Silverstone’s greatest motorsport moments

We’ve tried to incorporate a mixture of nice performances, shut races, dramatic finishes and landmark moments.

For this checklist, we’ve centered on the constructive, so no 1992 British Touring Automotive finale right here. There was undoubtedly some high-quality driving in that well-known occasion, however it’s most likely extra memorable for the controversy…

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1969 British GP – Duel of two F1 greats

Stewart hunts Rindt in a 1969 traditional

Photograph by: Motorsport Images

Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt have been the highest drivers of 1969. For tempo, there wasn’t so much to decide on between Stewart’s Tyrrell-run Matra MS80 and Rindt’s Lotus 49B, however the Austrian hadn’t completed a championship race by the point the F1 discipline arrived at Silverstone for spherical six.

Rindt led runaway factors chief Stewart from pole and the duo merely left the remainder behind. A mesmerising duel solely ended when one of many Lotus’s rear-wing endplates got here free and Rindt needed to pit. He charged again, solely to expire of gas and fall to fourth, leaving a clutchless Stewart to win by a lap.

PLUS: Jackie Stewart’s greatest races

1976 6 Hours – BMW ‘tortoise’ pips Porsche’s ‘hare’

The victory of John Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw in 1976 “established sportscar racing at Silverstone”

Photograph by: Motorsport Images

“It established sportscar racing at Silverstone,” says commentator Ian Titchmarsh of the inaugural 6 Hours occasion, regardless of a sparse discipline of 17 starters. Endurance racing wasn’t in the most effective of well being within the mid-Seventies, but this race went right down to the wire.

The BMW 3.5 CSL of John Fitzpatrick/Tom Walkinshaw certified 6.5 seconds off the quickest turbocharged Porsche however moved to the entrance as others hit bother.

A kind of – the Porsche 935 of Bob Wollek and Hans Heyer – charged after the BMW after a damaged turboshaft was changed, taking chunks from the chief, however ‘Fitz’ held on to win by 1.18s.

1981 British GP – Watson win hints at new period

John Watson scored an surprising victory at Silverstone in 1981

Photograph by: David Phipps

Earlier than Mansell mania, Silverstone followers cheered for an additional outstanding dwelling win, scored by Northern Irishman John Watson.

There hadn’t been a British winner within the race since 1977 and McLaren’s F1 drought, throughout which era Ron Dennis had taken management, was nearly as lengthy. However John Barnard’s carbon fibre MP4/1 hinted on the power McLaren was to develop into and Watson certified fifth for the British GP.

He fell to ninth after avoiding Gilles Villeneuve’s spinning Ferrari however quickly climbed again to 3rd. When the speedy Renaults struck bother, Watson hit the entrance for the ultimate eight laps to rapturous applause. 

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1985 British GP – Rosberg’s ridiculous document

Keke Rosberg’s qualifying lap was the primary F1 qualifying lap to breach a mean pace of 160mph

Photograph by: Motorsport Images

Silverstone was the quickest circuit on the F1 calendar. In 1985, earlier than rising restrictions curtailed the turbos, it was the scene of a milestone.

Williams-Honda was turning into a formidable mixture, no less than in qualifying with enhance ranges off the chart, and Rosberg took pole for the British GP with a lap of 1m05.591s. Not solely was that just about 0.7s away from the remainder, it was the primary F1 qualifying lap to breach the 160mph common pace mark. And he did it with a gradual puncture!

Rosberg didn’t final lengthy in a race received by Alain Prost’s McLaren, however his 160.9mph document would stand for 17 years.

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1986 1000Km – Breakthrough for TWR Jaguar

Jaguar received 5 races in a row at Silverstone between 1986 and 1991

Photograph by: Sutton Pictures

Recollections of Jaguar’s Group C successes with Tom Walkinshaw Racing usually revolve across the Le Mans 24 Hours.

However the Massive Cats had a good higher strike price at Silverstone, profitable the world sportscar championship spherical there 5 occasions from 5 begins between 1986 and 1991. And the victory by Derek Warwick and Eddie Cheever in 1986 was the breakthrough, the primary of Jaguar’s 19 WSC wins.

