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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Report and Photos

Silverstone Classic 2016
Silverstone Classic 2016

The Silverstone Classic 2016 was held 29-31 July at the historic 3.6-mile Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in Northamptonshire, England. The 26th annual historic race again welcomed more than 100,000 enthusiasts to witness a field of more than 1,100 race entries covering the full spectrum of motorsport greats.

The programme of 20 races at the 2016 Silverstone Classic — all staged on the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit — not only bought back some great memories of bygone eras but also provided some memorable entertainment of the kind not often served up in contemporary motor sport. Whether it’s abiding sights of much-loved classics drifting through corners, or the lasting sounds of roaring V8 and V12 engines at full chat, crowds were treated to some unforgettable racing. Indeed, Sunday afternoon’s FIA Masters Historic F1 encounter was one of the most exciting showdowns ever staged at Silverstone. Six stupendous Grand Prix cars from the eighties — all still in their iconic period liveries — battled wheel-to-wheel, lap after lap, right down to the chequered flag.

There was a myriad of other stand-out highlights during the three-day Silverstone Classic 2016 event. Can-Am cars celebrated the awesome series’ 50th birthday and in the FIA Masters Historic Sports Cars the rarely seen light-blue Matra MS650 overcame all the Lola T70s to win Saturday evening’s thrilling contest. Two-wheel heroes Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer were among the World GP Bike Legends back aboard their fearsome 500cc bikes and then came all the typical touring car thrills and spills of Tin Top Sunday.

The sight and sound of Mika Häkkinen’s 2001 British Grand Prix-winning McLaren MP4/16A was another of the weekend’s many acoustic high spots as were the 1990s Endurance Legends — an amazing gathering of Ferraris, Jaguars, Porsches and other GT and sports prototypes, which also included touring car legend Steve Soper behind the wheel of Nick Mason’s fabulous McLaren F1.

The Classic, though, is not all about the racing. Away from the circuit and central music stage, the 800-acre Silverstone estate was crammed full of wonderful family entertainment, with visitors treated to a host of activities for all ages. The event’s biggest-ever Sunday crowd was treated to a magical mix of air displays, street car shoot-outs, an Adrenalin Zone, interactive challenges, car club displays, period fun fair plus a busy shopping village.

“I know we say the same every summer but this year’s Silverstone Classic really was the biggest and best yet,” enthused Nick Wigley, CEO of Goose Live Events, the company behind the Silverstone Classic. “A massive amount of work goes into the organisation of what’s the biggest classic motor racing meeting on the planet but when you see all these amazing grids, all the phenomenal car club displays and all the smiling faces of the young and not quite so young, you can’t help but be both proud and inspired. Once again, we have raised the bar. Our target is now to raise it still higher in 2017!”

Similar to 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, Sports Car Digest also documented the Silverstone Classic 2016 with the following images from the 26th edition of the “World’s Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival”. We split up pictures into two galleries. The first gallery starting below features our favorite images, while the second gallery and race reports / winners can be found on the last page of the article and gives a comprehensive view of all 580 photographs.

Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Two

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Three

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Four

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Five

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Six

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Seven

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Eight

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Nine

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Ten

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Eleven

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Twelve

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Thirteen

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Fourteen

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Fifteen

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Sixteen

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Seventeen

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Eighteen

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Nineteen

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Main Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture)

 

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Silverstone Classic 2016 – Saturday Race Results

Race 1: Commander Yorke Trophy for Historic Formula Junior

A huge grid of late 1950s and early 1960s Formula Junior single-seaters opened the weekend’s packed programme of racing, with more than 50 cars stretching back right around Club Corner at the start.

Sam Wilson took the lead, while Westie Mitchell, Callum Grant and pole-sitter Andrew Hibberd squabbled behind him. Hibberd moved into second and began to reel in Wilson but ultimately was unable to make up the lost ground.

There was a great battle between Cameron Jackson and Nicholas Fennell who were switching places all over the circuit and they caught Grant ahead, with Fennell battling through into third. But Grant wasn’t to be denied a podium grabbing back third place on the penultimate lap. Further back, Ray Mallock finished first of the older-generation front-engined cars, in 14th overall.

The trophies were presented by racing legend Richard Attwood, the 1970 Le Mans winner and more relevantly victor of the high profile Formula Junior race supporting the Monaco Grand Prix in 1963.

