• Celebrating the birth of Formula 1 at Silverstone in 1950
• World record grid of 500cc F3 cars added to Bank Holiday bill
• Formula Libre and new MRL GT3 Legends completes roster of 20 epic retro races
Adding to the special celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Sunday racecard at this summer’s Silverstone Festival (22-24 August) will include the biggest-ever showdown staged for 500cc Formula 3 cars.
Back in 1950, when Silverstone had the honour of hosting the first-ever points scoring F1 Grand Prix, a colourful field of pint-sized 500cc cars provided the only support race.
Back then these little half-litre, motorbike-engined racers were the perfect proving ground for the next generation of both drivers and engineers. Indeed, the Silverstone grid that year included a 20 year-old Stirling Moss and an even younger Peter Collins – both future British Grand Prix winners. What’s more, with their engines mounted behind the driver rather than under the bonnet up-front, these game-changers were the pioneers of future Formula 1 design.
They were also every bit as entertaining to watch as to drive. With the all-conquering Alfa Romeo factory team dominating the inaugural F1 race, it was the diminutive 500s which provided most of the on-track excitement back in 1950. With a huge entry, all keen to impress on such a significant occasion, a pair of five-lap heats were staged followed by a ten-lap final for the top finishers. Moss won the first heat, motorsport engineering legend, John Cooper, the second.
The final then featured a barnstorming battle between Moss in his Cooper-JAP and Wing-Commander Frank Aikens driving the race of his life in a unique Triumph-engined IOTA. The duelling pair swapped places many times before Moss had to settle for second place after a piston failure on the final corner.
Now 75 years later, a huge field of nostalgic 500s will be rolling back the years at Silverstone to honour their role in entertaining the 120,000+ crowd back in 1950. It will be the first time in history that they have had a dedicated race on the Festival bill and the response has been incredible. Unprecedented numbers of half-litre racers will be taking to the track to mark this historic milestone.
“The reaction has been phenomenal,” admitted Duncan Rabagliati of the 500 Owners Association. “We are expecting a full capacity 54 car grid with historically period entries coming from ten countries including France, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Germany and even the US. The amazing grid will feature at least 18 different marques, such as Bond, Effyh, Emeryson, Kieft, Staride, IOTA and, of course, all varieties of the ubiquitous Cooper.
“This is the first time since the 1950s that there has been a dedicated 500cc F3 race on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit and it will be a milestone day, both for the drivers to emulate the heroics of those aspiring Grand Prix drivers of the 1950s, but also for the enthusiasts to realise that there is still this spectacular and affordable branch of Historic circuit racing open to join.”
Nick Wigley, event director, is equally excited. “Silverstone is the perfect place to be celebrating Formula 1’s historic 75th birthday as, of course, it’s where the championship was born back in 1950,” he affirmed. “We have already announced four anniversary F1 races and this race for 500cc F3 cars will not only hark back to that important first championship race in 1950, but also provide spectators with a real nostalgic treat to savour.”
As ever, it is the huge variety of cars in action over the end-of-summer Bank Holiday weekend which makes the Festival so great. The final two grids to be announced – in addition to the 500s – spread the net still wider.
In 2025, the packed 20-race programme will also boast a spectacular showdown for MRL’s latest GT3 Legends as well as a double-header Formula Libre grid organised by the HSCC. The former will feature competition versions of supercars from McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and other exotic marques from between 2006 and 2015. The latter will showcase a terrific grid of single-seaters from the golden eras of F2, F3 and V8 powered F5000.
Photo: John Cooper (#42) leads the pack at the start of the 500cc F3 race at the milestone 1950 British Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone (credit: Silverstone Museum/BRDC Archive)
