Entries have opened for the three Silverstone Festival grids from the Historic Sports Car Club (25 to 27 August).

The three grids will be for the Silverstone Formula Libre Trophy for any pre-1990 single seater, the Road Sports Trophy for all pre-1980 production sports and saloons and the HSCC Thundersports category. The entry fee for each race is under £1000, making these races the most cost effective way of being part of the biggest and best historic motor racing festival of the season.

The three HSCC grids will take in up to 150 cars and the Club will give many of its members the chance to race at this magnificent event. The HSCC is also throwing open an invitation to racers from other series across the UK, and indeed Europe, to come and be part of the weekend.

The HSCC is opening up the chance to race at the event to a whole crop of drivers who have not previously had a suitable race to enter and can now be part of the Festival. The plan is to make the three grids as open and accommodating as possible and anyone with a car they think may be suitable is invited to contact the HSCC office.

To add to the value of the HSCC races, it is worth pointing out that each entrant will receive a number of attractive event passes as the Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before, including extensive live music.

Two 20-minute Formula Libre races will be open to a wide range of powerful single seaters built and raced before 1990. This grid could feature Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 5000 and Formula Atlantic cars from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. Formula Ford 2000s of the 1970s and 1980s can race and there is even an opportunity for cars from period Formula 3000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus and Formula Renault to join what will be a spectacular grid.

At the heart of the Formula Libre race will be cars from the HSCC’s existing Aurora Trophy, Geoff Lees Trophy, Classic F3 Historic Formula Atlantic and Historic FF2000 grids. However, the club is eager to welcome other cars not normally seen within its race meetings, so is inviting drivers in any pre ’90 slicks and wings single seater to take part.

The second all-new grid will be a 40-minute pre-1980 road sports and touring car race for the Road Sports Trophy and the first quarter of the grid was filled as soon as entries opened. The HSCC is keen to welcome competitors from other series for what might be a unique opportunity to race at the Silverstone Festival. Cars from a number of categories will be eligible, particularly those running to FIA Appendix K regulations, but all cars in near standard trim from the 1970s will be welcomed.

Thundersports is the HSCC’s series for 1970s sports-racing and GT cars and for the 40-minute Silverstone Festival race the entry will be open to other suitable cars, particularly powerful GT cars. Anyone with a car that may be suitable should make contact with the HSCC office as soon as possible.

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC said: “I hope that many of our racing members will take the chance to be part of this wonderful event. I also hope that drivers from across historic and classic racing who normally compete in other series will come and join us for a one-off event. They will be made very welcome and we will make the administration process as simple as possible. Our entry fees represent the best way of being part of the Festival!”