TGR StaffGoodwood is crossing the Atlantic.
The British motorsport institution has announced the formation of the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America, its first major expansion into the United States. The California-based membership program is scheduled to launch in early 2027, followed by an inaugural headline event at Willow Springs International Raceway in 2028.
The announcement was made during the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where American racing history and car culture have played a prominent role in the event’s programming. The launch also coincides with the 250th anniversary of the United States and signals the beginning of a broader Goodwood expansion across the country.
For American enthusiasts who have long admired the Festival of Speed, Goodwood Revival, and Members’ Meeting from afar, the new club promises something more substantial than a stateside mailing list. Goodwood plans to build a year-round calendar around driving, access, and participation.
Bringing the Goodwood Experience to America
Established in 1998 by the Duke of Richmond, the Goodwood Road Racing Club sits at the center of Goodwood’s motorsport community. Its British membership offers access to exclusive gatherings, regional drives, track days, tours, and benefits connected to Goodwood’s major events in West Sussex.
The American club will follow the same broad philosophy but will be shaped around the geography and automotive culture of the western United States.
Plans call for events across California and Nevada, including track days, organized driving tours, private visits, and curated social gatherings. The club will not be limited to a particular manufacturer, era, or category of car. Instead, it will center on the relationship between owners and their vehicles, whether the car in question is a vintage racing machine, modern supercar, prewar tourer, or an enthusiast-owned road car with a good story behind it.
That open approach is important. Some automotive clubs are built around rarity, pedigree, or the careful application of velvet ropes. Goodwood’s stated goal is broader: a club in which participation matters as much as possession.
Members will also receive reciprocal access to Goodwood events in the United Kingdom, creating a direct connection between the new American organization and Goodwood’s established calendar.
First Major Event Planned for Willow Springs
The first headline event organized by the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America is scheduled to take place at Willow Springs in 2028.
Goodwood has not yet disclosed the event’s exact format, but it describes the gathering as a flagship California celebration influenced by American motorsport and car culture. Members and their cars are expected to be central to the program rather than simply parked outside as decorative scenery. Willow Springs is a fitting place to begin.
The circuit’s desert location, high-speed corners, and unmistakably Californian atmosphere provide a distinctly American counterpoint to Goodwood’s historic motor circuit in England. It also gives the new organization room to create an event with its own identity instead of attempting to build a sun-baked copy of the Revival.
The result could become one of the most significant new additions to the American enthusiast calendar, particularly if Goodwood can blend British presentation with the more informal and eclectic character of West Coast car culture.
California has no shortage of automotive gatherings, but Goodwood’s combination of historic racing, fashion, access, storytelling, and enthusiast participation is difficult to replicate. Plenty have borrowed the tweed jackets. Fewer have understood what makes the whole production work.
American Racing Legends Join as Founding Patrons
Goodwood has named Sir Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, and Richard Petty as founding patrons of the American club.
The three drivers represent different corners of motorsport history. Stewart is a three-time Formula 1 World Champion. Andretti won the Formula 1 World Championship, Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and Daytona 24 Hours during one of the most versatile careers in racing. Petty became one of NASCAR’s defining figures through his seven championships and record-setting career.
All three also have longstanding ties to Goodwood and its events.
Mario Andretti described Goodwood as a place that understands the spirit of motorsport and said the American club would appeal to serious motoring and racing enthusiasts.
Their involvement gives the club credibility on both sides of the Atlantic. More importantly, the trio reflects Goodwood’s willingness to treat American motorsport as more than a collection of Shelby Cobras, cowboy hats, and stars-and-stripes decorations.
A Transatlantic Automotive Connection
Goodwood has framed the expansion as the continuation of a relationship between the Richmond family and the United States that reaches back more than two centuries.
Charles Lennox, the 3rd Duke of Richmond, was an outspoken supporter of American independence during the 18th century. Known as the Radical Duke, he worked with political figures including Thomas Paine and argued in favor of the American colonies during the Revolutionary period. The connection continued into the automotive era.
