What was the first race held at the Silverstone Circuit?
1950 British Grand Prix
The 1950 British Grand Prix, formally known as The Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix d'Europe Incorporating The British Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1950 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, England. It was the first World Championship Formula One race in the modern era, as well as the fifth British Grand Prix, and the third to be held at Silverstone after motor racing resumed after World War II. It was the first race of seven in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers.
Silverstone Circuit
The 1979 British Motorcycle Grand Prix was again held at Silverstone and would be one of the closest races in the history of Motorcycle Grand Prix racing. The 1978 winner Kenny Roberts and the pair of works Suzuki riders, Barry Sheene and Wil Hartog broke away from the rest of the field. After a few laps, Hartog fell off the pace as Sheene and Roberts continued to swap the lead throughout the 28-lap event, the American winning for the second time ahead of Sheene by a narrow margin of just three-hundreds of a second.
2015 4 Hours of Silverstone
The 4 Hours of Silverstone was an endurance motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit near Silverstone, England on 10–11 April 2015, and served as the opening round of the 2015 European Le Mans Series, and the first race under the series' new four-hour format. The event shared the weekend at Silverstone with the FIA World Endurance Championship's six-hour event.
2015 British Grand Prix
The 2015 British Grand Prix (formally known as the 2015 Formula 1 British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 5 July 2015 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom. The race was the ninth round of the 2015 season, and marked the 70th running of the British Grand Prix, and the 51st time that the race was held at the Silverstone Circuit.
Silverstone Circuit
The track underwent a major redesign between the 1990 and 1991 races, transforming the ultra-fast track (where in, its last years, fourth or fifth gear, depending on the transmission of the car, was used for every corner except the Bridge chicane which was usually taken in second gear) into a more technical track. The reshaped track's first Formula One race was won by Nigel Mansell in front of his home crowd. On his victory lap back to the pits Mansell picked up stranded rival Ayrton Senna to give him a lift on his side-pod after his McLaren had run out of fuel on the final lap of the race.
2015 6 Hours of Silverstone
The 2015 6 Hours of Silverstone was an endurance sports car racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit near Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England on 10–12 April 2015 before a crowd of 45,000 spectators. The event served as the opening round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship; it was fourth running of the event as part of the championship.
2010 RAC Tourist Trophy
The 2010 RAC Tourist Trophy was an auto race held at the Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, Great Britain from 30 April–2 May. The event, the second round of the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship season, was among the first to use the revised Arena layout of the Silverstone Circuit that was completed in early 2010. The GT1 series was part of the larger "Silverstone Supercar 2010" event, sharing the weekend with the FIA GT3 European Championship, GT4 European Cup, and the British Formula 3 Championship. The Championship race also served to award an annual champion for RAC Tourist Trophy, awarded by the Royal Automobile Club.
Silverstone Circuit
The fastest ever lap of the current circuit configuration was 1:25.892 recorded in qualifying for the 2018 British Grand Prix by Lewis Hamilton, while the official race lap record is 1:30.621 also set by Lewis Hamilton at the 2017 British Grand Prix.
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England located next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side. The Northamptonshire towns of Towcester (5 miles) and Brackley (7 miles) and Buckinghamshire town of Buckingham (6 miles) are close by, and the nearest large towns are Northampton and Milton Keynes.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
Historically Silverstone has suffered traffic congestion on race days. This problem has been largely eliminated with the completion of the A43 Silverstone bypass, a dual-carriageway road just to the north of the circuit. When the race was moved to an April date in 2000, rainy conditions turned the fields used for car parking into mud baths, causing chaos for spectators trying to park. On F1 race day in 1999 there were some 4200 helicopter journeys made to Silverstone Heliport, which was the busiest airport in the UK on that day.
Silverstone Circuit
The 2010 British motorcycle Grand Prix returned to Silverstone for the first time since 1986, although the category had evolved into MotoGP. Jorge Lorenzo dominated the event for Fiat Yamaha, finishing nearly seven seconds clear of a battle for second place. Andrea Dovizioso winning the battle for second for Repsol Honda, with the Tech 3 Yamaha of Ben Spies third, after passing fellow American Nicky Hayden on the last lap.
1961 Silver City Trophy
The sixth Silver City Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 3 June 1961 at Brands Hatch Circuit. The race was run over 76 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Stirling Moss in a Lotus 18/21.
Silverstone Circuit
July came, and with it came, of course, the Grand Prix. The almost unbelievably popular victory was Nigel Mansell's 18th Grand Prix win, making him the most successful English driver ever. Only two other drivers completed the full race distance: Gerhard Berger for McLaren and Prost for Ferrari.
Silverstone Circuit
A crowd of 27,000 welcomed back the World Touring Car Championship. The Alfa Romeo drivers dominated the first race, on a sunny 15 May 2005. Gabriele Tarquini scored a lights to flag victory, leading home an Alfa quartet. Behind the Italian, a tough fight for second between James Thompson and Fabrizio Giovanardi, with a number of overtaking and paint swapping moves, also involving the BMW 320i of Andy Priaulx. Augusto Farfus completed the quartet, with Priaulx dropping back to fifth. After a superb start, Priaulx led most of race two, until side-lined with a puncture. This enabled the SEAT duo of Rickard Rydell and Jason Plato to take the win for the Spanish manufacturer, with Tarquini in third.
2017 Silverstone FIA Formula 2 round
The 2017 Silverstone FIA Formula 2 round were a pair of motor races held on 15 and 16 July 2017 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom as part of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. It was the sixth round of the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship and was run in support of the 2017 British Grand Prix.
