When racing met RAF Silverstone

Silverstone celebrated its 75th anniversary as a grand prix circuit in 2023. Andrew Frankel looks at when a former RAF bomber base welcomed racing heroes for its first British Grand Prix

drama for Geoffrey Ansell, who flipped his ERA B-Type. That year’s British Empire Trophy winner was thrown from the car but escaped unharmed

Drama for Geoffrey Ansell, who flipped his ERA B-Type. That year’s British Empire Trophy winner was thrown from the car but escaped unharmed

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Andrew Frankel

Taken from Motor Sport, February 2023, When racing met RAF Silverstone: 75 years since its first British GP

It wasn’t the first race held on British soil after the war, for that had taken place over a year earlier on Jersey. It wasn’t the first to take place on what is today recognised as a proper motor racing circuit, for that had occurred just a fortnight earlier at RAF Westhampnett, soon to be more popularly known as Goodwood. It wasn’t even the first race at Silverstone for that had happened just minutes earlier when a couple of dozen 500s had fizzed, buzzed and banged their way around the track led by a precious young lad called Stirling Moss, at least until the sprocket on his Cooper broke. Nor was it the first race to be officially known as the British Grand Prix because that happened either in 1949 at what was technically the RAC British Grand Prix, or 1950 in the inaugural round of the World Drivers’ Championship.

A young Stirling Moss took part in the supporting 500cc race

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