Hertz Team JOTA visits the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Hertz Team JOTA will be showing off its Porsche 963 at one of the biggest automotive events in the world: the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 racing at Monza, Italy, in the WEC. Credit: Nick Dungan and Drew Gibson Photography

Every year, more than 200,000 motoring fans from across the globe head to the south of England for a four-day celebration of everything including cars, bikes and trucks – in 2022, there was even a jetpack.

It’s an anniversary-filled event this year, with the festival celebrating 75 years of Porsche, 75 years of NASCAR, and even 75 years of motorsport at Goodwood itself. The Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 is part of that Porsche celebration, and comes fresh from the latest World Endurance Championship in Monza, Italy.

Let’s see what this spectacular event is all about.

Goodwood House, where the Festival of Speed has been hosted since 1993. Source Shutterstock

What is the Goodwood Festival of Speed?

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsport festival that takes place outside Goodwood House in West Sussex, England.

It’s been running since 1993, when estate owner Lord March wanted to bring motorsport back to Goodwood’s circuit. When he couldn’t get permission there, he decided to hold an event on the grounds in front of Goodwood House.

Since then, the Festival of Speed has become one of the world’s biggest, most eclectic and most loved motoring events. The main spectacle is the 1.16-mile hillclimb, which cuts through the grounds of the Goodwood estate, passing in front Goodwood House.

Every year, you can expect to see some of the world’s rarest cars and bikes, driven and ridden by world championship-winning drivers and riders. But beyond that, there’s so much more to see – there are stands, exhibitions and driving experiences from manufacturers, and dirt bike stunts over at the Action Sports Arena.

Where to see the Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963

The Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 will be running in class 19, 75 Years of Porsche – Prototypes, which celebrates Porsche’s illustrious history in top-tier endurance racing.

It’ll be going up the hill:

Thursday – between 1:15pm and 1:50pm.
Friday – between 11:40am and 12:15pm, and between 1:35pm and 2pm.
Saturday – between 11am and 11:30am, and between 1:30pm and 2:05pm.
Sunday – between 12:25pm and 1pm, and between 3:15pm and 3:50pm.

The class includes the:

1984 Porsche 953 ‘Paris-Dakar’ – the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 4x4 -derived rally car that Jacky Ickx drove to victory in the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally, a brutal, near-7,000-mile race across Africa.
1969 Porsche 917K – one of the world’s greatest ever racing cars, the 917 dominated racing in the early 1970s. The 917K variant won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971.
2023 Porsche 99X – Porsche’s Formula E entrant, capable of 200 mph thanks to its 470 bhp motor, and 840 kg weight.

Between hillclimb runs, you can get up close with multiple Porsches in Porsche Avenue, just a short walk from Goodwood House.

The Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 testing at the Circuit de la Sarthe before the 24 of Le Mans, France, in June. Credit: Nick Dungan and Drew Gibson Photography

Who’s driving the Hertz Team JOTA car at Goodwood?

Marino Franchitti, Singer Chief Development Driver and Ambassador, is the first confirmed driver. He says: “Goodwood’s fantastic! It’s such a special place for me and to get to drive this new generation of LMPh cars, to get to drive the Hertz Team Jota car – the mighty #38 – finally was really special, even up the Duke of Richmond’s driveway here.

“The car’s incredible, it’s so complicated at first but it all comes together beautifully when you get to drive it up the hill. To launch it on electric and then kicking the internal combustion engine in, it’s just whetted my appetite – I want to drive it on a proper track now!”

What happens at Goodwood?

There are some key events that take place at Goodwood, each play an important part in making it an unmissable spectacle.

Hillclimb – 1.16 miles of a narrow, winding track, lined with hay bales. This is normally just an access road for the house. Expect drifts through the first corner, donuts in front of the house, and sonorous sounds past the Flint Wall. Most cars do demo runs, others will be timed.
Central Feature – a sculpture dedicated to the year’s big sponsor. This year, it celebrates 75 years of Porsche sportscars.
Cartier Style et Luxe – a concours d’elegance (essentially a competition for beautiful cars), classes include The Birth of Affordable Motoring, Custom Low-Riders and Grand Tourers of the 1950s.
Forest Rally Stage – witness some of the world’s best rally cars cutting through Goodwood’s tight rally course, including more than one Audi Quattro.
Rocking down to ‘Electric Avenue’ – an avenue filled with the latest EVs.
Future Lab – immerse yourself in the latest technology, steering the future of cars.
Supercar Paddock – a chance for enthusiasts to get up close with the latest supercars, including the all-electric Rimac Nevera, McLaren Solus GT and the Ferrari Roma S-A Coupe.
First Glance Paddock – a glimpse into the very-near-future of motoring, including the electric Caterham EV Seven, Aston Martin DBX 707 and Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Goodwood and its surroundings

The beautiful Goodwood Estate is spread across 12,000 acres of rolling West Sussex countryside – a southern English haven. There’s much more to the estate, too. Goodwood is home to the – again, world-famous – Goodwood Racecourse, which hosts horse racing throughout the year. There’s also huge swathes of woodland and farmland.

Getting to and from the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Chichester is the closest town to Goodwood, and there are so many other nearby towns and cities to stay in, too. The popular coastal cities of Portsmouth and Southampton are around 30 and 40 miles away, respectively, while London is just over 60 miles to the north.

If you’re flying in, rent a car from Heathrow Airport is under 60 miles away.

The biggest piece of advice, though: get there as early as you can. Goodwood’s traffic jams can be enormous, comfortably stretching back five, even 10 miles.

Is the wait worth it?

Absolutely. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the best – if not the best – motoring events in the world. Where else can you see tomorrow’s supercars, Indy 500-winning drivers, air displays and a Porsche 963 in one day?

Read more about Hertz Team JOTA’s World Endurance Championship campaign, or rent a car in the UK to experience the Festival of Speed for yourself.