Racing bonanza as Silverstone Festival celebrates 75 years of legendary circuit

Silverstone, now in its 75th anniversary year, has made several attempts to re-invent its main historic race meeting offering in the face of the ever-evolving competition from Goodwood.

Having invented the genre over 30 years ago, Silverstone certainly lost out to its Southern rival in recent years. There have been various changes of sponsors, format, names, a complete break for a few years and later a return. With the 75th anniversary it was the opportunity to have a big push and that is exactly what Silverstone achieved this Bank Holiday weekend.

Thus came this year’s name change from The Classic to the Silverstone Festival. At the core of it was still a great schedule of some twenty races scheduled over Saturday and Sunday with the different categories spread over two pit complexes a mile apart. For many, a logistical nightmare.

In recent years, the idea was very much to combine rock and roll and racing which I felt never quite worked. But this year there were certainly some great bands on all three days. Also appealing to this different crowd were many new initiatives, a Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop, the Silverstone Kitchen Live, complete with Masterchef winners and even a BMX track. Spectators all received free entry to the Silverstone Museum as part of the ticket price. There was still the plethora of car clubs, the funfair and the many other attractions including an auction – not of Goodwood proportions but with some interesting cars. Who noticed Silverstone Auctions has suddenly become Iconic Auctioneers?

But it was the new racing-influenced displays, on and off- track. that had the biggest impact. At the Fan Zone, five of the current Formula 1 teams mounted displays but sadly not Ferrari. They have their own Ferrari Festival at Silverstone in a couple of weeks’ time. On track we had demonstrations from grand prix cars through the ages from the BRM V16 to the 2013 Mercedes W04 that Lewis Hamilton put on Silverstone pole for that year’s race. There was also a wonderful and noisy display of NASCAR monsters, never previously seen on the Northants track, although I did wonder about the relevance based on the fact that Silverstone did once run an Indycar (then CART) race but never NASCAR. That said fans, who had never seen these V8 monsters before soaked up this Americana. Overall a new and successful look.

But on to the racing. It is impossible in this space to give you chapter and verse of all twenty contests plus there is no obvious head-lining event. It probably depends on your age, your preference for Formula 1, sports or touring car racing and a few other factors beside. For me the grids assembled by the Masters organisation held out the most appeal, in particular Formula 1 cars of the DFV era and the Sportscar Legends, predominantly Le Mans racers from as recently as as a dozen years ago. Ron Maydon’s Masters Historic organisation has been plagued with quite small grids for the last couple of years but they were back with a bang in both categories with some cars which had not raced for a while being dusted down and some, like the Acura IMSA sports cars, appearing in Europe for the first time. Plus the so-called Gentleman Drivers’ race for pre-66 Classic GTs cars was surely going to have the fans on their feet, particularly if the quick Elans could get amongst the V8 machinery.

One change this year, prompted by race organisers, was to switch the highly competitive Formula 2 race to Formula Libre, perhaps in an attempt to attract Formula 5000 cars. Of course, as ever, the massed ranks of Formula Juniors started off both days – Duncan Rabagliati’s group are early risers – but next year I plead for a race for the Formula 3 1-litre screamers on what will be the 60th anniversary of the category moving from FJ.

The first of the pair of Masters Racing Legends races for Formula 1 cars from 1966 to 1985 was a race of two parts with a twist in the tail. Fresh from his first-ever two wins at Zandvoort, Ken Tyrrell (no relation) put his Tyrrell 011 on pole, one of of 27 DFV engined-cars on the grid. He took the lead at the start and seemed to have the speed to fend off former winners of this event Mike Cantillon in an ex-Reutemann Williams FW07 and Steve Hartley in his ex-Watson McLaren MP4/1.

But after a prolonged safety car period to remove a stranded car, demolition company boss Cantillon found some extra speed to sweep round Tyrrell and head him to the flag. Hartley was third ahead of Martin Stretton, who won the Lauda class in his Tyrrell and Fittipaldi class winner Nick Padmore in a Lotus 77.

Only after he had received a handsome trophy did Cantillon find out he had been disqualified for a rear wing which was mounted too high so for Tyrrell — who did meet his namesake as a teenager at Watkins Glen — it was three wins in a row.

