Are you planning to attend the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed? The event is currently scheduled to run from June 23 through 26, 2022. Every year, it’s full of the kinds of bikes and cars that make gearhead hearts across the globe sing. The theme for this year’s event is “The Innovators—Masterminds of Motorsport,” and none other than Wayne Rainey is scheduled to make his event debut in 2022.
Not only will Rainey be a guest of honor, though. The three-time 500cc world champion will be riding his championship-winning 1992 Yamaha YZR500 up Goodwood’s famous hill climb. As longtime racing fans recall, Rainey had a horrifying crash at the 1993 Italian Grand Prix, which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Now, his 1993 YZR500 is being outfitted with special hand controls so that he’ll be able ride it once more.
Rainey’s FOS ride will mark the first time he’s been on a racebike since that crash—but it’s not the first time he’s been on any motorcycle. In November, 2019, Rainey rode a modified Yamaha R1, first at Buttonwillow Raceway in California, and then at the Suzuka Sound of Engine event later that year.
“I’m incredibly excited to not only be attending my first Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer, but to be riding my 1992 Yamaha YZR500 up the famous hillclimb,” Rainey said in a statement.
“It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and one that I just couldn’t pass up. I want to thank the Yamaha Motor Company for preparing my 1992 YZR500 and adapting it for me to ride, MotoAmerica for helping make the entire project fly, and The Duke of Richmond for really making this a reality. I can’t wait to meet the fans who come from all over the world for the Goodwood Festival of Speed,” he continued.
“The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an amazing event that is a showcase for two- and four-wheel motorsports legends – both human and mechanical,” Yamaha Motor Racing managing director Lin Jarvis said in the same statement.
“Wayne Rainey is a true motorcycle racing legend who achieved three 500cc World Titles with Yamaha before his career-ending accident and injury. The thought of Wayne riding the legendary 1992 Factory YZR500 bike that he rode to his final championship victory is something truly amazing that I for one never imagined could be possible. I know it will mean so much to Wayne, and it will be something truly special for all the fans at Goodwood and all around the world. We are proud to be able to support Wayne make his dream come true,” Jarvis concluded.
The event is sure to be unmissable, and promises to make this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed a true gem among gems. Goodwood has livestreamed its events in the past, most recently in 2021—so here’s hoping it does the same for 2022, for those who are unable to attend. It’s February 23, 2022 at the time of writing, and tickets are currently on sale for the 2022 event. Thanks to the U.K. government’s Creative Industry Tax Relief program, there’s a reduced tax (VAT) rate through March 31, 2022—so if you’re planning to go, you have an added incentive to get your tickets early. We’ll include a link in our Sources so you can see all available ticketing options.
