Goodwood Festival of Speed to host MotoGP celebration

The Goodwood Festival of Speed will host its largest ever celebration of MotoGP at this year’s edition of the event, which will feature a number of current MotoGP teams, as well as bikes from the championship’s past. 

The celebration of MotoGP at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) will include runs up the famous Goodwood hillclimb for MotoGP motorcycles old and new. 

“Grand Prix motorcycles will make up the entirety of the 2023 Festival of Speed motorbike batch,” a Goodwood FoS press release says, “from the truly historic to the very latest machinery, as the attending factory teams are set to bring and run their 2023 Championship bikes.”

So far, four teams from the current 11 that make up the 2023 MotoGP World Championship are confirmed to be attending the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed. These are:

• Ducati Lenovo Team
• Tech3 GasGas Factory Racing 
• Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
• LCR Honda

The GasGas Aspar Moto2 team will also be in attendance with their British rider, Jake Dixon. More riders and teams are also set to be announced in the coming weeks.

All of the teams present will be located in the Ballroom Paddock, which is close to the Drivers’ Club.

A number of MotoGP legends are also set to be in attendance. The current list of MotoGP legends set to take part in the celebration at Goodwood this year includes:

• Àlex Crivillé (1999 500cc World Champion) 
• Casey Stoner (2007, 2011 MotoGP World Champion)
• Freddie Spencer (Three-times World Champion, the only rider to win the 250cc and 500cc World Championship in the same year)
• Giacomo Agostini (15-times World Champion, record 122 GP wins)
• Jorge Lorenzo (Five-times World Champion)
• Kenny Roberts Jnr (2000 500cc World Champion)
• Kevin Schwantz (1993 500cc World Champion)
• Mick Doohan (Five-times 500cc World Champion)
• Randy Mamola (12-times Grand Prix winner)
• Wayne Gardner (1987 500cc World Champion)

Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna CEO, said: “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…