Every year, new hypercars and legendary racing cars are presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. One participant is likely to remember this year's event for a long time.
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- Hypercars and legendary racing cars have been presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England since 1993.
- Over four days, the cars put on a breathtaking show on a 1.86-kilometer track.
- This year, Lotus presented a new electric hypercar worth two million Swiss francs - which crashed into the straw bales after the start.
Last weekend, the Goodwood Festival of Speed took place on the grounds of Goodwood House near Chichester in the south of England.
Since 1993, thousands of motorsport enthusiasts have been making the pilgrimage to the manor house of Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond. They, and thousands of spectators who tune in via livestream, are treated to one of the biggest car shows in the world over four days.
Various racing cars compete against each other on the 1.86-kilometer track. The aim is to cover the distance in the fastest time. However, the result is not the main focus, it's the show that counts.
Alongside the race, innovations from the world of hypercars and legendary vehicles from the world of motorsport are presented. Prominent drivers are often behind the wheel. This year, for example, the current Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and his team colleague Sergio Perez took part in the event.
Premiere ends in the straw bales
One car caused quite a stir, and not just because of its many horsepower. We are talking about the Lotus Evija X. The new all-electric hypercar was presented to the public on the first day of the event. The cost of the car: around two million Swiss francs.
While the first drive in the morning was successful, the second run in the afternoon went very wrong. When accelerating, the tires began to smoke and the driver, who was not named on the start list, lost control of the vehicle after a few meters and crashed into the straw bales.
The bodywork of the 2000 hp car was badly damaged in the impact. The event was able to continue after repair work was carried out on the track. There were no injuries.
Technical failure
At first, the reasons could only be speculated. A few days after the incident, however, Lotus did get in touch with the organizers.
The four electric motors had produced different outputs at the start. When the driver took his foot off the gas pedal, the balance of the car shifted, which then led to the uncontrolled impact into the straw bales. The driver was not found to be at fault.
The fact that the Lotus Evija X also works without incidents was proven in spring 2024. A new lap record for production chassis was set on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife with a time of 6:24 minutes.
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