Davidstow Circuit
Davidstow Circuit is a disused motor racing circuit and airfield built in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. The circuit was built on the site of a World War II RAF Coastal Command base, RAF Davidstow Moor, opened in 1942. Davidstow circuit opened in 1952, and held three Formula 1 races between 1954 and 1955. The circuit hosted its last race in 1955, and was one of many of Britain's airfields to be transformed into motor racing venues. Davidstow circuit is notable for the first victory in a Formula One race by a Lotus.
1962 BRDC International Trophy
The 14th BRDC International Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 12 May 1962 at the Silverstone Circuit, England. The race was run over 52 laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, and was won by British driver Graham Hill in a BRM P57.
Silverstone Circuit
1961 was the year of the new 1.5 litre Formula One introduced by the governing body on safety grounds – it met with strong opposition in Britain which gave birth to the short-lived 'Inter-Continental Formula', which extended the life of the now-obsolete Formula One cars. The International Trophy was run to this Formula and produced a notable first and last – the first and only appearance of the American Scarab and the last appearance of the Vanwall, in the hands of Surtees. The race was wet and Moss demonstrated his supreme prowess in Rob Walker's Cooper by lapping all but Brabham twice.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
The British Grand Prix started to use the Arena circuit configuration since 2010, thus increasing the track's length by 759 metres. Ahead of the Grand Prix, a new pit complex was completed, making the straight between Club and Abbey corners the new pit straight.
2000 FIA GT Silverstone 500km
The 2000 FIA GT Silverstone 500 km was the fourth round the 2000 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom, on May 14, 2000. This event shared the weekend with the American Le Mans Series' Silverstone 500 USA Challenge, with some teams participating in both events.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone hosted the British round of the 2010 Superbike World Championship season, taking over from Donington Park after the circuit was deemed "un-raceable" due to the postponed construction that had commenced in 2009.
Silverstone Circuit
In 1986, the Silverstone 1000 km run on 5 May was a round of the World Endurance Championship, which Silk Cut Jaguar (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) won in a year when everything did not exactly go their way. However, the Derek Warwick/Eddie CheeverXJR9 was the only car to complete the distance of 212 laps, at a speed of 129.05 mph. The Stuck/Bell Porsche 962C was two laps down in second place, with a 962C a further three laps adrift in the hands of Jo Gartner and Tiff Needell.
British Racing Motors V16
It had been intended to début the car at the 1950 Formula One Grand Prix race at Silverstone, the first race of the new Formula One World Championship, but problems with the engine, such as cylinders cracking, buckling of connecting rods, and piston failures, led to the postponement of the race début. BRM instead had to settle for displaying the car at Silverstone after the BRM mechanics had worked all the previous night to get the car ready. Mays drove the car for several laps. The demonstration was witnessed by Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth II, and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Bridgehampton Race Circuit
Bridgehampton Race Circuit was a race track located near Sag Harbor, New York, United States. The circuit opened in 1957, following a series of road races held from 1949 until 1953. It was one of the first permanent road racing venues in the United States, opening after Thompson Speedway, two years after Road America, the year after Watkins Glen International, and the same year as Lime Rock Park and Laguna Seca Raceway. In its early years, Bridgehampton was host to major international series, including the World Sportscar Championship, Can-Am, and NASCAR Grand National. By the early 1970s, the track was used mostly for amateur events. From its opening day to the mid 90's the AMA (Championship Cup Series in the 90's) hosted events twice a month and was a favorite to many motorcycle road racers. The track closed permanently in 1998.
2009 1000 km of Silverstone
The 2009 Autosport 1000 km of Silverstone was the fifth and final round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, England, on 13 September 2009. The race was won from pole position by Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre for Team Oreca, while the third-place finishing Aston Martin of Jan Charouz, Tomáš Enge and Stefan Mücke won the LMP1 championship. Speedy Racing Team Sebah won their first race in the LMP2 category while the ASM Team failed to finish but were able to win their championship. First-time LMS entrant Gigawave Motorsport led the GT1 category while JMW Motorsport won in GT2. Team Felbermayr-Proton secured the GT2 class championship by finishing in seventh in their class.
1948 British Grand Prix
Despite the prestigious occasion – running two hours before the main Grand Prix event, the 500 cc race was actually the first ever competitive race on the Silverstone Circuit – the start was something of a shambles. When British Racing Drivers' Club President Lord Howe dropped the starting flag only two of the 34 drivers were ready to begin. Eric Brandon – an experienced 500 cc driver, and the first to win a 500 cc race in Britain – was not even seated in his car, but recovered to finish fifth. Moss had dominated the British 500 cc race season up to this point, but his car lost drive during the race and challenger Spike Rhiando won in his Cooper MkII. John Cooper was second, and the 58-year-old Baronet of Bodicote, Sir Francis Samuelson (also a Cooper MkII driver) took third.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
On 18 February 2009, the first pictures of the MotoGP Layout emerged (this has since changed to the layout that was constructed). The track will be slightly longer than the Grand Prix circuit, as it uses parts of the three main configurations at Silverstone – the Grand Prix circuit from the start-finish to Abbey corner, then turns right to go up part of the International layout in reverse, before joining the National Circuit's straight from a left-hand hairpin known as the "Arrowhead". Having negotiated the straight, the bikes will rejoin the Grand Prix circuit at Brooklands.
