JEPAUTOSPORT HISTORICS 25 JULY 2019 11AUTOSPORT HISTORICS
aving cleared the British Grand Prix, it’s
now our turn to play on the newly laid
asphalt of the GP circuit as the Silverstone
Classic meeting swings into view.
I find myself in agreement with Lewis
Hamilton – it’s a stunning circuit to race on. It’s got pretty much
everything and even the bits that people complain about, the
Village and Loop hairpins, take a real skill to maximise.
The character of those corners makes it difficult
to defend if you’re in front and they provide a great
passing opportunity if you’re behind. Village makes
it difficult to close the door because that puts you off
line and the chasing car can get you on the cutback.
It’s interesting that the circuit allows smaller cars
to be competitive with the big ones – a good two-litre
sportscar can give a Lola T70 a run for its money!
The Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex is so cool
when you get it to open out for you and get out of the
last part with everything lit. The fun bit in the car
is working out which bit of the circuit is ‘theirs’ and
which is ‘yours’ and how to make your bit count.
The late apex at Stowe is always a balancing act. The
temptation to turn too early and run out of track on the exit,
probably incurring a track-limit caution, is difficult to resist.
Club is now simpler but you need to wait for the final turn-in.
Abbey and Farm are about risk-and-reward balance. In a
powerful but narrow-tyred car, Abbey is better used to place the
car for Farm – too much, too soon simply makes Farm a mess and
you lose time. Be neat and tidy, and Farm is quick and you arrive
at Village with the car on your side. Downforce and big tyres
move the parameters but the same basic concepts hold good.
Once onto the Wellington Straight the focus is on Brooklands-
Luffield, more familiar to most as it’s the same as the National
circuit these days (I still miss Bridge, surely one of the greatest
lost corners?). You need to make this area neat and tidy before
heading to Copse, another corner of interest to track-limit officials.
I think drivers at Silverstone do relax more because of the
runoff areas. It simply doesn’t give the sensation of speed that,
say, Monaco does because of how close the barriers are. At Monaco
the top speed of a Historic F1 car is only a little over 140mph; at
Silverstone the same car will do only a bit less than 180mph but
at Monaco it feels like warp speed. Possibly the difference is
more notable if you make a mistake...
I particularly enjoy the early 1960s to the early 1970s era, when
motorsport saw the greatest rate of change. You went from tall,
narrow tyres as used by Jim Clark and Stirling Moss to the
low-profile slick tyres that became the norm. The cars also
developed to use them, and downforce became ever-moreOne of the
season’s best
Simon Hadfield has competed – and
won – at most of the big historic events
around the world, and reckons the
Silverstone Classic is among the finest
Classic is a
great event for
drivers andcars, such as
Aston Martin
Project 212H
SIMON HADFIELD
important. Compare a Porsche 904 to a 917. I can’t
think of another era with such profound change.
At the Classic you can see this played out in
front of you. The 1950s sportscars are powerful,
with skinny tyres and always dance, as power
fights grip. Then there’s the FIA Masters Sports
Car racers of the late 1960s, early 1970s – not that
much more power but rather better harnessed.
The 1960s touring cars always provide good entertainment.
The circuit allows a good Ford Lotus Cortina to fight a Mustang or
Falcon, and if it rains the Minis are astonishing. In the same way,
a Lotus Elan can race a Cobra, one previously winning outright in
the hands of Jake Hill. That brings up another facet of the event:
you will see drivers from other disciplines pitching up for a go.
Some criticise the double pits that the size of the meeting
demands. This has just become part of the Silverstone Classic
experience, the two paddocks – effectively the earlier cars around
the Heritage pits, the newer around the Wing – seem almost to
be different parties! What the Classic does provide is the most
open paddocks to roam around and get close to the cars.
Any meeting that gives the opportunity of a race into the
dusk is special and for the spectators it’s a good time to ease
away from the shopping, the art exhibitions, the cars on display,
and find a good vantage point to take in the sight and spectacle
of cars, headlights on, making their way into the evening.
Usually the Classic is one of the few events where the family
and I take our Airstream and camp. The big benefit is that
we can wander around the site, take in some of the displays,
then enjoy the concerts in the evening. There is always
something to see and do. Actually, when they had UB40
that was possibly the highlight of the event.
Whatever, it’s a great meeting, and Saturday evening you can
probably find me watching the racing. I favour the area between
Becketts and the Loop, a super viewing spot and you get to see
how cars work going fast and slow. But don’t tell everyone... QJE
P