Silverstone Festival (23-25 August) always serves up the very best of historic motorsport from the last 100 years. The 2024 race card will be one of the best ever.
Reliving all the golden eras, the 20-race programme not only includes all the much-loved favourites but also some new grids recreating old rivalries at the home of British motorsport over one epic bank holiday weekend
Making welcome returns, the prestigious Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy and evocative Pre War Sports Cars are back on this summer’s bill. The former harks back to the glory days of GT racing in the fifties and early sixties with AC Cobras, Ferraris, Jaguars and Aston Martins to the fore. The latter – for pre-1941 sportscars – features hard-working drivers hustling famous pioneering marques such as Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Bugatti, Frazer Nash and Talbot.
As the birthplace of the Formula One World Championship, Silverstone Festival always provides a great opportunity to celebrate the track’s history and this year’s Festival includes double-header showdowns for both the HGPCA Pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars and Masters Racing Legends for iconic F1 cars from the DFV era between 1966 and 1985.
Building on the single-seater excitement, unforgettable Formula 2 and Formula 3 eras will be relived with their addition to the packed programme of retro races. Both have been refuelled for 2024 following a new partnership with the French promoter, HVM Racing, and promise to deliver huge fields with entries from all over Europe.
The newly created F2 Classic InterSeries is open to cars built between 1967 and 1978 – an incredible period which saw top grand prix drivers such as Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt competing against the sport’s rising stars at venues throughout Europe.
The F3 Classic InterSeries is equally evocative. Back in the seventies and early eighties, Formula 3 was the global proving ground of future world champions. It was where legends such as Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost all earned their spurs en route to international stardom.
Now many of the single-seater cars raced by those budding world champions – and others of the same period – will once again be lining-up at Silverstone Festival. Argos, Chevrons, Dallaras, Marches, Martinis and Ralts will be rekindling their glory days in front of huge crowds, enjoying their August Bank Holiday weekend at the home of British motorsport.
Confirming the Festival’s status as the world’s biggest historic racing celebration, many of the races will boast amazing 50+ car grids. Both Formula Junior and the International Trophy for Classic GT Cars (Pre ’66) are always oversubscribed while spectacular showdowns for bumper bashing saloon cars from yesteryear are always packed out.
With mighty American muscle cars from the sixties fending off Lotus Cortinas and giant-killing Minis, the Transatlantic Trophy for Pre ’66 Touring Cars is always a highlight as is the Adrian Flux Trophy for the MRL Historic Touring Car Challenge with its flame-spitting Ford Sierra RS Cosworths, BMW M3s and Rover SD1s from more recent tin-top epochs. Delivering extra drama, both races have compulsory pit-stops for optional driver changes.
Crucial qualifying sessions for all 20 races will take place on a very busy Friday ahead of the weekend’s unrivalled programme of historic racing.
“This summer’s roll call of retro races must be one of the best yet,” commented Event Director, Nick Wigley. “While we have widened the Festival’s overall appeal to include more great entertainment for fun-seeking families over the end of summer Bank Holiday weekend, it’s the incredible sights and sounds of the historic racing which remain the event’s heartbeat. And, spanning almost a century, this year’s line-up not only will be relished by existing enthusiasts but also will win over many new race fans.”
As well as the unprecedented race card, the iconic track will also host many glittering car club parades and special track demonstrations. In recent years these have included both famous stars and feted cars from Formula One – fans can expect more of these in August, too.
Maximising the bank holiday date, visitors of all ages will also be treated to displays, activities and interactive entertainments over all three days. And, providing great value for money, most of these are included in the price of admission.
Off-track highlights returning in 2024 include the event’s Foodie Fest with chef demos and Tasting Tent masterclasses, high energy stunt shows in the Shift & Drift Zone, a host of funfair rides and live music on all three evenings. Sophie Ellis-Bextor tops the bill on Friday evening, followed by Brit Award winning Busted on Saturday and celebrated singer, songwriter and television personality, Olly Murs on Sunday.
2024 Silverstone Festival racecard (provisional)
• Historic Formula Junior*
• The Adrian Flux Trophy for the MRL Historic Touring Car Challenge
• F2 Classic InterSeries*
• Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy
• F3 Classic InterSeries*
• Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy & Stirling Moss Trophy
• Masters Racing Legends (Formula One ’66-’85)*
• Masters GT Trophy
• Masters Endurance Legends*
• International Trophy for Classic GT Cars (Pre ’66)
• HGPCA Pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars*
• Transatlantic Trophy For Pre ’66 Touring Cars
• Masters Sports Car Legends
• Pre War Sports Cars
*Denotes double-header races
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