MG Car Club Celebration at Silverstone Circuit

The MG Car Club’s annual celebration MGLive! was staged 17-18 June at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. A crowd of 15,000 spectators attended the two-day event that combined a line-up of racing with the world’s biggest static display of MG models spanning 90 years.

On Silverstone’s Grand Prix Circuit, a packed grid of over 550 entries kept racing fans entertained across 16 races, including four MG championships and guest races from Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship, Masters Series Pre-1966 Touring Cars, and the single-seater Radical Challenge Championship.

The biggest grids came from the eclectic mix of Equipe GTS, with a range of vehicles from Alfa Romeos to TVRs and of course MGs — with Midgets and MGBs completing a varied line-up with a total of 80 Equipe entries including two genuine ex-works MGBs.

Saturday’s California Cup Autotest gave the various MGCC Registers whose owners like their driving more precise and a challenging route the chance to showcase their skills. The Ulster Centre came out victorious with the T-Register picking up the Register Trophy, while the Lincolnshire Centre won both the BMC and Longbridge trophies.

On Sunday, private owners had the chance to compete in the Autosolo in two classes — Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) and Front Wheel Drive (FWD). The overall RWD class winner was Ian Webb in the Midget Sprite, while the FWD class winner was Simon Ayris in the MG ZR.

There were also special Spirit of the Event awards presented to various competitors including Helen Blake from the Yorkshire Centre, who secured the fastest time in both the Autotest and Autosolo out of all the female competitors.

For those who prefer polish to power, there was the Pride of Ownership and Concours sponsored by Meguiar’s. Whilst there was a raft of class winners, the three major trophies went to Louise Allen in her MG ZR for Best Modified MG, David Laidlaw in his MGB for Overall Pride of Ownership winner, and Nigel Scutt in the MGF for Overall Concours Winner.

Away from the track, around 3,000 MG models spanning over 90 years of motoring heritage were displayed from the Club’s various registers, along with a collection of models that have all made their mark in motorsport in the main MGCC marque.

The Smartdriver Club Live Arena saw hosts Wheeler Dealers’ Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead entertain the crowds with their own Father & Son relay race, daily car clinics, and the UK’s only performance in 2018 of stunt driving legend Russ Swift, who celebrated 30 years since his first appearance at Silverstone.

The new Village Green area proved popular as visitors enjoyed the festival vibe, listening to a fantastic line-up of bands throughout the day and into the night, ranging from the Glamophones with their swing-style retro harmonies to the foot-tapping rock classics from TFI Live.

MGCC General Manager Adam Sloman said: “MGLive was fantastic and I’m thrilled to have seen so many happy MG and motorsport fans enjoy the weekend. All the new show content was extremely well received and we’re looking forward to building on that for 2018.”

For more information, visit MGLive.com.

2017 MGLive! Silverstone – Photo Gallery (photos: Aaron Lupton, Dickon Siddall)

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