Goodwood Festival of Speed returned in style this year, bringing together world-class drivers and three days of unforgettable entertainment for fans. MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi and F1 star Lando Norris joined the Duke of Richmond for a special balcony moment on Friday, 10 July 2026, kicking off a weekend that only built in intensity from there.
Here’s what happened:
- Norris, Rossi and the Duke of Richmond appeared on the Goodwood Balcony;
- Liberty Walk Super Silhouette Nissan Silvia;
- Steve “Baggsy” Biagioni debuted his 1000HP Toyota GR Corolla drift car;
- Valentino Rossi drove a BMW LMP car up Goodwood Hill;
- Smoke Show with Monster Energy Athletes led by Rossi and Norris;
- Monster Energy Rig Riot joined by DJ producer Kettama and Norris.
Friday saw Norris driving a new drift car, the S13, built by the team of drift driver Steve “Baggsy” Biagioni, while Rossi made his own grand entrance riding an M1 motorbike up to the balcony.
“Any new car that I get to drive is exciting for me,” Norris said, “especially when it’s kitted out, it’s different, it’s not my usual single-seater. So, I’m very excited.
“I’m just someone who loves racing and tries to put on a good show for my fans, for the people that help make me do what I get to do, which is travel the world driving Formula 1. I can’t call it a job, since this is what I’ve loved to do since I was a kid.”
On Saturday, Rossi swapped two wheels for four, taking a BMW LMP car up the legendary Hill in front of a roaring crowd.
“It’s a very unique weekend where you can put together the best drivers from cars, from Formula 1, from rally, together with the best motorcycle racers,” he said. “You can see a lot of very mythological cars and bikes all together. It’s a crazy event, because you have this road that goes up the hill in the middle of the garden with a lot of people – it’s exciting.”
Baggsy himself had debuted his new 1000HP Toyota GR Corolla drift car on Thursday, setting the tone for a festival packed with horsepower and burnouts.
Saturday brought the spectacle to a peak with a Monster Energy Smoke Show led by Rossi and Norris up the Hill and joined by an all-star line-up of Monster Energy athletes including rally driver Petter Solberg, motorcycle racers John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop, and Baggsy. Tyres smoked, engines roared, and the crowd lining the course got a show they won’t forget.
As the sun set on Saturday, Monster Energy’s Rig Riot came alive with a set from DJ producer Kettama, joined by a man of many talents – Norris himself. From balcony moments to burnouts, drift debuts to DJ sets, Monster Energy proved why Goodwood Festival of Speed is a date like no other on the motorsport calendar.
