24 two-wheeled superstars including Agostini, Roberts, Gardner, Spencer, McGuinness and Redding set to climb the hill.
The 21st annual Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place over the weekend of the 26-29th June which should see around 150,000 attending over the weekend. A host of big names from the motorsport and entertainment world will parade, and often race, up the 1.16 mile hill climb course in front of Lord March’s Goodwood House.
Historically the Festival of Speed has been a predominantly four-wheeled focused event but as each year passes more and more bikes with more and more famous faces are invited to head up the hill. The entry list for this years event has been announced and we’ve picked out the two-wheeled superstars from the line-up of current and past riders, racers and top names from motorcycling who will either be charging up the hill or entertaining the crowds with a range of skids, wheelies, tricks and stoppies.
Bike Social Ambassador, Scott Redding, has confirmed he’ll be running the 1987 ex-Freddie Spencer Honda 500ccGP bike but it won’t be his first time at Goodwood, having been on board a Metrakit Blusens 125cc in 2009 alongside Danny Webb.
Photo credit: www.f1photographs.co.uk
Meanwhile, adventurer, soon-to-be-TV-Chef and all-around top bloke Charley Boorman who will be riding his own BMW R1150GS Adventure, the very bike he rode in ‘Long Way Round’ with Ewan McGregor. Incidentally, this year sees the 10th anniversary of the duo’s epic adventure. Where did that time go?!
Charley told us, “Lord March came up with the idea, he asked if the bike was available and if I was interested and it’s a bit like if the Queen invites you for tea, you don’t say no! It’s one of the hottest tickets in town. I rode up the hill with Ewan in 2005 and had a fantastic day. I was also invited when I did the Dakar too and rode my Dakar bike up the hill in 2006. Anybody keen on two or four wheels should get along, there’s an extraordinary amount of people who go along and there’s every category of motorsport and motoring available you can get really close to the action too, a bit like the TT – the feeling where you have almost unlimited access.”
Ex-BSB Champion, Tommy Hill, will be back for third consecutive outing and he told us, "Once again it's great to be back at Goodwood. This year I am riding the brand new Hesketh 24, which has only just been completed and looks great. So it's exciting for me to be the rider showcasing the new bike up the hill in front of thousands of people"
The more familiar names among the many motorcyclists displaying their talents at the Festival of Speed are: (in alphabetical order)
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Giacomo Agostini
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15-time Motorcycle Grand Prix World Champion rides an MV Agusta
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Charley Boorman
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Bike enthusiast and star of TV's 'Long Way Round' takes the 'Long Way Up' the hill with his BMW R1150GS Adventure
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Chaz Davies
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Ducati’s World Superbike rider and 2011 World Supersport champion will ride a MotoGP Ducati
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Michael Dunlop
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8 of his 11 TT wins have come in the past two years. BMW rewarded him with the Superstock S1000RR which he’ll ride at Goodwood
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Wayne Gardner
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The first Australian to win the 500cc Motorcycle World Championship in 1987 will ride a Honda RS500R GP bike
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Stuart Graham
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Grand Prix and TT winner will be on board a Honda RC164 from the Honda collection
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Mattie Griffin
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World-renowned stunt rider performs on his BMW stunt bike
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Leon Haslam
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Honda’s World Superbike racer will be on his PATA Honda race bike
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Tommy Hill
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2011 British Superbike Champion will be on board the new Hesketh 24
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James Hillier
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Isle of Man TT front-runner will ride his Kawasaki TT bike
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Dougie Lampkin
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Unbeatable trials legend with 29 Championships to his name
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Eugene Laverty
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13-time World Superbike race winner on his current Voltcom Suzuki
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Alex Lowes
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2013 British Superbike champion, now with Suzuki in World Superbike rides his Voltcom Suzuki WSBK bike
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John McGuinness
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21-time Isle of Man TT winner rides up the Hill on a Honda TT bike
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Sammy Miller
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Two-time European Trials Champion uses a number of bikes from his amazing museum collection
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Dave Molyneux
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17 TT wins in 25 years for the Sidecar man. He’ll be riding his 2014 winning DMR-Kawasaki F2 up the hill
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Jim Moodie
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Seven-time Isle of Man TT winner rides the Foggy Petronas
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Steve Parrish
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Three-time British 500cc champion, 1981 British Superbike champion, commentator and legendary prankster on his 1978 RG500 Suzuki GP bike
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Jonathan Rea
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14-times World Superbike race winner on his PATA Honda World Superbike
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Scott Redding
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Bike Social Ambassador, 2013 Moto2 runner-up, Britain's youngest GP winner, currently in MotoGP with Gresini Honda. Will be on an ex-Spencer 1987 500cc GP Honda
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Kenny Roberts
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Three-times World Champion winning 27 races from 60 starts. ‘King Kenny’ will ride his YamahaYZR500 GP bike
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Terry Rymer
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World Superbike Endurance Champion on a Harris Suzuki F1
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Bradley Smith
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British MotoGP star. Three-time winner in 125cc GPs rides Kenny Roberts' 1980 500cc world title-winning Yamaha
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Freddie Spencer
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Won both 250cc & 500cc GP Championships in 1985 will be back on board his championship-winning Honda NSR500
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*List is provisional and subject to change
And in a heavy link to motorcycling, John Surtees will have the 50th anniversary of his championship season celebrated with a drive of 11 cars and three motorcycles from his long career, including his championship-winning Ferrari from 1964.
Goodwood owner Lord March said: “It’s fantastic to be able to welcome names like Agostini, Spencer and Gardner back to the Festival of Speed. They have shown their addition to winning in a huge way during their careers and have achieved unprecedented success. I’m sure they will all be hugely popular additions to a fantastic line-up.”
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