Wimbledon has its strawberries and short skirts. At Royal Ascot it’s the hats. And the Goodwood Festival of Speed has the anarchic aroma of burning rubber and fuel in the air.

The annual hillclimb has become something of a great British institution. Trumping the season’s other highlights for spectacle and drama, it draws anoraks and aristocracy alike to the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex. And the thrill of witnessing some of the world’s most exotic road and race cars run in anger keeps them coming back for more, with the 16th running of the Festival of Speed, from July 11-13, promising to be the biggest and best yet.

Star drivers and celebrity faces will once again be out in force. Big names such as Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Damon Hill, Juha Kankkunen, Stig Blomqvist and Sir Stirling Moss have all been confirmed as drivers at the hillclimb. And as ever, the informal, access-all-areas atmosphere means fans will be able to get face to face with their personal heroes — a far cry from today’s VIP-only Formula One scene.

Better still is seeing these drivers tackle the 1.16-mile hill that runs past the Earl of March’s family pile. Piloting more than 300 of some of the most spectacular two and four-wheeled machines, they never fail to put on an outstanding display on March’s driveway.

This year’s theme, “Hawthorn To Hamilton — Britain’s Love Affair with World Motor Sport”, celebrates Britain’s pivotal role in global motor sport. From the nation’s greatest drivers to the brains and teams behind winning cars and motorcycles, a global mix of names and machinery will be present at the Festival of Speed.

March is as excited as the fans about Hamilton’s second year of attendance. Referring to Hamilton’s debut at last year’s festival, in which he drove a McLaren Formula One car up the hill, March said: “There’s been nothing like that at Goodwood. It’s unbelievable. There is such goodwill for Lewis, such good feeling — everyone loves him.”

Last year’s poor weather thwarted any attempt at an unofficial record run by Hamilton. This year, armed with his 2007 McLaren MP4-22 F1 race car, he will be hoping for sun. But there will be competition. The F1 cars of Ferrari, Honda, BMW Sauber and Toyota will be charging hard as well.

Another British hero to be honoured at the event is the late former world rally champion Colin McRae. The Scot, who died in a helicopter crash last year, will be remembered with a collection of his rally and race cars that featured in his career. These will be displayed at the top of the hill, near the start line of Goodwood’s spectacular 1.6-mile forest rally stage.

For more rallying thrills, modern world rally cars promise to cut every corner possible on their way up the hill. Ford, Subaru and Citroën will all be running their fearsome machines. And once over the finishing line, the rally drivers turn off for a second display of fast and furious antics, as they mess about in the mud of the forest rally stage.

Back on the hill, look out for this year’s celebration of the British touring car championship. Always a crowd favourite, with its wheel-to-wheel racing and showroom-based cars, there are landmark cars from each of the past five decades of the championship. Classic machines such the 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S and 1965 Ford Lotus Cortina will keep the dads happy, while today’s generation of touring car fans will be equally enthralled by the 2008 Honda Civic Type-R.

If that’s not enough speed and excitement, then the two-wheeled fraternity will deliver thrills aplenty. The festival will see the likes of Carl Fogarty and John Reynolds fly up the hill, complete with front wheel in the air. But a man who prefers to have all wheels off the ground is Dougie Lampkin. The winner of 12 world trial riding titles will be putting on a display of motorbike daredevil stunts around the Goodwood estate.

The festival isn’t only about race cars and bikes. The Sunday Times InGear Supercar run gathers together many of the world’s greatest supercars in one place, and promises to keep cameras busy. With more than 40 entrants and some of the most prestigious names on the road — from Aston Martin to Wiesmann — and an electric Tesla for the new generation of green driver, there’s a supercar to suit all tastes.

For an even greener glimpse into the future, the FOSTech pavilion showcases the most innovative concept cars and engineering for the motoring world of tomorrow. Find out if the F1 and world rally cars charging up the hill in another 20 years’ time will be hydrogen-powered.

Timetable

FRIDAY, July 11
08.45 Track opens
09.00 Rally Stage opens
13.00 Rally Stage closes
13.25 Morning runs finish
13.25 InGear Supercar Run
14.00 Rally Stage reopens
14.00 Track reopens
17.00 Rally Stage closes
18.05 Track closes
18.30 Hillclimb closes

SATURDAY
08.45 Track opens
09.00 Rally Stage opens
13.00 Rally Stage closes
13.30 Track closes
13.30 InGear Supercar Run
14.00 Rally Stage reopens
14.05 Track reopens
17.00 Rally Stage closes
18.25 Track closes
18.40 Hillclimb closes

SUNDAY
08.45 Track opens
09.00 Rally Stage opens
13.00 Rally Stage closes
13.30 Track closes
13.30 InGear Supercar Run
13.55 Red Arrows display
14.00 Rally Stage reopens
14.05 Track reopens
17.00 Rally Stage closes
18.25 Track closes
18.40 Hillclimb closes
18.50 Prize-giving

The lowdown

What
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the world’s biggest celebrations of historic motoring and is centred on the famous hillclimb, which cars race up thoughout the day

When
From July 11-13

Where
Goodwood House, Chichester, West Sussex

Tickets
Only available in advance.
See www.goodwood.co.uk/fos or call the ticket hotline on 01243 755 055

Prices
Adults: Friday from £30, Saturday £47, Sunday £47, weekend pass £99.
Children under 12 go free