2012 Silverstone Classic

[Steve Holmes]

This year’s Silverstone Classic powered by the AA (20-22 July) will be the most entertaining and action-packed yet. Staged at the world famous Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire just two weeks after the Santander Formula 1 British Grand Prix, the Silverstone Classic is already established as the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival – and this summer’s event is all set to break yet more records.

Once again both Silverstone’s National and new International Wing pits and paddock complexes will be maximised to house more than 800 of the world’s finest historic racing cars with a packed schedule of races all staged on the full Grand Prix circuit. Adding to the spectacle more than 7,000 classic cars will be displayed over the weekend on the infield with many hallowed marques celebrating important milestones in their evocative histories.

Other highlights include live rock concerts, a special star-studded celebrity race, air displays, a vintage fun fair, a host of retail opportunities and rally car rides plus the exciting new interactive AA World automotive theme park. With so much to experience at the Silverstone Classic, it’s no surprise that advance ticket sales are 31 per cent up on the same period last year – itself a record.

“The Silverstone Classic just gets bigger and better every year with even more for all ages to see and do,” confirmed Event Director Nick Wigley at today’s (Wednesday 9 May) media preview at Silverstone. “The quality and quantity of our grids and car club displays is second to none while our new partnership with the AA is playing a significant role in extending the event’s massive appeal to an even wider family audience. We thought last year’s blockbuster was going to be hard to match but, with so many unmissable highlights already confirmed, it’s clear that this summer’s festival is going to be the best yet.”

2011: A RECORD BREAKER
With a total of 1,104 race entries the 2011 Silverstone Classic is believed to have been the biggest race meeting ever staged anywhere in the world, while the 80,000 attendance was unprecedented in the event’s recent history. Last year’s Classic also established a new Guinness World Record for the ‘largest parade of Jaguar cars’ when 767 E-types took to the track to celebrate the iconic British sportscar’s 50th birthday.



NON-STOP ON-TRACK ACTION
The 2012 Silverstone Classic will witness no fewer than 24 races, many boasting full 58-car grids. The impressive line-up includes the finest historic racing cars covering more than eight halcyon decades. The wide-ranging race card organised by the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) features no fewer than 100 Grand Prix cars plus spectacular grids of Le Mans, GT, Group C, Jaguar E-types, Sports and Touring cars providing the very best of nostalgic race action. After its huge success in 2011, there’s the return of the Jaguar E-type Challenge as well as new races for mighty Formula 5000 and giant-killing F2 single-seaters and a unique ‘tin top’ race showcasing the cream of the front-runners from European, British and German Touring Car championships spanning the years from 1975 to 1999. This grid will also put a special spotlight on the evocative Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth, the turbocharged winged wondercar which turns 25 this year.

HONOURING HEROES
The remarkable achievements of two of motor sport’s most respected figures will be commemorated with races dedicated in memory of the late Peter Gethin and Alan Mann. Gethin, who passed away last December, will be remembered not only for winning the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the closest finish in F1 history but also for capturing the British Formula 5000 Championship in both 1969 and 1970 as well as the Tasman F5000 Series in 1974. To honour these titles, the new F5000/F2 race will bear the revered Peter Gethin name. Also a racer in his early life, Mann’s place in motor sport history comes through the Alan Mann Racing team that he established during the Sixties. Though Mann passed away in March many of his distinctively liveried red and gold saloon and sportscars are still competing today thus keeping the legend alive. Celebrating his team’s achievements – not least in taking three British Touring Car Championship crowns – this year’s Under 2-Litre Touring Car (U2TC) races will be dedicated to the memory of Alan Mann.

SHOWBIZ STARS GO RACING
A special celebrity race starring famous faces from the high-profile worlds of music, sport, media and show business is now an annual attraction – and this year’s Silverstone Classic Celebrity Challenge promises to be the best yet with more big names competing than ever before. Those donning race suits and helmets include: Chemmy Alcott (Olympic skier/ITV Dancing On Ice); Heston Blumenthal (award winning chef); Julia Bradbury (BBC Countryfile presenter); Steve Bull (ex-England football star); ‘Comedy Dave’ Vitty (BBC Radio 1); Brendan Cole (BBC Strictly Come Dancing); Kelvin Fletcher (Emmerdale); Vicky Gomersall (Sky Sports presenter); Tony Hirst (Coronation Street); Brian Johnson (AC/DC rocker); Sir Patrick Stewart (film and stage actor) and Jo Wood (lifestyle guru). As in 2011, the stars will be lining up on a grid of competition-prepared Morgan race cars. Funds raised will support the Bobby Moore Fund, the Birmingham Children's Hospital and both Crohns and Colitis charities.



