Silverstone Classic

Now firmly re-established as one of the biggest and best historic racing festivals, the Silverstone Classic provided plenty of interest over the weekend of July 20-22. The event boasted a 1000-car entry list, made possible by using both sets of pits and paddocks on the full British Grand Prix circuit. Sponsored for the first time by the Automobile Association (AA) a 24-race program was brought together along with a huge gathering of classic car clubs and a wide range of attractions.

The headline grids were each given two races, with the overall result declared on aggregate. Michael Lyons took a commanding lead in the first Grand Prix Masters counter with his Hesketh 308E only to retire, leaving Bill Coombs in his Tyrrell 009 (pictured above) to win from Steve Hartley’s Arrows A4. Coombs fended off Hartley by just 0.210sec in the second race from a hard-charging Lyons making his way through from the back of the grid.