Silverstone
About south of the village is the Silverstone Circuit, a former Royal Air Force World War II bomber base and now the traditional home of the British Grand Prix, a Formula One race that attracts more than 300,000 visitors each year.
Silverstone Circuit
For Silverstone's first Grand Prix of the 21st Century, the FIA decreed that the race should be moved to April, and the event took place over Easter, with the GP itself run on Easter Sunday. In hindsight this was a poor decision by the FIA, who failed to take into account the unpredictable weather in Britain at this time of year. It rained almost continually for the best part of three weeks before the event and most of Good Friday; by Easter Saturday the car parks had virtually collapsed and were completely closed. Although most of the race day itself was fine, the damage was done and many thousands of spectators were unable to get to Silverstone to witness David Coulthard win his second straight victory in the event, from his McLaren teammate Mika Häkkinen, with Michael Schumacher third for Ferrari.
Silverstone Circuit
The 2009 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was due to be the last in Northamptonshire, as the event was moving to Donington Park from the 2010 season. The race was won by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Racing, 15.1secs ahead of his teammate Mark Webber. A further 25.9secs behind was that regular visitor to the podium, Barrichello, in his Brawn. However, due to Donington Park funding issues, the Grand Prix would remain at Silverstone until at least 2019.
Silverstone Classic
The Silverstone Classic is an annual three-day car and race event at the UK's Silverstone circuit, home of the British Grand Prix. Over a long weekend every July, the event features a large number of historic racecars in races and static displays and draws together a large number of car clubs. It is billed as ‘The World’s Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival’.
Silverstone Circuit
The F1 cars returned in Silverstone on 8 July 2012, for the Grand Prix. The race was won for the second time by Webber, with pole-sitter Alonso second for Ferrari, finishing 3secs behind. Red Bull Racing and Webber's teammate Vettel rounded off the podium.
Silverstone Circuit
A considerable number of ex-RAF airfields existed, and it was to these the RAC turned their attention to with particular interest being paid to two near the centre of England – Snitterfield near Stratford-upon-Avon and one behind the village of Silverstone. The latter was still under the control of the Air Ministry, but a lease was arranged in August 1948 and plans put into place to run the first British Grand Prix since the RAC last ran one at Brooklands in 1927 (those held at Donington Park in the late 1930s had the title of 'Donington Grand Prix').
2013 3 Hours of Silverstone
The 2013 3 Hours of Silverstone was an auto racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit near Silverstone, England, on 12–13 April 2013. The event was the opening round of the 2013 European Le Mans Series season, in a weekend shared with the FIA World Endurance Championship and the FIA European Formula 3 Championship. Heavy rains during the race forced the event to be cut short, with only two and a quarter hours being run before Britons Simon Dolan and Oliver Turvey of Jota Sport were declared the winners. Soheil Ayari and Anthony Pons led the LMPC category, Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda, and Nick Tandy won the LMGTE class, and Andrew Smith, Ollie Millroy, and Alisdair McCaig were the GTC class victors.
Silverstone Circuit
The 1954 Grand Prix season was the new 2.5-litre Formula One and had attracted interest from some major players. Lancia had joined the fray with their D50, and Daimler-Benz were back; the appearance of Lancia meant that there were three Italian teams completing at the highest level, the others being Ferrari and Maserati. The British were catered for by the Owen Racing Organisation with their BRMs, the Vanwall of Tony Vandervell and Connaught still competing, while Cooper-Bristol were not to be forgotten. At the start of the season, Mercedes-Benz had swept all before them, but Silverstone was a débâcle for the team, which returned to Untertürkheim in defeat. The 263-mile race was won by González from Hawthorn in the works 625s, with Onofre Marimón third in the works Maserati 250F. The best Mercedes driver was pole-man Fangio in his W196.
British Grand Prix
Brooklands had been severely damaged by the onset of World War II and the circuit was abandoned. Most new British circuits were being built on disused Royal Air Force airfields, and Silverstone, located in Northamptonshire in central England, was one of those circuits. It staged its first race, the Royal Automobile Club International Grand Prix on 2 October 1948, which was won by Italian Luigi Villoresi in a Maserati. In 1949, the circuit was heavily modified and made very fast; and it remained in this configuration for decades on.
2011 Silverstone GP2 Series round
The 2011 British GP2 round was a GP2 Series motor race held on July 9 and 10, 2011 at Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom. It was the fifth round of the 2011 GP2 Season and the fourth round of the 2011 GP3 Season. The race supported the 2011 British Grand Prix.
Silverstone Circuit
When the Group C cars returned in 1991, they raced for the World Sports Car Championship, but the race distance was reduced to 269 miles (83 laps of the GP circuit) and it was a straight battle between Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, with victory going to the Jaguar XJR14 of Teo Fabi and Derek Warwick at a speed of 122.048 mph. In second place, four laps behind, came the Mercedes C291 of Michael Schumacher and Karl Wendlinger, followed by the singleton driver XJR14 of Brundle.
Silverstone Circuit
The passage of a further two years saw the arrival of the one-one-one grid in 1981, albeit staggered in two rows. The turbocharged era had arrived for not only did Renault occupy the front row of the grid, but turbo-engined Ferraris were fourth and eighth. The Renaults dominated the race, but total reliability was still lacking and the day went to John Watson in a McLaren MP4/1. Second place went to Carlos Reutemann in the Williams FW07C from the Talbot-Ligier JS17 of Jacques Laffite, a lap down; the race speed was down a little at 137.64 mph.
