LAST WEEK saw the press day – effectively the media launch – for the 2010 Silverstone Classic. Dubbed ‘Rocking and Racing’ and promoted as: ‘The World’s Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival’ this is one essential event which really must be in every enthusiast’s diary.

    Indeed, the organisers clearly do have intentions to make the 2010 event bigger and better than previous years, even if their desire to make the Silverstone Classic “become the Glastonbury of classic racing” made us think of terrible toilets and crusties racing around in old Bedford CA Dormobiles...

    No matter. What can you look forward to over the weekend of the 23-25th July? Well, the headline numbers for people like us is: 1000 drivers in 800 racing cars competing in 23 races, including categories for GP cars, sports, GT, saloon and single-seater racing cars from the Thirties to the Nineties.

    The prime racing celebration for 2010 is the 60th anniversary of the very first British Grand Prix, held at Silverstone on Sunday 13th May, 1950. It was the first race to count for the new World Championship for Drivers and, in front of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the race was dominated by four Alfa Romeo 158s. The race was won by Giuseppe Farina, who went on to become the first world champion.

    “An unrivalled quality of racing will be the biggest feature of the 2010 Silverstone Classic,” said event director, Nick Wrigley. “We are this year celebrating 60 years of the F1 World Championship, which started at Silverstone in May 1950, with three dedicated races to capture the romance, development and British influence on motor sport. We are also proud to add, this year, the hosting of the launch of the Royal Automobile Club Historic Tourist Trophy for a wonderful grid of pre 1963 GT cars. Indeed, across two full days of on-track action, there are mouth-watering races for every enthusiast.”

    The races, held on Saturday and Sunday, will take place on the Historic Grand Prix circuit which follows much of the original 1950 layout. Aside from over 80 period GP cars, there is a line-up of races for sports, GT and touring cars – including the first running of the Royal Automobile Club Historic Tourist Trophy for pre 1963 GT cars. Confirmed entries for this event already include Ferrari 250 GTOs and SWBs, Aston Martin DB4GT and DB4GT Zagato.

    Saturday evening will see the Italian Historic Car Cup race into the dusk, with some of the finest Sixties and Seventies Italian sports cars competing – including a Ferrari 512M and 312PB, and Alfa Romeo T33.

    There will also be 100 car clubs displaying around 6000 classic cars on the infield, whilst new for this year is a dedicated area for hot-rods. Furthering the event’s diversity are street car shoot-outs, GpB rally cars, motorcycle action, shopping malls, hot-air balloon flights and air displays.

    Once again live music will be a big feature of the Silverstone Classic with major concerts on the evenings of Friday 23rd July and Saturday 24th July. Having said that, given that most of the line-up isn’t to our taste, we doubt we’ll be hanging around to listen to old X Factor contestants...

    Anyway, with the press conference over, the organisers then laid on a fine selection of cars from hot-rods to Lola T70s for passenger rides around the circuit. Now, if only I’d have remembered my super-sized helmet for my supersized head, then I might have been able to join in the fun. Ho hum.

    To keep up to date with the latest news about this event, visit: www.silverstoneclassic.com