The epic Rivalries that will feature at the 2026 Festival of Speed

As part of the central celebration of this year’s Festival theme, ‘The Rivals - Epic Racing Duels’, a selection of iconic machinery will gather to renew some of the most memorable battles in motorsport in front of our eyes on the famous Goodwood Hill. 

The three Ford GT MkIIs that claimed the most remarkable victory at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours will all be in attendance as part of an extraordinary reunion across the Festival of Speed and the Revival in 2026, but that’s only the tip of what is slowly developing into a gargantuan iceberg. 

Porsche 917 vs. Ferrari 512S 

The Circuit de la Sarthe was the battleground for a clash between Ferrari and Porsche in 1970, at the end of a season that saw the Porsche 917 go up against the Ferrari 512S for the first time. 

Two hugely significant cars from that period will be in attendance at the Festival of Speed. The Porsche 917K chassis 023 driven to victory at the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours by Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann will fire up alongside the 1970 Sebring 12 Hours-winning Ferrari 512S – 1026. 

It’ll be 4.5-litre flat-12 vs. 5.0-litre V12 as one of motorsport’s most spectacular but short-lived rivalries returns at Goodwood. 

Lancia 037 vs. Audi Quattro 

The World Rally Championship peaked with Group B, and the Group B era peaked with the rivalry between Lancia and Audi. The 1983 season in particular was one of the most hard fought in WRC history, when two of the most recognisable rally cars ever built went head-to-head. 

The Lancia 037 was the last rear-wheel-drive car to win the World Rally Championship. In the hands of Walter Röhrl and Markku Alén, it saw off the charge of the four-wheel-drive Audi Quattro to claim the title by just two points. 

Its rear-mid engine layout made it an instant icon of early-’80s rallying, but even the brute force of Lancia’s bespoke Group B creation could do nothing to withstand the charge of Audi’s all-conquering Quattro.  

Hannu Mikkola claimed the Drivers’ title for Audi in 1983 after taking four rally wins and beating Röhrl to the crown. The German marque followed that up with a double title triumph in 1984 as Röhrl, who had defected from Lancia to Audi, Mikkola and Stig Blomquist took seven rally victories to Lancia’s one. 

It’s difficult to think of a more quintessential rally pairing than 037 and Quattro, and these two will be brought together once again as part of the Rivals celebration at the 2026 Festival of Speed. 

Yamaha vs. Suzuki (Schwantz vs. Rainey) 

As always, the Festival of Speed will deliver a mouth-watering showcase of two-wheeled action, and it comes no more enticing than a reunion of two of Grand Prix motorcycle racing’s most fierce rivals. 

Wayne Rainey made an emotional debut at Goodwood back in 2022 when he rode his 1992 World Championship-winning bike up the Hill alongside several of his competitors from all those years ago. 

In 2026, the Yamaha YZR500 that Rainey rode to his first World Championship in 1990 will be at Goodwood to tell the story of his incredible rivalry with Kevin Schwantz. The American 1993 World Champion will be represented by the Suzuki RGV500 XR84 he rode in 1994. 

The battle throughout the early 1990s was as much about the manufacturers as it was about the riders. Suzuki and Yamaha had become embroiled in a gargantuan power struggle that carried over several years of dominance as Rainey and Schwantz claimed the majority of the spoils. 

Mick Doohan was the only man who could get close, and he finally ended the Yamaha-Suzuki duopoly with his own Championship triumph with Honda in 1994. 

Tickets for the Festival of Speed are now on sale. Saturday and four-day passes are now limited and Friday tickets are selling fast. If you’re not already part of the GRRC, joining the Fellowship means you can save ten per cent on your 2026 tickets and grandstand passes, as well as enjoy a whole host of other on-event perks.

Images courtesy of Getty Images.

Goodwood photography by Darren Heath and Dominic James.