Silverstone Classic’s recently announced plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Can-Am Championship have blossomed into what is certain to be one of the most eagerly-anticipated highlights on the 2016 motor sport calendar.
The pair of very special commemoration races at next summer’s Classic (29-31 July) will be the amazing culmination of a not-to-be-missed, three-round Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge being organised by Masters Historic Racing.
The addition of curtain-raisers at Brands Hatch and Donington Park will provide owners of these extraordinary Can-Am racers with a pair of extra incentives to dust off their monster machines and be part of what is going to be an astonishing celebration.
“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. Rather like Group B in rallying, these fearsome Can-Am creations have rightly reached legendary status and to have so many of them back racing is really going to catch everyone’s imagination.”
“Can-Am cars always stop people in their tracks,” agreed Rachel Bailey, Masters Historic Racing event manager. “They look exciting, sound superb and we are very pleased to be organising this celebration series in tandem with the Silverstone Classic where the cars will take centre stage. We are sure that many cars from across Europe will seize the opportunity to take part in this series and it will be wonderful to see them return to the circuits again. We are keen to attract a wide range of cars into action and offer fans a snapshot of the history of Can-Am racing.”
To ensure massive grids, the must-see 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-based Can-Am Championship 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 race cars to sport wings, ground-effect aerodynamics and aerospace materials.
McLaren, Chaparral, Lola, BRM, March, Shadow and Porsche were among the notable constructors rising to the challenge, with their mighty machines driven by many of the era’s top aces – heroes such as Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Peter Revson, George Follmer, Jacky Ickx, Jackie Oliver, Denny Hulme, Mark Donohue and Alan Jones.
The inclusion of these incredible sportscars will be a major attraction at the 2016 Silverstone Classic.
Source. Silverstone Classic
Retro Racers 