Sunday’s race started in tricky wet/dry conditions for the partly reversed grid. Michael Lyons gambled on slicks and in the early stages battled for the lead with the slightly earlier Nick Padmore pre-downforce JPS Lotus 76. The high risk tyre choice paid off and Lyons raced on to his second win of the weekend in the ex-Mansell JPS Lotus 92. There was a great drive to second place from Martin Stretton in the Tyrrell 012. Ken Tyrrell motored up to a strong third ahead of Hartley and Cantillon.

There was a fairytale story in Saturday’s Derek Bell Trophy race for HSCC Formula Libre cars. Young historic FF racer Henry Chart looked competitive in practice in the Modus F2 only to have it blow up. Simon Hadfield’s team went back to base and took the dust sheet off the ex Brett Lunger Trojan F5000 car that Hadfield raced a few years ago. Chart, who had never previously driven the car was put at the back of the 19 car grid.

Polesitter Andy Smith in the ex factory BMW Junior team March F2 took the lead from pole, holding off three Chevron F5000 cars. Neil Glover’s quick B37 was soon to retire, the next thing Smith knew was that Chart was pushing him hard. So hard that Smith had a wild ride off the track, lost the lead to the Trojan which promptly came home to win by 1.8 secs. Remember Chart had never driven anything so powerful before — or driven the car before the race. A name to watch. Behind Smith in third place was Christian Pittard and Paul Campfield in a pair of Chevron F5000 cars.

In Sunday’s race Chart simply romped off into the distance to make it win number two. With Smith’s fast March F2 out of action, the remaining F5000 machines came home second and third Pittard again heading Campfield.

It would be terrific to see a full field of these cars cars next year.

The HGPCA Pre-66 grid included two cars which had raced at Silverstone 75 years ago but this was going to be the domain of 1960s Coopers and Lotus. On Saturday, polesitter Will Nuthall in his Cooper T53 led as expected but broke three laps from the end handing the win to the similar car of Charlie Martin, who thus won by 20sec from the Lotus 25 of Nick Fennell and early Brabham BT3 of Tim Child

On Sunday the the HGPCA group enjoyed two races, this time with the front and rear engined cars having their own races. For the rear-engined brigade it was much as before with Charlie Martin making it two out of two, with Tim Child second this time and Sam Wilson climbing aboard another Cooper T53 for third.

For the front-engined group there was a rare win for one of the two often recalcitrant US built Scarab-Offys, Mark Shaw taking a tight win from John Spiers in his ex-Jean Behra Maserati 250F and Rod Jolley Lister-Jag Race of Two Worlds car.

Staying with single-seaters, the Historic Formula Junior races were expected to witness huge battles between Sam Wilson and Horacio Fitz-Simon in their Lotus 22s and possibly Michael O’Brien in a borrowed Lotus 27. In the event a surprise package came in the form of the Halusa family racing manager Alex Ames in a Brabham BT6. After O’Brien’s car failed on lap one with possible gearbox problems and hard-trying Horatio half-spun, victory went to Wilson, after a last lap pass on Ames. Former FJ Champion, student Samuel Harrison brought the Australian Lotus 22 copy, the Rennmax home third ahead of Fitz-Simon. Sunday’s race made it two for Wilson in another thrilling battle, this time edging out Fitz-Simon by inches after a last corner pass with Ames third.

The Masters Endurance Legends race had their best field of 12-20 year old Le Mans type cars since Covid, including two Acura IMSA LMP cars, never previously seen outside the States. It was one of these, complete with its Honda Indy derived V8 engine, which looked the class of the field driven by former Williams test driver and now race car salesman Jonathan Kennard who had a handy lead when it ground to a halt at half distance, before owner Jamie Constable could take over. This left the way clear for a battle between the two BBM team Peugeot Le Mans diesels and da Silva, father and son, in the ex Rollcentre Pescarolo V10 Judd. Ultimately regular Lola T70GT racer Steve Brookes pulled away to a 5.5sec win over Harinda and Tim da Silva with historic F3 racer Steve Wiltshire third in the second diesel Peugeot. Fourth was a good drive from Canadian Keith Freiser in the Zytek that Nigel Mansell crashed at Le Mans in what turned out to be his last ever race.

Sunday’s shorter 30 minute race saw an even more convincing Peugeot performance with Brookes winning again this time from fellow 90X driver Wiltshire. This time the Gulf liveried Lola-Aston Martin of Belgian Count Christophe d’Ansemboug came third with young Max Lynn driving well to fourth in the Russian funded BR LMP2 car, also run by BBR.

