Goodwood Revival 2026: Jenson Button and Jimmie Johnson among stars headlining iconic event
The upcoming 2026 edition of the Goodwood Revival will feature a star-studded array of drivers coming from different motorsport disciplines, with each of them getting behind the wheel of historic cars from the post World War 2 era.
2009 Formula One champion, Jenson Button, is joined by NASCAR legend, Jimmie Johnson, among many other stars from F1, IndyCar, Endurance Racing, British Touring Cars and Superbike racing.
The Goodwood Revival is one of Goodwood's flagship events of the year. The event boasts a huge collection of classic cars from before and after the second World War, with that era seeing great technological advancements over several decades. Attendees often wear clothing from the 1950's, with drivers also wearing nostalgic racing suits to fit into the aesthetic.
The event features several different races and cups for cars of each era. The Royal Automobile Club TT celebration race features the most outstanding and impressive grid, with many legendary drivers going up against one another, in a race where two drivers work as a team, making a mandatory pit stop midway through the race to change drivers.
The Revival also boasts an impressive line-up of British drivers, with Jason Plato, Tom Ingram, Colin Turkington, Andrew Jordan, Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal all coming from the British Touring Car paddock, as champions of the sport.
Rob Huff will also be in attendance as a touring car champion, with the Brit taking the World Touring Car Championship crown back in 2012 after fighting Gabriele Tarquini.
Notable drivers in the RAC TT Celebration include: Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson, Jason Plato, Andrew Jordan, Gordon Shedden, Tom Ingram, Dario Franchitti, Romain Dumas, Erik Comas, Emmanuele Pirro and Andre Lotterer.
This race boasts an impressively diverse grid of drivers from different backgrounds. Button, Pirro and Comas come from the world of F1, with the other drivers coming from touring car and sportscar glory.
Many of these drivers will also take each other on, one on one, in the St. Mary's Trophy Part 1, which features a wide variety of different cars and manufacturers from the 1960's era. The St. Mary's trophy beginning the weekend of racing action on Friday morning with their first practice session.
Formula E will also be represented during the Revival weekend, with Jaguar's António Félix da Costa driving a 1963 Jaguar Mk2 alongside automotive presenter Chris Harris. It represents a unique opportunity for the Portuguese driver to swap Formula E machinery and drive a classic car during Race 1 on Saturday. Harris will then take over for Race 2 on Sunday.
The Goodwood Revival event is different to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in many ways, with the Revival racing around the Goodwood Motor Circuit. The FOS features a celebration of motorsport with cars, bikes, drivers and riders from every era, with more of a focus on the modern motorsport scene, as drivers take the cars up the Goodwood hillclimb.
However, the Revival is where racing fans may find themselves more satisfied, with on-track battles, door-banging action and impressive overtakes. The event is also incredibly unique, bringing racing drivers from different grids together to drive classic cars which often level the playing field.
Mix the lower grip of the older cars with the British autumn season, and rain can be expected to bring some additional chaos to the event. The circuit itself tests the drivers skill whilst also pushing the cars to the limit.
The opening straight and first few corners dare the drivers to be the last of the late brakers, with two medium speed right-handers opening the lap. Should a driver run their car off the circuit, the consequences can be severe. Most of the circuit features a short run-off area followed by grass and suddenly, the tyre barriers.
Running off the road at Goodwood typically leads to a smash into the barrier. The middle sector of the circuit also tests driver's ability to be patient on the throttle, with a quick left-hander followed by a long right hand turn, with drivers patiently feeding the throttle through, so that they don't run wide and out onto the grass.
The back straight then brings the cars to the most technical part of the circuit, a tricky double right-hander, where drivers have the option to dive-bomb one another by using the corner either as a late, risky double-braking zone, or as one braking zone to carry the momentum through the corner.
To complete the lap, the drivers then navigate the tricky final chicane. A good run out of the chicane can see the drivers then carry speed down the main straight, looking for a move into the first corner. However, a poor final chicane could see the drivers run out wide and ruin their current and next lap.
With the drivers racing cars from the 1960's, they can expect a lower amount of grip than they are typically used to, and with the late-braking zones and technical section in Goodwood, it makes the circuit somewhat difficult to navigate.
Despite the event being dominated by cars, motorcycles also play a big role in the event, notably with the Barry Sheene memorial trophy. There are a few famous faces from the MotoGP and Superbike paddocks, with Marco Melandri, Troy Bayliss, John McGuinness, Eugene Laverty, Tom Sykes and Peter Hickmann all racing at Goodwood across the weekend.
Notably, some other motorsport icons make appearances at the Goodwood Revival, even if they are not racing in the event. Adrian Newey frequently attends the Revival in support of his son, Harrison Newey, who races in the event.
Rowan Atkinson also frequently makes appearances at Goodwood, both as a driver and spectator, the British comedian even finished on the podium during the 2022 event, in the Sopwith Cup. Ex-Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner, has also made appearances at the Revival as well.
The Goodwood Revival event runs from the 18th-20th September 2026, featuring many stars of motorsport as they come up against one another in classic cars from the 1960's.
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