Silverstone Festival 2025

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END OF AN ERA

Sparkling 2025 event brings down the curtain on the Silverstone Festival

END OF AN ERA

Sparkling 2025 event brings down the curtain on the Silverstone Festival

After 35 years the World's greatest classic racing festival came to an end over the August Bank Holiday weekend with the news that the much-loved historic racing event will not return next year and will be replaced by CarFest, in which reportedly on-track racing action will not feature, to the dismay of many in the paddock. However, a largely sunny weekend saw this spectacular historic racing event sign-off with an action-packed twenty races.

Start of the RAC Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy

Race 1: Historic Formula Junior

First: Sam Wilson – Cooper T39

Second: Alex Ames – Brabham BT6

Third: Chris Goodwin – Lotus 22

Race 2: RAC Woodcote & Stirling Moss Trophies

First: Andrew Smith – Cooper Monaco

Second: Greensall/Spiers – Lister Knobbly

Third: Wilson/Nuthall – Lotus 15

Race 3: Derek Ball Trophy for F2/F500

First: Michael Lyons – Lola T400

Second: Danny Eagling – March 742

Third: Alex Kapadia – March 762

Race 4: MRL GT3 Legends

First: Danney Winstanley – Audi R8 LMS

Second: Graham Davidson – Aston Martin V12 Vantage

Third: Olly Bryant –BMW Z4 GT3

Race 5: Masters Racing Legends Formula One

First: Tom Bradshaw – McLaren MP4/1

Second: Stuart Hall – March 821

Third: Matthew Wrigley – Tyrell 011

Race 6: Masters Endurance Legends

First: Steve Brooks – Peugeot 90X

Second: Christophe D'Ansembourg – Lola Aston DBR1-2

Third: Werner D'Ansembourg – Pescarolo LMP1

Race 7: Transatlantic Touring Car Trophy (Pre 1966)

First: Johnson/Ross – Ford Mustang

Second: Sam Tordoff – Ford Mustang

Third: Sowter/Hill – Ford Mustang

Race 8: HGPCA Pre 1966 Grand Prix Cars

First: Will Nuthall – Cooper T53

Second: Rudi Friedrichs –Cooper T53

Third: Tom Waterfield –Cooper T53

Race 9: International Trophy for Classic GT Cars (pre 1966)

First: Julian Thomas – Shelby American Cobra Daytona

Second: John Davison – TVR Griffith

Third: Hart D/Hart O – Shelby American Cobra Daytona

Race 10: Masters Group C

First: Andy Soucek – Lancia LC2

Second: Kalff/Campagne – Spice SE92

Third: Xnvier Micheron – Nissan R90CP

RACE RESULTS:

Michael Lyons in the Formula 5000 Lola T400 dominated Saturday's and Sunday's runnings of the Derek Bell Trophy races for F2/F5000 cars, leading from pole to flag both days. Danny Eagling (March 742) took second spot on Saturday from Alex Kapadia (March 762) who recovered from a slow start. Kapadia took second place in Sunday's race ahead of the March 74B driven by Tom Smith.

Plenty of drama in the MRL GT3 Legends race as Pole sitter Rob Huff (BMW Z4 GT3) led the Aston Martin V12 Vantage of Graham Davidson even though trailing tyre smoke from damaged bodywork rubbing on the right rear tyre. At the pit stops Huff and Davidson came in together. No problems for Huff, although he had a longer stop as an elite driver; but the Davidson pit crew struggled to fit new tyres as the hydraulic jacks appeared to not hold the car up. With five minutes left to run, and Davidson in the lead from Danny Winstanley's BMW Z4, the Chris and Freddie Lillington-Price Lamborghini Gallardo had a huge off at Luffield into the tyre wall causing major damage to the car and bringing out the red flag to end the race. Although leading on the track Davidson was handed a penalty for a short pit stop which relegated him to second behind Winstanley.