A car which was a footnote in the Le Mans history book, the Ibec- 308LM was the star of the HSCC Thundersports race. Virtually a barn find, it has just finished a major restoration by the Lyons team and this was its first race in probably 40 years. The Postlethwaite designed car was the brainchild of an eccentric Bunteresque chap called Ian Bracey, in a similar vein to the de Cadenet, complete with DFV. It suffered three LM24 failures but did subsequently win briefly in the Thundersports category.

Michael Lyons’ task was made a trifle easier by the fact that two previous winners of this race did not start. One was the remarkable 81-year old John Burton who won last year in his Chevron B26. The Worcestershire man drove the car at the test day, was faster than 2022, then announced his retirement after an amazing career which spanned 60 years. The other was German industrialist Georg Hallam whose ex David Hobbs LolaT310 Can-Am car failed in qualifying.

The Yokohama Trophy race for Masters Sports Car Legends had the beautiful sight of the ex-Ecurie Montjuïc Ferrari 512M expertly driven by preparer Gary Pearson and Alex Brundle to a smart win over the Lola T70GT of Oliver Bryant.

While the above race catered for cars from 50 years ago, the Masters GT Trophy had a grid full of cars less than ten years vintage. Craig Wilkins in his Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo was the favourite and he duly obliged with a dominant 35sec margin. This race for modern machinery seems to have replaced the popular Pre-Way sports car event, I must say I prefer the Fraser-Nashs and Talbots.

Moving to Touring Cars the MRL Touring Car Legends race attracted a near 50 car field and with two rain showers and yellows it was all a bit of a shambles with tyre choice playing a big part. Ultimately there was a surprise win from Dutchman Wim Kuijl in his Ford Cologne Capri. The Andy Middlehurst and James Hanson driven Nissan Skyline looked on for a win until expired a lap from the end while Mark Goff, in a Sierra RS500, was second although others had been in contention.

There was an even bigger field of sixty cars on Sunday afternoon for the Adrian Flux Trophy for the Transatlantic Pre-66 rumbling spectacle, Falcons and Mustangs everywhere. Former BTCC ace Sam Tordoff was off the pole in his Falcon and prevailed over the Mustangs of that familiar Nigel Greensall and John Spiers pairing, with former BMW and Ford factory racer Steve Soper (still quick at 71) sharing the third-placed car with owner Henry Mann. The best non-V8 was the Mike Gardiner/Phil Keen Lotus Cortina.

Sunday morning’s Big Cat Challenge Trophy Race was almost entirely an E-type race with Gary Pearson managing to beat himself. He started in a car he would hand over to Alex Brundle, spent a couple of laps having a breather in the pits before taking over the car started by brother John. Clever stuff. The Pearson brothers took the top step by 4 secs. Shame they couldn’t have staged a dead heat.

An early Sunday lunchtime rain shower and red flag did nothing to daunt the progress of Oliver Bryant in the Royal Automobile Club Stirling Moss and Woodcote Trophy race for a big field of 60 year old sports cars. Bryant in the well-known family Lotus 15 pulled away from the similar cars of Kiwi Roger Wills and Andrew Kirkcaldy. The track slowly dried and in the closing stages Nigel Greensall slipped into third place in the Lister-Jaguar he was sharing with Bestinvest founder John Spiers, himself still quick at the age of 72.

By then Kirkcaldy had handed over the third Lotus 15 to owner Mark Lewis who brought the unpainted car home fourth in the Stirling Moss section of the event. In the Woodcote Trophy it was those Pearsons, John and Gary again winning that section in their short-nose Jaguar D-type although there was a brilliant third place for brothers Paul and Jonathan Mortimer in their Austin Healey 100, which had no right to mix it with genuine sports-racers.

As the crowds headed home the last of the massive 20 car race card, the Trophy for road-going sports cars was won again by the man in the Hans Stuck helmet, Nigel Greensall winning this time in a Cobra roadster with owner Kevin Kivlochan from John Davison’s pole sitting Elan. Overall a superb meeting and I doubt if so many cars and drivers have ever raced the Silverstone track over one weekend. There really was something for everyone with tremendous competition over so many races and entertainment at every corner.