Penske To Be Celebrated This Weekend at English Racing Festival
July 08, 2021 | By Curt Cavin
Roger Penske is returning to the scene of one of his favorite driving moments – England’s Goodwood Motor Circuit – where he will be honored throughout this weekend at Goodwood’s prestigious Festival of Speed event.
Penske last visited the facility in West Sussex in 1963, competing in the RAC Tourist Trophy. He finished eighth in a Ferrari 250 GTO entered by the legendary North American Racing Team.
Goodwood is the ultimate summer garden party, described as a celebration of the world’s most glamorous sport. The event runs through Sunday.
Penske is being honored as part of “The Maestros, Motorsport’s Great All-Arounders.” In addition to having a standout driving career, Penske’s race teams have had unprecedented success across various racing platforms on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
The 84-year-old owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR will be more than the guest of honor – he will drive, too. Penske will pilot in Goodwood’s Hillclimb the 2008 Porsche RS Spyder sports car that was the overall winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring.
“I have wonderful memories of racing at Goodwood in 1963 and am honored to be invited to return,” Penske said. “I am very much looking forward to sharing in the celebrations with Goodwood’s passionate fans as they return for the 2021 Festival of Speed.”
Best known for owning the winning cars of 18 Indianapolis 500s, Penske’s organization has excelled in INDYCAR, Formula One, NASCAR, Australian Supercars, Trans-Am and nearly every version of sports car racing.
Goodwood will showcase Penske’s momentous career by assembling some of the team’s most famous cars. These will include:
- Team Penske’s first Indianapolis 500 entry from 1969, the four-wheel drive Lola T152;
- The McLaren M16B representing the first of the team’s record 18 Indianapolis 500 wins in 1972 (Mark Donohue was the winner);
- The Penske PC23 that Al Unser Jr. used to dominate the 1994 Indianapolis 500;
- The 2006 and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winners driven by Sam Hornish Jr. and Will Power, respectively;
- The Pontiac Catalina honoring the car that Penske drove to a NASCAR Late Model victory at Riverside, California, in 1963;
- The Penske PC1 from 1975 that represents Team Penske’s foray into F1 –the first car manufactured by Penske Cars UK;
- The PC4, which won the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix driven by John Watson.