Sunday:

Barely had The Stranglers left the stage on Saturday evening, when Sunday’s equally spectacular historic motor sport action roared back into life at the Silverstone Classic.

Billed as ‘Tin Top Sunday’, the packed schedule featured a second mouth-watering feast. This time the unrivalled on-track show was headed by nine retro races as well as three dramatic high-speed track demonstrations, special parades and a plethora of great entertainment for all ages.

Living up to its billing, the race programme featured a trio of evocative pit-stop races for packed grids of saloon cars from the sixties, seventies and eighties as well as second showdowns for many of Saturday’s highlights: including Group C, Can-Am, Super Tourers and an evocative F1 race that would be one of the most thrilling ever seen at Silverstone.

The parades and demos between the races included colourful cavalcades celebrating many motoring milestones. Among these were 50 competition cars honouring 50 years of the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC), the Mercedes-Benz Club marking 20 years of the CLK and SLK, and the Morgan Sportscar Club hailing 80 years of the Morgan 4/4.

Rather faster were the star-studded World GP Bike Legends, with former MotoGP and World Superbike champions, such as Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer, Phil Read and Troy Bayliss among those riding an amazing selection of screaming 500cc motorbikes.

The sight and sound of Mika Häkkinen’s 2001 British Grand Prix winning McLaren MP4/16A was another of the day’s many acoustic high spots as were the 90s Endurance Legends – an amazing gathering of Ferraris, Jaguars, Porsches and other GT and sports prototypes, which also included touring car legend Steve Soper behind the wheel of Nick Mason’s fabulous McLaren F1.

The Classic, though, is not all about the racing and rocking. Away from the famous Grand Prix circuit and central music stage, the 800-acre Silverstone estate was crammed full of wonderful family entertainment, with visitors being treated to a host of unmissable activities for all ages. The event’s biggest-ever Sunday crowd was treated to a magical mix of air displays, street car shoot-outs, an Adrenalin Zone, interactive challenges, car club displays, period fun fair plus a busy shopping village.

Show goers also savoured a live restoration of a Range Rover Classic using only parts purchased on eBay as well as regular Car Clinics hosted with TV personality Mike Brewer, which were presented by eBay.

Introduced last year to mark the festival’s 25th anniversary, the Stuart Graham ‘Scarf and Goggles’ Award is now presented annually to what is judged to be the most admirable car competing at the Classic. This year Graham – one of the inspirations behind the original Classic event staged at Silverstone and a TT winner on two and four wheels – presented the trophy to Harm Lagaaij for his astonishing Shadow Mk1 – the most astonishingly and innovative of the Can-Am cars competing in special races held at the festival to mark 50 years since the creation of the illustrious North American sports car series in 1966.

The day’s final award – the Motor Sport Magazine Driver of the Weekend – went to Rob Hall for his hat-trick of stirring victories in his pair of stunning Matra sports cars… as well as his part in that exhilarating F1 encounter.

Another hat-trick was scored over the weekend in the event’s special motoring nod to the 50th Anniversary of England’s World Cup victory. A special car football match featuring SsangYong Tivolis saw a 3-3 result between a team of F1 drivers against footballers. Watch the match here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q03LFywsPwQ

Race 1: Commander Yorke Trophy for Historic Formula Junior

As on Saturday morning, a huge grid of Formula Juniors opened the race proceedings. Saturday’s winner Sam Wilson once again outpaced pole-sitter Andrew Hibberd off the line, with Cameron Jackson also passing the slow starting Lotus.

Wilson attempted to break the slipstream and scamper off in the distance, but Hibberd had other ideas, closing the gap to Wilson and then passing for the lead at Stowe halfway through the 20-minute race.

Further back, Martin Walford treated fans to the sight of the ex-Peter Arundell Lotus 22, which won 18 of the 25 races it entered in 1964, but most eyes were firmly fixed on the duelling duo up front.
Seeking a double success, Wilson fought back to reclaim the lead and nothing separated the pair as they slipstreamed each other around the final few laps.

Hibberd looked every which way to try and find a way past Wilson who calmly kept to his line and held on for the narrowest of hard-earned victories.

1. Sam Wilson (Lotus 20/22) 9 laps
2. Andrew Hibberd (Lotus 22) +0.223s
3. Callum Grant (Merlyn Mk 5/7) +15.596s