Silverstone Classic 2017

100,000 fans, 10,000 cars on display and more than 1000 race entries over the whole weekend, some of the numbers that make this the worlds biggest classic motorsport event.

With so many anniversaries within motorsport, the 2017 Silverstone classic had the foundations set for what is a festival of motorsport. 2017 marks 40 years of Williams F1 making its debut to the Spanish Grand Prix in 1977, earlier in the year Williams celebrated its ‘birthday’ at the Silverstone circuit but once again we tip our caps to British independent formula 1 team by witnessing many of its previous championship contenders taking part in the Masters Historic Formula 1 races. This year also makes it 25 years since Nigel Mansell took the Formula 1 Title in 1992 with Williams, that very car once again came to life and the mighty Renault engine roared around the Northamptonshire circuit as it was unleashed in celebration of the dominant title win.

1992 was also the year the superb Jaguar XJ220 was released, still to this day the most expensive and quickest road going Jaguar ever put into production. An impressive machine that Time forgot in a way, with dramatic styling and back then a high price tag at £470,000, the XJ220 was in production for only 350 units making it a very limited vehicle indeed. As time progressed it is one of those cars that people over look but like all good things, it’s coming full circle with interest building around the XJ220 and prices beginning to soar at auctions as people try and claim one of the extremely limited and in my eyes rather gorgeous looking classic supercars of the 90’s.
Shortly after the XJ220 was released the XJ220C was delivered to customers most notably the TWR jaguar sport now factory backed team. 1993 TWR entered 3 XJ220C chassis into the le mans 24 hours, 2 cars dropped out with a problematic engine but the #50 piloted by David Brabham, John Neilsen and a young David Coulthard continued on nursing the engine and brought the #50 XJ220C home in 10th overall and to claim class honours in the GT class. These very cars joined the biggest collection of road going XJ220’s ever assembled together at one place.

Off track, Silverstone classic is impressive with over 10,000 cars on display from numerous car clubs plus the huge shopping village to pick up anything an enthusiast may need to finish off a restored car or add to a collection of models there’s plenty for visitors to do but if you’re here all weekend and making the most of the weekend there was a chance to catch many live shows from bootleg Beatles to the dire straits experience, Saturday saw a headline slot from Spandau Ballets Tony Hadley. There was much more planned but some of the late night weather curtailed those events but the music made up for it, even in the pouring rain Tony Hadley still pulled in an impressive crowd.

On track is where the Silverstone Classic really shines through with over 1000 race entries from cars spanning over 8 decades, it really does show why this is fast becoming a staple event in most calendars for drivers team and fans.

Highlights of the weekend were from the FIA Masters Historic Formula 1 series sporting famous machines from the late 70’s into the 80’s.

Michael Lyons led home the pack on Sunday in a Williams FW07B but Saturday’s race saw Nick Padmore take the checkered flag in another Williams chassis, another great salute to the Former 1 and their chassis of the years gone by.

FIA Masters Historic Sportscars were another huge highlight of the weekend and provided some great entertainment for the fans with close battles from the start but unfortunately ending behind a safety as the racing got a little too close for some guys and some stricken cars being abandoned around the circuit towards the end caused the safety to be called and the race to be ended.

Martin O’Connell battled with Dan Gibson towards the end but as the battle heated up, Gibsons Lola went off the circuit and acquired a puncture handing the victory to O’Connell in his Chevron B19.

Sunday Morning RAC Tourist Trophy race for Pre 63 GT cars was a crowd favourite too, battles throughout the race saw the Aston Martin DP212 of Simon Hadfield/Wolfgang Friedrichs take the win over the Ac Cobra of Martin Hunt/Pat Blakeney-Edwards.

The final highlight despite the weather for me was the Monster Group C cars of the 80’s, set to contest their usual dusk race Saturday night, they were faced with a very wet night race in effect as the weather came in and refused to move away.

Steve Tandy took race 1 honours in the darkness in his Spice SE90 GTP where as Sunday saw the second race again affected by race as the green flag dropped, by lap 2 half the field pitted to change from slicks to wets, as the stops cycled Kriton Lendoudis in his ex- Michael Schumacher Mercedes C11 was out in front and held such a commanding lead, a few trips off the black stuff didn’t hamper him and took the win in race 2, Steve Tandy clawed back through the field to claim second position.

Another Silverstone classics meeting has come to an end and once again it has provided some mighty entertainment for the fans on track and off track, the mouth-watering machines have been bringing back memories for many of the older visitors that come back year after year to celebrate the years of motorsport gone by. It’s been a huge success and I’m sure the 2018 Silverstone classic will be even bigger and better.