AA WORLD: THE ULTIMATE INTERACTIVE AUTOMOTIVE THEME PARK
Backed by the Automobile Association *– the UK’s biggest motoring organisation – AA World is perhaps the most significant new attraction for 2012. Based right at the heart of the venue, close to Silverstone’s impressive new Wing pits and paddock complex, the new AA World motoring theme park will provide show-goers of all generations with an unprecedented line-up of free driving experiences ranging from electric cars for toddlers and taster driving lessons for teenagers to hot laps around the Stowe Circuit in some of today’s latest and most desirable performance cars. With an F1 simulator, pit stop challenges, lessons on how to prepare food for the road, a giant Scalextric track, dodgems, classic car displays plus a host of other attractions, AA World is going to be a fun-filled experience for children and parents alike.

Edmund King, AA President, commented: “AA World will get the whole family involved in the fun of driving from Roary The Racing Car for toddlers to hot laps and skid-pan sessions for the grown-ups. And pre-driving age teenagers will be able to get behind the wheel of an AA driving school Ford Focus for a first drive at Silverstone. Personally I believe Drive.Live. in conjunction with AA World will be fantastic fun – a rolling motor show providing visitors with passenger and hot lap driving experiences. Already those signed up include Aston Martin, Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati and Morgan and there’s going to be lots more. It’s a real opportunity for visitors to have a go in those cars. AA World will be thrilling free fun for all the family and will put 100 per cent enjoyment back into motoring.”

FIELDS OF GOLD
The Silverstone Classic is one of the must-see events in the diary of every car enthusiast – that’s why the event has become a major highlight on the calendars of more than 120 motor clubs. Many clubs take their own dedicated display areas and over the weekend more than 7,000 classic cars are on show. These range from exotic marques such as Lamborghini, Maserati and Porsche to equally intriguing and cherished models from the likes of Sunbeam, Morris and Rover.

CHAMPAGNE MOMENTS
Every summer many car clubs choose the Silverstone Classic to celebrate special milestones in model, marque or club histories. After last year’s record breaking parade of E-type Jaguars, this summer witnesses the 50th anniversaries of a number of other much-loved British sportscars, notably the Lotus Elan, Triumph Spitfire and AC Cobra. The Silverstone Classic has also been selected by the MGB50 Committee as one of just three official celebrations to mark 50 years of the much-loved MGB. From the other end of the spectrum, a world record gathering of more than 60 mouth-watering Ferrari F40s will celebrate 25 years of the idolised Italian supercar, rated by many to be the Prancing Horse’s greatest creation.

Z-CARS: THE SEQUEL
The UK will stage its first-ever BMW ‘Z-Fest’ at this summer’s Silverstone Classic. Organised by the official BMW Car Club GB as one of the highlights of its 60th birthday celebrations in 2012, the UK’s inaugural Z-Fest will see hundreds and hundreds of BMW’s popular Z1, Z3, Z4 and Z8 sportscars on display as well as participating in a special parade lap on the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.



TICKETS: ACCESS ALL AREAS
Another traditional Silverstone Classic forte is its widely-praised ‘access all areas’ policy. General admission tickets include free entrance to all live music shows, AA World, trackside grandstand seating and both International and Wing pits and paddock complexes that allow fans to meet the competitors and see many of the world’s finest racing cars at close quarters. Tickets also provide access to an increased number of on-site buses that will provide free transfers between all the numerous attractions. Adult tickets cost as little as £35 if purchased in advance and special two- and three-day weekend tickets are also available. Full details are available via the event’s official www.silverstoneclassic.com website.

From the Silverstone Classic Media Office.

Photos courtesy Jakob Ebrey Photography

[Steve Holmes]

From the Silverstone Classic Media Office.

The recent Silverstone Classic powered by the AA (20-22 July) was another record-breaker providing spectacular action both on and off the famous Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in front of the biggest crowd in the sparkling event’s 22 year history.

Already established as the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival, this year’s packed programme of 24 races not only featured more than 1000 entries spanning seven decades of motor sport history but also served up some truly breathtaking competition with numerous of the evocative races going right down to the chequered flag.

With so many of the world’s finest historic competition cars rolling back the years, both Silverstone’s National and International Wing pits and paddock complexes were brimming with an extraordinary collection of Grand Prix, GT, Le Mans, single-seater, sports and touring cars from past generations.

But while the outstanding race grids were at the heart of the festival, a sun-drenched Silverstone also sparkled with a huge number of other attractions. Based at the Stowe Circuit to the southern end of the venue, the new AA World interactive automotive theme park proved an instant hit. Meanwhile, to the northern end, a record number of car clubs put on glittering displays of 7000-plus classic cars alongside fun fairs, live music, on-stage appearances from Roary the Racing Car, busy trade stalls plus a whole host of other family attractions.

