Goodwood will play host to a celebration of speed, power, grace and beauty this autumn after confirming a one-off extravaganza; Goodwood Speedweek presented by Mastercard.

Having taken the difficult decision to postpone the 78th Members’ Meeting, Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard and the Goodwood Revival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it looked likely that no racing would take place at the West Sussex venue in 2020.

On October 16-18 however, the peace and tranquility of the surrounding countryside will be broken by the sounds of horsepower as Goodwood Speedweek combines elements of the Festival of Speed and Revival, as well as races from the Members’ Meetings.

The three-day event will take place behind closed doors however spectators will be able to savour all of the action courtesy of a live stream on the Goodwood Road & Racing website.

A statement on the Goodwood website read: “Speedweek will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, bringing together more than a century of motorsport and motoring and celebrating the past, present and future of our shared passions.

“The three-day broadcast will be packed with supercar demonstration runs, new car launches, next-generation technology from FOS Future Lab, and an online auction of beautiful machinery by our longstanding partner Bonhams.

“Of course it is the track action we are most excited to see and Speedweek will be doing it bigger, better and louder than ever. The favourite races from the Revival and Members’ Meeting will bring you three days of wheel-to-wheel action in everything from Edwardian aero-engined monsters to glorious ‘60s GTs and gnarly ‘70s saloon cars.

“There will be action off the track as well with the first-ever Goodwood Gymkhana and a Rally Sprint bringing the action screeching sideways onto your screen. The weekend will culminate in a Speedweek-exclusive Timed Shootout round the challenging 2.4-mile Goodwood Motor Circuit.

“Nothing like Speedweek has been seen before, as Goodwood brings more than a century of world class motorsport to life to celebrate the legendary feats of speed, courage and endurance that make it the most compelling sport on earth. On the track, the most valuable cars will do battle in the closest, most competitive historic racing in the world, driven by a glittering line-up of famous faces.

“Embracing the lack of spectators, a dramatic rally competition will see cars go on, over and even under the circuit, and the inaugural ‘Goodwood Gymkhana’ will literally take over the venue, going to places that would normally be strictly out of bounds.

“Building to a climax on Sunday, a never-to-be-repeated competition will see some of the fastest cars in motorsport history vying for honours in a winner-takes-all shoot-out over one lap. Modern cars have never competed at Goodwood, so the speeds they achieve will be unlike anything previously seen at the iconic venue.

“The official Goodwood lap record has stood for 55 years, and, with modern cars never likely to return, it’s entirely possible that the times recorded at Speedweek will remain unsurpassed for the next 55…”