How the Goodwood Revival reignited Helio's Hollywood spark

Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves felt like a movie star during his first-ever historic race meeting, the Goodwood Revival, last weekend in the South of England.

The Brazilian legend spent the weekend hustling vintage machinery around the iconic 3.8km airfield circuit as part of a star-studded cast of professional drivers who helped deliver another hugely successful event for the Goodwood Road Racing Club.

Castroneves’ first taste of the action came on Friday, when he took part in the St Mary’s Trophy for 1960s saloon cars, steering a ’65 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA in a field of 30 cars. Each of them, for the first of the race’s two parts, was driven by a notable name from motorsport’s past and present, including NASCAR icon Jimmie Johnson, 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, fellow IndyCar hero Dario Franchitti and two-time Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, who dominated the race in a Ford Galaxie 500. 

The 51-year-old admitted to RACER, in conversation at the Rolex Drivers Club, set up each year in the heart of the paddock to house the event’s competitors, that he was surprised by how fierce the on-track action was.

“I had no idea this was real racing. I’d done no real prep for this! I thought this was the same thing as the Festival (of Speed), where you go and wave at the crowd while driving. But everyone’s on it!” he said.

Like the countless ‘Revival rookies’ before him, the on-track experience left him grinning from ear to ear, with a newfound appreciation for the greats of the past.

“It’s very, very impressive,” he added. “My first experience of historics was with IROC at Washington, a month ago, but it’s not that historic. This is the first weekend I’ve spent driving cars older than me! And it’s given me an appreciation for the past. I’m not sure I would be a race driver if I were born in these eras. You have to be pretty brave. I don’t know how they did it; they must have been sideways all the time.

“Cars have evolved so much, and it makes me appreciate the dangers of it. I understand what it was like when we talk about the 1960s. I respect it so much; I respect that racing has become safer because of what happened in the past. A talented driver vs an OK driver was a huge difference in those days.”

The Goodwood Revival, an annual fixture in the UK’s racing calendar since the late '90s, is unique because the organizers go the extra mile to immerse competitors and event-goers in the past. Drivers are encouraged to race hard, and fans are expected to dress to a theme, or in period attire from the 1940s to the 1960s, with access to certain parts of the circuit reserved for those who meet the code. Even the car parks closest to the circuit are reserved exclusively for pre-’66 cars.

Tom Kristensen is himself a big part of Le Mans history, but he embraced the chance to celebrate another aspect of it with some GT40 seat time. Image via Rolex

The circuit has also been preserved as it was during its heyday, with tasteful, historic branding, barriers, and paddock space. Period-correct live music plays throughout the public areas; there’s a village dedicated to vintage fashion and shopping, and a concors d’elegance for historic aircraft.

Actors in costume roam the venue too, enhancing the spectacle and theme, which this year was ‘La Dolce Vita’, celebrating Maserati’s success at the Targa Florio road race and 80 years of the Vespa scooter. Add it all up, and, according to Castroneves, you get a special atmosphere trackside.

“I did not expect to see the event, and the public embrace the past like this, all wearing proper clothes. I’ve just been feeling like I’m in a movie,” he said. “People who haven’t done it don’t understand. I’ve only been to one other place this magical. And that’s Indianapolis for the 500, because of the history. But this place is definitely up there.”

The meeting also marked many other significant anniversaries, including Ford’s 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1966. All three Ford GT MkIIs from the race were on hand, on display as part of historic tire brand Dunlop’s presence in the paddock, and took to the circuit too, with significant drivers including Le Mans winners Andre Lotterer and Tom Kristensen taking turns behind the wheel.

"Celebrating motor sport has never been more important, and the heritage has never been more attractive,” nine-time winner of the French classic, Tom Kristensen told RACER after his stint behind the wheel of the winning GT. “The Goodwood Motor Circuit hosted such great racing before it closed in the 1960s and, now that it has been revived, it’s the most genuine historic event.

“And what a special privilege to have these iconic Ford GT40s reunited here at Goodwood Revival – and an honor to be able to drive them 60 years on from that incredible moment. History and heritage mean a lot, here and at Le Mans, so to be behind the wheel of one of these cars, it’s a fantastic treat.” 

Across the weekend, motorbike hero Barry Sheene, three-time F1 world champion Jack Brabham and the Spitfire WWII plane were all honored with demonstrations and tributes, between the packed program of races, which culminated in the latest edition of the blue-riband RAC Tourist Trophy Celebration for GTs and prototypes from ’63 and ’64 on Sunday afternoon. 

The hour-long pro-am race, featuring two-driver crews and a mandatory stop, was won by Andre Lotterer in an immaculately prepared Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Coupe after an intense duel with a Shelby Cobra driven by British Touring Car star Andrew Jordan. Jimmie Johnson completed the top three in a Lister-Jaguar Coupe.

With the 2026 edition of the Revival now in the books, the build-up for 2027 has already begun, which is set to be a historic year for the GRRC as it launches its new venture in the USA. The club is planning events for next year in California and Nevada, ahead of its first-ever headline meeting outside the UK at Willow Springs in 2028.