Current 2005 Formula One World Championship leader, Fernando Alonso, will drive the Renault R24 F1 car at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed on Sunday, 26th June.
The Spaniard's appearance at this year's event - his first-ever at the world famous festival - is guaranteed to add to the heady F1 star-studded atmosphere, and the 23-year-old will undoubtedly be the key attraction for tens of thousands of enthusiasts.
Regarded throughout Formula One as the natural successor to multiple-World Champion Michael Schumacher, Alonso has already won two Grands Prix this year with victories in Malaysia and Bahrain. Along with a third place finish in the season-opening event in Australia, Alonso currently leads the F1 standings on 26 points - 10 points ahead of former Renault F1 team-mate, second-placed Jarno Trulli.
Alonso has already firmly cemented his place in the record books as Formula One's youngest ever Grand Prix winner. At the Hungaroring in 2003, the Spaniard achieved Renault's first Grand Prix victory since returning to F1 as a fully-fledged constructor - and all at just 22-years and 16-days-old!
Speaking on the confirmation of his attendance at Goodwood, Alonso said: "I am delighted to be appearing at the world-famous festival with the Renault F1 Team and I am greatly looking forward to giving the crowds a close-up view of the R24 in action.
"Goodwood is huge in world motorsport and it's an honour to be able to represent Renault at such a prestigious celebration. It will be a fantastic occasion and I can't wait to drive the R24. Everybody says Goodwood is an unmissable event if you love racing, so I can't wait to experience it for the first time!"
The theme for this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed is 'Racing Colours - National Pride and Culture', and Renault's entry list alone certainly provides some of the most colourful and famous cars and drivers from the history of global motorsport.
Few drivers are as feted as Renault's own René Arnoux and the ex-Formula One driver will once again grace Goodwood with his presence this year. Following on from his appearance in 2004 alongside former Renault F1 team-mate Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Arnoux returns along with Renault's first-ever Formula One car, the turbo-charged RS01.
The list of Formula One greats both past and present is endless, with former Renault F1 driver Patrick Tambay set to make history. The 55-year-old Frenchman will take the wheel of Renault Sport's incredible Mégane Trophy supercar, which will truly be a sight and sound to behold as the 330hp machine powers up the hill on its UK debut.
Later in the year, enthusiasts will also be able to witness the Mégane Trophy racer in action when more than 30 of the cars descend on Donington Park, Leicestershire, on 10th/11th September for the UK round of the World Series by Renault - an amazing, free-of-charge event featuring the very best of Renault Sport action.
Making its first active appearance at Goodwood will be the famous 'Long Tail' A443 which contested the 1978 Le Mans 24 Hours Race. Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Patrick Depailler drove the car then, but at Goodwood the duty will fall to 67-year-old Jean-Pierre Jaussaud - winner of the 1978 classic aboard the renowned A442B.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Jean Ragnotti's giant-killing 1985 Tour de Corse rally victory, the 59-year-old Frenchman will take his regular place at Goodwood, except this year it will be on both the famous hill-climb course and the all-new spectacular Forest Rally Stage at the wheel of his Renault 5 Maxi Turbo. Ragnotti will also have the responsibility of driving the Renault 40 CV 'World Record' car, which reclaimed the 24-hour world speed record from Bentley in 1926.
As part of Renault's static display, a 400hp Renault 5 Maxi Supertourisme racer will make an appearance alongside the much-loved Clio Williams, the Renault 5 Turbo 1 roadcar and the current Renaultsport 'family' - the Clio Renaultsport 182, Clio Renaultsport V6 255 and the Mégane Renaultsport 225 Trophy.
Last but not least, the Renault F1 Team's present Formula One challenger, R25, will appear on static display. Alongside the aforementioned brace of Grand Prix wins for Fernando Alonso this year, the car has a 100 per cent strike rate so far in the 2005 championship with victory during the opening race of the year in Australia for Italian driver, Giancarlo Fisichella.