Both Masters Racing Legends Formula One races were won by Tom Bradshaw in a McLaren MP4/1, with Saturday's race enlivened by a three-way battle for second between Stuart Hall (March 821), Matt Wrigley (Tyrell 011), and Werner D'Ansembourg (Brabham BT49), which finished in that order. With a few minutes remaining Jamie Constable spun the Tyrell 011 at Club and lost the engine bringing out the Safety Car, although a push from the marshalls saw Constable rejoin for one final lap of green flag racing. Somewhat harder work for Bradshaw in Sunday's race, starting from seventh on the grid to take the win in a race only spoiled by a safety car period when Werner D'Ansembourg parked his Brabham BT49 at the side of the track along the Wellington Straight.

Two races over the weekend for Masters Endurance Legends saw Steve Brooks take the win in both races driving a Peugeot 90X with the D'Ansembourg family of Cristophe (Lola Aston DBR1-2) and Werner (Pescarolo LMP1) sharing the second and third spots respectively. Werner having started from the back of the grid due to not recording a time in qualifying after stopping at Brooklands on his first out lap.

The first of the weekend's Touring Car races, the Transatlantic Touring Car Trophy, saw a one-two-three finish for Ford Mustangs with the Matt Johnson/Robert Ross Allan Mann Racing Mustang taking the win ahead of the Mustangs of Sam Tordoff, and Colin Sowter sharing with BTCC Champion Jake Hill. Pole sitter Tordoff led away from the start, closely followed by Robert Ross. After just a few laps a collision at Brooklands eliminated the Ford Falcon of Marco Attard/Chris Hoy and the Mini Cooper of Phil Bullen-Brown, while the Ford Galaxie of Nikolaj Mortensen and Jan Magnussen retired with clouds of steam billowing from under the bonnet. After the mandatory pit stops (and a rather farcical Safety Car period when the Safety Car didn't get out in front of the then leader, Matt Johnson, so had to wave the entire field past and then wait stationary on the track for Ross to catch up) Tordoff was in fourth place, but a spirited charge in the few minutes of racing remaining saw him up up to second at the flag just 0.169 seconds behind Johnson.

The two races for pre-1966 Grand Prix cars saw Will Nuthall, Rudi Friedrichs, and Tom Waterfield take the first three spots in both races, all of them driving Cooper T53s. Friedrichs leapt away from the start in Saturday's race to lead pole man Nuthall from Miles Griffiths in the front-engined Scarab. Nuthall soon took the lead and the Scarab retire, which left Nuthall, Friedrichs and Waterfield circulating in 1-2-3 until the race was redflagged when Geraint Owen's Kurtis lost a wheel at Farm. The opening lap of Sunday's race saw a coming together at the Loop between Michael Gans (Cooper T79) and Mark Shaw's Lotus 21, which left Gans stranded in the middle of the track with broken left rear suspension and no drive.Thankfully, frantic avoiding action by the following pack prevented any further drama; but the Safety Car had to be deployed to get Gans' car craned off the track. From then Nuthall, Friedrichs led the field with Waterfield getting by Justin Maeers in another Cooper T53 into third. Maeers was then involved in a three-way battle for fourth with Tim Child (Brabham BT3/4) and Geoff Underwood (Cooper T53) which was resolved in favour of Child at the finish.

The International Trophy for Classic pre-1966 GT Cars saw the Cobra Daytona coupés of Julian Thomas and Olivier Hart battle for the lead with the two TVR Griffith of John Davison and John Spiers/Nigel Greensall until the pit stops. An unsafe release by the Hart crew resulted in a collision with the passing Corvette Stingray of Marco Attard and Chris Hoy, causing damaged bodywork on the Cobra to rub on the nearside front tyre. However Hart continued to battle with Thomas for the lead; but a drive-through penalty for that unsfe release relegated him to third at the flag.

