The International Trophy tag plays homage to one of the most famous races held at Silverstone over the years. It was a race that at times has featured Formula 2 cars, and these  will again be included in the Derek Bell Trophy races., Arguably the highlight event of the weekend, the DBT will feature two 20-minute races including the thunderous F5000 cars and the fantastic pre-79 F2 cars.

The F5000 entry includes Gary Lapidus (Lola T400), Mark Dwyer (Trojan T101), Frank Lyons (Lola T332), Christian Pittard (Chevron B28), Michael Corker (Lola T300) and the McLaren M10B of Matthew Wurr (in the Syd Taylor car previously raced by Peter Gethin at the Daily Express Trophy in 1970).  The less powerful but more agile F2 cars will include Marc Mercer (Ralt Rt1), Alex Kapadia (March 762), Michael Bletsoe-Brown (Chevron B27) and Mike Bainbridge (March 792). The grid will also feature Formula Atlantic and Classic F3 cars.

Although the main content of the meeting comes from the Historic Sports Car Club’s portfolio of championships, there will be guest races from the ”GT & Sports Car Cup” organisers and the 750 Motor Club, both adding to the programme. The full weekend line-up will include powerful and spectacular single-seaters, GTs, sports prototypes and sports-racing cars.

The Classic Formula Fords, with continued support from SDC, will also feature with two 20-minute races. Expected to be leading the field will be legend and Formula Ford veteran Rick Morris, winner of the recent race at Snetterton just a month ago, in his Royale RP29. A busy grid should provide close and entertaining racing around the open expanse of the Grand Prix circuit.

The Guards Trophy Championship is contested by sports racing cars (SRs) and grand touring cars (GTs) from the 1960s with a 50-minute pit stop race on Sunday. Another strong grid featuring these spectacular looking GTs and sports racers is scheduled. Ben Tusting in the family Lenham P69 Spider should be well to the fore, but new to the grid will be Russell and Elliot Paterson from Perth with their Ginetta G16, a very quick pair who won’t be travelling all that way down to make up the numbers! Also joining the grid will be saloon car ace Dan Cox in a Merlyn MK4A sharing with Michael Richings, and the usual mix of Chevron B6/8s, Ginetta G16s and Lotus 23Bs will be joined by the mighty pre-66 ‘big bangers’ including a McLaren M1a, Lola T70 Mk2 Spyder and, new to the championship, an early GT40 driven by Henry Stephenson. Expect David and Goliath battles throughout the 23-car grid!

What the Griffiths Haig currently lacks in quantity more than makes up in quality! Leading the grid of these wonderful sports cars from the 1950s will be the interesting and unusual Jaguar XK120 Mistral of Gary Pearson, as raced recently at the Goodwood Members Meeting.

Also included in the entry list is the Lister Jaguar Knobbly of Graham Moss, Benjamin Eastick’s Jaguar D Type and the wonderful Alfa Romeo Disco Volante of Christopher Mann. Also included are two delightful Lola Mk1s entered by Juerg Tobler and Arne Soedal and the grid also features a Cooper T39 Bobtail, Tania Pilkington’s Maserati 300S. Andrew Storer, is bringing the rare Willment sports racer last raced by Graham Hill in the 1957 International Trophy Meeting Silverstone, Malcolm Harrison in his Cooper Bristol T25, James Own in his Elva MK5 and Mark Richardson in his AC Bristol.

The “GT & Sports Car Cup” is a race series for genuine Pre-66 GTs and Pre-63 Sports-Cars of a type that were raced in the World Endurance Championship in period. They will be fielding one of the largest grids of the weekend, currently at 37 cars, for its’ 120-minute race on Saturday afternoon.

The 750 Motor Club has a bumper entry with 59 cars racing in Saturday’s 45-minute Roadsport race (for tuned production sports and saloon cars) and 49 for Sunday’s 120-minute Club Enduro.

Timetable: BRDC International Trophy

Entry List: BRDC International Trophy

IMAGES WITH THANKS: MOTORSPORT CLASSICS MEDIA

So far in 2024, the club has run successful race meetings at Snetterton, Cadwell Park, Donington Park, Brands Hatch GP and Oulton Park and still has Croft to come this weekend (10-11 August) and the Silverstone Finals meeting in October. In addition, the HSCC is the race organising club for the Silverstone Festival at the end of August and the Walter Hayes Trophy in early November.

The outline plan for HSCC race meetings in 2025 is broadly similar, taking in the best circuits in the UK to provide cost effective racing for HSCC members and selected guest races at some events.

At the core of the HSCC’s racing programme is its portfolio of longstanding and successful championships that offer some of the best value racing in historic motorsport: Historic and Classic Formula Ford 1600, Historic Formula Ford 2000, Formula Junior, Historic and 70s Road Sports, Historic F3 and the Guards Trophy.

The flagship Derek Bell Trophy for powerful single seaters is enjoying a sensational season and is set to continue that growth in 2025 and beyond and rapidly emerging as one of the HSCC core categories is the Historic Modsports and Special Saloon Series, which has built strongly this season and already shows further growth coming in 2025.

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC, said: “We live in an ever changing market for club and national motor racing and the historic arena is always changing and evolving. However, through all of this, the HSCC remains a bastion of safe and enjoyable racing for its members, just as we have since our very first race back in 1966.

“We are working full steam ahead on our 2025 programme and plan to reveal the schedule of HSCC race meetings as early as possible to allow everyone to make their plans accordingly.”