The lead XJR-6 certified third and shortly turned embroiled in a combat with the pole-sitting Lancia LC2 of Alessandro Nannini/Andrea de Cesaris, a duel that swung forwards and backwards till flagging gas strain slowed the Italian machine.

1987 British GP – Charging restoration thrills the followers

Mansell gears as much as make that memorable transfer into Stowe

Nigel Mansell had already trailed Williams team-mate and championship rival Nelson Piquet for half the British GP when he pitted for recent tyres because of a wheel stability weight having come off.

He returned to the race and had 28.4s to make up in 29 laps. It appeared an inconceivable activity however Mansell repeatedly broke the lap document to catch Piquet.

Mansell then pulled off his well-known dummy down Hangar Straight to dive by Piquet into Stowe with lower than three laps to go. Regardless of working low on gas, Mansell took victory by 1.9s to ship the house followers wild.

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1988 British GP – Two stars stand out within the rain

From eleventh to second – Mansell celebrates with race-winner Ayrton Senna

Photograph by: Motorsport Images

Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. One within the midst of a titanic battle with a fantastic team-mate that might lead to his first world title, one other toiling with unreliable gear following two failed championship assaults.

Polesitter Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari led the early levels earlier than Senna’s McLaren MP4/4 swept by on the way in which to one of many Brazilian’s nice wet-weather wins.

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Mansell solely began eleventh in a Williams-Judd that had had its energetic suspension system changed with a passive one. However the rain allowed him to scythe by means of the sphere, setting the quickest lap on his method to the runner-up spot. 

1992 British GP – Mansell’s Silverstone tremendous pole

Mansell was totally dominant in 1992

Photograph by: Ercole Colombo

Mansell’s domination at Silverstone was by no means extra full than in 1992. Armed with the Williams FW14B, Mansell led each lap, received by almost 40s and set the quickest lap by 1.8s.

However the second that makes it onto this checklist got here in qualifying. The highest spot was by no means doubtful even earlier than Mansell scorched spherical in 1m18.965s, 1.9s sooner than team-mate Riccardo Patrese and a couple of.7s sooner than third-placed Senna.

Mansell spent round 65% of the lap at full throttle and, by way of share of the lap relatively than pure time, his 2.4% benefit is a world championship F1 document that appears more likely to stand forever.

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1994 British GP – Damon corrects a household fallacious

Damon Hill lastly took his household title onto the highest step of the British GP podium in 1994

Photograph by: Motorsport Images

Graham Hill usually starred at Silverstone, not least throughout his cost by means of the F1 discipline in 1960, however he by no means received his dwelling GP. Son Damon put that proper in 1994, throughout a marketing campaign through which he helped elevate the Williams staff following the loss of life of Senna at Imola.

Hill had been within the shadow of Michael Schumacher early within the season however beat the Benetton driver to pole by 0.003s at spherical eight.

The duo battled earlier than Schumacher lastly got here in to serve a stop-go penalty for overtaking the Williams on the formation lap, leaving Hill to take an emotional victory.

PLUS: Damon Hill’s greatest races

2008 British GP – Hamilton’s wet-weather masterclass

Lewis Hamilton’s maiden British Grand Prix victory was arguably his greatest

Photograph by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Many of the F1 greats have a particular race within the rain on their CV and Lewis Hamilton managed maybe the best of his wet-weather wins early on.

After beginning fourth, Hamilton rapidly moved by means of to take the lead from McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen on lap 5 of 60. Solely Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen might supply any kind of resistance however he fell away when Hamilton’s new intermediate tyres proved higher than the Finn’s ageing ones when the rain intensified.

Hamilton stayed out on inters when others modified to wets and reaped the dividends because the observe dried. His ultimate profitable margin was 1m08.577s.

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For extra Silverstone celebrations, look out for the 24 August difficulty of Autosport journal. Subscribe today and never miss your weekly fix of motorsport.

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Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images