Next July’s Silverstone Classic has announced plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Can-Am Series with a pair of special commemoration races at next summer’s Classic, set for July 29-31. The two races will be the culmination of a three-round Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge being organized by Masters Historic Racing, the first two rounds of which will take place at Brands Hatch and Donington Park, providing owners of these extraordinary machines to take part in what promises to be an astonishing experience.
“There’s been an incredible buzz since we announced our intention to include Can-Am races in 2016,” reported Nick Wigley, CEO of Goose Live Events, the company responsible for the Silverstone Classic. “Now the addition of these two extra races will just fuel those fires and ensure the 50-year milestone is marked in memorable style with some truly fantastic races next summer.”
To ensure full grids, the Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge will include classes for 1960s and 1970s cars, along with a category for the later, smaller-engined sports-prototypes that ran in the Masters Interserie Revival series a few seasons ago.
Launched in 1966, the legendary North American series spawned some of the world’s most outrageous sports racers, often boasting well over 1,000 horsepower. Moreover, with very few technical restrictions, these amazing, cutting-edge Can-Am powerhouses were among the first racecars to sport wings, ground-effect aerodynamics and aerospace materials.
McLaren, Chaparral, Lola, Ferrari, BRM (above), March, Shadow and Porsche were among the notable constructors, while driving heroes included the likes of Denis Hulme, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart, Phil Hill, George Follmer, Peter Revson, Jackie Oliver, Mark Donohue and Dan Gurney.
Fans wanting to savor these machines can take advantage of Early Bird tickets now on sale for the Classic, offering significant savings of up to 17 percent. There is also the all-new Family ticket available for 2016 — this includes camping for two adults and two children across the whole weekend, and gives a discount of more than 20 percent on advance tickets bought individually. Full details of all tickets (which must be purchased in advance) — as well as hospitality packages and weekend festival camping — can be found on the event website at: www.silverstoneclassic.com.