American drivers competed at the original Goodwood Motor Circuit during the postwar golden age of racing, while American cars, teams, and personalities remain regular fixtures at the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival.
The 2026 Festival of Speed has placed particular emphasis on American automotive history. Its programming includes Americana celebrations and the reunion of the three Ford GT40 Mk IIs that swept the podium at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Announcing the new club during that celebration gave Goodwood an appropriate stage to turn decades of transatlantic enthusiasm into a permanent American presence.
What Goodwood Road Racing Club of America Membership Could Mean for American Enthusiasts
Goodwood Road Racing Club of America has not yet released complete membership prices, benefits, eligibility requirements, or the full 2027 event schedule. What it has promised is a club built around access and activity.
Rather than operating only as an event ticket program, the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America is expected to provide members with opportunities to drive, travel, visit private collections, attend social events, and take part in automotive experiences throughout the year.
The California launch will be the first phase of a planned rollout across the United States. Goodwood has not announced which regions may follow, although the initial California and Nevada footprint places the organization within reach of some of America’s strongest automotive communities, collections, manufacturers, roads, and racing circuits.
It is an ambitious move into a crowded marketplace. The United States already has marque clubs, concours organizations, track-day groups, country clubs, private circuits, and high-end touring companies.
Goodwood’s opportunity lies in combining those worlds. The British organization has spent decades building an environment in which a significant racing car, a well-used road car, a world champion, and an ordinary enthusiast can all feel like participants in the same story. Translating that atmosphere to the United States will be the challenge.
Done properly, the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America could become more than another membership organization. It could provide a new home for enthusiasts who believe cars are at their best when being driven, shared, and occasionally discussed over a drink long after the engines have gone quiet.
Prospective members can now register their interest through the official GRRC America website. Additional details, including membership benefits, pricing, and the complete event calendar, will be announced later.
Goodwood Road Racing Club of America Quick Facts
- Official Name: Goodwood Road Racing Club of America
- Abbreviated Name: GRRC of America
- Announcement Date: July 9, 2026
- Membership Launch: Early 2027
- Initial Region: California and Nevada
- First Headline Event: Willow Springs in 2028
- Planned Activities: Track days, driving tours, private visits, social gatherings, and a flagship annual California event
- Vehicle Eligibility: Open to a wide range of cars without restrictions based solely on marque or category
- UK Benefits: Reciprocal access to established Goodwood events
- Founding Patrons: Sir Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, and Richard Petty
- Founding Membership: Prospective members can currently join the waitlist
- Future Plans: Additional Goodwood ventures and membership programs are expected elsewhere in the United States
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America?
The Goodwood Road Racing Club of America is a new American automotive membership organization created by Goodwood. It will offer driving events, track days, tours, private visits, social gatherings, and access to selected Goodwood experiences.
When will the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America launch?
The California-based membership program is expected to launch in early 2027.
Where will the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America club operate?
The first program will focus on California and Nevada. Goodwood says this will be the beginning of a broader expansion across the United States.
When is the first GRRC of America event?
Goodwood says the club’s inaugural headline event will take place at Willow Springs in California in 2028. Additional events may be held before that date as part of the club’s year-round calendar.
What kind of events will members attend?
Goodwood plans to organize track days, driving tours, private automotive visits, curated social gatherings, and a major annual California event inspired by American motorsport and car culture.
Do members need to own a specific type of car?
No. Goodwood says the club will welcome different makes, eras, and categories rather than limiting membership to a single marque or type of vehicle.
Will American members receive access to Goodwood events in England?
Goodwood says the American membership will include reciprocal access to its established events in the United Kingdom. Complete details have not yet been released.
Who are the founding patrons?
The club’s founding patrons are Sir Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, and Richard Petty.
How much will GRRC America membership cost?
Membership pricing has not yet been announced. Goodwood says further details about benefits, costs, and the event calendar will be released later.
How can enthusiasts join the club?
Interested customers can register for the Founding Member waitlist through the GRRC America website.