2007 1000 km of Silverstone
The 2007 1000 km of Silverstone was the fifth round of the 2007 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom, on 16 September 2007.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
On 20 June 2009 Bernie Ecclestone stated that there would be a British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2010 if Donington was not ready to host it. When asked why he had moved from his previous "Donington or nothing" standpoint he cited changes in the structure of the BRDC meaning there was a better way of negotiating with them over future commercial rights. Furthermore during an interview with the BBC about the Formula One Teams Association threatening to break away and form their own series, FIA president Max Mosley said it was "highly likely" the 2010 British Grand Prix would return to Silverstone. On 24 October 2009, BBC News reported that Donington had failed to raise the £135 million needed to stage a British Grand Prix, that Donington's bid 'looks over' and that Bernie Ecclestone had offered the race to Silverstone, but that the terms appeared to be the same as those that the Circuit rejected the first time around.
2011 RAC Tourist Trophy
The 2011 RAC Tourist Trophy was an auto racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, England on 3–5 June, and was the fifth round of the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship season. It was the FIA GT1 World Championship's second race held at the Silverstone, although it is the first international racing series to use the brand new pit complex which was being built at the time of last years race. The event was supported by the FIA GT3 European Championship, GT4 European Cup and Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo.
Willaston Circuit
The Willaston Circuit is a 3.5-mile road racing course on the Isle of Man used for cycle racing and classic car racing. The inaugural race was in 1936 and the course was last used in 2000 by the Manx Motor Racing Club before the foot & mouth outbreak in the British Isles halted all motor racing on the Isle of Man in 2001.
Silverstone Circuit
International motor racing at Silverstone is not concerned solely to Formula One, however, and 1976 saw one of the closest finished in endurance racing during the "Silverstone Six-Hour" race, which was a round of the World Championship for Makes. The series was almost a German benefit that season as the main contenders were the Porsche 935s and BMW 3-litre CSLs (common known as the 'Batmobiles'). Porsche had had the upper hand in the opening rounds of the series, but at Silverstone things were different. John Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw kept their BMW ahead to win by 197 yards (1.18secs) from the Bob Wollek/Hans Heyer Porsche 935 Turbo. Third was a Porsche 934 Turbo in the hands of Leo Kinnunen and Egon Evertz.
Silverstone Circuit
In the 1983 British Grand Prix, the first Cosworth-powered car was in 13th place on the grid, all the cars ahead of it were being powered by turbocharged engines. Fuel consumption of the turbos was heavy and refuelling mid-race had become de rigueur, the mechanics now playing as important part as the drivers. With the ever-increasing power, speeds were continually on the up and in practice René Arnoux became the first person to lap the circuit in under 1:10.000 with a time of 1:09.462 in his Ferrari 126C3, a lap at over 150 mph. In the race, the lap record was raised to over 140 mph by Frenchman Alain Prost who won the race in the Renault RE40 at an average speed of 139.218 mph, from Nelson Piquet in the Brabham-BMW BT52B and Patrick Tambay in a Ferrari. Finishing fourth, also using Renault power, was the Lotus 94T of future British hero, Nigel Mansell.
2012 Silverstone GP2 and GP3 Series rounds
The 2012 Silverstone GP2 Series round and the 2012 Silverstone GP3 Series round was a group of motor races held at the Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain for the GP2 and GP3 Series championships. The races, held on 7 and 8 July, were in support of the British Formula One Grand Prix. The GP2 races were the seventh round of the 2012 GP2 championship, while the GP3 races formed the fourth round of the 2012 GP3 season.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
The track underwent a major redesign between the 1990 and 1991 races, transforming the ultra-fast track (where in its last years, every corner was taken in no lower than 4th or 5th gear – depending on the transmission of the car – except for the Bridge chicane, which was usually taken in 2nd gear) into a more technical track. The reshaped track's first F1 race was perhaps the most memorable of recent years, with Nigel Mansell coming home first in front of his home crowd. On his victory lap back to the pits Mansell even found time to pick up stranded rival Ayrton Senna and give him a lift on his side-pod, after Senna's McLaren had run out of fuel on the final lap of the race.
Silverstone Circuit
The 1985 International Trophy (run 24 March) saw the race again make history, as it was the inaugural event under the regulations for the new International Formula 3000. Kiwi racer Mike Thackwell wrote himself into the record books by winning the International Trophy for the third time, and the first F3000 race in the process, driving a Ralt RT20 from John Nielsen in a similar car. The lower step on the podium went a March 85B driven by Michel Ferté.
2010 1000 km of Silverstone
The 2010 Autosport 1000 km of Silverstone was the fifth and final round of the 2010 Le Mans Series season and the inaugural race of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. It took place at Silverstone Circuit on 12 September. Manufacturers in the LMP1 and GT2 categories were eligible to compete for points in the ILMC, and designated teams in all categories except Formula Le Mans also competed for an ILMC title.
2005 Silverstone GP2 Series round
The 2005 Silverstone GP2 Series round was a GP2 Series motor race held on July 9 and 10, 2005 at Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom. It was the sixth round of the 2005 GP2 Series season. The race weekend supported the 2005 British Grand Prix.
Silverstone Circuit
For 1958 drastic rule changes were introduced into Formula One, Fangio had retired and Maserati had withdrawn due to financial difficulties. Throughout the season the battle was between Ferrari and Vanwall and it was fervently hoped that Vandervell would success at home but it was not to be; the green cars fell apart, Stuart Lewis-Evans the best placed finisher in fourth. Victory went to Collins from Hawthorn, both driving Ferrari Dino 246s. The crowd of 120,000 witnessed a hat-trick of English drivers on the podium with Roy Salvadori coming home third in one of John Cooper's Coventry-Climax rear-engined powered cars.
