New Grids for the Silverstone Festival

Back in 1950, when Silverstone hosted the first-ever points scoring F1 Grand Prix, only one support race was on the programme. It was for 500cc Formula 3 cars. Adding to the previously announced 75th anniversary celebrations of F1 at the Silverstone Festival this summer, a colourful field of these diminutive motorcycle-engined cars will once again be supporting the Grand Prix cars in what is hoped will be the biggest ever on-track gathering of these racing cars that launched so many F1 careers.

The Silverstone grid that year included a 20-year-old Stirling Moss and an even younger Peter Collins. With their engines mounted behind the driver, these game-changers were the pioneers of future Formula 1 design.

This will mark the first time that they have had a dedicated race on the Festival bill. “The reaction has been phenomenal,” reported Duncan Rabagliati of the 500 Owners Association. “We are expecting a full capacity 54 car grid with historically period entries coming from ten countries, including France, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Germany and even the US. The amazing grid will feature at least 18 different marques, such as Bond, Effyh, Emeryson, Kieft, Staride, IOTA and, of course, all varieties of the ubiquitous Cooper.”

They are part of a full, 20-race programme of events over the bank holiday weekend of 22-24 August that includes other first-time grids, such as the new, MRL GT3 series, featuring competition versions of supercars from McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and others from between 2006 and 2015.

Also, the HSCC will stage a double-header Formula Libre race to which single-seaters from the golden eras of F2, F3 and V8 powered F5000 cars are invited.