THE 2007 SILVERSTONE CLASSIC FESTIVAL ~~~~~ PRESS DAY

In the continuing good weather, the great and the good from Press and Media were gathered at Silverstone on Friday 20th April for the promotion launch of the 2007
Classic Festival meeting in July.

Formula Junior was fittingly represented by Duncan Rabagliati and Crispian Besley with his beautiful OSCA.
About 20 various marques of cars, representing all the types which will be racing at the Festival, were assembled on the grid for the benefit of the photographers.
As is usual with this sort of thing it seemed to take an age to organize and then with a few clicks of the shutters it was all over in a couple of minutes.

Following this, the cars were allowed on track for a 45 minute session to allow for more photographs and for pit lane interviews with owners & drivers.

Upstairs in the BRDC Clubhouse, Tony Jardine interviewed some celebrities including Derek Bell, famous for his LeMans exploits, who entertained us with some stories and banter from those times.
The Daily Express was announced as the leading national newspaper sponsor and their representative promised plenty of column inches. At this juncture irrepressible Barrie “Whizzo” Williams interjected with a story relating to the present site of the “Daily Express Bridge” and some other wag countered with the suggestion that Barrie was old enough to have built the bridge in it’s original location.

Then followed a lengthy interlude when the Photographers and Writers were invited for passenger rides on the Historic GP circuit in selected competition cars.
Predictably this was very popular; many superb cars were volunteered by their generous owners and there were still waiting queues of those seeking second or even third rides when the session eventually ceased.

Peter Jackson, the Cooper Cockpit Correspondent.