Why 2024's opening day of Goodwood Festival of Speed was a little different

There was plenty of action taking place on the opening day of FOS

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed got underway for the first of its four days of action on Thursday.

The opening day of FOS has usually been a low key affair, and historically supercars and road cars have been the main focus.

But that wasn't entirely the case this year, with several of the main batches going up the infamous Goodwood hillclimb.

Not only were fans able to witness some of the world's greatest supercars fly up the hill, but MotoGP bikes of old and a variety of Formula 1 cars were also on display.

It wasn't just the array of cars and bikes that were visible on the opening day of FOS that came of a surprise either.

Ordinarily, star drivers and riders don't appear until later on in the weekend, but on Thursday there were plenty of stars enjoying the event, including current F1 Williams driver Alex Albon and World Rally champions Kalle Rovanpera and Sebastien Ogier.

It meant it was a slight shift from the normal Thursday regulars have been accustomed to, but it was a welcome amendment that will no doubt lead to even more visitors attending the opening day of the 2025 edition of FOS.

And this is only just the beginning...