Goodwood Festival of Speed to host its biggest-ever celebration of MotoGP

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Festival of Speed | Press Article 24/05/23

A number of MotoGP teams to attend the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard.
A host of champions and legends will join us for the ultimate celebration of MotoGP.
Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place Thursday 13 - Sunday 16 July.
Only Thursday tickets remain at goodwood.com

Goodwood is delighted to announce the first of a number of MotoGP teams that will attend the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. In what is set to be the event’s biggest-ever celebration of the Championship, riders from the current grid will be joined by an incredible line-up of motorcycle Grand Prix Champions and legends to take on the famous hillclimb.

As MotoGP^TM heads into its summer break, the teams will travel to Goodwood to take their place at the Festival of Speed, ahead of the British Grand Prix just three weeks later.

Grand Prix motorcycles will make up the entirety of the 2023 Festival of Speed motorbike batch - from the truly historic to the very latest machinery, as the attending factory teams are set to bring and run their 2023 Championship bikes.

Those already confirmed to join us are:

Ducati Lenovo Team
GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3
LCR Honda
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

In addition to the MotoGP teams, Moto2^TM team GASGAS Aspar will attend with British rider Jake Dixon.

All the teams will be located in the Ballroom Paddock, a stone’s throw from the Drivers’ Club - giving fans and enthusiasts the perfect opportunity to see the bikes being prepared by the teams, before taking to the Hill with a host of the sport’s legends.

The list of legends already confirmed include Àlex Crivillé, Casey Stoner, Freddie Spencer, Giacomo Agostini, Jorge Lorenzo, Kenny Roberts Jnr, Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Randy Mamola and Wayne Gardner; holding a truly staggering 35 World Championships between them.

The Festival of Speed has always been the place to see motorsport megastars. In 2022, we were joined by Giacomo Agostini as he celebrated his 80th birthday, as well as Kenny Roberts, Kevin Schwantz and Mick Doohan, who took part in a truly exceptional moment as Wayne Rainey rode his 1992-championship-winning Yamaha YZR500 for the first time since his career-ending accident in 1993.

Motorcycles have always been an integral part of the Festival of Speed, with seven-time motorcycle World Champion and 1964 F1 World Champion John Surtees organising the motorcycle entry at the very first event in 1993. As the Festival of Speed celebrates its 30th anniversary, we are hugely excited to present such an epic celebration of MotoGP.

"We’re very proud to announce this celebration of MotoGP at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It’s an honour for us to play a key role in the 30th anniversary and be invited to showcase the best of our sport, sharing the stage with our fellow icons of speed. It will be something truly unique, and I want to thank our teams, riders and legends for showing such enthusiasm in attending. We hope we will be able to put on an incredible show for the fans – and for the Duke of Richmond! We are always honoured by his unwavering passion for our sport. Thank you for the invitation!

“We have recently celebrated the 1000th FIM Grand Prix, and next season will mark the 75th year since motorcycle racing became the first motorsport World Championship in 1949. At the same time, 2023 is a different kind of landmark year, with more MotoGP™ than ever as the Tissot Sprint debuts across the calendar. At this intersection of history and innovation, the 2023 Festival of Speed is the perfect opportunity to celebrate both the rich heritage of the sport and the heroes of the incredible spectacle we’re enjoying every weekend in this modern era," stated Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna CEO.

The Duke of Richmond, founder of the Festival of Speed, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that the Festival of Speed will host its biggest-ever MotoGP celebration this year. My thanks to Dorna Sports, the teams and riders for including us in their busy schedules - it means so much to everyone at Goodwood and all our fans that they will be here to celebrate with us.”

Details of additional teams joining the celebration at the Festival of Speed will be announced in the coming weeks.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, Thursday 13 - Sunday 16 July 2023.

Tickets
Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Festival of Speed are now sold out. Thursday tickets can be purchased at Goodwood.com or by calling the Ticket Office on 01243 755055.

Contact
For more information about Goodwood’s motorsport events, please contact Katharine Morgan, PR Manager: Katharine.Morgan@goodwood.com

For all other press enquiries please contact: media@goodwood.com

Imagery and news from Goodwood are available from our Press & Media site.

Stay up to date with all future announcements and on-event action across our social channels:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

To get in touch with MotoGP & Dorna Sports, contact External Communication Manager Frances Wyld: franceswyld@dorna.com

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Accreditation
Media accreditation for the Festival of Speed is now open. Make your application here.

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About the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard
First staged in 1993, the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard is the world’s largest automotive garden party; set against the spectacular backdrop of Goodwood House in West Sussex, UK. Over 600 cars and motorcycles spanning the phenomenal history of motoring and motorsport take part along with legendary figures from the automotive world. Highlights include Future Lab presented by Randox, Electric Avenue presented by bp pulse, Forest Rally Stage, Michelin Supercar Paddock, Michelin Supercar Run, F1 Pit Lane presented by Sky, Drivers’ Club, GAS Arena, Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance and Bonhams Auction.

About Mastercard www.mastercard.com
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realise their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

About MotoGP™ & Dorna Sports
The FIM Grand Prix World Championship, MotoGP™, is the most exciting spectacle in motorsport. 22 of the fastest riders compete on purpose-built prototype motorcycles on some of the world’s greatest racetracks, creating one of the most thrilling shows on Earth. Since it was inaugurated in 1949, the sport has grown to comprise 20 Grands Prix across five continents, with the television broadcast reaching hundreds of millions around the world.

Dorna Sports became the sole commercial and television rights holder of the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship in 1991. Based in Madrid, Spain, with premises in Barcelona and a subsidiary in Rome, the Dorna Group is a leader in sports management, marketing and media, and has seen continued growth over the years; expanding from solely MotoGP™ to include other leading motorcycle racing championships across the globe.