10 Things you didn't know about Silverstone
Silverstone offer 4x4 Off Road Driving
nd Rover Defender is the chosen vehicle. With it's five speed manual transmission, 150bhp and 2700cc Turbo Diesel engine, the 50 minute experience could be called an extreme experience I guess - 4x4 Driving Experience
- Silverstone Circuit is located in South Northamptonshire and is widely regarded as the home of motor sport and the circuit where the Formula 1 championship began.
- There are now 18 turns, with the projected average speed likely to be around 157mph/252kph.
- 58,000 square metres of asphalt and 56,000 square metres of gravel have gone into the new run-off areas.
- 14 people are employed to cut the grass at Silverstone, as well as 15 painters to keep the place looking smart.
- The new circuit is now 3.66 miles, or 5.89km.
- The British Grand Prix on 13 May 1950 marked the beginning of Formula 1 World Championship.
- McLaren drivers have won 13 out of the British Grands Prix the team has competed in to date, including David Coulthard’s victories for McLaren-Mercedes in 1999 and 2000, Mika Hakkinen’s win in 2001, and Juan Pablo’s in 2005.
- It took 108,000 man hours, between November 2009 and March 2010, to complete the new Grand Prix Circuit at Silverstone
- Silverstone’s new Grand Prix Circuit includes the following newly named corners and straights:
Abbey Corner: The original Abbey was called Abbey Curve but the latest iteration is too acute to be called a curve and so it has been named ‘Abbey Corner’.
Farm Curve: This is the long left after Abbey Corner which passes close to the Farm and campsite.
Village Corner: Right hander after ‘Farm Curve’. This has been named ‘Village Corner’ after Silverstone Village.
The Loop: The long left hand corner referred to as ‘The Loop’.
Aintree Corner: The next, more gradual left hander, is called Aintree after the circuit where the British Grand Prix took place in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962. This is consistent with the existing Brooklands Corner named after the circuit where the British Grand Prix took place in 1926 and 1927.
Wellington Straight: The straight to Brooklands, formerly known as the National Straight. This has been renamed ‘Wellington Straight’ after the aircraft based at Silverstone during WW2. The straight is one of the old runways.
