The Classic, Silverstone returned with record-breaking success on its new August Bank Holiday date, the three day event crammed in a huge programme of racing, with no race longer than 50 minutes, the outer Paddocks were crammed with competitors from many different historic series which certainly added to the festival feeling!
As well as delivering an exhausting list of classic racing, this year’s Classic maximised its new date to provide a whole load of extra entertainment for all ages with world exclusive displays, a crowd-pleasing Foodie Fest and live music on three nights topped by Rick Astley.
For spectators there was all the usual attractions – shopping village, fun fair, car-displays – alongside a brilliant ‘Diddly-squat’ pop-up and a display of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 winning cars which was knee deep in teenage and adult awe for the entire weekend. (Or so the kids told us, they couldn’t get near it)
As a returning competitor we found the event somewhat chaotic, running cars in both Paddocks without a multi-team preparer can be somewhat of a challenge, given the restrictions about where you can and can’t go, with a car, and with the fuel and tyre support located out on the far side of the circuit almost in Milton Keynes. Not wanting to complain but the morning routine did include a 5 minute ‘eyes-closed’ think about what exactly you are going need and where you need it, and how much equipment can you stack on a classic money bike and trailer? We left the campsite loaded up like the ‘purple-helmets’ display team most mornings. (And if you haven’t seen this delight on the Isle-of-Mann, TT weekend- you really need to!)
The army of security posted on various gates were extremely pleasant and polite – it has to be said, – and just when you think you were winning and getting the hang of it, the one-way system got reserved! And you found yourself on a magical mystery tour trapped on the inside of the circuit looking for a way out. It was like playing an advanced game of Crystal maze with the added stress of racing, thrown in for excitement. As a family we did have a great weekend, the weather was on side, the balloons floated over the campsite each morning, the racing was full-on and fantastic. The kids enjoyed it and we all arrived home exhausted.
To catch up with all the racing action, you can still view the live stream from the three days YouTube right here: https://www.youtube.com/c/silverstoneclassic
These fabulous images are from Oliver Flower – Full Throttle Photography. To contact him about copies/ prints please visit his website here
Next year, The Classic has announced it will return to Silverstone over the same end-of-summer festival weekend in 2023 (25-27 August). Tickets will go on sale later in the autumn and show-goers are invited to sign-up now to receive an alert to take advantage of best prices when sales open. The link to register in advance is https://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/the-classic/classic-2023-sign.
