Busy month July……..Just a week after returning from France, it was off to the Silverstone race circuit for the Silverstone Classic 2018. As it says on the tin, all sorts of classic race cars from many different categories, from Formula Ford, through to Classic F1 cars and shed loads of Touring Cars ( “tin tops” to you and me…), which was good, as it was the 60th anniversary of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).
One great thing about the Classic is that you can get really near to the cars in the paddock, which was a very attractive aspect for me – I always like to look at the machinery. It’s also a lot less crowded than the full Grand Prix meeting. Most of the time, most of the guys are quite happy to talk about their machines – if they’re not in the middle of a gearbox changing crisis that is !
So it was 4 days on-site camping for me, at the Woodlands Campsite. I went up on the Thursday (already for the “proper” first day on Friday) with son Sam joining me on the Saturday morning. The Woodlands Campsite was ideal, as it was only a quick stroll to the nearest circuit entry point. They also organised a fleet of buses to take people around the perimeter road, so it was easy to get from one viewpoint to another.
Apart from the racing, there was plenty of other stuff to see, including many displays of all manner of smart cars (never seen so many Porsche 911’s in one place in my life, or E-Types….), stuff for the kids, stalls to buy memorabilia, etc, etc.
It was a great Thursday evening, enhanced by 6/7 guys in their hot air balloons. Beautiful sight. There were some beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the weekend as well.
A few jokers in attendance. How can I disagree with this sentiment……..
So my plan was to look around the paddock on the Friday before Sam came up very early on the Saturday AM (with practice/qualifying going on as well), choose a few to races to watch (some cars being more attractive for me/us than others….) and then have a general look around the displays, etc.
On to the cars then. Friday first, Batch 1, more below. A bit of info in the captions (cursor on to the pic will reveal all….). There was too much to take in really, but please excuse my indulgence…….
Then it was on to the Legends of Modern F1 cars, in their own paddock area. More F1 cars below. I’m trying to record things in roughly chronological/ reasonably sensible order. Engines were the main attraction for me on this stand
My next port of call was the BTCC 60th Anniversary display. I must be getting old as I remember most of these cars the FIRST time around !
Also, a few million Mini’s of all shapes and sizes. There were several races involving them and they were as riotous as ever, giving the big boys a run for their money. Having run a hillclimb Mini Cooper S myself, it amazed me how much set up work they go into these days. All sorts of kit to check correct tracking, wheelbase, etc. Some teams even had their own electronic weigh scales, to check that the corner weights were correct/the same. Such attention to detail – a bit different to my day !
By now you’ll probably be completely bored with all the pix, so I’ll just finish off with a few more of my specific favourites.
Actually, I lied – there is a bit more. Can’t leave this wonderful weekend without including some NOISE. So here’s a few examples, taken from the Woodcote grandstand, on iPhone. The noise was terrific, as it echo-ed into the grandstand structure. After a while it become somewhat painful, so Sam and I had to move elsewhere, in order to give the ears a rest ! Wonderful though.
Anyway…..
- Classic Saloon Cars on their warm up lap – HERE
- Masters Endurance Legends – just listen to the Peugeot V10 engine wail – HERE
- Super Touring Saloons, Messrs Cleland, Rydell & co – HERE
- Classic F1 cars, mostly from the Cosworth 3 litre era – HERE
THAT’S IT FOLKS ! All in all a great weekend. Will definitely go again – one day !