Officially the biggest classic yet

• Silverstone festival establishes new world record number of entries
• Popularity continues to spiral with unprecedented crowd numbers
• ITV4 television coverage starts later this month

This year’s Silverstone Classic – highlights of which will be screened on ITV 4 next week – was another exceptional record breaker.

Already firmly established as the World’s Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival, last month’s three-day extravaganza attracted a record crowd plus a new world record number of race entries. The unrivalled event also staged the world’s biggest ever parade of Grand Prix cars as well as special celebrations to mark Maserati’s centenary and 50 years of the Ford Mustang.

A crowd of 94,000 flocked to Silverstone – the biggest in the award-winning Classic’s 24-year history – and they were treated to 24 on-track grids featuring no fewer than 1,125 entries which covered the full spectrum of motor racing history. The unprecedented number of entries tops last year’s figure of 1,113 and establishes yet another new global benchmark for any motor sport event.

A special one-hour television programme showcasing many of the Classic’s most notable moments will be screened on ITV4 at 21:00hrs on Thursday 14 August and will be aired again at 19:00hrs on Saturday 16 August and at 13:05hrs on Sunday 17 August.

Sadly the 2014 event also witnessed its first fatality in its 24-year history when Denis Welch lost his life competing in the HGPCA race for pre-1966 Grand Prix cars on Sunday afternoon. A tribute to Welch, and details of his funeral, can be found on the official silverstoneclassic.com website.

Photo captions The 2014 Silverstone Classic was another massive record breaker. No fewer than 94,000 fans flocked to Silverstone. Many races including the Royal Automobile Club TT for Historic Cars featured packed 50 car grids while a record 84 Grand Prix cars set a new world record on the track. Other parades celebrated Maserati’s centenary and 50 years of the Ford Mustang.

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Editor’s notes: The Silverstone Classic (25-27 July 2014) is firmly established as the World’s Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival with a record 1125 race entries in 2014 watched by a record crowd of 94,000. The spectacular three-day event – winner of the prestigious ‘Motorsport Event of the Year Award’ as judged by the International Historic Motoring Awards in 2013 – is staged at the famous Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, birthplace of the FIA Formula One World Championship and home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. The three-day festival features the very best of historic racing covering more than eight decades of motor sport as well as live music from classic rock bands and a wealth of family entertainment including free fun fair, retail outlets, a host of interactive activities, a two-day classic car auction and air displays, plus huge showcases of classic cars often celebrating important milestones in automotive history. In 2014 a record parade of 84 Grand Prix cars celebrated Silverstone’s 50^th Grand Prix as well as special cavalcades to mark Maserati’s centenary and 50 years of the Ford Mustang. The Silverstone Classic is promoted and organised by Goose Communications. Goose manages worldwide events for companies such as AstraZeneca, Bacardi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Unilever.

Copyright free photography: For a wide selection of hi-res copyright-free photography covering all aspects of recent Silverstone Classic events please visit www.silverstoneclassic-images.com

For more information: Visit the official event website www.SilverstoneClassic.com

Media Contacts:

For the Silverstone Classic: Jonathan Gill or Deborah Tee at the Silverstone Classic Media Office
Tel: 01372 414120 or 07860 563000
E-mail: SilverstoneClassic@MPACreative.com