NEWS
SHL / BRDC Archive
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF GROUP C
It ’ s back ! Group C is returning to Silverstone this weekend for a special display of iconic Group C cars topped by evocative track demos on both Saturday and Sunday .
As well as being the birthplace of the Formula One World Championship , the famous Northamptonshire circuit also had the honour of hosting the very first race for lionised Group C cars .
The opening round of the 1982 World Endurance Championship – the Six Hours of Silverstone – took place on Sunday 16 May and heralded the dawn of a glorious new generation of sports racing cars which quickly rivalled Formula One for popularity among fans and manufacturers . Such was its immense global popularity that seminal Group C remains one of the most revered motor sport series of all times .
Jaguar , Mercedes , Mazda and Peugeot all became Le Mans winners in the Group C era while other global automotive giants including Ford , Lancia , Nissan and Toyota all enjoyed their own lesser successes before ever-rising costs spelt the end for Group C and resulted in the introduction of new technical regulations in the mid-nineties .
Crowd-pleasing retro races for cars of that incredible epoch have been on the bill at The Classic in the past but , sadly , the number of entries has dwindled in recent years giving this one-off celebration added magnitude .
In most of our lifetimes , Group C was the zenith of sportscar racing and so we are thrilled to be celebrating its 40th anniversary with special on and off track displays at The Classic . Silverstone was where the first-ever Group C race was held so , once again , it ’ s the perfect place to be marking such an important milestone in motorsport history .
The special celebration at The Classic is being curated with the enthusiastic support of Group C arch enthusiast , collector and racer Henry Pearman who has pledged his full support . The selection of cars for the demonstration runs includes an iconic works Rothmans 962 , spectacular John Fitzpatrick 956 plus the distinctive Richard Lloyd RLR 962 , which has a strong connection with Silverstone as the much-loved British team was based at the circuit .
Don ’ t miss a spectacular Group C track demo on Saturday and Sunday , check out our full timetable on pages 13-23 .
IT ’ S TIME TO PARTY
At The Classic , we ’ re making the most of the bank holiday weekend !
Join us for three nights of incredible live music with the hits of ABBA performed by Björn Again and The Cuban Brothers on Friday , chart toppers Gabrielle and Sister Sledge on Saturday and our headliner Rick Astley joined by Dodgy on Sunday !
Head over to the main stage from 7pm each evening to party the night away with us for our end of summer celebration . You won ’ t want to miss it !
Check out our full event timetable on page 12-22 for performance times .
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