Two races at this year’s Silverstone Classic, scheduled for the weekend of July 20–22, will be dedicated to the memory of two of motorsport’s most respected personalities, both of whom recently passed away.
The Peter Gethin Memorial Trophy will be run for Formula Two and Formula 5000 machinery. In addition to winning the 1971 Italian Grand Prix for BRM, Peter was, of course, also known for his prowess in F5000, winning the British Championship for this category in 1969 and 1970.
Meanwhile the Under 2 liter Touring Car Championship race will be run as the Alan Mann Trophy. Alan was responsible for running Ford touring cars in his iconic red and gold color scheme, as well as for developing the beautiful Ford F3L sports car in the late ’60s.
Both men’s sons were present at a recent launch day for the Silverstone Classic, with Nick Gethin acquainting himself with an F5000 McLaren M10B once raced by his father, and Henry Mann with a Ford Lotus Cortina resplendent in the famous family colors. Henry himself will be racing this car in the race dedicated to his father.
The 24 races included in the Silverstone Classic powered by the AA meeting also cater for everything from Formula Juniors to Jaguar E-Types, Group C Sports Cars, ’50s Sports Cars, GTs and historic Grand Prix cars, to name but a few. With a total of 1,104 entries, last year’s event is believed to have been the biggest race meeting ever staged anywhere in the world.
Further details can be found on www.silverstoneclassic.com