1. Sam Wilson (Lotus 20/22) 9 laps
2. Andrew Hibberd (Lotus 22) +1.073s
3. Callum Grant (Merlyn Mk 5/7) +16.611s

Race 2: Stirling Moss Trophy for pre-’61 Sports Cars

Next up was the first of the pit-stop races, with drivers competing for the actual trophy awarded to Sir Stirling Moss for his first ever Grand Prix victory at Aintree in 1955.

The crowds were treated to a great train of cars from first to fifth positions with the Lister Jaguars leading from the off. It wasn’t long, however, before Sam Hancock fought his way to the front in the scarlet Ferrari 246S ‘Dino’ with Oliver Bryant’s little Lotus picking its way through to second place.

Bryant briefly nosed the Lotus ahead of the Ferrari but then dropped back to fourth after spinning on oil at Stowe. He fought his way back past the Listers back into second but the Lotus lost ground later on after Oliver handed over to father Grahame.

Up front the Ferrari Dino won comfortably, the car taking back-to-back wins at the Classic in ’15 and ’16, Hancock thrusting both hands into the air in jubilation as he took the flag.

1. Sam Hancock (Ferrari 246S) 20 laps
2. Richard Kent (Lister Costin Jaguar) +28.255s
3. Tony Wood / Will Nuthall (Lister Knobbly) +29.837s

Race 3: Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars (Pre ’63 GT)

The coveted Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars was won by the pole-sitting Aston Martin DB4 GT of Wolfgang Friedrichs and Simon Hadfield… but the victory was far from straight-forward.

The early laps of the 50-minute, pit-stop encounter for Pre ’63 GTs were led by the striking and unique Ferrari 250 SWB ‘Breadvan’, with the AC Cobra of Martin Hunt and Patrick Blakeney-Edwards plus a pack of jostling E-type Jaguars in hot pursuit, as Friedrichs dropped back in the Aston.

The intervention of a safety car following an incident involving an Alfa Romeo TZ1 changed the face of the race, however. Lukas Halusa thought he’d taken advantage of the Safety Car to make his compulsory pit-stop, but came in before the pit stop window was open and thus was forced to make a second stop a few laps later.

Friedrichs, though, got his timing right and handed over to hot-shoe Hadfield as soon as the window opened and, when all the pit-stops had been completed, the Aston held a comfortable advantage over the AC Cobra with the fastest of the E-types shared by James Cottingham and Andrew Smith in third. After his earlier error, Halusa charged back through the field in the fabulous Ferrari and only just missed out on reclaiming a place on the podium, crossing the chequered flag right on the back bumper of the Jaguar.

1. Wolfgang Friedrichs / Simon Hadfield (Aston Martin DB4 GT) 18 laps
2. Martin Hunt / Patrick Blakeney-Edwards (AC Cobra) +16.468s
3. James Cottingham / Andrew Smith (Jaguar E-type) +30.698s

Race 4: Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy for Pre ’56 Sports Cars Presented by Jaguar

Pole-sitting Chris Ward in the Cooper-Jaguar was expected to take an easy victory in the 50-minute Woodcote Trophy showdown for pre 1956 sports cars after qualifying more than a second ahead of the opposition. But, come raceday, he was challenged all the way by Frederic Wakeman / Patrick Blakeney-Edwards in another of the Cooper-Jaguars.

Wakeman stole the lead at the start, with Ward harrying him all around the opening lap before nipping through at Chapel, then building a comfortable lead as cars made their mandatory pit-stops.

However, the on-form Blakeney-Edwards exited the pits right on Ward’s tail and then grabbed the lead with 15 minutes left. Blakeney-Edwards eked out a lead of just over a second, but Ward was always close behind.

With less than five minutes remaining Ward caught back up and re-took the lead, getting the power down exiting the Loop in a controlled slide. He pulled ahead onto the Wellington Straight, before holding on for a hard-earned victory in a fantastic contest between the two Jaguar-engined cars.

1) Chris Ward (Cooper-Jaguar T33) 19 laps
2) Frederic Wakeman / Patrick Blakeney-Edwards (Cooper-Jaguar T38) +3.370s
3) Tony Wood / Barry Wood (RGS Atalanta) +1m 35.440s

Race 5: FIA Masters Historic Formula One

The pair of 25-minute FIA Masters Historic Formula One races are always two of the big draws at the Classic. The huge crowd was treated to the spectacle of a rolling start for 29 DFV-engined Formula One cars from the late 70s and early 80s.

