What a difference a few hours makes. After Fridays lovely weather the Silverstone Festival was a wash on Saturday. This did not stop the spectators from arriving though and for those that did not feel like braving the weather, a concession was offered to those that stayed away, so that they could use their tickets from Saturday on Sunday instead.
The first race (Historic Formula Junior) got under way at almost on the hour at 9am but was red flagged on the warm up lap and then subsequently abandoned. A decision was also made to scrub the F2 Classic Interseries. After a short lapse in proceedings a decision was made to continue the days racing at 10.20am with the Adrian Flux Trophy for MRL Historic Touring Cars. The rain did eventually stop later in the day and the remainder of the day stayed dry.
On Saturday spectators were due to be treated to the spectacular sights and sounds of the Toleman-Hart TG183B. Alongside the Toleman should have also been the Lotus-Renault 97T, this was scheduled to be driven by Ayrton’s nephew Bruno Senna, himself a former F1 driver. Sadly due to the weather and the lack of wet weather tyres Bruno Senna was unable to drive the car. Both cars are now planned to be seen on track on Sunday.
Spectators were however treated to a modern F1 track demonstration with the Mercedes AMG Petronas W12 car that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas used during the 2021 F1 season. Further to this spectators were also able to view “A Decade of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Power”, the display features five seminal F1 winning cars – two of Hamilton’s title winners from 2017 and 2019 accompanied by those raced by Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas, and George Russell in 2014, 2018, and 2022. The cars along with other f1 team cars can be seen in the Fan Zone.
The revised racing schedule for Saturday was.
- 10:20-11:10 – Retro Touring cars The Adrian Flux Trophy For MRL Historic Touring Cars. Comprising entries from British and European Championships from 1966 to 1990, as well as a class for pre ’66 machinery.
- 12:10-13:00 – The Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy & Stirling Moss Trophy combines two fiercely competitive categories for pre-‘56 sports-racers and ‘proper’ sports-racing cars built before ’61. Drivers compete for the trophy Sir Stirling won at the 1955 British Grand Prix.
- 15:20-16:10 – The Masters Gt Trophy boasts a huge variety of GT racers from three year groups (2007-11, 2012-14, 2015-18) and three classes (GT4, CUP and Challenge) so there will be something for everyone in this race.
- 17:10-17:50 – High-performance machines from endurance racing’s golden era make up the entry list for the Masters Endurance Legends. Cars from 1995 to 2012 and across Prototype 1, Prototype 2, GT1 and GT2 are sure to get the blood pumping for any self-respecting petrolhead. A second race gets underway at the same time on Sunday afternoon.
- 18:10-19:00 – For sixties and seventies Le Mans fans, there’s the Masters Sports Car Legends with Chevron, Porsche, Lola,Ferrari, Osella, Coldwell and Ford all represented and vying for honours in a race that is sure to transport you back to an era of icons.
The festival is not just about racing cars, there are many other aspects to the festival of which make it an ideal event for the whole family.
- Auctions – One of three Iconic Auctioneers auctions across the weekend. On Saturday it’s a collectors’ car sale, on Friday there was a focus on competition cars and then, on Sunday it’s motorcycles.
- Foodie Fest – Cheese on Towcest demonstrated the art of cheese making at home and on Sunday, there will be cheese tasting! Also the well known 2021 Great British Bake Off winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno was on stage at the Silverstone Kitchen Live arena.
- On the eBay Stage – Spectators could listen and watch the recent BGT finalists, Northampton Sings Out Choir and then later that evening Saturday’s headliners Busted brought plenty of energy to the eBay stage with their nostalgic classics.
The festival concludes tomorrow.
The RacerViews info
By Matt Hancock
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