World Touring Car Championship heading to Goodwood

Six front-running cars from the WTCC, representing the varied automotive brands participating in the championship, will take part at the festival, driven by a selection of the championship’s star drivers.

The line-up will be decided by an all-new Race to Goodwood competition running within the WTCC, with leading drivers in the 2016 championship invited to take part.

Following practice runs up Goodwood’s iconic 1.16-mile hillclimb, the stars of the WTCC will shoot-out against each other – and the clock – to see who will win the first WTCC Goodwood Trophy, a spectacular standalone event that marks the series’ return to the UK for the first time since 2011.

Star drivers of the WTCC’s turbo-charged 380bhp machines currently include former Festival of Speed competitors Sebastien Loeb, Rob Huff and Gabriele Tarquini, plus current World Champion Jose Maria Lopez and four-time title winner Yvan Muller.

The six competing cars will all appear in special one-off liveries, created by esteemed artists and designers. An expert judging panel and fans of the WTCC will be able to vote for their favourite designs with an award being presented for the most innovative livery.

In 2017 the intensity of the contest will increase as manufacturers will be invited to develop their design concepts for World Touring Cars of the future, with the spectacular creations on display at the Festival of Speed throughout the event.

Lord March said: “We are delighted to welcome the FIA World Touring Car Championship to the Festival of Speed. The WTCC is one of the most prestigious motor racing championships in the world and features some of its best drivers.

“I’m sure the special one-of-a-kind liveries we see in 2016 and the design concepts present in 2017 will prove extremely popular and the timed shoot-out on our Hillclimb will be extremely spectacular.”

Francois Ribeiro, head of Eurosport Events, said: “The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the biggest motorsport events on the planet, it’s all about passion, tradition, performance and style. We wanted to connect the WTCC to Goodwood and we’re looking to the manufacturers and teams to enlist artists, be they famous nationally or emerging, to come up with bold, imaginative and eye-catching designs from a complete blank canvas.”

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