This weekend’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone will be the most high-profile event on the UK motorsport calendar, which features over 5,000 events per year.
The British fans will hope to see Lewis Hamilton lift the famous Royal Automobile Club Trophy for the third successive year, while also looking for standout performances from Jenson Button and Jolyon Palmer.
However, this weekend is not all about Lewis, Jenson and Jolyon – there are a number of up-and-coming young British drivers competing in the weekend’s support races. Fresh from their podium lockout in Austria, Jordan King (22), Alex Lynn (22) and Oliver Rowland (23) will be in action in the GP2 Series. Jack Aitken (20), Jake Dennis (21), Jake Hughes (22) and Matt Parry (22) are frontrunners in GP3.
Meanwhile 11 of the 32 Porsche Supercup drivers are British: Ben Barker (25); Dan Cammish (27); Ryan Cullen (25); Tom Oliphant (25); Lewis Plato (23); Mark Radcliffe (37); Paul Rees (31); Tom Sharp (24); Josh Webster (22); Nick Yelloly (25); and Dino Zamparelli (23).
King, Lynn, Dennis, Parry and Yelloly will all be representing the MSA’s Team UK national squad. Their MSA Academy Performance Managers will be on hand to coach them throughout the weekend.
Then there is the industry that the British Grand Prix underpins. Seven of the 11 F1 teams are based in the UK – in fact 91 out of the last 100 grands prix have been won by cars designed and built in Britain. In total, the UK motorsport engineering and services industry has an annual turnover of £9billion* a year.
Through its commercial subsidiary, International Motor Sports (IMS), the MSA organises the sporting activity at the British Grand Prix, including the provision of over 1000 volunteer marshals and officials. The event could not happen without the invaluable contribution of these dedicated volunteers, who range from trackside marshals to race admin and medical personnel.
The MSA works closely with the team at Silverstone, which promotes the grand prix and delivers a world class venue and infrastructure enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of fans every year.
Rob Jones, MSA Chief Executive, said: “There’s no doubt that Lewis, Jenson and Jolyon will be the star attractions this weekend, and rightly so – their success plays a key role in inspiring the next generation to get involved, whether on or off the track. Indeed that’s why we are committed to supporting the next generation of young British talent rising through the ranks.
“However it’s also important to recognise and pay tribute to the hundreds of unsung heroes who come together to make the grand prix happen. These men and women are part of a much larger volunteering community, totalling almost 10,000 marshals and officials in the UK. The British Grand Prix, and the 5,000 other events that take place every year, simply couldn’t happen without them.”
Those inspired by the British Grand Prix to get involved in motorsport should visit www.GoMotorsport.net or email info@GoMotorsport.net for further information.