Silverstone Circuit
After a new pit building, the Silverstone Wing was completed in time for the 2011 British Grand Prix. The start of the track was relocated to between Club Corner and Abbey Corner. Almost flat out, the right-hander of Abbey leads immediately into the left-hander of Farm before cars brake heavily into the second-gear right-hander Village Corner. The even slower left-hander of the Loop comes immediately after, and leads into the flat-out left-hander of Aintree, before cars head down the DRS zone of the Wellington Straight, designed in 2010 to promote overtaking at the track. Turn 6, the left hander of Brooklands, is taken by drivers in second gear and leads immediately into Luffield, another second-gear curve, a right-hand hairpin. The right-handed kink of Woodcote leads cars down the old pit straight, before the difficult sixth-gear right-hander of Copse, with a minimum speed of 175 mph in the dry for Formula One cars. Then, the challenging complex of Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel – a left–right–left–right–left complex with a minimum speed of 130 mph – leads cars down the 770-metre Hangar Straight with the fifth-gear right-hander of Stowe at the end. The fifteenth turn of the track, Stowe, has a minimum speed of 125 mph and precedes a short straight, named Vale, which leads cars downhill towards the Club complex. Heavy braking is required for the left-hander of turn 16, and understeer can be an issue for the next right-handers of turns 17 and 18, as cars tentatively accelerate round to the start–finish straight.
Silverstone race winners
The BRSCC's F5000 championship, organised in the UK but taking in events across Europe, started in 1969. The title sponsorship moved from Guards to Rothmans to Shellsport before the series let in F1, F2 and Formula Atlantic cars for 1976.
2016 6 Hours of Silverstone
The 2016 6 Hours of Silverstone was an endurance sports car racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England on 15–17 April 2016. Silverstone served as the opening round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship, and was the fifth running of the event as part of the championship. 52,000 people attended the race weekend.
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone also hosts many club racing series and the world's largest historic race meeting, the Silverstone Classic. It is also host to one of the UK's only 24-hour car races, the Britcar 24, which is gaining in popularity, having run between 2005 and 2012.
Silverstone Circuit
1987 saw the inaugural World Touring Car Championship arrive at Silverstone. Luis Pérez-Sala had a meeting no one would believe; he led the race until the penultimate lap, with nearly one minute lead, but then his Bigazzi-entered BMW M3 retired. He wasn't even sure that the car would start the race after Olivier Grouillard rolled the car in practice. However, the Munich marque still took victory when the CiBiEmme Sport's M3 finished first, in the hands of Enzo Calderari and Fabio Mancini. The Schnitzer M3 of Roberto Ravaglia, Roland Ratzenberger and Pirro managed to finished second, ahead of the Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo of Giorgio Francia and Nicola Larini.
Silverstone Circuit
On 12 May 1996, the Northamptonshire circuit hosted a round of the International BPR series which was very a British affair. First was the McLaren F1 GTR of Andy Wallace and Olivier Grouillard followed by the Jan Lammers/Perry McCarthy Lotus Esprit and another McLaren in the hands of James Weaver and Ray Bellm.
Silverstone Circuit
The big sports cars returned to Northamptonshire on 8 May 1983 to contest the Silverstone 1000 kilometres, which was a round of the newly instigated World Endurance Championship. It was a Porsche benefit with Derek Bell and Stefan Bellof bringing their 956 home ahead of Wollek and Stefan Johansson in an identical car – in fact 956s filled the first five places.
1948 British Grand Prix
The Royal Automobile Club took a one-year lease on the Silverstone airfield site in early 1948 and set about creating a race track. The airfield conformed to the standard model for WWII RAF sites: three long, wide runways formed a triangle, their ends joined by a narrow perimeter roadway. In this inaugural year the RAC decided to lay out a relatively long circuit, using the full lengths of the two longest runways, as well as large portions of the perimeter road.
1975 British Grand Prix
The 1975 British Grand Prix (formally the John Player Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 19 July 1975. It was race 10 of 14 in both the 1975 World Championship of Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was the 30th British Grand Prix to be held since the race was first held in 1926 and the 17th time the race had been held at Silverstone. The race was held over 56 of the scheduled 67 laps of the four kilometre venue for a race distance of 264 kilometres.
1965 BRDC International Trophy
The 17th BRDC International Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 15 May 1965 at the Silverstone Circuit, England. The race was run over 52 laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, and was won by British driver Jackie Stewart in a BRM P261.
2016 Silverstone GP2 and GP3 Series rounds
The 2016 Silverstone GP2 and GP3 Series rounds were a pair of motor races that were held on 9 and 10 July 2016 at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom as part of the GP2 Series and GP3 Series. It was the fifth round of the 2016 GP2 season and the third round of the 2016 GP3 season. The race weekend supported the 2016 British Grand Prix.
