Lights, cameras, action: the curtain is about to come up on this weekend’s record-breaking Silverstone Classic (28-30 July, 2017) – an epic three-day blockbuster that will not just be the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival but also, boasting more than 1,000 race entries, the largest motor sport meeting staged anywhere on the planet in 2017.
What’s more, this year’s Silverstone Classic is already set to be another record-breaker with unprecedented numbers of car clubs attending plus never-seen-before gatherings of Jaguar XJ220s and showroom McLaren sportscars taking to the track for incomparable track parades on Saturday and Sunday.
After months and months of detailed planning, everything is now in place for another phenomenal event. The infrastructure is complete and the competitors are primed for action after finishing their final shakedown tests on the circuit today (Thursday). The gates open at 7.30 tomorrow morning.
To whet the appetite, here are the 2017 Silverstone Classic Facts and Figures:
100,000+ Total attendance over the weekend
10,000+ Privately displayed classic cars on show during the event
£10,000 Awarded to Prostate Cancer UK by winning celebrity race team
2005 BTCC Honda Integra – the most modern car competing at the festival
1923 Bentley – the earliest car racing at the 2017 Silverstone Classic
780+ Drivers from 25 different countries
1,000 Entries in races spanning eight decades of glorious motor sport history
760 Acre Silverstone estate crammed with attractions, displays, shops, car clubs and so much more
458 Accredited TV, print, radio and online media reporting on the festival
220 Jaguar’s remarkable XJ220 will be celebrating its 25thbirthday with the largest-ever gathering of cars.
650 Volunteer marshals ensuring the track programme runs smoothly and safely
123 Is the average mph speed of the historic lap record set by Nic Minassian in Jaguar’s XJR14 Group C prototype in 2013
126 McLaren sportscars parading on Sunday to mark 80 years since the birth of founder Bruce McLaren
125 The record number of car clubs registered to display classic cars on the infield
113 Classic road cars on offer at the Silverstone Auctions sale
100 Exhibitors in the Shopping Village
82 Grand Prix cars in action ranging from 1952 to 1984
56 Hours for the eBay RESTORATION LIVE team to restore their 1984 Ford Capri
50 Years of Formula Ford celebrated with two over-capacity grids
50 Years since the Summer of Love with live music from the Bootleg Beatles
40 Metres is the height of the JET Big Wheel offering free rides
35 Jaguar E-types competing in the Jaguar Classic Challenge race
31 Hours of non-stop track action at the Silverstone Classic
30 Cosworth DFV-powered F1 cars on the two FIA Masters Historic Formula One grids
30 Streetcars taking part in the Streetcar Shootout
27 Vehicles supplied by AMT, the Official VIP Courtesy Car Partner
26 Famous faces contesting the Celebrity Challenge Trophy Race
24 Race cars coming under the Silverstone Auctions’ hammer
22 Races spanning the full spectrum of motor sport history
22 Car Club anniversaries being celebrated
FW14B The designation of Nigel Mansell’s title winning Williams giving high speed track displays
10 World GP Bike Legends including 500cc GP champions Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer and Phil Read
9 Holes on the crazy golf course
3.661 Miles is the length of the unique Historic Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone
ITV4 Will be broadcasting post-event TV coverage at 20:00 on Thursday 10 August, presented by Tiff Needell
It all adds up to ONE unmissable weekend at the Silverstone Classic
Full ticket details and all the latest news is available on the official website silverstoneclassic.com and via the event’s social media platforms.
