at Silverstone Classic
Six decades of sportscar racing to be celebrated at 2008 eventFans of sports cars racing are in for a truly memorable experience at the Silverstone Classic on 25/26/27 July as six decades of sports car racing history come to life in one of the finest line-ups of races ever seen at a classic racing festival.
From 1920s Bentleys and MGs through to Group C Porsches and Jaguars of the 1980s, via Jaguar D Types, Maseratis, Ford GT40s and Lola T70s, there is sports car racing for fans of every era across a total of twelve sports car races.
The fastest cars will compete in the pair of Group C races for the magnificent Le Mans cars of the 1980s. This will be Porsche versus Jaguar, Nissan and possibly even Mercedes in a glorious recreation of one of the finest periods in sports car racing history. At the head of the action should be friends and team mates Mark Sumpter (Porsche 962) and Andy Purdie (Nissan RC90K), battling in cars capable of speeds nudging 200mph on the Hanger Straight.
Moving back a generation will be another of the weekend's feature races, the 90-minute World Sportscar Masters race running into near darkness on Saturday evening. The capacity 48-car field will span sports and GT racing from the mid-60s through to 1973 and some true David v Goliath battles are assured. Taking on as many as ten thundering 5-litre Lola T70s will be the fastest of the 2-litre cars and it is the nimble Lolas of Anthony Hancock and Charlie Kemp that are expected to take the fight to the Lola pack.
For fans of 1950s sports cars, two races stand out. The BRDC Historic Sports Cars Series is home to a glorious array of sports-racing cars that competed through the 1950s, with Jaguar D Types, Lister Jaguars, Maserati 300s and Cooper Monacos battling with the fleet smaller-engined Lotus 15s and 17s. However, for sheer spectacle, little can match the sight and sound of the mighty Lister-Chevrolet of Jamie McIntyre.
From earlier in the 1950s, come the cars in the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy for sports cars produced up to 1955. Jaguar, Lotus, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin and many more famous marques will be in the thick of the action for this hour-long two-driver race. Sports and GT cars from the late 1950s and early 1960s, including AC Cobras, Jaguar E Types and Chevrolet Corvettes, will contest the 60-minute Masters Gentleman Drivers race.
Moving into the pre-war era is the field for the annual BRDC 500, a race for sport cars from the late 1920s and 1930s. Last year at the Silverstone Classic this was a tremendous race as 48 cars battled furiously, with the lead contested by a stunning Alfa Romeo 8C and a nimble British-built Alta. Eventually the Alta took victory, but it was close.
Races for Historic Aston Martins and Porsches add further sports car action, with the Porsche grid spanning cars from the mid-60s through to 2007, while a massively over-subscribed field for the pair of HSCC Historic Road Sports races will bring production sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s to the grid. With Lotus, TVR, Porsche, Jaguar, Datsun, Morgan and many more marques racing, this is the most accessible of all the fantastic array of sports car action lined up for the 2008 Silverstone Classic.
Event Background
The annual Silverstone Classic festival will be organised and promoted by Motion Works UK Limited (MWUK), the company recently licensed by Silverstone to stage the event for the next five years.
The annual Silverstone Classic is a celebration of motor racing across all decades from the 1920s to the 1990s on a current FIA approved circuit and is not totally historic as it also invites more contemporary races such as Group C, Saloons and late Formula One cars to be raced and seen in their appropriate surroundings. Classic Car Owner Clubs from across the UK and overseas play an important supporting role in recent years with 4,000 cars expected this year. The event Auction remains an important landmark and features such as the Scarf & Goggles meeting area, art & photo galleries, period air displays, funfairs, themed catering, will be retained and enhanced, with new attractions being added over the next few years.
ticket info at silverstoneclassic.com
