There are always plenty of good reasons to get along to the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed , with this year presenting one of the few opportunities we get to see Valentino Rossi in person in the UK.
The nine-time Grand Prix champion has been to the Festival of Speed once before in 2015 , when he rode a Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike up the hill the day after beating Marc Marquez in the Saturday MotoGP race at Assen in the Netherlands .
This time, he’s coming as a guest of Monster Energy, BMW and Yamaha – with the Italian still competing in a BMW M4 GT3 Evo as part of the GT World Challenge Europe car racing series.
Rossi is set to be joined by Formula One world champion Lando Norris for a series of ‘balcony moments’ on Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11.
“Being at Festival of Speed, seeing so many passionate fans, and sharing the hill with incredible athletes like Lando Norris and John McGuinness makes it an unforgettable experience,” Rossi said.
The 2026 FoS is rammed with two-wheeled legends. There’s a massive Ducati party on the Thursday to mark the Bologna firm’s centenary, with factory riders Nicolò Bulega and Iker Lecuona joining Alvaro Bautista plus local heroes Tommy Bridewell and Tarran Mackenzie from the WSBK paddock.
Casey Stoner and Troy Bayliss are also coming along straight from the World Ducati Week event . There are two special celebrations of British race legends as well: one for Barry Sheene, marking 50 years since his first GP title win , and another for John McGuinness after 30 years at the TT.
It’s always good when biking superstars head to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and few command the same presence as Valentino Rossi. A fan favourite across the world, his attendance is sure to draw huge numbers to the side of the circuit as he makes each run up the famous hillclimb course.
MCN Photojournalist and road tester - Over 30 years experience, having ridden most bikes from a Honda V5 MotoGP bike to electric commuters, and everything in between. Known to spin a spanner from time to time as well, he currently has a turbo charged Kawasaki ZRX1100 with full Öhlins shock and carbon wheels on the bench.
A 30-year veteran freelancer who started writing about motorbikes on the MCN news desk back in 1997.