At the start, Ollie Hancock made a fantastic pass around the outside of pole-sitter Nick Padmore to lead in the 1978 Fittipaldi F5A, but Padmore would have none of it, wasting no time in re-gaining the lead at Brooklands.

Martin Stretton, who struggled to get heat into his tyres in qualifying, fell back to fifth in the ex-Michele Alboreto Tyrrell 012. Ahead of him, Hancock was under pressure from the fast-starting Loic Deman, the earlier Tyrrell 010 up from seventh to third on the first lap. The Belgian made a bold but necessary move up the inside going into Copse as the iconic black and gold Lotus 91/5 of Gregory Thornton was catching them both. The Fittipaldi fell back down the field, but took the victory in the pre ’78 class.

Thornton continued to press Deman in his Lotus, raced by Elio de Angelis in period, but couldn’t quite find a way past, pirouetting at Abbey on the last lap. He caught the spin after one rotation and continued without losing a spot.

Championship front-runner Nick Padmore claimed his fifth consecutive victory this season and a fitting one at Silverstone, where Clay Regazzoni took Williams’ first-ever Grand Prix win racing a similar FW07 in 1979.

1. Nick Padmore (Williams FW07C) 14 laps
2. Loic Deman (Tyrrell 010) +3.861s
3. Gregory Thornton (Lotus 91/5) +8.402s

Race 6: JET Super Touring Car Trophy

Evoking memories of the BTCC races of the nineties, the JET Super Touring Car Trophy was another crowd-pleaser coming immediately after the Masters Historic Formula One event.

Pole-sitter Colin Noble Jnr, running a Vauxhall Vectra from 2000 (when Jason Plato partnered Vincent Radermecker) started well and opened up a gap to James Dodd’s Honda Accord and Frank Wrathall in his ex-Emanuele Pirro Audi A4. Dodd, though, soon settled in and began to reel Noble Jnr back in.

Once he caught the leader, Dodd’s ex-Peter Kox Accord darted left and right in search of a way past, but the youngster kept a cool head in front and held his own to take a narrow but well-earned victory.

Craig Davies led the Group A runners in his flame-spitting Ford Sierra RS500, while two-time Bathurst winner Tony Longhurst – in his 1994 Australian Manufacturers’ Championship winning BMW 320 – finished just inside the top 20 after a race long battle with 1985 European Touring Car Champion, Gianfranco Brancatelli.

1. Colin Noble Jnr (Vauxhall Vectra) 9 laps
2. James Dodd (Honda Accord) +0.206s
3. Frank Wrathall (Audi A4) +9.824

Race 7: Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge

This year’s Silverstone Classic is celebrating 50 years since the birth of the fearsome Can-Am sports car series with two very special showdowns. Saturday’s opener featured no fewer than ten of these mighty V8 beasts plus a great array of less potent but more agile cars from European championships and Le Mans.

The mighty Can-Am breed was headed by the brute force of Andrew Newall’s thundering 8.8-litre McLaren M8F from 1972 with Rob Hall’s glorious sounding V12 Matra MS670B/C from 1974 fastest among the World Sportscar interlopers.

Hall started slowly from pole with Andrew Newall blasting the McLaren into the lead but could not drop the hard-chasing Matra which harried the McLaren for the first 15 of the 20-minute race.

Then, with the McLaren starting to struggle on worn tyres, Hall slipped through into the lead. Newall used his car’s power to blast back alongside but eventually had to settle for second place overall and victory in the Can-Am category. The trophies were presented by Jackie Oliver; winner of the Can-Am Championship in 1974 which was the series’ final year.

1. Rob Hall (Matra 670B/C) 10 laps
2. Andrew Newall (McLaren M8F) +1.758s
3. John Grant (McLaren M8C/D) +31.944s

Race 8: Maserati Trophy for HGPCA pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars

48 fantastic Grand Prix cars dating between 1937 and 1964 took the flag at the start of this race, with third-placed qualifier Jon Fairley leading as the field went through Abbey. Pole-sitter Will Nuthall soon put the Brabham BT11 under pressure, his older 1960 Cooper T53 harrying the 1964 machine.

