Historic Festival makes surprise venue shift

The Historic Festival, run at Silverstone for nearly a decade, is moving to Oulton Park in 2002. The Cheshire circuit which, like Silverstone, is run by the Octagon group, emerged as the favoured venue in recent weeks, and just before we went to press, an inside source confirmed the plans.

The event was run at Silverstone under the Coys International Historic Festival banner until this year, when the auction house switched its allegiance to the Rockingham Motor Speedway. The renamed Silverstone Historic Festival shifted from its mid-July slot to August bank holiday weekend, a move that gained the hearty approval of most spectators.

For that reason, the event will retain its public holiday date in 2002, running over August 24-26, but the event is set to be branded the Oulton Park Gold Cup. The parkland venue will celebrate its 50th anniversary in August 2003, so a move for this key event would fit in well with future plans to mark the circuit’s golden jubilee.