Silverstone Classic 2015 – every raincloud has a silver lining

At the 25th Silverstone Classic, a Saturday of glorious sunshine bracketed by two days of torrential rain tested the dedication of not only the drivers – but also a record number of visitors…

The typically indecisive English weather once again played a significant role at the Silverstone Classic, which this year celebrated its silver jubilee by welcoming more than 100,000 visitors – the first time it has drawn a six-figure audience.

Rewards for the dedicated

Those who braved the conditions on the opening and closing days were duly rewarded, as the incessant downpours created plenty of drama on track. We experienced the grim conditions first-hand from the one of the Maserati pace cars, behind which some of Thursday’s qualifying heats were contained, effectively treated as parade laps. In these cases, grid positions for the subsequent races were decided by a complicated formula of previous and anticipated race results.

Separating the good from the great

During our reconnaissance lap, it was easy to see why the amount of standing water on the track was a cause of angst for the drivers, but it served to separate the good from the great. Impressive displays came from DK Engineering’s Ford GT40 ‘1 MUF’ – taking honours in the World Sports Car Masters race, despite going home with some light front-end damage as a battle scar – while JD Classics’ famous ex-Fangio Jaguar C-type claimed the spoils in the Woodcote Trophy. 

Best of British

Elsewhere, the best of British was celebrated by a parade of 60 Aston Martins to celebrate theWorks division’s 60th anniversary, while non-automotive spectacles included a Spitfire fly-by and a performance by Status Quo that lasted long into the Saturday evening.

Photos: Tim Brown for Classic Driver © 2015