Ford's legendary Le Mans-win recreated at Goodwood Revival

The celebrations peaked on Saturday as the thunder of the Ford GT40s shook the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit in the hands of three American motorsport legends. Not only was this moment a celebration of America's motorsport history, it also gave us another chance to look ahead to the impending creation of the new GRRC of America.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, at the wheel of the 1966 Le Mans-winning GT MkII, was flanked by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Hélio Castroneves and six-time IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon.

As these icons, both cars and drivers, made their way to the final straight in a formation reminiscent of that famous winning moment back in 1966, the Duke of Richmond was there to reenact the immortal chequered flag moment.

Only at Goodwood could a moment like this come together, an opportunity to see these three priceless cars back up to speed, driven with purpose by drivers of equal motorsport prominence.

On Sunday, having built to a spectacular crescendo, the masters of modern endurance racing took to the grid in the beloved GT40s. A trio boasting a staggering 19 Le Mans victories between them.

Tom Kristensen, whose record nine wins earned him the nickname 'Mr Le Mans', was joined by five-time victors Derek Bell and Emanuele Pirro. It was a suitable line-up of drivers to complete a remarkable weekend of celebrations for one of motorsport's most legendary moments.

There’s a poetic symmetry in watching the most successful endurance drivers of all time wrestle the very machines that finally conquered Ferrari in 1966. Having spent their careers conquering the grueling Le Mans 24 Hours across different golden eras, these three legends unleashed the full, roaring potential of the GT40’s V8 engines, closing out the Goodwood Revival weekend with a masterclass in vintage heavy-metal racing history.

Machines this iconic deserve the absolute best of the best, and watching these V8 engines roar to life at the Goodwood Motor Circuit is a moment that will live long in the memory.

Photography by Joe Harding and Jordan Butters.

Friday at the Goodwood Revival belonged entirely to one of endurance racing’s most iconic creations. In a spectacular reunion, André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer, and Marcel Fässler stepped into the cockpits of the infamous 1966 Le Mans Ford GT40 Mk IIs. This legendary trio of drivers – who famously conquered Le Mans together three times for Audi – traded the high-tech, hybrid cockpits of their modern racing cars for the raw, unadulterated muscle of 1960s motorsport history.

Watching these three modern heroes wrestle with the priceless GT40s around the fast sweeps of the Goodwood Motor Circuit, their thunderous V8 engines singing to the spectators, was a moment to remember. Filing one by one through the chicane and following so closely in each other's slipstreams, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d gone back in time to visit the Circuit de la Sarthe. 

The emotional weight of the moment was perfectly captured by Lotterer, piloting the race-winning GT40 chassis P/1046. So in awe of the machinery and the historical gravity of the parade, he couldn't resist taking one extra 'victory lap' – simply needing a few more moments on the track to take it all in. We’d certainly do the same.

Photography by Joe Harding, Pete Summers, Jordan Butters, Rob Cooper and Tom Shaxson. 

Historic image courtesy of Getty Images.