwood Motor Circuit Instructors, whose career is going from strength to strength. Find out about how he got into racing, his ambitions plus his top tips for driving at Goodwood Motor Circuit. 

  • Motor Circuit

Untitled design (64).png

Introduce yourself with your name, job, and connection to Goodwood.

I am Jody Fannin, a racing driver, driver coach and instructor, and have been working at Goodwood as an instructor and chief instructor for around 11 years now. The time has flown by!

What driving/racing qualifications do you have?

European Le Mans Series GTE Champion

British GT4 Champion

ARDS Grade A Instructor Licence

FIA Gold Rated

Nurburgring Nordschleife Permit A

When was your first racing experience and where?

My first kart race was at a track called Lydd down on the South Coast. It was an extremely cold January weekend (I seem to remember wearing a fleece over my suit to keep warm!), but I managed to win the novice class, so got off to a good start.

What is your first memory of Goodwood?

I went to the Revival in 2005 aged 12, sitting on the outside of Madgwick. It was a family affair as my grandparents were over from New Zealand to watch as well. You can tell how the love for motorsport is in the blood! Little did I know 9 years later I would start working for Goodwood.

What is the best thing about working at Goodwood Motor Circuit?

Working in an environment where you are constantly reminded of the amazing history. The fact nothing has changed in the layout of the circuit or the paddocks makes it all the more special, there is no other place like it.

Who inspired you?

I was named after Jody Scheckter as my dad is South African so thought he’d name me after South Africa’s only F1 world champion! As you can imagine I grew up watching motorsport so wanted to give it a go. 

I guess for inspiration in Sportscars which I ended up racing, it would be Allan McNish for his speed and decisiveness in traffic - during my first trips to the Le Mans 24 Hours he was always at the front racing for Audi.

What are your racing ambitions?

I’ve raced at many iconic tracks like Le Mans, Monza and the Nurburgring Nordschleife, but I haven’t raced at Goodwood before despite having done thousands of laps round there. I would love to race regularly at Revival and Members’ Meeting.

What’s your Motor Circuit Café order?

Ooh this is a tricky one. The Chicken and Chorizo Panini is a staple, though the sausage and caramelised red onion panini is also good when wanting something different

As instructors we have been known to share one of the very tasty Pizzas at lunch as well… having one to ourselves would probably be a bit greedy

What’s your dream car to drive or race?

It’s got to be a Ferrari 250 GTO - it’s such an iconic car, and looks beautiful. Also a Ferrari has an emotional attachment to the brand unlike many others, and it would be very cool as I have raced modern Ferraris most recently in my racing career. Maybe race one at the Goodwood Revival one day… that would be amazing!

Do you have a career highlight or goal for the future?

Winning the European Le Mans Series was definitely a highlight - it was a close fought championship against tough competition and we won by 1 point in the end, so it went down to the wire! 

Racing at the Le Mans 24 Hour is an ambition for many drivers so getting to race there was amazing. We also had very strong pace before my teammate got involved in an accident, so I definitely have unfinished business there and need to go back!

I can’t finish without mentioning the Nurburgring Nordschleife - what an epic track that is. And getting several overall podiums in GT3 makes it all the better.

What are your three top tips for Goodwood Motor Circuit? 

Be smooth with your steering inputs – most of the corners are medium to high speed, so you don’t want to upset the balance of the car. Be as smooth as possible.

Build your speed gradually – It sounds obvious, but there’s not much runoff at Goodwood and if you do touch the grass on the outside of the circuit it’s probably going to become a bigger problem, so don’t push your limits straight away.

Don’t be distracted by planes taking off and landing! – Goodwood is a very unique place and you may sometimes see an iconic plane, such as a Spitfire, going very close over your head heading into Madgwick or Woodcote corners as they approach or leave Goodwood’s grass runway, but don’t let that take your attention away from your driving!

  • Motor Circuit