“Every year the Silverstone Classic just gets bigger and bigger,” enthused Nick Wigley, Event Director. “We had to make several contingencies after all the poor weather in the run-up to the event but thankfully the sun finally came out and what a show we had! The quantity and quality of the racing was astonishing and the car club displays were every bit as impressive. We are proud of our ‘access all areas’ policy that lets everyone enjoy the sensational cars right up close as well as free admission into the rock concerts, trackside grandstands and all the other many, many attractions. Despite the recent rains, the event drew a record crowd of 83,500 and I’m confident all those people and more will be back hungry for another top-class Silverstone Classic in 2013.”

SILVERSTONE CLASSIC: INSIDE LINE

2012: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST RACE MEETING
With more than a 1,000 race entries this year’s Silverstone Classic once again will be the biggest race meeting staged anywhere in the world during 2012. Many of the 24 races boasted full 58-car grids and the busy race schedule included six decades of Formula One history, a feast of classic touring cars plus just about every sportscar from the legendary Jaguar C- and D-types of the Fifties to the awesome Group C Le Mans prototypes of the Eighties. Despite the huge grids and fiercely fought competition, the packed programme ran to schedule with just one short safety car period in two days of epic racing.

RETURN OF THE DAILY EXPRESS INTERNATIONAL TROPHY
Among the many highlights was the re-birth of the famous Daily Express International Trophy, one of the most famous prizes in motor racing history. Past winners include greats such as Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill. The prized Trophy went to the aggregate winner of the two Grand Prix Masters races featuring a fabulous line-up of F1 cars from the Seventies and Eighties. After a titanic wheel-to-wheel battle at speeds of 180mph, Bill Coombs in a Tyrrell 009 – originally raced by Jean-Pierre Jarier in the 1979 F1 season – overcame the 1982 Arrows A4 of Steve Hartley to win the revived Daily Express International Trophy, presented on the podium by Ian Parrott, Group Managing Editor of Express Newspapers. It was a very special moment for Coombs as he explained: “I was under a lot of pressure but thought back to when I came and watched my heroes in the old Daily Express Trophy races at Silverstone with my dad and that made me even more determined to win. It’s fantastic the Express has brought the race back to life and with all the great cars that always made it so special.”

[Steve Holmes]

DEDICATED RACES
Special races dedicated to the memory of two of motor sport’s most respected figures, Peter Gethin and Alan Mann, provided some spectacular entertainment for a packed grid of thundering F5000 and more nimble F2 single-seaters.

The double-header Peter Gethin Memorial Trophy races were dedicated to the memory of F5000 racing legend Peter Gethin who passed away in December. Victory in Saturday’s encounter went to Michael Lyons racing the evocative Parnelli Jones Racing Lola T400 once campaigned in the US-based F5000 championship by Al Unser. Lyons retired from Sunday’s follow-up, though, setting up an epic duel between Simon Hadfield in an ex-John Watson Trojan T101 and Martin Stretton in the ex-Jacques Lafitte March 742. Taking full advantage of the prodigious power of the 5-litre Chevrolet engine on the open expanses of Silverstone, Hadfield eventually edged home to win by just 0.124s and was presented with the trophy by the late Peter Gethin’s son Nick Gethin.

Dedicated to the achievements of Alan Mann whose Alan Mann Racing team was revered in touring and sportscar racing circles in the Sixties, the Alan Mann Trophy was presented to the winners of the 50-minute, two-driver Under 2-Litre Touring Cars race on Saturday morning. After the demise of the early pace-setting Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA of Alex Furiani and David Fitzsimons as well as the BMW 1800TiSA of Richard Shaw and Jackie Oliver, Ford Lotus Cortinas filled the top five places with victory going to Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield. Fittingly Alan Mann’s son Henry was among the front-runners finishing fourth in his Alan Mann Racing liveried red and gold Lotus Cortina shared with BTCC star Mat Jackson.

STAR DRIVERS
Two of Britain’s most famous and successful racing drivers – 1992 F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell and five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell – were among those savouring the nostalgia at this year’s Silverstone Classic. There were a host of racing stars competing on the circuit, too. Nicolas Minassian, who finished on the Le Mans podium for Peugeot in 2011, joined Sunday’s Group C grid in one of the trio of evocative Lancia LC2s. Despite his total lack of experience in the stunning Lancia, ‘quick Nic’ starred in the 30-minute showdown, passing the Porsche 962 of early leader Herve Regout and coming within two seconds of the victorious Mercedes C9 of Gareth Evans.

Former F1 ace Roberto Moreno was another of the star names in action – the Brazilian sharing a GRD S75 with AC/DC’s Brian Johnson. Others on the grid included former Le Mans winner Jackie Oliver, BTCC race winners Tim Harvey, Anthony Reid and Mat Jackson as well as current ace Frank Wrathall who finished runner-up in both Fujifilm Touring Car Trophy races which featured huge grids of super touring cars from the Eighties and Nineties.

