[dropcap]W[/dropcap]orld GP Bike Legends are returning to this weekend’s Silverstone Classic (28-30 July) with a spectacular showcase featuring world champions, British champions, TT heroes and some of the most famous names from motorcycling racing history.
After their massively popular and super successful debut at last summer’s standout festival, the Bike Legends will again be delighting fans of two-wheel motor sport with track demonstrations plus public meet and greets.
This year’s line up is topped by three illustrious World Champions – Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer and the evergreen Phil Read MBE. Australian ace Gardner famously lifted the 1987 500cc title. ‘Fast’ Freddie Spencer won the same 500cc crown in 1983 and then in 1985, the American became the only rider in history to win both 250cc and 500cc world championships in the same season.
Read – nicknamed ‘The Prince of Speed’ – has an even more impressive record. The legend from Luton won no fewer than seven world championships between 1964 and 1974, and was the first rider to bag 125cc, 250cc and 500cc titles.
Those three deities will be joined by two much-loved British champions – Niall Mackenzie and Steve Parrish – as well as renowned TT racer Maria Costello MBE and two more renowned international GP riders from yesteryear: Didier de Radiguès from Belgium and Swiss star Niggi Schmassmann.
The WGPBL ranks will be completed by two sons of famous fathers: Wayne Gardner’s son Remy currently competing in Moto2 and Freddie Sheene whose late father Barry Sheene remains one of the most loved characters in global motor sport.
All ten will be wowing crowds on Saturday with some dramatic high-speed demo laps on the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, riding a combination of fiery 500cc two-strokes from the sport’s glory days and new Yamaha YZF-R1s painted in evocative period liveries.
On top of these exciting demonstrations, festival-goers will be able to meet the riders and see their wondrous machines up close on Saturday when the team will be available for autographs and selfies with fans. World GP Bike Legends will be based adjacent to ‘Ace Corner’ in the National Paddock, where London’s famous Ace Cafe will be hosting a mods and rockers-themed bike and scooter display.
Adding to the entertainment Gardner, Spencer, Parrish and Costello will also be representing a Bike Legends team in the star-studded Celebrity Challenge Trophy race – a showdown featuring a stunning grid of famous faces from sport, music, TV and showbiz all racing equally-matched Austin A30s and A35s.
Fans wishing to see all these superstars must purchase tickets before 5pm on Thursday as entry is by advance tickets only. Adult admission starts at £43 and weekend camping and hospitality upgrades are available.
All tickets provide access to both racing paddocks ensuring visitors have the opportunity to see the amazing supercars and bikes up close. They also include trackside grandstand seating, live music concerts on both Friday and Saturday evenings featuring the Bootleg Beatles and Tony Hadley formerly of Spandau Ballet, vintage funfair rides, air shows and car club displays as well as a host of other family-friendly demonstrations, activities and entertainment.
Full ticket details and all the latest news is available on the official website silverstoneclassic.com and via the event’s social media platforms.
The Silverstone Classic is firmly established as the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival. The epic event attracts more than 1,000 race entries and draws crowds of more than 100,000. The spectacular classic car celebration is staged at the famous Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, birthplace of the FIA Formula One World Championship and home to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. The three-day festival features the very best of historic motor racing covering more than eight decades of motor sport, as well as live music from iconic rock bands and a wealth of family entertainment. This includes a free funfair, retail outlets, a host of interactive activities, a two-day classic car auction, air displays plus huge showcases of classic cars often celebrating important milestones in automotive history. Over 120 car clubs will display more than 10,000 classic cars.