Saturday's racing was brought to an end with a rather boring 40 minute race for Group C Cars which saw a mere nine cars leave the pits, to be reduced to eight before the race started when Alex Kapadia sidelined the Toyota 86C on the warm-up lap with a minor fire swiftly extinguished by the marshals. Shortly after the start we lost another two cars when the Rondeau M382 driven by ex-F1 star Thierry Boutsen pitted with a serious misfire and low oil pressure. Jordon Grogar also brought the Pontiac engined Spice SE86-01 into the pits with a broken exhaust, which was rectified allowing him to continue to finish in last place at the end. Pole sitter Andy Soucek driving a Lancia LC2 took the win.

A surprise for the RAC Historic Tourist Trophy race was the car sitting on pole – a diminutive 1650cc Turner GT driven by ex-F1 driver Jan Magnussen and Nikolaj Mortenssen, sharing the front row with Michael Gans' Lotus Elite, and ahead of the E-type of the Pearson brothers and the Hart family Ferrari 250SWB. Gans lead away from the start but the superior power put the Pearson's E-Type in the lead at Village. John Spiers, who started from the back of the grid due to not recording a time after the left front wheel came off his Cobra in qualifying, stormed through the field into 6th place after two laps but had to pit with no engine. He managed to rejoin, only to later receive a 43 second penalty for a short pit stop.

43 cars appeared on the grid for the Adrian Flux Trophy race for Historic Touring Cars enlivened in the opening laps by a spirited battle for the lead between David Hart's BMW CSL and the Ford Capri RS3100 of Wim Kuijl until contact between the two cars at Copse left Hart spinning and Huijl with a puncture, promoting Julian Thomas into the lead. Huijl limped around to the National Pits, and after a long delay when his crew went off to look for a new wheel rejoined to finish in 16th. After the mandatory pit stops Olivier Hart looked able to challenge for the lead until a second pit stop to investigate high water temperature put and end to that.

The most unusual event of the weekend was the 500cc Formula 3 race which saw a packed grid of 52 cars take to the track. Tom Waterfield (Cooper Norton Mk9) set a blistering time in qualifying to take pole 4.2 seconds ahead of Peter De La Roche in his Cooper Mk9. Waterfield led from the start to take an impressive win from De La Roche; but only just as he slowed dramatically on the last corner, with De La Roche just 0.19 seconds behind, then pulled off on the inside of Abbey. An entertaining battle for fifth spot between Hamish Cameron-Eveleigh (Cooper Mk8), Simon Frost (Cooper Mk10), and Ollie Leston (Martin Norton) gaves us plenty of opposite-lock action until Leston seemed to miss a gear and faded away, with Cameron-Eveleigh taking fifth at the flag.

As is traditional the first race on Saturday and Sunday saw large grids of Formula Junior cars take to the track, with some confusion among the drivers at the start of Saturday's race as to whether the race had actually started at the end of the formation lap, with the result that Ray Mallock in his front-engined U2 Mk2 led the pack to the line at the end of the first lap. The natural order was swiftly restored when Horatio Fitz-Simon's Brabham BT6 roared past into the lead. Fitz-Simon later collided with a back marker at Stowe dropping him down to fourth and gifting the lead to Sam Wilson who stayed there till the end. Mallock later also collided with a back marker at Vale resulting in a punctured rear tyre which eliminated him from the race and from the lead of the front-engined class. Sunday's Formula Junior race saw no such dramas with Fitz-Simon leading from start to finish.

Saturday's second race, for the RAC Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy, saw the pole-sitting Lotus 15 of Grimes/Mowlem lead away until the greater power of the Lister Costin of Max Lynn, and the Lister Knobbly of Nigel Greensall took over to give us a thrilling three-way battle for the lead until Greensall pitted from second place and Lynn spun at Vale gifting the lead to Grimes. After the mandatory pit stops the Cooper Monaco of Andy Smith was in the lead until a hard-charging Johnny Mowlem (having taken over the Lotus 15 from Bon Grimes) caught and passed a visibly struggling Smith down the Hangar straight only to slow suddenly at Club to let Smith back into the lead, where he stayed until the chequered flag.