[Steve Holmes]

I've downloaded photos from the different races, photos courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Here is the Peter Gethin Trophy For F2 And F5000 Cars:

[Steve Holmes]

Peter Gethin Trophy for F2 & F5000 (11 laps)
1. Michael Lyons, Lola T400, 21m39.553s
2. Martin Stretton, March 742, +0.144s
3. Simon Hadfield, Trojan T101, +24.735s
Fastest lap: Stretton, 1m56.266s (112.98mph)

Peter Gethin Trophy for F2 & F5000 (11 laps)
1. Simon Hadfield, Trojan 101, 21m54.553s
2. Martin Stretton, March 742, +0.124s
3. Neil Fowler, March 752, +15.883s
Fastest lap: Stretton, 1m57.680s (111.62mph)

[Steve Holmes]

Grand Prix Masters F1 1966 - 1985

[Steve Holmes]

[Steve Holmes]

Daily Express International Trophy for Grand Prix Masters (8 laps)
1. Bill Coombs, Tyrrell 009, 15m32.745s
2. Steve Hartley, Arrows A4, +5.388s
3. Michael Fitzgerald, Williams FW08, +14.038s
Fastest lap: Michael Lyons, Hesketh 308E, 1m53.696s (115.54mph)

Daily Express International Trophy for Grand Prix Masters (11 laps)
1. Bill Coombs, Tyrrell 009, 21m18.563s
2. Steve Hartley, Arrows A4, +0.210s
3. Michael Lyons, Hesketh 308E, +4.123s
Fastest lap: Lyons, 1m53.548s (115.69mph)

[Steve Holmes]

HGPCA Pre-1966 Rear Engine Grand Prix Cars

[Steve Holmes]

HGPCA pre-66 Rear Engine Grand Prix Cars (9 laps)
1. Jason Minshaw, Brabham BT4, 21m02.114s
2. John Harper, Brabham BT4, +15.609s
3. Rod Jolley, Cooper T45/51, +18.451s
Fastest lap: Minshaw, 2m18.908s (94.56mph)

HGPCA Pre-66 Rear Engine Grand Prix Cars (9 laps)
1. Jason Minshaw, Brabham BT4, 21m02.658s
2. John Harper, Brabham BT4, +10.692s
3. Rod Jolley, Cooper T45/51, +22.596s
Fastest lap: Minshaw, 2m19.177s (94.38mph)

[Steve Holmes]

Jaguar E Type Challenge











Jaguar E-type Challenge (9 laps)
1. Alex Buncombe, 21m58.232s
2. Jason Minshaw, +4.702s
3. Jon Minshaw, +7.977s
Fastest lap: Buncombe, 2m22.733s (89.89mph)

Jaguar E-type Challenge (9 laps)
1. Alex Buncombe, 22m01.750s
2. Gregor Fisken, +15.141s
3. John Pearson, +19.533s
Fastest lap: Buncombe, 2m24.289s (88.92mph)

[Steve Holmes]

HGPCA Pre-1961 Front Engine Grand Prix Cars

[Steve Holmes]

HGPCA pre-61 Front Engine Grand Prix Cars (9 laps)
1. Philip Walker, Lotus 16 368, 21m51.384s
2. Roger Wills, Lotus 16 363, +3.035s
3. Eddie McGuire, Lotus 16 362, +44.521s
Fastest lap: Walker, 2m23.910s (91.28mph)

HGPCA pre-61 Front Engine Grand Prix Cars (9 laps)
1. Roger Wills, Lotus 16 363, 21m50.119s
2. Philip Walker, Lotus 16 368, +33.697s
3. Eddie McGuire, Lotus 16 362, +45.259s
Fastest lap: Walker, 2m23.785s (91.36mph)

[kiwi285]

Is that Roger Williams 'Interscope' Lola T332 I see in post #5. If so he has been a busy boy jetting around the world.

[Steve Holmes]

No Mike, I believe its Steven Chaplin. There were at least two Lola 332s raced by Interscope.

[Steve Holmes]

World Sports Car Masters

[Steve Holmes]

[Steve Holmes]

World Sports Car Masters (23 laps)
1. Andrew Smith/Oliver Bryant, Lola T70, 51m45.466s
2. Paul Knapfield/Martin Stretton, Ferrari 512M, +0.802s
3. Steve Tandy, Lola T70 Mk3b (c), +39.078s
Fastest lap: Stretton, 2m07.888s (102.71mph)

[kiwi285]

That is definitely one for the bucket list and the sooner the better

[Steve Holmes]

Fujifilm Touring Car Trophy 1970 - 2000