Indeed, the Cooper passed the Brabham at Brooklands, but Nuthall was unable to slow the car and allowed Fairley to re-pass, before running wide himself at Stowe, giving up the lead.

Once Nuthall went ahead he was able to stretch the Cooper’s legs, opening up a good advantage, before Fairley began to put the pressure on again. Behind them, Peter Horsman was running a steady race in his Lotus 18/21, ready to pick up any positions if things went awry in front.

Fairley’s Brabham re-took the lead with just over two minutes left, Nuthall briefly slowed in the Cooper, before picking up speed again and setting up a final lap showdown.

Fairley seemed to have the 20-minute race all under control with half a lap left, but he then suffered a leery moment letting a surprised and delighted Nuthall finish in front.

1. Will Nuthall (Cooper T53) 9 laps
2. Jon Fairley (Brabham BT11) +1.403s
3. Peter Horsman (Lotus 18/21) +13.041s

Race 9: FIA Masters Historic Sports Cars

The pole-sitting Andy Willis’ Matra MS650 led the 50-minute FIA Masters Historic Sports Cars race from the start with Chris Ward’s Lola T70Mk3B taking second from Nick Padmore’s Chevron B19 before the Lola grabbed the lead to cap an entertaining first lap.

Padmore then slipped past the Matra too, and the Chevron began to catch the leading car before things settled down with Oliver Bryant holding off Gary Pearson – both in 5-litre Lola T70 Mk3B’s – battling for fourth.

Willis was the first of the front-runners to make the mandatory pit-stop handing over to team-mate Rob Hall, looking to capitalise on Hall’s speed to regain the lead.

Up front, Ward and Padmore continued to battle for the lead, the little Chevron briefly nosing ahead before the grunt of the Lola helped it retake first place.

The two leaders pitted together but with Hall’s Matra now lapping faster than them on track he took the lead, with Max Smith-Hilliard now in the Chevron coming out in second and Ward’s Lola now driven by Paul Gibson in third.

Bryant, running the whole race solo, passed the Chevron and quickly set after Gibson, passing the T70 soon afterwards.

But Rob Hall was too strong for the field in the light blue Matra, pulling away to take an impressive victory, and the second of the day for the French equipé.

1. Andy Willis / Rob Hall (Matra MS650) 23 laps
2. Oliver Bryant (Lola T70 Mk3B) +28.536s
3. Chris Ward / Paul Gibson (Lola T70 Mk3B) +52.577s

Race 10: International Trophy for GT Cars (pre ’66)

The day’s final 50-minute pit-stop race – the International Trophy for GT Cars – starred a capacity 57-car grid packed with wonderful Jaguar E-types, AC Cobras, Austin Healeys, Lotus Elans and MGBs. It was the TVR Griffith of Mike Whitaker which led away from pole position chased hard by the growling AC Cobras of Oliver Bryant and Leo Voyazides.

Bryant stalked the TVR for several laps before pouncing to take the lead. Behind him Julian Thomas in the leading E-type slipped past Voyazides for third and chased down the TVR.

After the mid-race pit-stops, just a handful of seconds covered the top four with Simon Hadfield now aboard Voyazides’ Daytona Cobra. He quickly slid past the E-type, which was then further slowed by a drive-through penalty, and set his sights on the leader. With a couple of laps remaining, the two Cobras – now with lights ablaze in the fading light – were battling side-by-side before Hadfield edged ahead to take the victory.

1. Leo Voyazides / Simon Hadfield (Shelby Daytona Cobra) 20 laps
2. Oliver Bryant (AC Cobra) +4.635s
3. Mike Whitaker (TVR Griffith) +12.482s

Race 11: Group C

An amazing day’s retro racing concluded with a spectacular 30-minute sunset showdown for Group C prototypes.

Stirring up memories of Le Mans in the eighties, Nathan Kinch took full advantage of pole position in his Judd V10 powered Lola. Behind the two Nissan R93s of Bob Berridge and Katsu Kubota, Christophe D’Ansembourg’s high-tech Jaguar XJR14 and Mark Sumpter’s Porsche 962 were all sending up sparks in the dusk as they skirmished for second.

