The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an event where the past, present and future of automobiles and motorsports intersect. This issue of Honda Stories reports on the 2024 event held in Goodwood, West Sussex, England.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is held annually at Goodwood in West Sussex, England. On the 4,452 hectares (equivalent to 1,000 Tokyo Domes) of private land owned for generations by the Duke of Richmond, a British nobleman, various automobile brands from around the world set up booths to display old and new models. The hill-climb event, which runs over a hilly terrain, offers an up-close look at more than 600 vehicles, ranging from 130-year-old steam-powered cars to the latest F1 machines. This course is also unique, as it is surrounded by old-fashioned straw bales instead of modern barriers.

The Festival of Speed attracts crowds of up to 200,000 spectators over the weekend event, and brings together racing drivers and automaker executives from all over the world. In other words, the Festival of Speed is much more than an automotive event; it is a huge social event that represents international automotive culture.

Each year, the Festival of Speed customarily has a different theme and invites automakers that are the best fit. This year, Honda, which celebrated its 60th anniversary of since its first F1 race in 1964, was honored to be invited along with other world-famous brands. This is the third time that Honda has been invited to the Festival of Speed, following invitations in 2005 and 2019.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary of F1 participation, Honda brought to the event a very special F1 machine: the RA272, representative of Honda’s first phase in F1 racing, and the car that brought Honda its first F1 victory in the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. Oracle Red Bull Racing brought the RB18 to the event as well. Honda’s RC142 and RC213V motorcycle world championship machines were also at the event, representing the past and present of Honda motorsports in both the motorcycle and automobile categories.

Honda connected its past and present not only with its racing machines, but its RA272 drivers.

The drivers of the RA272 at Goodwood are Hikaru Miyagi, a former Honda factory rider, who has overseen the restoration of the RA272, even verifying its condition as test rider, since the Honda Collection Hall was completed in the 1990s, and Yuki Tsunoda, a graduate of the Suzuka Circuit Racing School (now Honda Racing School Suzuka (HRS)) and current F1 driver for Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (Power Unit technical support provided by Honda Racing Corporation). Honda connects its F1 past to the future with Miyagi driving the RA272 on Saturday, and Tsunoda on Sunday.

It is no easy task to bring back to life the RA272, an F1 car built about 60 years ago, to drive at an overseas event. Careful maintenance was carried out of course before the car was brought to the UK, but even so, according to Hisashi Kawabata, the chief mechanic, “It was almost a miracle just to get the engine started.”

In fact, on Saturday, for the first day of the hill-climb, Miyagi’s run was delayed due to difficulties firing up the engine at the starting line.

Honda mechanics from Japan tried everything possible to let the spectators see the RA272 run, including checking components, replacing the auxiliary battery, and finally push-starting the car. When the engine finally fired up, the audience, who were silent in anticipation, erupted in applause. Perhaps it was praise for the mechanics’ never-surrender attitude and the RA272’s majestic sound being heard for the first time in 60 years. Everyone involved with Honda who witnessed this were said to be deeply moved.

In contrast, the RA272 fired up smoothly on Sunday, so Tsunoda was able to participate in the hill-climb on schedule.

Tsunoda shared his thoughts after driving in the hill-climb.

“Before the start of the hill-climb, I was advised to be considerate and gentle with the car, so I drove a little too carefully so as not to stall it when taking off. After that, I drove slowly, gentle on the accelerator, and the engine revved up nicely and I was able to finish the drive with a really good feeling. I revved the engine up to 9,500 rpm or 10,000 rpm, and the pleasant vibration seemed to sink into my bones. The directness of the car and the sense of being as one are things that cannot be experienced in modern cars, and I really enjoyed it, but it was only the first run, so I can’t say that I enjoyed it to the fullest. I am looking forward to the second run.”

Tsunoda was unable to drive the RA272 again. After his first run, the situation changed to accommodate Oracle Red Bull Racing, and with Honda’s approval, Tsunoda drove his second run in the RB18, while Miyagi drove the RA272. As a result, both drivers with close ties to Honda were able to drive the historical and modern F1 cars, which was in effect closer to the original concept.

After his second run, Tsunoda commented:

“It was a really refreshing experience to be able to compare the 60-year-old F1 car with a modern F1 car. In particular, the direct feeling of the RA272, or the feeling of acceleration with vibrations that today’s machines don’t have, is a rare experience now. Nevertheless, I think that both cars had similarities, as they were both built by integrating the technologies of their respective eras. I am truly honored to have had this opportunity. And, I really enjoyed my first time at Goodwood. If I have the chance, I would definitely like to try again.”

The Goodwood Festival of Speed came to a close, Honda being blessed with numerous miracles and good fortune.