Thunder in the Evening .....

at the Silverstone Classic One of the headline races at the Silverstone Classic on 25/26/27 July will feature a sensational field from the World Sportscar Masters Series tackling a 90-minute race running into the dusk of Saturday evening.

Sports-racing cars from the mid-60s through to 1973 will evoke memories of Le Mans in the late 1960s as Lola T70s, Ford GT40s, and Chevron B16s join with two stunning Ferraris and a rare Porsche 908 to make an unforgettable spectacle, with pit-stops, driver changes and headlights lighting the track as the evening sun drops below the horizon.

The Denny Hulme Trophy Race with Hagerty will celebrate the racing life of the Kiwi, who won the 1967 Formula 1 World Championship and also starred in the type of cars racing in World Sportscar Masters.

In the summer of 1968, Hulme took two victories at Silverstone in the Lola T70Mk3B owned and entered by Sid Taylor, winning the sports car races at the International Trophy and Martini Trophy meetings, as he dominated the RAC Sports Car Championship. At Silverstone this July, as many as ten T70Mk3Bs will grace the grid, and at least four of them are major contenders for victory.

The cars of Richard Meins, Shaun Lynn and Jon Minshaw are all potential winners, along with the T70 shared by Chris Beighton and Jon Finnemore. Ranged against the thundering V8 Chevrolet-powered Lolas will be two Ford GT40s, including the car of Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey. Two sensational Ferraris will take on the Lolas and Fords, with Paul Knapfield (712) and David Hart (512M) putting the prancing horse in contention for the podium, while the very rare Porsche 908 of German racer Walter Mathai is another front-runner.

However, even on the wide open spaces of the Silverstone Historic Grand Prix circuit, the best of the 2-litre cars will be right up with the V8 brigade and the smaller Lola T210s/212s will be challenging for victory. Anthony Hancock, Charlie Kemp and former GT ace Geoff Lister are the drivers to watch in the 1800cc Ford-powered cars.

Up to 15 Chevrons will pack out the grid, with both B8 and B16 models from the celebrated Bolton marque. Considered by many to be some of the most beautiful sports-racing cars ever produced, the designs of the late Derek Bennett remain some of the most sought after cars in historic racing.

The 48-car grid, which is over-subscribed two months ahead of the race, will make a fantastic spectacle and to add to the sense of occasion, the cars will come to the grid well in advance of the 8pm start for a startline ceremony prior to the rolling start. A grid walk and photo call will add to the anticipation of more than 12,000 horsepower being unleashed.

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. 

For more information, ticket prices and the latest news on the 2008 Silverstone Classic visit silverstoneclassic.com


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