Kinch wasted no time making his escape but the four cars behind put on a fantastic show. The Ross Brawn-designed Jaguar eventually making its way through the squabbling Nissans but then slowed on the final lap to elevate Kubota and Sumpter into the remaining places on the podium.

There was no stopping the dominant Kinch, though, who romped home to take the day’s final victory.

1) Nathan Kinch (Lola T92/10) 17 laps
2) Katsu Kubota (Nissan R93) +51.742s
3) Mark Sumpter (Porsche 962) +57.885s

Silverstone Classic 2016 – Sunday Race Results

Race 1: Commander Yorke Trophy for Historic Formula Junior

As on Saturday morning, a huge grid of Formula Juniors opened the race proceedings. Saturday’s winner Sam Wilson once again outpaced pole-sitter Andrew Hibberd off the line, with Cameron Jackson also passing the slow starting Lotus.

Wilson attempted to break the slipstream and scamper off in the distance, but Hibberd had other ideas, closing the gap to Wilson and then passing for the lead at Stowe halfway through the 20-minute race.

Further back, Martin Walford treated fans to the sight of the ex-Peter Arundell Lotus 22, which won 18 of the 25 races it entered in 1964, but most eyes were firmly fixed on the duelling duo up front.

Seeking a double success, Wilson fought back to reclaim the lead and nothing separated the pair as they slipstreamed each other around the final few laps.

Hibberd looked every which way to try and find a way past Wilson who calmly kept to his line and held on for the narrowest of hard-earned victories.

1. Sam Wilson (Lotus 20/22) 9 laps
2. Andrew Hibberd (Lotus 22) +0.223s
3. Callum Grant (Merlyn Mk 5/7) +15.596s

Race 2: John Fitzpatrick Trophy for Under 2-Litre Touring Cars

The first of the touring car races on Tin Top Sunday was a 50-minute showdown for a 40+ car field of U2TC saloon cars – the grid packed with Lotus Cortinas, Alfa GTVs, BMW 1800Tis and Mini Coopers.

With Cortinas to the fore, pole man Andy Wolfe made the best start and, as Neil Brown and David Cuff battled for second, Wolfe built up an astonishing five-second advantage after the first lap.

Mark Sumpter in another of the Cortinas, and the Andrew Banks Alfa Romeo Guilia Sprint, joined the battle for second and faced some very robust defending; Banks being forced onto the grass at Farm before making light contact with Sumpter.

The first of the leaders to pit was Brown, handing over to Fortec Motorsport owner Richard Dutton, followed by Cuff who gave way to touring car legend Steve Soper. Soper set after Dutton for second place and eventually used his experience to pressure the rival Cortina, nipping by when Dutton ran wide. All his hard work, though, came to nothing when his car rolled to a halt on the final lap.

Ahead of the drama, Wolfe had handed over the leading Cortina to Richard Meaden who took a dominant victory.

1. Andy Wolfe / Richard Meaden (Ford Lotus Cortina) 20 laps
2. Neil Brown / Richard Dutton (Ford Lotus Cortina) +19.819s
3. Andrew Banks / Maxim Banks (Alfa Romeo Guilia Sprint GTA) +28.447s

Race 3: Historic Touring Car Challenge

The day’s second Tin Top race was an exciting new addition to the Silverstone Classic bill – the Historic Touring Car Challenge, featuring a 50+ grid of Rovers, BMWs, Capris and other familiar favourites from the seventies and eighties. The field included a number of notable drivers including 2012 World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff, BTCC race winner Jeff Allam and Patrick Watts in one of three MG Metro Turbos.

Fresh from winning the U2TC encounter, Richard Meaden took his 1974 Ford Capri into an early lead, ahead of Nick Whale in the much more modern 1990 BMW M3.

Meaden handed over to Grant Tromans in the mid-race pit-stops, the Capri coming out just ahead of Harry Whale who had replaced his father in the M3. After some brave resistance, the BMW finally passed the Ford in a bold move around the outside at Abbey to assume a lead they were never to relinquish.

David Tomlin’s Zakspeed Ford Escort – only purchased during on Thursday from Silverstone Auctions’ sale – ran well and finished in third place.

