SALOON CARS GEARING UP FOR SILVERSTONE CLASSIC - 27/28/29 July 2007
Spectacular saloon car racing will thrill the crowds at this year’s Silverstone Classic, in association with Bonhams, on July 27-29 - just as it did at the big meetings of the past.
The Jack Sears Trophy with Classic & Sports Car for HSCC Historic Racing Saloons will take place on Sunday July 29, with a packed field of charismatic mid-to-late 1960s machines fighting it out for 40 minutes. Pit stops will be a feature of this race, with driver changes optional for each car. FORMULA 1™ events at Silverstone frequently featured a round of the British Saloon Car Championship, which evolved into the British Touring Car Championship of today.
One of the young stars of the series in the mid-1960s was Jackie Oliver - he finished second in the 1967 British Grand Prix support race in a Ford Mustang, and was in the Lotus Formula 1 team the following year. Oliver will contest the Jack Sears Trophy, sharing Shaun Lynn’s Ford Galaxie and the BMW 1800Ti of preparation maestro Richard Shaw.
“I’ll be starting the race in one car and finishing it in another,” said Oliver, now 64 and an enthusiastic historic racer. “In the ’60s I drove a Cortina for Team Lotus when Jim Clark wasn’t available, as well as a Mustang for the DR team. They were always very enjoyable races and popular with the Grand Prix crowds - everyone used to stay on and watch them. To be back at Silverstone in these cars is something I look forward to.”
Oliver will face more than 50 rivals from the entry, put together by the Historic Sports Car Club, which runs the season-long Historic Racing Saloon Championship. Ground-shaking machinery includes the V8 muscle cars such as the Ford Galaxie and a host of Ford Mustangs and Falcons. They will undoubtedly come under threat from the Lotus Cortinas, BMWs and Alfa Romeo Giulias, while the Mini Coopers and Ford Anglias will bid for a spot of giant killing.
Racing rarities in this race include a Mercedes 300 SER, Sunbeam Rapier, Lancia Fulvia, and the gargantuan Plymouth Barracuda to be driven by sportscar racing up-and-comer Oliver Bryant. Tickets for the 2007 Silverstone Classic, in association with Bonhams, have been priced at an attractive £15 for the Friday and £20 for the Saturday or Sunday if booked in advance (£20 on the Friday and £25 on the Saturday or Sunday if purchased on the day), while a special Event Ticket represents fantastic value at £35 for all three days.
Children aged 15 years and under, accompanied by an adult, go free, while parking, roving grandstand seating, paddock access and centre transfer are all also included in these special prices. To purchase tickets, or for further information on the 2007 Silverstone Classic, in association with Bonhams, visit silverstone.co.uk, or call 08704 588 260.