Silverstone Circuit
And so to the 1987 British Grand Prix, the event now firmly established at Silverstone. The first two placings were a repeat of the 1986 race at Brands Hatch, Mansell winning from his Williams-Honda teammate Piquet at 146.208 mph and Ayrton Senna in the Lotus-Honda. The race will always be remembered the inter-team rivalry of the Williams pairing. Following a late pit stop in a bid to cure a vibration in the car, Mansell found himself 16.8secs behind Piquet with only 17 laps to go. But Mansell proceeded to eat into Piquet's lead – more than a second per lap – until with five laps to go the gap was only 1.6 seconds. With two laps to go Mansell slipstreamed Piquet down the Hangar Straight, jinked left and then dived right to pass Piquet into Stowe. To a tumultuous reception, Mansell went on to win the race.
Silverstone Circuit
From 1955, the Grand Prix was alternated between Aintree and Silverstone, until 1964 when Brands Hatch took over as the alternative venue.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
On 12 January 2009 it was announced that Silverstone will host the British MotoGP from 2010 after signing a five-year deal to hold this event.
Silverstone Circuit
Despite possible concerns about the weather, the 1948 British Grand Prix began at Silverstone on Thursday 30 September 1948. The race took place on 2 October. The new circuit was marked out with oil drums and straw bales and consisted of the perimeter road and the runaways running into the centre of the airfield from two directions. Spectators were contained behind rope barriers and the officials were housed in tents. An estimated 100,000 spectators watched the race.
Silverstone Circuit
The International season opened on 13 April with the first round of the Intercontinental F3000 Championship. The first home was Pascal Fabré with a Lola T86/50 from Emanuele Pirro (March) and Nielsen (Ralt).
Silverstone Circuit
In May 1980, World Championship for Makes – sports cars in other words – returned in form of the Silverstone Six-Hours, which was won by Alain de Cadenet driving a car bearing his own name, partnered by Desiré Wilson; the 235 laps (687 miles) being completed at 114.602 mph. The only other to complete the full race distance was the Siegfried Brunn/Jürgen Barth (Porsche 908/3), with a Porsche 935K Turbo driven by John Paul and Brian Redman third, a lap down.
Silverstone Circuit
The next year the Royal Automobile Club took a lease on the airfield and set out a more formal racing circuit. Their first two races were held on the runways themselves, with long straights separated by tight hairpin corners, the track demarcated by hay bales. However, for the 1949 International Trophy meeting, it was decided to switch to the perimeter track. This arrangement was used for the 1950 and 1951 Grands Prix. In 1952 the start line was moved from the Farm Straight to the straight linking Woodcote and Copse corners, and this layout remained largely unaltered for the following 38 years. For the 1975 meeting a chicane was introduced to try to tame speeds through Woodcote Corner (although MotoGP would still use the circuit without the chicane up until 1986), and Bridge Corner was subtly rerouted in 1987.
2011 6 Hours of Silverstone
The 2011 Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone was an auto racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit on September 11, 2011. It was the fourth round of the 2011 Le Mans Series season and the fifth round of the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
Sebring International Raceway
The first 12 Hours of Sebring was held on March 15, 1952, shortly growing into a major international race. In 1959, the track hosted the U.S.' first Formula One race (the successor to historic European Grand Prix motor racing), held as that year's installment of the historic United States Grand Prix competition. However poor attendance and high costs relocated the next U.S. Grand Prix to Riverside International Raceway in southern California.
For much of Sebring's history, the track followed a layout. After a disastrous 1966 12 Hours with five fatalities, the track was widened and lengthened for 1967 with the removal of the Webster Turn between the hairpin and the top of the track and replacement with the faster Green Park Chicane. This was closer to the hairpin and allowed a flat-out run through a very fast corner to the top of the track and the runway. Another dangerous section was the Warehouse straight, where the organizers installed a chicane to move the track away from the warehouses and buildings after a crash where a Porsche went into one of the warehouses and into a crowd.
1975 BRDC International Trophy
The 1975 BRDC International Trophy, formally known as the 27th Daily Express International Trophy, was a non-championship Formula One race held at Silverstone Circuit on 13 April 1975. It was organised by the circuit owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club, as a "curtain raiser" for the European portion of the 1975 Formula One season. James Hunt, driving for the small Hesketh Racing team, set the fastest lap time in practice and took pole position for the start. In the race he continued to run at the front, heading the leading pack for many laps and setting fastest lap of the race on lap 14. Third-place runner, McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi, equalled his time on lap 23. However, Hunt's engine failed at the start of lap 26 and the lead was inherited by second-place runner Niki Lauda in his Ferrari. Lauda held the lead for the remainder of the race, despite Fittipaldi "pull[ing] out the stops" to try and pass him. At the finishing flag, Fittipaldi was only one-tenth of a second behind Lauda, with Mario Andretti in a Parnelli taking the last podium position in third.
Silverstone Circuit
Someone had become rather more than a little concerned over the 160 mph lap in 1985, for by the time the Grand Prix returned in Silverstone in 1987, a new corner was inserted before Woodcote which changed the character of the circuit. However, the first International meeting in 1987 was the initial round of the Intercontinental F3000 Championship on 12 April. The race was run at 103.96 mph, the winner being Maurício Gugelmin in a Ralt from Michel Trollé in a Lola and Roberto Moreno aboard another Ralt.
1990 British Grand Prix
The 1990 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 15 July 1990. It was the eighth round of the 1990 Formula One season. It was the 45th British Grand Prix and the 26th to be held at Silverstone. The race was held over 64 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 306 kilometres.
