THE BETTER THE show, the longer it takes you to get out of the car-park. No, we’re not talking about leaving the show, but actually entering it...

    Oh and it doesn’t really have anything to do with the venue’s car-parking capacity either, it’s about what your fellow show-goers have arrived in. During our attempted exit, we were distracted by two very different Italians: a Ferrari 330GT 2+2 in faded, cracked black paint, dents and bespattered in pink paint and a superbly preserved turquoise Lancia B24 Spider. A couple of very tasty appetisers which bode well for the festival's main course.

    The last time we attended the Silverstone Classic it was in 2008, and we were impressed then. Come 2010 though, and were a bit concerned about all this talk of turning it into the “Glastonbury of classic racing” – an aim backed up by the slogan ‘Rocking and Racing’. However, this was mainly because of the presence of ex-X-factory products.

    Thankfully, we needn’t have worried about such stuff getting in the way of the long weekend’s RON-rated business. I am of course, talking about a huge orgy of classic motor racing, which equates to 23 races, 800 racing cars and 1000 drivers. All of which combines to make the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival.

    Ferried from the press signing-on area to the media centre aboard a new Alfa Giulietta (well, since you ask, it rides well and is very solid when knocked and poked), we find ourselves dropped off in the middle of the crowds near the pit complex. The place was heaving.

    My heart did initially sink when I first glimpsed crowd barriers and red velvet rope, but I quickly realised that this was just a way of keeping the crowds back and providing the cars with a clear route into the pit-lane. Heart then picked itself back up again.

    Why make a point of such a triviality? You see – and yes, that is the noise of me dusting off my soapbox – apart from Silverstone’s unrivalled reputation as being the home of British motorsport with an impeccable 60 years of continuous racing history, this event is utterly fantastic for access.

    If you want to wander around the pit garages – you can. If you want to amble around the pit-lane – you can. If you want to lean on the pit-wall – guess what – you can. Press and public alike. Plus whenever we encountered Silverstone’s staff, there were nothing but cheerily helpful – rather than glowering at you like you were a fresh dog turd that had just latched onto their new shoes.