Eight reasons to watch the Silverstone Classic

The Classic was one of the many major events lost to the pandemic in 2020, but it’s now set to be back in style this weekend as it celebrates the 20th edition of retro-themed fun

Two weeks after reigning Formula 1 champion Alain Prost won the final British Grand Prix on Silverstone’s ultra-fast layout in 1990 – after gearbox failure thwarted Ferrari team-mate Nigel Mansell, to the partisan audience’s dismay – the racing world bade farewell to a circuit still rooted on the one where Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart were victorious in front of home fans in the 1960s. Its last hurrah was an Historic Festival, showcasing the venue’s influence on racing through the decades, sponsored by auction house Christie’s.

The 27-29 July weekend was something extraordinary, with 1964 world champion John Surtees saddling an Auto Union D-type in a Silver Arrows demo with Neil Corner’s Mercedes-Benz W154 (subsequently damaged in a race incident) and victories for past masters Sir John Whitmore (McLaren M8F), Brian Redman (Chevron B19) and Willie Green (Maserati 250F), who entertained daily crowds royally.

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Author Marcus Pye

Raised initially within earshot of South London’s fabled Crystal Palace circuit, racing engines are the soundtrack to my life. Car enthusiast Dad and godfather took me to British Grands Prix of the 1960s, which sowed the seeds of my passion. Reading Autosport every Thursday morning, following my hero Ronnie Peterson’s exploits, fuelled it.

Volunteering as a BARC junior at Thruxton in the mid-'70s led to lap-charting for commentator Simon Taylor, Autosport's publisher, and grid/pit marshalling. Landed my dream Autosport job aged 19 in July 1977, working under legendary editor Quentin Spurring and Robin Bradford. A staffer for 20 years (1000 issues!), freelance since 1997, I’m its longest-serving writer.

Over 45 seasons I have reported 1200-plus events - covering F2, F3000, F3, club and Historic racing to hillclimbs and sprints at towards 100 venues - and commentated worldwide, most notably at Goodwood and the Spa Six Hours.

My driving CV lists almost 550 competition cars spanning 140 plus marques. Since 1981 I’ve contested over 200 events, from Brands Hatch to Daytona, scoring the occasional result. Co-owning and racing the Chevron B40 in which Keke Rosberg won Enna-Pergusa’s European F2 round the weekend after I joined Autosport and an F5000 Lola T332 were special!

A lottery windfall would see me buy a Chevron B8 (my favourite car from boyhood), Lola T294 and March 782 - and expand my racing sticker archive, popular on Facebook. Beyond the sport and family, my abiding interest is classical music.