Development history of Silverstone Circuit
The next year the Royal Automobile Club took a lease on the airfield and set out a more formal racing circuit. Their first two races were held on the runways themselves, with long straights separated by tight hairpin corners, the track demarcated by hay bales. However, for the 1949 International Trophy meeting, it was decided to switch to the perimeter track. This arrangement was used for the 1950 and 1951 Grands Prix. In 1952 the start line was moved from the Farm Straight to the straight linking Woodcote and Copse corners, and this layout remained largely unaltered for the following 38 years. For the 1975 meeting a chicane was introduced to try to tame speeds through the mighty Woodcote Corner (although MotoGP would still use the circuit without the chicane up until 1986), and was replaced by the Bridge chicane in 1987.
1987 British Grand Prix
The 1987 British Grand Prix (formally the XL Shell Oils British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 12 July 1987 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. It was the seventh race of the 1987 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was the 42nd British Grand Prix and the 23rd to be held at Silverstone. The race was held over 65 laps of the circuit for race distance of .
2017 British Grand Prix
The 2017 British Grand Prix (formally known as the 2017 Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 16 July 2017 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom. This race was the seventy-second running of the British Grand Prix, the sixty-eighth time that the race has been run as a World Championship event, and the fifty-second time that the World Championship event has been held at the Silverstone Circuit.
6 Hours of Silverstone
In 2004, the new Le Mans Endurance Series was created to resurrect several 1000 km endurance races in a modern era. Among these was Silverstone, running at its original distance. Once again, British success started off the return of the event as Allan McNish and the British Audi team won the event. Audi and McNish won again the following year, this time under the control of the French Oreca team, although the race was heavily hampered by rain. Silverstone took a brief hiatus in 2006 as Donington replaced the event once again, only to return once again in 2007. Peugeot earned their second victory, this time with a diesel-powered Le Mans prototype. The 2010 edition will be the inaugural race of the Le Mans Intercontinental Cup, as well as the first time the race use the new "Arena" configuration. The race will continue in 2012 as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
2000 Silverstone 500 USA Challenge
This event was the first American Le Mans Series race held outside of North America. It served as a precursor to the creation of the European Le Mans Series by gauging the willingness of European teams from the FIA Sportscar Championship and FIA GT Championship to participate in a series identical to the American Le Mans Series. This event also shared the weekend at Silverstone with an FIA GT round, with some GT teams running both events.
Silverstone Classic
In 2011 there were 23 races staged on the full Grand Prix circuit which attracted 1104 entries and was the biggest race meeting staged anywhere in motor sport history. 
Both Silverstone’s ‘National’ and new ‘Wing’ pits and paddock complexes were employed to house the large number of entrants which included two races reserved for 50 plus car grids of E-type Jaguars, organised to celebrate the British sportscar’s 50th anniversary. That record set in 2012 was broken in 2014, however, when the event received an unprecedented 1125 entries.As well as the on-track racing, the Silverstone Classic festival includes live music sets from classic rock and pop bands from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Well known bands to have appeared in recent years are: Dr Feelgood, Suzi Quatro, Santana, 10cc, Wishbone Ash and the Yardbirds. The 2012 line up featured Adam Ant and Mike and the Mechanics, with The Hollies in 2013. The 2014 line-up included Canned Heat and Bonnie Tyler with Status Quo and Paul Young headlining in 2015. In 2016 the line-up included The Boomtown Rats, The Stranglers and Reef.
1996 BPR 4 Hours of Silverstone
The 1996 BPR 4 Hours of Silverstone was the fourth race of the 1996 BPR Global GT Series. It was run at the Silverstone Circuit on 12 May 1996. The race was also appointed the British Empire Trophy.
Silverstone Circuit
The 2009 1000 km of Silverstone saw Oreca take the chequered flag with the aid of their drivers Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre. The next three cars home were also on the lead lap after 195 laps of racing, with second place going to Speedy Racing's Lola-Aston Martin B08/60 of Marcel Fässler, Andrea Belicchi and Nicolas Prost. The newer Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 of Aston Martin Racing took the next two places, with the partnership of Tomáš Enge, Charouz and Mücke claiming the final step on the podium.
BRDC International Trophy
The event was instituted by the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) in August 1949, sponsored by the Daily Express newspaper, for cars meeting contemporary Grand Prix motor racing regulations. The BRDC drew the name from that of an extinct event formerly held at the Brooklands circuit in the early 1930s. The first Silverstone event was noteworthy as it was the first to use the former airfield's perimeter roadways rather than the main runways; a circuit layout that persisted for over forty years.
2013 6 Hours of Silverstone
The 2013 6 Hours of Silverstone was an auto racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit, near Silverstone, England on 12–14 April 2013. The event was the opening round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season, and served as the annual award for the Royal Automobile Club's Tourist Trophy. Briton Allan McNish, Dane Tom Kristensen, and Frenchman Loïc Duval won the race for Audi, just over three seconds ahead of their teammates. The British Delta-ADR team were victorious in the LMP2 category, while Aston Martin Racing secured both the LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am classes.
Silverstone Circuit
And so to July, and the British Grand Prix. Once again, it was over 190 miles and was won at 145.253 mph. Alain Prost was now driving for Ferrari and his victory was rounded by Thierry Boutsen in the Williams in second, and Ayrton Senna's McLaren in third.
1978 BRDC International Trophy
The XXX BRDC International Trophy was a motor race for Formula One cars held on 19 March 1978 at the Silverstone Circuit, England. It was the 30th running of the International Trophy, and the last to non-Championship Formula One regulations. The race was held over 40 laps of the Silverstone circuit, for a total distance of around .