1. Nick Whale / Harry Whale (BMW M3 E30) 15 laps
2. Richard Meaden / Grant Tromans (Ford Capri) +25.084s
3. David Tomlin (Ford Escort RS 1800) +50.470s

Race 4: FIA Masters Historic Formula One

The second of the fantastic 25-minute races for 3-litre Formula One cars of the period 1966-1985 kicked off the afternoon’s proceedings, with yesterday’s race winner Nick Padmore on pole in the Williams FW07C.

28 cars – all still in evocative period liveries – took the start, shaking the earth on the Silverstone pit straight and filling the air with the roar of DFVs and a lone Matra.

Once again it was Ollie Hancock who made a demon-like start in the Fittipaldi F5A, leading from fourth on the grid. Padmore tried to pass into Brooklands as he had done successfully on Saturday but this time Hancock held on gamely, despite the Williams crawling all over his gearbox.

Padmore wasn’t to be denied, though, and made a great move around the outside of Village at the start of lap two to take the lead, while the Tyrrell 010 of Loic Deman made its way on to the back of the brewing battle for second.

With the Fittipaldi holding up a train of cars, fans were treated to a truly astonishing race-long spectacle as six cars squabbled for runner-up honours. The JPS Lotus 91/5 of Greg Thornton and Deman’s Tyrrell were swapping places behind Hancock but neither was able to get past the heroic Fittipaldi. They were quickly joined by Martin Stretton’s Tyrrell 012 and Christophe D’Ansembourg’s Williams FW07 before the two of them made contact at Brooklands; with the latter spinning down the leaderboard. Then, as Stretton recovered, Rob Hall, aboard the ex-Jacques Laffitte 1981 Austrian Grand Prix winning Ligier JS/17, also joined the high-speed train.

On the penultimate lap Hancock, Deman and Stretton went three-wide into the loop, somehow coming back out in the same order but Hall squeezed past Stretton at Brooklands.

A furious final lap saw Deman first pass Thornton and then the gallant Hancock to grab a last gasp second. In the confusion Hall also slipped by the Lotus to grab fourth.

Incredibly, as the cars flashed past the chequered flag little more than a single second covered the second to seventh place finishers in what will go down as one of the most breathless and thrilling races ever staged at the Classic.

1. Nick Padmore (Williams FW07C) 14 laps
2. Loic Deman (Tyrrell 010) +29.223
3. Ollie Hancock (Fittipaldi F5A) +29.722

Race 5: Big Engined Touring Cars (pre ’66)

The third of Tin Top Sunday’s headline races was predominantly for mighty V8-engined US muscle cars from the sixties with a good splattering of giant-killing Lotus Cortinas and Mini Coopers adding to the entertainment.

Leo Voyazides’ fast-starting Ford Falcon spun at the first corner and as the dust settled it was the two Ford Mustangs of Sean McInerney and Craig Davies that were tussling for the lead.

Sadly, it wasn’t long before McInerney’s Mustang gave up the ghost leaving the Alan Mann Racing liveried car of Davies clear of Nigel Greensall’s Falcon and Roger Willis in the huge Mercury Comet Cyclone.

Wills rose to second when the Falcon also retired, but the Cyclone came under increasing pressure in the closing laps from the hard-charging Lotus Cortina shared by Andy Wolfe and Michael Ganns – the V8 power ultimately keeping the American muscle car ahead.

1. Craig Davies (Ford Mustang) 14 laps
2. Roger Wills (Mercury Comet Cyclone) +22.611s
3. Michael Ganns / Andy Wolfe (Ford Lotus Cortina) +23.093s

Race 6: Group C

After bringing Saturday’s action to a close, racing into the dusk and evoking memories of iconic races at Le Mans, Sunday’s second race for Group C prototypes harked back to some of the renowned endurance showdowns at Silverstone from the end of the last century.

Nathan Kinch, dominant winner the previous evening, led from pole in the wonderful sounding Lola T92/10 with its Judd V10 engine, but sadly retired on the opening lap.

Bob Berridge happily assumed the lead of the race in the yellow Nissan R93CK, ahead of another Nissan, the R90CK of the speedy Katsu Kubota and Robin Ward’s Spice SE90C.

Mark Sumpter soon set his sights on the third-placed Spice and maximised the turbo power of his Porsche 962 to overhaul the Spice. The day then improved further for Sumpter when Kubota spun his Nissan promoting the Porsche into second place.

