I went to Silverstone’s 2025 Festival – and the amazing volunteers made sure it was a great success
Reviewer Clive Peacock went along to the Silverstone 2025 Festival which took place on August 22-24. Here are some reflections of the most exciting moments and events.
What a happy event this year’s festival proved to be! Blessed with brilliant warm sunshine, the credit for much of the success must go to the army of pink sweat-shirted volunteers whose tireless efforts to help visitors find their way around the vast site, locate the queue for the correct double-decker bus and answer every question with a smile and admirable tolerance is to be commended.
The organisation of these three days catered for all with competitive track racing, a vast selection of activities for foodie fans, craft enthusiasts, young driver opportunities and persons seeking adrenaline rushes. There was something for everyone! Particularly impressive was the patience of Kitchen Live celebrities cooking their Bake Off specials whilst attempting to answer inane questions from an interviewer standing by. Matty Edgell deserved a medal!
Silverstone is where Formula One began and the event reflected the importance of this ‘industry’ to to the UK. A celebration of the 75 years of Formula One was given prominence with an exhibition depicting the efforts of 34 World Champions reminding many of the remarkable exploits of the likes of Mike Hawthorn, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Jenson Button – some of UK’s finest competitive drivers.
Mouth-watering looking grids delivered 20 exciting retro races on the track for the 100,000 visitors over the three days. The two Masters Endurance Legends races were highlights, reminding many of the earlier days of racing at Le Mans when noise mattered! Driving a 2011 Peugeot 90X, Steve Brooks gained pole position twice and won twice despite incurring five second penalties for two indiscretions on the way! He was chased hard by members of the D’Ansembourg family and Max Chilton. Brooks is probably best known for his exploits as an explorer having circumvented the world in a Spitfire and flown a helicopter from the North to the South Pole – these discoveries made for a most interesting interview.
Car clubs have long made an important contribution of this festival and once again there were numerous displays across this vast site. Winners of their own competitions were Caterham and Lotus 7 and the BMW Car clubs. ICONIC Auctions delivered three days of classic and competitive car sales with many an outstanding result. Most popular makes remain the Fords, the VWs, the Subarus and the Renaults with many of the established names continuing to struggle including Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls Royce!
Headliners Natasha Bedingfield, Craig David and the Ministry of Sound rounded off the three individual days followed by Hot Air Balloon night glows. Reflections of the event must include a reference to the commitment Silverstone has adopted to achieving Net Zero by 2040. Recent initiatives include the race to zero waste with the site being maintained tidy and litter free with great success, free water for all and support for local biodiversity through Silverstone’s collaboration with National Trust. Significant progress with all initiatives is a credit to Silverstone, well done.