2010 Silverstone Formula Two round
The 2010 Silverstone Formula Two round was the first round of the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship season. It was held on 18 August 2009 at the old configuration of the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Pole position for first race was secured by Jolyon Palmer. Philipp Eng set his fastest lap in second qualifying.
Silverstone Circuit
By 1971, the 3-litre era was now into its fifth season; it was also the year when sponsorship came to the fore. Ken Tyrrell became a constructor and Jackie Stewart won at Silverstone driving the Tyrrell 003 on his way to a second World Championship. Ronnie Peterson was second in March 711 from Emerson Fittipaldi in Lotus 72D; all were Cosworth-powered in what fast becoming Formula Super Ford; the race average was 130.5 mph.
6 Hours of Silverstone
No race was held in 1989 as Donington temporarily replaced Silverstone on the schedule, but sportscars returned in 1990 for a shorter 480 km event. Jaguar returned to their winning ways straight away before going on to earn a fifth straight victory in a 430 km event in 1991. Only after Jaguar officially retired from the World Championship was another manufacturer able to once again earn victory at Silverstone, this time being Peugeot. A lack of entrants however lead to the cancellation of the World Championship, temporarily ending endurance racing at the circuit. The race did make a one-year comeback in 2000 as part of the American Le Mans Series. The race served as a precursor to the European Le Mans Series that followed in 2001.
2014 4 Hours of Silverstone
The 4 Hours of Silverstone was an endurance motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit near Silverstone, England on 18–19 April 2014, and served as the opening round of the 2014 European Le Mans Series, and the first race under the series' new four-hour format. The event shared the weekend at Silverstone with the FIA World Endurance Championship's six-hour event. The French trio of Pierre Thiriet, Ludovic Badey, and Tristan Gommendy won the race overall for TDS Racing, ahead of Race Performance's Michel Frey and Franck Mailleux and Morand Racing's Christian Klien, Gary Hirsch, and Romain Brandela. The LMGTE category was led by Duncan Cameron, Michele Rugolo, and Matt Griffin for AF Corse, while Team Ukraine's Andriy Kruglyk, Sergii Chukanov, and Alessandro Pier Guidi were victorious in the GTC class.
2014 6 Hours of Silverstone
The 2014 6 Hours of Silverstone was an endurance sports car racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit near Silverstone, England on 17–20 April 2014. The event served as the opening round of the 2014 World Endurance Championship, and overall race winners were awarded the annual Tourist Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club. Toyota became the first Japanese manufacturer to win Silverstone's endurance race, with Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, and Nicolas Lapierre leading the team's second TS040 Hybrid to a 1–2 finish. The race, which had run under mixed weather conditions, was stopped in the final half-hour of competition due to heavy rains and not restarted.
1948 British Grand Prix
The race meeting marked the opening of the Silverstone Circuit, although at the time the site was only on a one-year loan to the RAC from the Air Ministry, having been a bomber station during World War II.
2005 1000 km of Silverstone
The 2005 1000 km of Silverstone was the third round of the 2005 Le Mans Series season and held at Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom. It was run on August 13, 2005.
Silverstone Circuit
The following year, the new 3-litre Formula One was heralded as the ""Return of Power"", however the first Grand Prix under these regulations was held at Brands Hatch. It was not until 1967 that the big-engined cars came to Northamptonshire. The result remained unchanged, with Clark winning in the Lotus-Cosworth 49 at a race average speed of 117.6 mph. Second was Kiwi Denny Hulme aboard the Brabham-Repco, from the Ferrari 312 of his fellow countrymen Chris Amon.
2008 1000 km of Silverstone
The 2008 Autosport 1000 km of Silverstone was the fifth and final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, Great Britain, on 14 September 2008. The race was attended by a record crowd of 53,000 spectators.
Silverstone Circuit
In 1948, Royal Automobile Club (RAC), under the chairmanship of Wilfred Andrews, set its mind upon running a Grand Prix and started to cast around public roads on the mainland. There was no possibility of closing the public highway as could happen on the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands; it was a time of austerity and there was no question of building a new circuit from scratch, so some viable alternative had to be found.
Silverstone Circuit
In 1952, the RAC decided it no longer wished to run the circuit, and on 1 January the lease was taken on by the BRDC, with James Brown continuing as track manager. The lease covered only the perimeter track and other areas at specific times. The original pits between Abbey and Woodcote were demolished, and new pit facilities were constructed between Woodcote and Copse. Coinciding with the BRDC taking over the running of the Grand Prix, there was a little unrest within the sport which led to the downgrading of Grand Prix racing to Formula Two, which was won by Alberto Ascari at 90.9 mph from his Ferrari teammate Piero Taruffi – both driving the Tipo 500. The podium was completed by Mike Hawthorn driving a Cooper-Bristol T12.
2017 6 Hours of Silverstone
The 2017 6 Hours of Silverstone was an endurance sports car racing event held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England on 14–16 April 2017. Silverstone served as the opening round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship, and was the sixth running of the event as part of the championship. The event was won by the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 Hybrid
2001 FIA GT Silverstone 500km
The 2001 FIA GT Silverstone 500 km was the fourth round the 2001 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, Great Britain, on May 13, 2001.
1964 BRDC International Trophy
The 16th BRDC International Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 2 May 1964 at the Silverstone Circuit, England. The race was run over 52 laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, and was won by Australian driver Jack Brabham in his own Brabham BT7.
2002 FIA GT Silverstone 500km
The 2002 FIA GT Silverstone 500 km was the second round the 2002 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom, on May 5, 2002.