• V8, V10 and V12 screamers as raced by Senna, Mansell and Schumacher
• The Classic boasts its most exciting line-up of GP icons
• Tickets for the August bank holiday must be purchased in advance
The Silverstone Grand Prix circuit will once again reverberate to the awesome shrill of F1’s best-ever sounding engines at The Classic this summer (26-28 August).
The high-revving V8, V10 and V12 powertrains introduced at the end of the 1980s to supersede their turbocharged predecessors are widely hailed as the most dramatic and exciting engines in the sport’s long and glorious history.
Come The Classic up to 20 F1 icons (dating from 1989 through to 1997) will be reviving their magic with incredible daily displays on the track where they raced so memorably in period.
During that awesome era British Grands Prix at Silverstone were won by legends such as Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher racing high-pitched McLarens, Williams’ and Ferraris propelled by extreme engines ultimately revving to a howling 20,000rpm and producing close to 1000bhp!
All those F1 icons together with Benettons, Lotuses, Jordans, Tyrrells are expected to be part of these not-to-be-missed track demos, which are being organised by the recently launched Ignition GP.
In recent years visitors to The Classic have been treated to the soul-stirring sights and sounds of the occasional V10 F1 car to mark a major sporting milestone – most recently last summer when Damon Hill was reunited with his 1996 title winning Williams FW18. This, however, will be the very first time a full grid of these motoring chart-toppers have all been unleashed onto superfast Silverstone since their halcyon heydays.
“We have brought back the terrific noise, energy and thrill of these wonderful cars for people to experience once more – or perhaps for the very first time – and we couldn’t be more excited about it,” said Jonathan Kennard, the ex-F1 test driver who is one of the founders of Ignition GP.
“Back then drivers like Senna, Prost, Berger, Hill, Schumacher and Mansell really were powerful athletes, wrestling with their cars with minimal or no driver aids, wheel-to-wheel, sparks flying from their floors. And then, above all, there is the utterly compelling noise – utter bliss for any true race fan.
“For me you can forget opera singers when you have growling Cosworth V8s, screaming Renault V10s and wailing V12s from Honda and Ferrari,” continued Kennard. “It is this emotion that we have worked so hard to reintroduce at Ignition GP and we can’t wait to bring these wonderful machines back to Silverstone for The Classic. You may – or may not – want to bring your ear defenders!”
As the birthplace in 1950 of the FIA Formula One World Championship and the established home of the annual British Grand Prix, Silverstone has unrivalled F1 pedigree – much of which is celebrated annually at The Classic.
Evocative races for the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association feature front- and rear-engined pre-1966 GP cars while Masters Historic Formula One revive the stunning DFV era that followed. Now, with the addition of Ignition GP, this summer’s bank holiday bonanza festival will welcome even more stunning Formula One history back to Silverstone than ever before.
“We are thrilled to be showcasing so much of Silverstone’s fantastic F1 heritage at The Classic and the addition of Ignition GP brings yet more excitement to the bill,” confirmed Nick Wigley, CEO of The Classic promoter Goose Live Events.
“Those normally-aspirated screamers really send shivers down your spine and visitors to The Classic won’t just get to witness them roaring around the circuit but also to see them up close in the Paddock.”
Providing exceptionally good value, all tickets for The Classic give access to both racing paddocks as well as open trackside grandstand seating, all three nights live music plus the vast majority of the fabulous family entertainment and attractions on offer – all being enhanced for the Bank Holiday in 2022.
For those booking now, three-day tickets are currently available from just £129 with adult daily admission starting from £54. Camping and VIP hospitality are also available and there is an opportunity for all ticket purchasers to make a welcome donation to Alzheimer’s Research UK, The Classic’s official charity partner.
Full details of tickets for The Classic 2022 at Silverstone can be found at: www.silverstone.co.uk/events/the-classic.
