GROWING UP IN PUBLIC

At the beginning of the last decade of the 20th Century, there were few major events dedicated to Historic racing cars. The Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the Grand Prix L’Age d’Or meeting at Montlhéry and Steve Earle’s Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca were already established, but in England, the world centre of Historic race-car preparation and ownership, there was nothing to compare.

However, back at Silverstone, the home of British motor racing, British Racing Drivers Club director and former TT winner Stuart Graham was wondering how the circuit could expand its portfolio of events beyond the British Grand Prix, upon which it was heavily reliant. There was wide support for his idea of a Silverstone Historic Festival and he secured the support of successful racer Peter Hannen and, through him, the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association. The HGPCA had been formed by a number of influential owners of Historic single-seaters, and had been involved in two highly successful races supporting the 1979 Monaco Grand