This year’s Silverstone Festival in Northamptonshire, UK celebrates Historic motor sport and Ayrton Senna. It takes place from August 23-25, 2024, during the bank holiday weekend.
Formerly known as The Classic, the Silverstone Festival is the world’s largest Historic motor sport event. It draws more than 100,000 enthusiasts to witness over 1000 competitors across 20 races. Entries span from Formula 1 to Touring Cars and pre-war racers.
Accompanying the thrilling motor sport action is a gamut of off-track attractions. Adding to the atmosphere will be live music from the likes of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Olly Murs and Busted. Fans can also indulge in Foodie Fest, experience a funfair, peruse the shopping village, showcase their skills on racing simulators and even purchase their next classic in Iconic Auctioneers’ collector car auction. Another popular attraction is the F1 Fanzone, which will see modern Formula 1 challengers displayed by Aston Martin, McLaren, Alpine and Mercedes-AMG.
Saturday August 24 heralds the first day of unmissable wheel-to-wheel racing
One of the headline attractions of this year’s event is a special tribute commemorating Ayrton Senna, marking 30 years since the legendary driver’s tragic death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The tribute will see an unprecedented selection of cars and automobilia related to the Brazilian legend, with select vehicles performing poignant demonstration laps throughout the weekend.
The selection of Senna cars includes the Toleman TG184 he drove in his first Formula 1 race in 1984, as well as Lotus, Williams and McLaren Grand Prix racers he piloted during his illustrious career. Other, more obscure vehicles are two rally cars – an MG Metro 6R4 and Ford Sierra RS Cosworth – as well as a Honda NSX supercar once owned by Ayrton.
Competitive on-track action begins on Friday August 23 with a packed day of qualifying sessions from all 14 categories of machinery. The first cars to head out on track will be the frenetic field of Historic Formula Juniors that were driven in period by the likes of Jim Clark, John Surtees, Denny Hulme and Lorenzo Bandini, among others. The final qualifying session of the day is reserved for pre-1966 GT cars competing in the International Trophy.
Saturday August 24 heralds the first day of unmissable wheel-to-wheel racing. Some of Saturday’s headline events include the Adrian Flux Trophy for MRL Historic Touring Cars at 10:20am, the RAC Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy at 12:10pm and the Masters Racing Legends contest for vintage Formula 1 cars.
The first Ayrton Senna Tribute Demonstration is scheduled to take place at 4:40pm on Saturday afternoon, shortly after the ear-piercing modern Formula 1 car demo at 4:30pm.
Rounding off the timetable is the Masters Endurance Legends competition that caters to 1995-2012 endurance racers, followed by the Masters Sports Car Legends series for Le Mans-style sports cars and Group 4 machinery from 1962 to 1974.
Ten races will be held on Sunday August 25, which acts as the Silverstone Festival’s grand finale. Highlights include second races for the Masters Endurance Legends, International Trophy, Masters Racing Legends and RAC Trophy categories.
Another special event is the Pure Michigan Mustang Celebration Trophy, which is scheduled for 5:05pm on Sunday afternoon. Organised in honour of the Mustang’s 60th anniversary, the event will see the iconic American muscle cars duel against diminutive Minis for what is likely to be some of the most memorable racing of the weekend.
The 60th anniversary of the Ford Mustang will also be celebrated, with a special track parade by members of the Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain and Northwest Stangs on Saturday. Other anniversary track parades include the 30th anniversary of the Mazda MX-5, 105 years of Bentley, 50 years of the Porsche 911 Turbo, 110th anniversary of Maserati, 70 years of the Mercedes-Benz SL and much more.
Bringing the final day of racing to a close on Sunday is the pre-1966 International Trophy for Classic GT Cars. The race card includes thunderous AC Cobras, elegant Jaguar E-types, Porsche 911s, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lotus Elans and more.
Finally, Iconic Auctioneers will hold a major sale of classic road and race cars throughout the weekend, which includes a V12-engined 1992 Ferrari F40, 1986 MG Metro 6R4 Group B rally car, 1963 Maserati 3500 GTI Vignale Spyder and 1923 Bentley 3/4½ Supercharged Two-Seater.
For tickets to this year’s Silverstone Festival, click here.
