Goodwood Festival of Speed cancelled on Saturday

Today’s penultimate time of the Goodwood Festival of Speed has been cancelled owed to a weather informing for precocious winds, it has present been confirmed. 

Forecasted dense winds had thrown uncertainty implicit whether Saturday’s lawsuit would spell ahead, and sources earlier this evening told Autocar it had been cancelled. Now, ticketholders, manufacturers and exhibitors person been officially informed by festival organisers that the determination has been made to unopen the gates. 

A connection connected the Festival of Speed website read: "It is with heavy regret that we person taken the determination that the Goodwood Festival of Speed volition not spell up [today] (Saturday 15 July 2023). After consulting meteorologists, wellness and information experts and different cardinal stakeholders, we person taken the determination to adjacent the lawsuit tract owed to a terrible upwind informing successful the Goodwood area.

"On-site information is our highest precedence and the forecasted precocious winds volition airs a superior hazard to assorted impermanent structures crossed the site. We politely inquire that you bash not question to Goodwood oregon effort to entree the site.

"This determination has not been made lightly and His Grace, The Duke of Richmond, on with the full Festival of Speed team, are profoundly saddened that we volition not tally the lawsuit connected Saturday for the archetypal clip successful its 30 twelvemonth history."

Exhibitors person been asked to unafraid their stands up of a tract shutdown from 11am. Festivalgoers staying astatine the campsite volition beryllium allowed to stay, but person been advised to instrumentality dense caution successful the conditions. 

Organisers expect the winds to person eased by the evening, and the yearly Goodwood Ball – this twelvemonth celebrating the festival's 30th day – volition spell up from 7pm. 

Sunday’s last day, which spot a forecast of light-to-no rain, is presently scheduled to tally arsenic planned, with gates opening astatine 7am. Organisers emphasise, however, that Sunday is afloat sold retired and Saturday ticketholders volition not beryllium allowed entry. They volition beryllium offered a refund successful the coming days. 

Conditions were mediocre astatine the Sussex lawsuit connected Friday, with the planned Red Arrows show cancelled astatine abbreviated announcement and monsoon-like rainfall pelting the circuit for astir of the afternoon. This resulted successful immoderate delays for drivers leaving the event car parks.