Historic motorsport set to take centre stage at Silverstone Festival 2023
Historic Formula One cars and legendary racers from Le Mans will take centre stage at the 2023 Silverstone Festival on Friday 25th to Sunday 27th August.
Get ready for the best historic motorsport, incredible music, family fun and amazing food all in one weekend.
Throughout the weekend, there is a packed timetable of track action – bringing some of racing’s most iconic sports cars from Formula 1.
The ultimate competition featuring F1 cars of a golden age featuring 3-litre engined cars from '66 to '85 will take centre stage – but the excitement doesn’t stop there.
Across the weekend of racing, there will be a celebration for the centenary of Le Mans. As a part of this, a record numbers of entries for its pair of mighty Masters Endurance Legends races will be enjoyed by the thousands in attendance.
Racing begins on the Friday when qualifying takes place for many events – leading to a thrilling race weekend.
On Saturday, visitors will witness the Historic Formula Junior race, HSCC Thundersports race, Derek Bell Trophy and MRL Historic Touring Car Challenge in the morning.
The HSCC Thundersports will include GT and Touring Cars that competed in international competitions up to the end of ’79, and the MRL will feature cars for the period that touring cars raced in the British and European Car Championships, between 1966 and 1990, and a U2TC class (Pre '66)
This will be followed by afternoon racing including Masters Racing Legends, which will include F1 cars from 1966 to 1985; and the International Trophy for Classic GT Cars – where the vehicles are all pre-1966.
The highlight of the day will be the 75th anniversary Demonstration of Grand Prix at Silverstone, which will feature F1 cars that featured in races post-1966.
Other Saturday races include the Masters GT Trophy, HGPCA Pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars, Masters Endurance Legends and the Yokohama Trophy for Masters Sports Car Legends.
But the racing doesn’t stop there – as Sunday will feature more racing that follows on from Saturday’s excitement.
The full line-up can be found here.
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Another highlight of the festival is the anniversary track parades that take part across the weekend.
On Friday, there will be the 120th anniversary celebrations of Ford with the Ford RS Owners Club, Ford RS200 Owners, the Bedfordshire Ford RS Owners Club, GT40 Enthusiasts Club and Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain; and also, the 120th anniversary of Vauxhall Cavalier and Chevette Club, Club Calibra and VX220 Owners Club
There will also be the centenary of Triumph Cars – as well as the 60th anniversary of Lamborghini.
The following day, fans in attendance will witness the celebrations of 75th anniversaries of both Lotus with the Lotus Drivers club and Club Lotus/
It will also be the 75th anniversary of Porsche and the 25th anniversary of the 996 with The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts Club, the Porsche 924 Owners Club, and The 996 Carrera Owners Club.
Sunday’s parades will feature the 110th anniversary of Aston Martin, followed by the centenary commemoration of MG.
View the full parade listings here.
And the thrilling high-octane action doesn’t stop there, as attendees can also ‘Test your limits’ by getting involved in a range of racing simulators.
For those looking for other events happening away from the track, there is a free funfair all weekend, and a look to the future of electric vehicles at Switch Live powered by myenergi.
The Silverstone Festival Foodie Fest will showcase the very best of local produce – and will include demonstrations from chefs.
Team Extreme are also back at the festival this year, where professional BMX, skateboard, and scooter riders will show off their incredible skills.
This year’s event also signifies the 13th anniversary of Silverstone Auctions, where you can bid on iconic classic cars, competition vehicles and automobilia.
Finally, runners can also take part in the fun run around the track in aid of Kidney Research UK.
Are you attending this year’s event? If so, what are you most looking forward to? Leave your comments below.
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