1. Bob Berridge (Nissan R93CK) 14 laps
2. Mark Sumpter (Porsche 962) +18.849s
3. Katsu Kubota (Nissan R90CK) +9.551s

Race 7: JET Super Touring Car Trophy

The fourth and final Tin Top Sunday showdown starred the much-loved Super Tourers from the nineties. The enthralling battle between the Vauxhall Vectra of Colin Noble Jnr and Honda Accord of James Dodd was one of Saturday’s highlights and there were high hopes of a repeat on Sunday.

Noble Jnr held the lead at the start, though Dodd was challenged by his father Graeme, in another Accord, this one a 1999 example raced by James Thompson in period.

Graeme soon fell back into the clutches of those behind however, as Jason Minshaw’s 5-cylinder Volvo S40 (Rickard Rydell’s race car from 1998) made its way past, but later ran wide at the Loop and lost a spot to Neil Smith’s ex-Stefano Modena Alfa Romeo 156. The pair then swapped places twice within the space of a lap as they duelled hard for the final place on the podium.

With Noble Jnr fending off Dodd so effectively yesterday, he seemed set for a second victory again, but a slight mistake with four minutes to go handed the advantage to the Honda.

The final lap was typical BTCC with the two pacesetters bashing doors all around the circuit. The pair were still side-by-side approaching the last corner with Dodd being somewhat rumbustiously forced off track and spinning across the kerbs. He recovered, though, to cross the line in second as Smith also found a way past Minshaw on the final lap for what looked like the final podium position.

Noble’s actions however would land him in hot water with the race stewards, and he was later excluded from the meeting.

1. James Dodd (Honda Accord) 8 laps
2. Neil Smith (Alfa Romeo 156) +20.668s
3. Jason Minshaw (Volvo S40) +21.138

Race 8: Maserati Trophy for HGPCA pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars

From Tin Tops to classic Grand Prix machinery from more than half a century ago: the Silverstone Classic offers up a quite astounding array of historic racing cars.

Unfortunately, though, the second of the HGPCA races produced the weekend’s first red flag. Yesterday’s second-place finisher Jon Fairley stalled on the line and while a good portion of the grid missed the stricken Brabham, with such a large field contact was somewhat inevitable. The Kurtis of Fred Harper slid into stationary Fairley and set off a chain reaction, which eliminated a number of competitors.

The restarted race was held over a reduced duration of 15 minutes, with Will Nuthall in the Cooper T53 leading from Peter Horsman in a Lotus 18/21. Horsman quickly found his way past Saturday’s winner, the pair of them stretching away from Rod Jolley’s Cooper T45/51, but a driveshaft failure caused Nuthall’s retirement. This promoted Tony Wood in the unique Maserati Tec Mec into the final podium position, however he was caught on the final lap by Richard Tarling’s Assegai F1. But as Tarling struck, his car instantly slowed with a problem allowing Wood to claim third.

Tarling coasted towards the flag but his car agonisingly stopped just a few feet from the line. Defiantly, he jumped out and pushed it past the chequered flag to be classified in 19th place.

1. Peter Horsman (Lotus 18/21) 7 laps
2. Rod Jolley (Cooper T45/51) +16.327s
3. Tony Wood (Maserati Tec Mec) +26.001s

Race 9: Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge

The closing showdown of an incredible weekend of motor sport was a fitting finale to the 2016 Silverstone Classic which, among a host of major milestones, was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first-ever Can-Am race in North America.

Rob Hall’s wonderful 1974 Matra MS670B had beaten Andy Newall’s mighty McLaren M8F to steal the thunder of the impressive US beasts in Saturday’s opening Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge and completed the double in Sunday’s finale.

The McLaren laid down big black marks on the tarmac as the lights went out, but Newall was unable to harness all of the power from the huge 8.8-litre engine and could only look on as Hall grabbed the lead.

Newall chased the Matra for the entire race and got alongside on a couple of occasions but the on-form Hall wasn’t to be beaten and took his third win of the weekend.

Behind the top two, John Grant’s McLaren M8C/D retired from third place with a rear-left puncture handing the final spot on the final podium to Michele Liguori in his Lola T292.

1. Rob Hall (Matra MS670B/C) 10 laps
2. Andrew Newall (McLaren M8F) +5.183s
3. Michele Liguori (Lola T292) +47.219s

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[Source: Silverstone Classic]