Here’s Why Goodwood is a Festival of More Than Just Speed
Being so immersed in the expanding world of Ford Performance means sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back to bring it all into focus.
That’s why I love events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Not only is it a chance to share our passion with enthusiasts – and convert the next generations of fans – but it also provides a “helicopter view” of our motorsport world.
Where else could you see 2,000 PS-capable SuperVan and SuperTruck electric vehicles alongside rally-hardened Dakar and WRC challengers, and record-setting supercars like our Mustang GTD?
Ford Performance is present in an astonishing breadth of motorsport disciplines.
“We’re there to show the world what Ford can do when there’s a challenge to be tackled, and we’re enormously proud of what we’ve achieved.”Mark Rushbrook is global director of Ford Performance.
From the sand dunes of the Dakar Rally to the historic curves of Le Mans.
From the blue-collar heritage of NASCAR to the glamour and prestige of F1.
Not forgetting the competition to deliver the most exhilarating driving experiences for our road car customers.
Whatever the theatre, we’re there to show the world what Ford can do when there’s a challenge to be tackled, and we’re enormously proud of what we’ve achieved.
Yet, despite being so varied, our Ford Performance programmes are chosen carefully. Strategy is at the heart of any successful racing campaign, and we’re equally strategic about how and why we race.
We buckle our racing harnesses for three reasons.
Firstly, it’s good for our brand.
Take our entrance into F1. Our collaboration with Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa CashApp Racing Bulls from 2026 will showcase our leadership in technical innovation to an audience of over 1 billion F1 followers.
Secondly, it’s good for our business.
For example, if you want to go racing, then we have a Mustang for you. From the Mustang Dark Horse R that we developed for the grass roots club racer, to the Mustang GT4 and GT3 for the privateer as serious about winning as we are.
These track-ready machines are part of our Mustang racing ecosystem, giving customers the same thrill we get when we compete with our Ford Performance Mustangs around the world in GT3, GT4, stock cars, IMSA, DTM, Formula Drift, drag racing and more.
Thirdly, it is a perfect testbed for technology transfer.
Our off-road racing programs such as Dakar and Baja 1000 allow us to test our products and technologies in the harshest conditions.
We’ve also just announced that Ford will return to the top tier of endurance racing in 2027 with our World Endurance Championship hypercar battling for the outright win at Le Mans.
These ultra-tough challenges drive our development teams to innovate in ways that will benefit the customers of our products near term and far into the future.
In fact, ensuring we successfully transfer our racing learnings to the road is why my role was recently expanded to include both Ford Performance motorsport and road vehicles.
At this year’s Goodwood, our F-150 Lightning SuperTruck and Mustang GTD 1 will be competing in the famous Hillclimb Shootout. Our Ford Raptor T1+ will wow the crowds on the Hill and the special off-road arena. Five generations of SuperVan will be together for the first time.
These are just a few of the many thrilling motorsports stories that Ford has to tell.
Even more of those stories are still in the making, and we couldn’t be more excited to have you on that journey with us.
Mark Rushbrook is global director of Ford Performance
1 Officially homologated fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions will be published closer to on-sale date. In accordance with the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP).
