Vintage Cars on Classic Tarmac - VSCC Formula Vintage Round 1

With Silverstone being jam packed on Saturday with classic cars for the VSCC Formula Classic round one today the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement. The smells of gourmet food trucks mingle with the petrol you would expect with this many cars. The sounds of car engines purring and roaring are an assault on the senses! The morning begins with the racing cars taking practice laps around the fabled tarmac of the Home of British Motor Racing as fans, aficionados and drivers alike mill around the grounds checking out the cars on show.After a break for lunch (may I suggest the Paddock Cafe as they do the best jacket potatoes) the racing begins for real with the dulcet tones of the cheeky but affable Nick Upton taking to the mic. Nick, who I had the pleasure of meeting Friday night, again regaled the public with anecdotes … this time about buying his car from two Canadian girls; as well as commentating on the races as they happened. He may not be the most serious or knowledgeable of all commentators but he is the perfect addition to the box as he always keeps it light, playful and engaging.

The hill was, as usual, full of spectators catching glimpses of the majestic pre-war or pre-1960’s motors as they whizz around the track and roar past the safety fences in front of them. There is nothing quite like the sound of a well-tuned vintage racing car as it passes you at 100 miles per hour to blow away the cobwebs and give you a thrill.

There is a well mixed bunch in the drivers that have turned out today , from those with decades of racing experience behind them to the new up and coming talent. Some like to really keep it in the family as I found out from the mother of one of the winning drivers, his car was originally raced by his father and now his 7 year old son wants to race it when he is older.

Of course these are not cheap days to put on , the cost of the track alone must be a pretty penny. The VSCC alone could not sustain this. It’s longevity has to , at least in part , be due to the invited car clubs and of course the paying spectators. Invited races included the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association (winner Chris Middlehurst in a Lotus 18 907 ), The FISCAL Tom Cole Trophy Race ( won by Christopher Keen in a Kurtis 500 S) and the 500 Owners Association Formula 3 Racing Cars (first place went to Gordon Russell in the Mackson F3 500) and you could also view a lot of these classic beauties in the paddocks and dotted around the grounds.

There was plenty of dust and smoke rising up from the tarmac on the straight where spectators were sitting on the grassy hill to watch whilst basking in the sun. Or if they preferred more coverage they can walk under the bridge and sit in the stands. Either way you are going to get an amazing view of these elite racing cars as they zoom past. Not as amazing as our view though, being able to watch from the media suite meant we were raised and could see above the fences, we could also view the cars coming back into the pits.

Of course the great thing about Silverstone is that it is not just media who are able to get up close and personal with the cars. Everyone has access to the paddocks and pit lane, you can chat to the drivers before races and watch as they do last minute touch ups to their cars. This is especially great when trying to get the next generation of petrol heads interested in the races. Children can choose their favourite car/driver before the races then cheer them on, making them feel more involved than merely watching cars go racing around the track. I will let you tomorrow how the family aspect goes when I bring my son.

Of course for the true petrol heads and auto aficionados it is the cars that they come for , and they are not disappointed with the extensive array both racing and out in the grounds to view. From Jaguar to Frazier Nash and Aston Martin to Morgan with everything in between, there really is a a car for every fan. With races ranging from pre-war to pre-1960’s there are a lot of years and motoring styles covered.
If you love Classic Cars, Classic Racing or just fancy a different type of day out then you would be hard to pressed to find a better Car Meet then the VSCC Formula Vintage !